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Actions "Speech" Thought
Tio seemed content to follow her wherever she was leading him. His eyes took in the sights of the trees that were thinning around them and guessed that they were coming to the edge of the forest. He was aware of the bird flying close behind him and figured she was doing so to keep an eye on him. A smart bird, but for now, her worries for groundless. Tio was as dangerous as she feared, however he had an iron grip on control right now, seeing as he was more interested in learning what she knew than dominating her in a violent fashion.
At her question, his attentions were brought back to the forest and he refocused his gaze upon her with his ears pricked forwards. The stud flicked his tail, whipping away a fly that had decided to land on his hocks before he answered her. "There is a legend in the land where I came from. The legend of Cero." He cleared his throat, knowing this wasn't a direct answer to her question, but it would help her gain an idea of what he wanted to do.... eventually. "In my homeland, we were split into 6 different herds, each one of radically different terrain, and the magic was generally different for each. You see, we were element benders, born and raised to bend nature to our wills. I don't think anyone realized that the ability to do so was due to the fact that that land was shrouded in a strange magic that made it a difficult land to find, or leave. Once I did, I lost the abilities I was born with, and those I trained to obtain. I know that here I can gain them back, but it won't be the same, for I will never be as powerful as I was."
"In anycase, our land was split into 6 herds according to the elements the inhabitants were able to bend at birth... Water, Fire, Earth, Air, Metal, and Space. For each land, there were assigned 2 gods, one male and one female. We could have up to 12, however I don't remember ever having that many at a time. Anyways, Cero was born among the earth benders. He was a warrior from birth, and in his time, the land was torn apart by war. He lost his entire family to invasion, and was forced to grow up in the metal lands with a new herd that taught him how to bend the metal around him. He grew up alright, but in his heart was a thirst for revenge. The war that took his family away, was a war being waged by the gods. Did they care that they were tearing so many families apart for their own selfish reasons? No."
"So when he was a bachelor, he formulated a plan. Gathered a following, using the commoners anger against the gods as a motivational speech. He was a master of manipulation through fear and rage. Together, he and his followers invaded each land, one by one, and when they bested the old rulers of each land, he would appoint one of his captains as the new ruler of that land. They were experienced leaders, both in political affairs and in battle, and more importantly, they were loyal to him. Cero had planned to gain control of each land indirectly by replacing the rulers of those lands with ones that were loyual to him, so that he was like an emperor standing on top of a chain of governors. He never got that far."
"His greed brought the attention of the gods, and he tasted their wrath before knowing fear for the first time in his life. You see, Cero had a mate, and their son was his lieutenant. He loved them both so much, that he would die for them above anything and everything else. The gods decided to punish him by killing off his lead mare and having their newborn daughter be stillborn. Not only that, but they prevented Cero the easy way out by granting him immortality. No matter how many times his grief drove him to commit suicide, he could not die. He eventually disappeared, however... The legend goes that he is simply sleeping. The meadow where he was born was thought to be cursed. Horses thought that if a horse with the heart of a warrior went there, that he would wake up and return to the land, a plague upon the entire island and it's inhabitants."
"I'm not saying that I want to follow in his hoofprints, only a fool would challenge the gods in such a way. However, his methods for conquest were solid theories. I can not take over a land by myself. There would be too many horses willing to fight alongside their current rulers for me to even think I could them all on my own. I need a following. For that, i need you. In my homeland, a stallions power was measured by the size of his band. I can't impress stallions into wanting to fight for me, if I have no mares willing to follow my lead." Tio paused for a moment and then turned to look at her with one raised brow.
"That doesn't mean that I think mares can't put up much of a fight. I know you're probably just as capable as any stud. However, let's be reasonable... stallions are stronger, and more capable fighters, than mares as a general rule. They battle every other day, against other stallions, protecting what they have. So they have more experience." He flicked his tail again and swiveled one ear to take in the chirping of a robin somewhere behind them both. Despite his apologetic tone, it was startlingly obvious what his general thoughts on gender roles were. No matter how polite he sounded, it could not be denied that Tio was in fact, probably the most sexist, wood-for-brains that any mare had ever met.
As he'd told the story, the scenery around them changed. They'd come to the edge of the forest, crossed a knee-high river, and had traveled deep into a meadow full of thistles and lush grass. Along the horizon, an oak tree of two stretched it's branches to the sky, providing shade from the sun for all manner of beasts. As he watched, a few does and their fawns bounded across the terrain, content to leap about happily and munch on the grass. Tio looked around, taking in his new surroundings and then looking at her and admiring the way the sunlight gleamed off her golden coat and her freckled wings. He didn't say anything about the way her appearance was making him feel, mainly because his expression of love was a violent one.
Still, he was trying to keep himself under control so that she wouldn't gain the upper hand. He was still a bit wary of her and this land and despite his promises to make her his lead mare, he was under no such obligation. At least not until she proved herself to him as a mare worth keeping around for longer than her knowledge was useful to him. If he could stand her presence after she taught him everything she knew of the land he had come to, she'd passed with flying colors. If not, well.... let's just hope she knows how to run... fast.
Word count: 1267
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