06-16-2017, 12:33 PM
Aten was glad that Ruan had decided to take the filly into his care, watching as the spotted stallion's blue eyes turned downward so they were looking at her. Ruan also thanked Aten, more than likely for the compliment about being a good father. Aten didn't know Ruan's history in raising both the foals of his blood and those he had adopted, like little Polaris, but Jinju had turned out all right. Enfys as well, even if he had hardly ever spent time with the filly.
For some reason, Aten suddenly felt a pang of desire to one day have a foal to care for, whether it was of his blood or taken into his care after being abandoned by its mother. Of course, he knew he'd have to find a mare to give birth to his foal if he wanted one of his blood, and so far, he hadn't seem to have caught the eyes of any of them. There also weren't a lot of foals around this time of year, either still living in their homes or having been taken in by other horses following abandonment. Also, Aten was still young himself; he wanted a few more years under his belt before he took on the task of being a father.
When Ruan began speaking again, Aten focused his eyes on the stallion. He was sharing something that the golden one could've never imagined; he was openly speaking about a piece of his family's history. This caught Aten visibly by surprise, but all the stallion showed was an interested flicker of his ears and a careful gaze in his eyes. He didn't want Ruan to think he was in complete shock right now, even if he was. The stallion deserved the right to speak and share about what he wanted. It was just a bit of a shock because Aten always thought that Ruan would keep that part of his life locked away forever.
Ruan told Aten of how he was raised by his older sister before she left this world, along with the spotted stallion's dam. His blood sire was unknown at this point, something Aten found distasteful but chose to not voice aloud. He knew how the system worked around here, for a few specific horses at least. There were some who only took one partner, some who owed a harem/herd, like his sire, Archam, had, and then there were some who went after the mares only during breeding season to try and pass on their bloodline, never interacting with the foals beyond the first few days of life.
Aten didn't know why the system was as unbalanced as it was, but one often couldn't fight pure instinct. Perhaps something had driven those stallions away, like it might have done for Ruan's own sire. That would explain why the stallion had never met him to begin with.
Ruan changed the subject and started talking about Reagan. Aten did recognize the name, but he had never met the mare. He only knew basic information, most of which Ruan was relaying to him again. She'd come here with the stallion and founded the Taiga before suddenly disappearing. Hearing that Ruan fathered a foal with her was news to the golden stallion, but not incredibly shocking.
Ryan stopped talking and a tense silence settled between the two stallions. Aten wanted to ask if his leader was okay, but a voice in his head warned him against such a thing. It was obvious right now that Ruan was hurting, and while at times being comforted can make the pain go away, in Aten's experience, others just wanted to be left alone. Which is why, for a time, he just stood there, offering his companionship to the stallion in case Ruan wanted some support during these trying times.
"Do you want training, Aten?"
The gold stallion's eyes drifted back up towards Ruan's, his ears going forward as he heard him talk about a new land where, if Aten wished, he could be trained to fight. Remembering a recent excursion to the Field, he vaguely recalled hearing some gossip among the cliques of mares that, in the wake of Pangea's destruction, a new kingdom has risen. He didn't know who it was led by, only that they were searching for new members for their kingdom.
Was this the same one? Were the members that were being searched for going there only to be trained to fight? Aten doubted that was the sole purpose, but at the same time, he got an uneasy feeling. Surely it couldn't be that simple; no kingdom would open its borders to the younger generations to train them unless there was some sort of ulterior motive.
But he wouldn't jump the gun just yet. There was no reason to start a panic unless a legitimate reason came through. Even though Aten already had his answer for his leader, he made a note to keep an eye on the kingdom in the future, just in case his suspicions proved to be correct later down the line.
"I believe that many younger ones, like myself, have an interest in a job, whether it is diplomacy or being a warrior. It is true that I desire to become better, so that I can protect the ones I care for, but I have no desire to go anywhere else. While I may not be a seasoned fighter like some others out there, I believe that experience will grow as I age. I developed skills of my own before I came here, when I lived alone as a bachelor. Even if there are better warriors out there than me, I think my own skill set is efficient enough.
"So, while the offer is a generous one, I will decline it. I would rather remain where I am comfortable, which is here, in the Taiga." Even though Ruan had tried to hide it, Aten had noticed the look in his leader's eyes. True, he wanted to better his own skills, but not somewhere that was new, where he wasn't comfortable. He would do just fine here, in the Taiga. He'd get better as he grew, as he faced new opponents and got older.
But with him still getting truly used to the Taiga as a home, Aten did not want to leave it just yet.
For some reason, Aten suddenly felt a pang of desire to one day have a foal to care for, whether it was of his blood or taken into his care after being abandoned by its mother. Of course, he knew he'd have to find a mare to give birth to his foal if he wanted one of his blood, and so far, he hadn't seem to have caught the eyes of any of them. There also weren't a lot of foals around this time of year, either still living in their homes or having been taken in by other horses following abandonment. Also, Aten was still young himself; he wanted a few more years under his belt before he took on the task of being a father.
When Ruan began speaking again, Aten focused his eyes on the stallion. He was sharing something that the golden one could've never imagined; he was openly speaking about a piece of his family's history. This caught Aten visibly by surprise, but all the stallion showed was an interested flicker of his ears and a careful gaze in his eyes. He didn't want Ruan to think he was in complete shock right now, even if he was. The stallion deserved the right to speak and share about what he wanted. It was just a bit of a shock because Aten always thought that Ruan would keep that part of his life locked away forever.
Ruan told Aten of how he was raised by his older sister before she left this world, along with the spotted stallion's dam. His blood sire was unknown at this point, something Aten found distasteful but chose to not voice aloud. He knew how the system worked around here, for a few specific horses at least. There were some who only took one partner, some who owed a harem/herd, like his sire, Archam, had, and then there were some who went after the mares only during breeding season to try and pass on their bloodline, never interacting with the foals beyond the first few days of life.
Aten didn't know why the system was as unbalanced as it was, but one often couldn't fight pure instinct. Perhaps something had driven those stallions away, like it might have done for Ruan's own sire. That would explain why the stallion had never met him to begin with.
Ruan changed the subject and started talking about Reagan. Aten did recognize the name, but he had never met the mare. He only knew basic information, most of which Ruan was relaying to him again. She'd come here with the stallion and founded the Taiga before suddenly disappearing. Hearing that Ruan fathered a foal with her was news to the golden stallion, but not incredibly shocking.
Ryan stopped talking and a tense silence settled between the two stallions. Aten wanted to ask if his leader was okay, but a voice in his head warned him against such a thing. It was obvious right now that Ruan was hurting, and while at times being comforted can make the pain go away, in Aten's experience, others just wanted to be left alone. Which is why, for a time, he just stood there, offering his companionship to the stallion in case Ruan wanted some support during these trying times.
"Do you want training, Aten?"
The gold stallion's eyes drifted back up towards Ruan's, his ears going forward as he heard him talk about a new land where, if Aten wished, he could be trained to fight. Remembering a recent excursion to the Field, he vaguely recalled hearing some gossip among the cliques of mares that, in the wake of Pangea's destruction, a new kingdom has risen. He didn't know who it was led by, only that they were searching for new members for their kingdom.
Was this the same one? Were the members that were being searched for going there only to be trained to fight? Aten doubted that was the sole purpose, but at the same time, he got an uneasy feeling. Surely it couldn't be that simple; no kingdom would open its borders to the younger generations to train them unless there was some sort of ulterior motive.
But he wouldn't jump the gun just yet. There was no reason to start a panic unless a legitimate reason came through. Even though Aten already had his answer for his leader, he made a note to keep an eye on the kingdom in the future, just in case his suspicions proved to be correct later down the line.
"I believe that many younger ones, like myself, have an interest in a job, whether it is diplomacy or being a warrior. It is true that I desire to become better, so that I can protect the ones I care for, but I have no desire to go anywhere else. While I may not be a seasoned fighter like some others out there, I believe that experience will grow as I age. I developed skills of my own before I came here, when I lived alone as a bachelor. Even if there are better warriors out there than me, I think my own skill set is efficient enough.
"So, while the offer is a generous one, I will decline it. I would rather remain where I am comfortable, which is here, in the Taiga." Even though Ruan had tried to hide it, Aten had noticed the look in his leader's eyes. True, he wanted to better his own skills, but not somewhere that was new, where he wasn't comfortable. He would do just fine here, in the Taiga. He'd get better as he grew, as he faced new opponents and got older.
But with him still getting truly used to the Taiga as a home, Aten did not want to leave it just yet.