With Romul effectively distracted, Essetia took the time to calm her electric nerves. So much had happened over the past few years that she could hardly contain her thoughts as they raced from one side of her emotional spectrum to the next. One minute was she intensely happy and a moment later she was vastly lost or confused. However, Elsa had done a good job of ignoring her spastic mood swings and Essetia made a note to thank her for her kindness one day, even if she couldn’t decide on any such pretenses now.

Her decision to become a warrior was perhaps a rushed one now that she thought about it, but there was something alluring about defying her natural instincts. With the idea of lying low in order to avoid her father’s attentions, becoming a solider probably wouldn’t keep her from his ear for too long. In fact, there was a good chance that he would hear of her return within the month, but at least she wouldn’t have to face him… unless at some point she wanted to. But her reverie was interrupted upon sighting a large, bumbling stallion set on impeding her company. He appeared lucid enough but there was a heavily glazed look in his eyes that made the mare’s insides turn. For a moment, Essetia longed to abandon her mission to separate herself from her father and return to the Edge and to the familiar faces that awaited her there, but her steadfast resolve kept her in place.

She didn’t appreciate the unfamiliar and she was becoming more uncomfortable by the minute, but with the distance between she and this horrific stud closing quickly, she gathered her wits and stood tall. His voice was gruff and tainted with a foreign lilt that Essetia could not identify and though he had yet to turn those hazy eyes her way, she feared what she might find in them once he did. Much like the male he appeared to be, his greeting was swift and nonchalant but Elsa didn’t appear to mind. She must’ve been closely acquainted to the brute for she reacted little to his entrance or the way he presented himself. However, in all the time that Essetia had spent with her tongue tied behind her lips, she couldn’t help the embarrassed gasp that slipped past her teeth after learning that this was the creature she would serve under.

Her sputtering continued when the stallion, now known as Rostislav, turned his placid expression in her direction. She wasn’t sure how to introduce herself or claim that she of all creatures wanted to study his profession and so she cried out for the only source of solace she’d known since she was a small filly. Romul! Their bond stretched and quivered under her stress and she could practically feel the moment her words found his eager thoughts. However, the wolf seemed preoccupied with something else… he too was dealing with some vicarious ordeal that kept him from her immediate vicinity… or at least from what Essetia could tell.

----- Romul's POV
My beloved was distracted; I could tell in the way her emotions ranged from blue to green to red. But she had missed the foolish animal that came with that other male (the one with ugly horns atop his ugly head). She had missed the ugly hound and her glowing green eyes just as she had missed my pleas to remove us from this godforsaken place. Now here I was, dealing with these queer animals and their incessant need to bother me and keep me from my task. I snorted and snarled at the unfamiliar devil-dog, warning her to keep her distance from me and of course Essetia. But I am even more alert when my beloved’s voice reaches across our bond, sending shivers of fear down my spine. But I cannot help myself in reminding her that it serves her right for ignoring my advice… that silly mare. The Edge was our home- not this fucking paradise in hell.

With my lips still pulled away from my fine set of glistening teeth, I try to ward off the attention of the hound and sidestep her in order to get back to Essetia. But as most unintelligent beings in this place, she races around me, thinking this is still some game. I am uncomfortable, I am frustrated, and I am utterly and wholehearted pissed at Essetia for this. But even so andwWith as much grace as I can muster, I dart away from Elsa’s “pigeon” and evade the stallion’s bitch and race headlong back to my beloved, back to where I belong.
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“I am Essetia…” She proffered weakly, still awaiting Romul’s arrival from the dunes. Elsa had all but left her dangling on a line before Rostislav (whom she now considered “the lion”), and without the support of her companion and only friend she was hesitant to say much else. However as the time ticked on with the canine nowhere in sight, the mare gently shifted forward before peering nervously back at the stud. “I do seek to serve as a warrior or at least for the time being…” She wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by such a vague statement, but ultimately, she wasn’t sure about much of anything anymore. So long ago she was often considered a strong-willed mare, but without anyone other than Romul to rely on, she now felt all too weak.

Here Ess. I’m Here. The wolf’s quiet words within her head eased her significantly as he trotted up alongside her with wide, amber eyes taking in everything around them. Though she looked to confirm his safety, her gaze was quickly returned to Rostislav as he considered her fragile request to learn from him. Everything was new and strange, but Essetia tried to will herself to hang onto the small shred of hope that still hung from her shattered resolve.