Tumbling winds carry an alarming smell.

A handsome russet head jerks upward from grazing, blades of grass falling from clenched lips like brittle prayers. He hopes it is but a memory of her - stray hairs or fallen feathers, but these hopes are betrayed when his ears catch the faint chime of her voice; muscles tense with the anticipation of a battle never fought. After a moment of deliberation, he pushes himself into a headlong gallop through a lengthy emerald plain. Hooves strike against turf, tossing it carelessly in his wake, leaving a scattered trail of ugly dirt indents. The terrain begins to tilt upwards as a mountain grows before him; his pace slacks to a steady lope. He feels his heart in his throat as blood roars in his ears - is this his punishment for being the King of Thieves? A laugh titters in his brain as his breathing becomes labored and heavy - she must be daft for returning. Her defeat was obvious and her scorn moreso; wasn't the memory of failure enough for this mare?

His strides become tenuous as the path becomes steeper and the footing becomes looser and more treacherous. Early afternoon sun glistens on sweat and dirt, stroking the struggling stallion with graceful fingers. Mercury eyes catch the Stormchaser as she rallies some invisible force where the dun had defeated her. She shouts like a madwoman, an idiot - why does she think anyone will stand behind her when she has abandoned them by bending the knee and fleeing like a frightened squirrel? Hooves clatter noisily as they skitter over limestone. When he feels dirt and grass underfoot, he snakes his neck downward, and resumes the previous breakneck pace. Every step brings him closer to her - every breath drawn brings the smell of her hide, the oil on her wings. "Leave!" he bellows, charging toward her, ears flattened and teeth bared menacingly against the wind. He hopes she will jump off the cliff and fly away - what business does she have here, skulking in his herd, commanding his citizens as if they are her own?

Vainly, he wishes that as Svetlana escapes over the edge (as she had before, dark tail between her legs), those big wings will forsake her and she will plummet to her death on the rocks below.

The vicious pound of hooves bring him closer to her pale body.

Leave.