Seriously with all the signals she was giving off a predator that was out to hunt her would have a hard time resisting their instinct to attack, even if it meant a bigger payload at the end. But he made no complaint, he understood and would not hold it against her. Her fleeting thought mirrored Vertigon's to some degree as he found himself wondering if he would have to apologize to every single horse he came across for being born a different animal.

It wasn't that he didn't like being a maned wolf, no he was quite proud of what he was and what he could do. But his appearance made things rather frustrating when trying to approach prey animals such as equine, no matter how pure his intentions or friendly his tone and body language most creatures fled from him. One could allow such depressing things to ruin their attitude, but Ver saw it as a challenge for him and a test for others. If one were to pass such a test and actually see past his ruff exterior then they would find a friend who's loyalty was beyond measure. But few saw his true heart, only seeing the teeth and scars.

Something was coming. It was not his senses that told him this, for the next stranger to appear gave no sound nor scent to her presence until she was upon them. Rather a gut feeling or instict informed him that another was approaching a second before she materialized. Vertigon's right ear twitched then angled downward as Kahlua panicked at the sight of the unicorn appearing out of the mist . Like he said, horses could use the mist to their advantage add a pointy horn on top of their head and you have death waiting to happen, well, for the person that ticked that unicorn off. Of course if it was Kahlua with that sharp stick atop her head everyone would be in danger of being stuck, most likely in a very unpleasant place.

A normal predator would have reacted to the painted mare's fear by attacking, their instincts would push them to sink their fangs into her flesh. But he had long since forced that side of himself down, stamping the instinct into a dark corner by training and willpower. It didn't hurt that he had spent a few years with other animals such as horses, allowing him to become accustomed with their presence, behavior, and tendency.

Instead he moved a little closer and ahead, making sure to keep within Kahlua's sight, allowing him to be able to intercept the unicorn if it proved to be a threat. His body language was calm his eyes still pools as he watched the white mare, nodding a greeting in return. "No forgiveness or explanation needed." He answered, saying little seeing as Kahlua had taken the liberty of introducing him once again. "I am sure your protectors can rest easy knowing that the borders are being watched over by other, dedicated members, as they recover."

The comment Helena made although innocent enough revealed precious details to Vertigon. The warriors of this herd had indeed fought off the attacking force, but it had been a hard won battle and many were injure. So many in fact that their patrols were reduced enough to be of mention even in casual conversation. This could mean little, some horses were eager to gossip about anything and often blew things out of proportion to make it all the juicier. But he didn't feel that was the case here. There was his tactical side rearing its head once again, always looking for an answer, advantage, or weakness he could exploit. The darn thing made it rather difficult to think of anything else aside from battle and survival. Next he would start thinking of worse case scenarios for himself and this herd of another enemy should attack while they were recovering. As he was now.

His soul heaved a heavy sigh giving a resigned mental shrug, what was a guy to do? There was no way he could change the wiring of his brain this late in the game, might as well just deal with it, ignoring in in hopes that it would go away certainly wasn't working. of course it was handy, but only when he wanted it, he didn't wish to dissect everything and assess is military power or use. If only he had a switch he could flip to make his mind somewhat normal.

What was a normal teenager's mind supposed to be anyways? The only creatures he ever really knew of his own age were ones he had been pitted against in a fight to the death. Again he gave himself a mental shake as he realized he was allowing his mind to wander as he settled into a mode where his senses merely paid enough attention to the world to know if there was danger afoot. Not the best mode to be in when you're trying to appear somewhat acceptable. Maybe he wasn't as far from an average teenager as he had thought.

Walk "Talk!" Think