Water, Sweet Water

[aya]

Aleo appraised the young bay filly for a moment, touching noses with her. She was a little stocky but she looked very cute to him. But there was something not quite right about the way she acted.

"What is your name, filly?" He asked, tipping his head a little, "where do you come from?"

Throughout this exchange with the bay, he made sure to keep an eye on Rezar, as well as the two mares they were having a battle of wits over.

[chibinezu]

Badu nickered happily, touching noses with Aleo and then butting foreheads in an overly playful manner. She was happy to have found others so quickly, she hoped they would not mine her staying.

"My name is Badu, I come from.." She will looking confused for a moment, unsure what the area she had spent the last few weeks in was called, having not the sense to ask any soul present at the time.
"I'm from over there and your name?"

[aya]

Aleo pawed the ground a little, watching Badu. From the way she acted, he could tell that she used to be a man's horse. He felt she might cause trouble, but he felt a little bad for her and didn't want to leave her alone.
"My name is Aleo." He said, feeling he'd said it a hundred times that day, "are you alone? If no man will come for you, you may follow me."

He turned his proud head back to Rezar, ready to end the little feud.
"I have no intention of leaving here today without Dilali, just so you know." He looked at the two mares as well as he spoke and tossed his head a little, "So whether we fight or work this out peacefully is really up to you."

[Illu]

Badu was, very interesting to say the least. Not because she didn’t look a thing like a brumby, but more so because for some reason, Rezar was sure he’d seen her somewhere before, or at the very least a horse very much like her. He didn’t get long to ponder on it before Aleo decided to drop his ultimatum. Stupid fillies and their decision to stay with each other, this could get complicated. It was a pity one of the pretty little bays first experiences of the wild may be a battle.

Giving Aleo a sardonic little inclination of his head, he replied scathingly, leaving little doubt of both what he thought of Aleo and his current position on the matter. “Can’t even stick to your own maxim huh? Or was that little gem about not getting on stallions bad sides just for my benefit?” he challenged, sizing up his possible opponent. Both where four years old and in good condition, Aleo was maybe a little shorter* but he gave off the sense of knowing what he was doing, whether that was the case or not was impossible to tell. He figured himself in with a good chance even though he didn’t share Aleo’s level of audacity. Bring it on if need be! He didn’t see them as too differently matched. “I in turn have no intention of leaving without the creamy, just so you know,” he continued, just realisng that despite maybe doing through this he still had no idea what her name was. “So whether we fight or work this out peacefully is up to you, unless these two forget their qualm about being parted.”

*||OoC|| Sorry, I based that observation on that Arabians are on average 14.2hh, rarely bigger for purebreds, and Lipizzan’s uncommonly reach over 15hh, so because Aleo is a cross that’s around what he’d be.||

[tingara]

Dilali felt anger at Rezar's insolence rising through her. Did he know nothing of loyalty? His words stung her ears like horse flies, "unless these two forget their qualm about being parted.” He spoke about them as if they were stupid and didn't understand their ways. She half reared in frustration and stood firmly next to Kessa.
"No I will not part with my friend," she whinnied shrilly, angrily pawing the ground. Generally she was calm and cool like her brother Tingara, but now she felt the anger of her father in her. "Do you know nothing of loyalty and friendship!?"

[Tiggs]

The confrontation was amusing. The two were both set on which filly they wanted, but she bet they hadn't counted on them sticking together. She felt a little irked, however at the fact that despite wanting to claim the two mares, they seemed to not be paying a lot of attention to them! Affronted, Kessa snorted angrily. "You want to fight over us because you want us, but did you ever consider that we might not want either of you? We will not be parted, and frankly, I don't think I do want to follow either of you."

She glanced to Dilali, hoping she would agree. She'd feel a little foolish for blurting that out and then woefully following after one of them should her friend decide to stay with one. If either stallion wanted to pursue them, they could find them another day. Right now, she was not interested in a stallion if they were more interested in impressing another male rather than impressing her.

She glanced to the oddly-acting bay. Kessa hoped the strange mare would pick wisely if the stallions moved onto her after Kessa's rebuff.

[chibinezu]

Badu looked between the impending fight and quarrel with confused and now wary eyes. It seemed she had walked into a bad situation here. She did not wish for her potential new friends to quarrel so.

"Could we not leave together? Then there will be no fight, no problem? Is this correct? I would be happy to come with you! If this invitation is still open Aleo? I promise no man has followed me, I am not of use to them."

[aya]

Aleo grunted at the conversation unfolding in front of him and tossed his silvery mane in irritation. Rezar was grating him, that's for sure. He didn't want to lose to a newcomer, but he was ready now to just walk away. Especially since Badu had agreed to join him.

"Rezar, you are the one who tried to make a fool out of me initially," he pointed out, "that is what I call 'making a bad impression'. He raised his forehoof and pawed at the dirt again.

Dilali and Kessa made their opinions known, and Aleo grew tired of their stubbornness. By now, he had had enough of young fillies and their ideals. He'd also had enough of the other cocky stallion. This time, he turned to Badu instead.

"Very well. He nudged the soft nose of the bay filly, "You assure me that no man is after you, and I'll believe you for now. He was more than happy with Badu's reasoning about leaving and not challenging Rezar, so he turned and walked right away with the cute little bay in tow.

[chibinezu]

To Badu Aleo, the grey stallion gave the presence of one who was in charge of the things around him and as he turned to leave, her instinct told her to follow and she had never not been one to follow them so turn on her heel she did, pausing only to look back and nicker at the others to encourage them to follow her.

[Illu]

Rezar was sufficiently taken aback, again, by Kessa’s second outburst to relax off the metaphorical fluffing of the feathers momentarily. Honestly, he was starting to have second thoughts of his own; the creamy was, well, rather aggressive and was starting to get unlikeable. Granted, he had been out of the game a while, but last he checked, mares still had very little control over who they ended up with; Kessa seemed to think it was her God given right to pick and choose. Somehow, he got the impression voicing this to her may be suicide. There were definitely worse brumby stallions out there than Aleo and himself, many of them strong enough to take them by force.

Aleo leaving could hardly be called a victory, and even though it was better than both getting injured, it still left him feeling extremely dissatisfied. The grey had shown maturity, so at least he earned some grudging respect for that. Aleo could have the last word if he wanted it, Rezar wasn’t about to stop him, the sooner the situation soothed the better. Gah! Humans where so much easier to work with, no mind games, just do your duty and get rewarded.

Keeping his annoyance under wraps, as was his way now he was no longer being challenged he sighed and gave the pair a searching look, then, with another head inclination of courtesy, asked a question designed to find out exactly where they where at. ”Well, you’ve made your stance perfectly clear. Do you want me to leave?”