The engineer had fumed back to the Aurora Basin, fury building up with every step. He was normally quite a pleasant chap, lost in his own head. Ulrik's emotions rarely ventured past delightfully disturbed, but his hard-to-upset temper was still available at times. Now was one of those times. Watching the leader, the leader Mauja had left in charge, fall in battle, had been too much for him to handle. He already did not respect the mare for leaving to spawn Mauja's love child, and against his better judgement, Ulrik had given her a chance. She had screwed up in his eyes. He was done. Absolutely and utterly done.

As he walked through the thick snow, Ulrik's leonine tail flashed in brutal irritation around his legs, his body only somewhat beaten and bruised from the fight he had abandoned. His opponent had fought back after the stallion had turned to storm back here, and he had not seen it coming. For a few hours, he had been unconscious, which only served to further aggravate the already inflamed stallion.

Now, he rose the path into the valley, even though he was tempted to never return. Ulrik's ears were stuck to the crest of his neck, and the rhythm of his steps was pointed, fierce.

The general looked equally as angry, if only by the glint in his eyes that told him not to press. He was not even a part of this damn herd, but he had fought nonetheless - up until the point that his leader had fallen. Ulrik's bronze eyes glared brutally at the nearby mountains. When Deimos' words hit his ears, the stallion turned his gaze toward the gray. He had no quarrel with the general, but his words just might start one he did not intend to fight. The mind of a genius often crossed into madness and the laws of verbal engagement fell by the wayside. Kirchoff, able to feel the tension, stood at Ulrik's front legs. The tiny pup's silver eyes watched with curiosity.

"I have no reason to fight a losing battle," he replied, the deep, guttural tones of his voice even more raspy and harsh. The cruel, pointed accent was even more pronounced, almost making him difficult to understand. "Mauja disappeared. Psyche fell. Our leaders are weak." Ulrik did not care of Psyche heard. Let her know his opinion of him! Perhaps she should be knocked down from her throne, but Ulrik was not of this herd. He could not force his way into her place by challenge - and even so, he was an engineer, not a leader.

"Half of those you called to follow did not show to fight. The fighters of the Throat were lining up to step in. We were forced out before we even began, and when our.... fearless leader fell?" Ulrik snorted sarcastically, a vicious sneer on his face. "My magic is still fucking busted. I build for this herd, and for what? To fight in a war in which the leader is too weak to make it through?!" Ulrik's voice rose a fraction. The stallion, stomped a cloven hoof, eyes glazed in unharnessed rage.

"I am an engineer. I watch your prisoners. I create your prisons. I did so for Mauja, and for you." Ulrik stated to Deimos. "I do so for my species, but I will not follow a lackluster force into battle only to watch the queen fall." The stallion took a deep, sharp breath. "Should you need my services further, I will serve, but only for my species and for you, Deimos. My loyalties no longer extend beyond you and I."