dark side of the morning - anyone

[Merida]

Merida

from the ashes, a fire shall be awoken

He stares at her (almost staring down at her), with this sort of dumbfounded, boyhood wonder. The pied colt seems well traveled enough. However, the complete look of surprise in his eyes tells Merida that his experience in the diverse world of Beqanna has not revealed to him an already bad-tempered mare who happens to be having a particularly bad week. He takes a few steps away from her, which causes her ears to prick forward almost thankfully – he seems subdued by her presence and not interested in coming any closer. She’s almost hoping that he’ll continue stepping backwards and slowly make his way to the ocean he had come from to return home to his mother and father.

Of course, the exact opposite happens.

His rebuttal causes her ears to hide beneath the flaming tendrils of mane that twirl precariously at her face and neck. ‘Just wanted to see Loess.’ What is there to see? Some hills and a few rocks? A pissed off mare who hasn’t slept in days? Her black lips pull back to reveal her teeth, and she reaches towards him with quick, decisive steps to purposely clamp down on the emptiness of the air near his throat. “I hate technicalities,” she says to him, her voice a mixture of a hiss and purr.

Merida draws her head away from him, closing her lips and letting the fierce red of her eyes trace the pied colt once again. He didn’t seem to mean any true harm to her or Loess, but it did not do well for her to not at least chide him for his attempted sarcasm in the face of a very ill-tempered mare.

“Well here it is. You’ve seen it. Goodbye.” She dismisses him with a flick of her tail at her hocks, her nostrils flaring as a flippant snort leaves her. She stands and waits, part of her knowing that the colt will either complain that she refuses to give him a grand tour and return her stubbornness with his own, or he will eventually give up and turn back from whence he came. 

It was a good thing Merida did not have anything planned today. She will stand before him until her legs begin to grow roots before she would let him move forward.