THE SHOW GOES ON
your masks do not fool me
Her eyes lingered upon the male. His pelt, as black as the night that lingered around them, seemed almost ghostly in the low light. His eyes were clear as day and seemed to stare into her, burning holes into her skin with every slight glance. She instantly felt dislike for the stranger, a feeling that Artemis, neutral as she was, rarely felt unless it was warranted. Say what you will about the pale mares sense of foreboding and intuition, but she felt that this time there was truth behind her instant weariness of the male.

The pretty ebony female did naught to respond to Artemis' comment, however she wasn't sure if she expected one. What did she expect, however, was the males words. His appearance alone put her on edge; with his crooked nose that, in the low light, gave him the appearance of having an eternal sneer (she put this down to a trick of the light, she was prone to seeing things that were not truly there in the darkness) yet his words simply set her decision down in stone. He had no regard for others, she decided, and he was sexist to boot. From a mare who came from a wild land were females were often trophies, this irked her. Her tail twitched, her her face remained as stoic as usual. She made no attempt to show her irritation, instead locking eyes with the stranger.

To Artemis, locking eyes was a sign of dominance and intimidation. much like locking eyes with a wolf, to her people eye contact was reserved for those they looked down upon. In this instance, she refused to pull her gaze eyes from his, her steely grey eyes determined to have her silent victory. She knew it was not the case in these lands, were eye contact was something shared among many, yet it was her personal way of telling the stallion, even if he did not realize it, that she was fucking pissed. "You can spit on a rose, but it is still a rose. Mockery does not make you a big man, it makes you a fool, and neither will it decrease her self worth. Gender should not be an excuse to put someone down. Do you think mares cannot fight, too, my lord?" She stated calmly, her tone as stoic as ever, though the last few words dripped with sarcasm. She smiled as Harmony entered. She would have given the painted mare some indication of acknowledgment, yet she was too busy with the fool before her.

She regarded him carefully, eyes still upon his, as a smirk twitched upon her lips. He offered the mare 'home', but she knew he did not mean they would be equals, as she would be elsewhere. "The spirit of arrogance most definitely makes you shine. It paints a bright red target on your own forehead. Be wise, sir knight, or you will not last long in these lands." She told the stallion as he seemed adamant that the mare would go with him. She lowered her horn slightly, letting the starlight glint from the ivory curve before she glanced toward the slim, homeless creature. "Forgive me, milady, my name is Artemis. If it would please you, I offer you sanctuary with me in my herd lands, the Windtossed Foothills." She glanced toward Harmony and smiled to the familiar face.

"Speech goes here"