.Terran.
I usually laugh at her sharp remarks - the girl had a tongue like a sword, after all, but when she quips about burning my wings (taking my freedom) I draw up with a start, stopping easily to glare at her with reproachful eyes. It’s just another reminder of our age difference, when she does things like that, but her rounded belly is my constant conscious; I sigh, instead of barking back at her, shake my head and move forward again to place a sorely forceful bite on her rump.
This is a big day, after all, no need for a fight.
Ruan is exactly how I imagined him to be. Grizzled, reserved, and exceptionally protective over a mare who, truly, wasn’t even his to claim as blood. These are minor details, though. I know that to Jinju, family is more than relation or look-alikes - it’s a bond built through trust and commitment. She really had no idea what she’d gotten herself into when she met me, did she? I let them have their moment though, her gentle touch against my shoulder quieting the proud smile over my lips. It certainly would be hard for me to meet the guy who knocked my daughter up. Jinju wasn’t a girl though … far from it, that’s what my eyes tell me as they travel the length of her spine while she whispers softly to her dad.
His question seems to pique both of their interests. I laugh: easily, loudly, the deep bass of my voice echoing against the trunks as I move forward to meet the black damsel's outstretched nose with my own pale one. “As charming as Taiga is, I have reason to explore Loess as a possible home. I met your other daughter - Heda, she did a fine job of convincing me to give it a look.” I reply for both of their benefit. My lips are absentminded, finding their way up Jinju’s nose with warm, affectionate pecks. “But neither hell nor high water could tear me away from your lovely princess and our soon-to-be foal.” I murmur, amber eyes settling into those ruby ones opposite of mine. I hold her there, drink her in for a moment, and then let my attentions snap back to the father.
“You can be sure of that.”
I want to live, I want to give, I'm a miner for a heart of gold