03-24-2017, 06:56 PM
Though Aten spotted the pain within Jinju's bright red eyes, he also spotted something behind it, a tiny flame sparking in the hopes of growing stronger.
Perhaps the new emotion was... hope? The hope of a new friendship blossoming between the filly and the stallion? Aten felt his own heart flutter at such thoughts, for he wished to develop a new friendship with Jinju. During his time alone, since a majority of the mares he came upon were members of a kingdom or already part of a herd, the stallions had chased him away in an effort to protect their harems. Aten wouldn't deny, should he have a herd one day, he'd do the same, to protect those mares whether they one day had foals of their own that belonged to him or another stallion. But, for now, he would treasure the friendships he fostered, starting with the one between him and Jinju.
He turned to look at the filly, once more briefly distracted by her. Aten was not shallow, like some other stallions he had met (he had a distinct feeling Nerius may have inherited a small bit of that from their sire, since his older brother seemed quite proud growing up). He valued a mare's personality more than her beauty, but he had to admit, Jinju was quite a sight. Her sleek black coat polished her form, her tapered features showing off a proud bloodline. Her bright red eyes were like fire, her emotions dancing within and constantly enticing others to see how far they could push her buttons.
Aten briefly stole glances at Jinju as they continued walking deeper into the forest, but made sure to keep it discreet if he found himself looking. He didn't want her to think he was an oddball; he just liked looking at her. At least he was smiling, so hopefully that toned it down a bit and made Jinju think Aten was just happy to be around a new friend.
After some more time of walking, the filly and the stallion reached a clearing, large enough to host a good number of horses. If Aten had to guess, this must be where the leaders of the kingdom conducted meetings for all the members, for however many Taiga had, he suspected this place was more than adequate.
Aten asked Jinju about meeting the leaders, but the filly just walked ahead until she was already in the clearing. Aten himself was still by the tree line, unsure of what she was doing. She turned to look at him, asking him a question before following it with a statement that sounded quite like a fact.
When she said that, Aten got an odd feeling. Figuring it would be a safe bet so he could see everything around him, the stallion moved to the middle of the clearing and stood next to Jinju, his nostrils slightly flared as he waited to see what would happen.
The way Jinju had said that, how her sire was already here, Aten just didn't feel normal now. Something about the forest had changed with her words, an unsettling feeling weighing down on the young stallion's heart. It wasn't heavy, like sadness or anger, but more of a light tingle, like his instincts telling him to be cautious.
And it Aten knew one thing by now, he always had to trust his gut. He seemed to pick up on some things easier than others did, especially danger or something stirring, so he kept his eyes on the woods, occasionally glancing back at Jinju to judge her reaction.
Perhaps the new emotion was... hope? The hope of a new friendship blossoming between the filly and the stallion? Aten felt his own heart flutter at such thoughts, for he wished to develop a new friendship with Jinju. During his time alone, since a majority of the mares he came upon were members of a kingdom or already part of a herd, the stallions had chased him away in an effort to protect their harems. Aten wouldn't deny, should he have a herd one day, he'd do the same, to protect those mares whether they one day had foals of their own that belonged to him or another stallion. But, for now, he would treasure the friendships he fostered, starting with the one between him and Jinju.
He turned to look at the filly, once more briefly distracted by her. Aten was not shallow, like some other stallions he had met (he had a distinct feeling Nerius may have inherited a small bit of that from their sire, since his older brother seemed quite proud growing up). He valued a mare's personality more than her beauty, but he had to admit, Jinju was quite a sight. Her sleek black coat polished her form, her tapered features showing off a proud bloodline. Her bright red eyes were like fire, her emotions dancing within and constantly enticing others to see how far they could push her buttons.
Aten briefly stole glances at Jinju as they continued walking deeper into the forest, but made sure to keep it discreet if he found himself looking. He didn't want her to think he was an oddball; he just liked looking at her. At least he was smiling, so hopefully that toned it down a bit and made Jinju think Aten was just happy to be around a new friend.
After some more time of walking, the filly and the stallion reached a clearing, large enough to host a good number of horses. If Aten had to guess, this must be where the leaders of the kingdom conducted meetings for all the members, for however many Taiga had, he suspected this place was more than adequate.
Aten asked Jinju about meeting the leaders, but the filly just walked ahead until she was already in the clearing. Aten himself was still by the tree line, unsure of what she was doing. She turned to look at him, asking him a question before following it with a statement that sounded quite like a fact.
When she said that, Aten got an odd feeling. Figuring it would be a safe bet so he could see everything around him, the stallion moved to the middle of the clearing and stood next to Jinju, his nostrils slightly flared as he waited to see what would happen.
The way Jinju had said that, how her sire was already here, Aten just didn't feel normal now. Something about the forest had changed with her words, an unsettling feeling weighing down on the young stallion's heart. It wasn't heavy, like sadness or anger, but more of a light tingle, like his instincts telling him to be cautious.
And it Aten knew one thing by now, he always had to trust his gut. He seemed to pick up on some things easier than others did, especially danger or something stirring, so he kept his eyes on the woods, occasionally glancing back at Jinju to judge her reaction.