Keeper-
“I prefer meat.”
Her ears swivel to take in the quiet amusement of the new speaker. Keeper’s black gaze followed a moment later but could not discern the disembodied voice in their midst, at least not right away because a grasshopper began to break up the gaps in their conversation with noise. Then it occurred to her that a grasshopper was rather out of place in this particular season, like most bugs tended to be when the last of summer’s heat faded away. Still, Keeper did not look for the little insect even though she spared it a sympathetic thought for it’s seasonal confusion.
Not that she would have had time to look for a grasshopper because it’s song died and a black speck began to metamorphose into the more common and less spectacular shape of a horse. This horse had beautiful gold eyes except that she had three too many and all of them seemed to focus on the trio that stood before her, startled no doubt, and gape-mouthed or at least Keeper was. It was because this particular transformation was drawn out and meant to shock them as it had served it’s purpose in doing just that.
Now that she could focus on more than just the unnatural change and too many eyes, she realized the horse was bald. Not a lick of hair to her for all that her apologetic grin seemed more eerie because of this lack as bit by bit, the black fur grew back and the mane and tail filled out thick and full. Keeper could not keep her eyes off this strange mare that had come amongst them or perhaps been there all along, just unseen and as something else. That part did not surprise her all that much to be honest - the change did, because it was meant to shock as much as it awed her to some extent.
Keeper grew more concerned about how Tickaani would respond to this, it had to be too much for one to bear. She didn’t respond to Caw right away, instead shuffling a step closer to the blue roan mare and reaching out to stroke a comforting nose down her neck. Tickaani however, mustered a rather even keeled and kind response to Caw that impressed Keeper and made her feel the first pinpricks of pride at how well the blue roan handled herself in this trying situation. She beamed a great big smile at her, prouder than words could say. Tick had some sand in her craw after all, not that Keeper doubted for one moment that the mare wouldn’t be capable of handling her own.
It might be something that their kind recognize in each other, not to exclude Ryan or Caw but they had impressive abilities that made them much more than horses. Keeper and Tick had to compensate with hooves, blunt teeth, and their own wily brains. Not that she has forgotten him, but it occurs to her then that Ryan might not respond so well to this interruption either and her black eyes swing quick to him in a panic. She’d trusted him to just be there, as he’d been leaning in ever closer to the blue roan and herself as the three of them had become close in such a short amount of time (unless she’s fooling herself but there seemed to be a connection there).
Her eyes find not a horse but a tawny cougar in a crouch. Keeper ought to be afraid of him, since the big cat is a natural enemy to the horse but she recognizes those green eyes as Ryan’s and finds that she cannot fear him at all, well a tad bit because fear is healthy to have but it’s Ryan in there, not a predator on the hunt. That and he seems more protective of Tickaani and her than anything else… her taut muscles began to relax in fractions, through moments of silence and the sound of their combined breathing until she eases from the blue roan’s side to Ryan’s cougar self and drops her nose into the fur of his neck. She is mindful of the twitching tip of his tail because it flicks against her ankles a time or two. “Easy Ryan.” she counsels him softly, blowing out a warm breath against his tawny pelt.
She lifts her nose from his back to look at the black mare again, really noticing her small but commanding appearance for the first time as she looks beyond the glimmer of her gold eyes. “I’m afraid you gave us all quite a fright with that change. I’m Keeper, and I think it’s nice to meet you Caw.” That’s one thing that Keeper cannot be faulted for - her honesty, because on the one hoof, she does believe it is nice to be in the presence of a fascinating creature like Caw but at the same time, Ryan’s shift does bring back a little of her initial shock and doubt.
not knowing how deep the woods are and lightless