06-28-2017, 02:10 AM
It seemed the welcoming committee was in today, though not the one Aten expected at first. Thinking it would have been Ruan coming to greet the new mare as he had last time when Aten brought a dappled mare to the Taiga, the golden stallion turned and prepared to greet his leader. However, when it was Jinju's black coated form that materialized from the shadows, and not that of the spotted stallion, Aten just barely controlled his reaction and gave the leader's daughter a respectful dip of his head.
Whether they were close friends or not, Jinju was Ruan's daughter. Aten had been taught to always respect those of a higher ranking than him. Yes, he'd taken it a step too far and sometimes done that with his own parents, but they did have higher positions in the Falls' hierarchy before the Reckoning changed everything. Old habits died hard, he guessed.
The ruby-eyed mare flashed a flaring look before her emotions settled again, speaking in a joking manner in regards to the frigid river water before offering her welcome to the Taiga while looking at the painted mare. Then, she moved to Aten's side, something the stallion definitely didn't expect.
To heck with that, he really didn't expect her to brush her muzzle over his shoulder the way she did. Or how close she was standing, though Aten didn't necessarily mind. Though the river water had only gone up to his fetlocks at the deepest point, its icy current had chilled the stallion all the way up to his spine and back down. So yes, it helped having Jinju there to share her warmth and chase the cold feeling away.
Though Aten was sure to still respect her space, even if Jinju didn't. Another thing he'd been taught was to be mindful of those around him at all times, to be aware of things that they might not be concerned with. And with Jinju's swollen belly carrying the foal of another stallion, Aten didn't want to do anything that might upset and/or offend her and get those teeth and hooves of hers turned on him.
So, instead, the golden stallion turned his attention to Giohde, wanting to give her the chance to answer the question Jinju inquired about rather than state her business here like a nosy foal.
Whether they were close friends or not, Jinju was Ruan's daughter. Aten had been taught to always respect those of a higher ranking than him. Yes, he'd taken it a step too far and sometimes done that with his own parents, but they did have higher positions in the Falls' hierarchy before the Reckoning changed everything. Old habits died hard, he guessed.
The ruby-eyed mare flashed a flaring look before her emotions settled again, speaking in a joking manner in regards to the frigid river water before offering her welcome to the Taiga while looking at the painted mare. Then, she moved to Aten's side, something the stallion definitely didn't expect.
To heck with that, he really didn't expect her to brush her muzzle over his shoulder the way she did. Or how close she was standing, though Aten didn't necessarily mind. Though the river water had only gone up to his fetlocks at the deepest point, its icy current had chilled the stallion all the way up to his spine and back down. So yes, it helped having Jinju there to share her warmth and chase the cold feeling away.
Though Aten was sure to still respect her space, even if Jinju didn't. Another thing he'd been taught was to be mindful of those around him at all times, to be aware of things that they might not be concerned with. And with Jinju's swollen belly carrying the foal of another stallion, Aten didn't want to do anything that might upset and/or offend her and get those teeth and hooves of hers turned on him.
So, instead, the golden stallion turned his attention to Giohde, wanting to give her the chance to answer the question Jinju inquired about rather than state her business here like a nosy foal.