The dragonmare was glad for the reactions her action garnered, the laughter and delight she inspired, the pounding of hooves and whoops of glee as they all bounded across the meadow, aiming invariably towards the river that would wash the salty sweat from their hides and allow the nearly-absent breeze to cool them. It was a good way to disrupt the potential idleness of conversation, awkward silence, otherwise mundane moments that might blossom when the topic runs dry.

Golden flutes did not miss the words of Maude however; she fully intended to seek the girl out at a later date, to learn more about her, to befriend her (if Maude would have her) - she was excited by this prospect, and let that excitement be the energy in her bouncy step, her smile, her musical, draconic song-like laughter. Dramyrth, mostly on high with her emotions, chortled happily from above, carving an exciting, speedy, curving pattern through his bonded's legs as she ran, daring to dart about the racing forms of Quentin and Maude as well, adding to the chaos, the buzz, the adventure of it all.

The stallion reaches the river's edge first, Amaris had not been seeking to 'win' or race or even compete really, mostly she wanted to move, to dance, and play and interact on a different level with these newfound comrades. But the fairy-winged steed did not take a step or a leap into the liquid, instead throwing his crown playfully and jeering at the mare and filly. Amaris does not question it - not everyone necessarily felt like a swim - but it wouldn't stop her from spreading her wings (mostly for effect than actual use) and leaping into the shallows of the riverbed with a mighty splash!, before continuing to canter on through it, her aim very clearly to ensure all parties received a dosing of water on their hides as she went past.

Laughing all the while, the dragonmare heard the stallion's challenge then, and she looked conspiratorially to Maude - would the filly work alongside the mare to meet this stallion's challenge, to capture him and win this game they had created? Dramyrth, dunking himself happily in the deeper part of the river, rose once more to the air, sprinkling waterdrops everywhere he went (quite intentionally) as he did so. "Follow Dramyrth!" Amaris tried to communicate to Maude, verbally and with the tilting of her crown to the dragon who sped out over onto the land once more, moving to go on the other side of the stallion.

Amaris wanted to win, now that there was a definitive challenge set down by the stallion. Dramyrth flew round, aiming to place himself between the stallion and the reach of the meadow, so that the fairy-steed would need to place himself either in the shallows of the water (or very near) to pass him (and hopefully Maude, if the girl had deigned to follow his lead). The dragonmare accelerated her pace to then come up the very shallows of the river, hoping the stallion would still be hesitating to enter them and thereby essentially 'caught', stationary, allowing her to tap a wing down upon his rump on her way past.

If Amaris had known the intricacies of Quentin's mind, she would never have used the river to try and capture him - as it was, the dragonmare was just that, part dragon, part predator; it was, if anything, primary nature of hers to plot out an ambush to catch her 'prey'.

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@Maude
@Quentin

Daniel Schiersner @ flickr & larfsalot @ deviantart