HOME | DD

Description
Part 2 << Part 3

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Stallion ID: Troy #17
In response to: n/a
Art features: Troy, Bachelor 111

Items Used:
x1 Wildflower (LannisterHeir )
x1 PeanutWood
Companion Animals:
Ignis - P
Aztec - ST
Salem - H

Collab: Yes

Rolls: Feather Roll

Other notes: n/a

-------

Stallion ID: Dutchman #3
In response to: Mare Steal + E-Stallion 111 MS
Story features: Troy, Mary, Aamia, Gwyneth, Helen, Bachelor 111, Bachelor 283
Word Count: 3071

Pregnancy: Mary 3/3
Mare Steal: Helen 3/3
MS Pregnancy: No
Destination of Bachelor: Bachelor folder

Items Used:
Wildflower x1 (Ramenpuff )
Cherry + Apple on Helen (foal by Troy)

Companion Animals:
Grimm - Wolf - Protecting
Salem - Cat - healing
Layshyl - Condor - Nursing
Reaper - Bat - Caring
Luthair - Coyote - Helping

Bachelor Herd: No
Collab: Yes

Rolls: Normal rolls

Other notes:
PPJ - Dutch
Whirlwind
Armada

PPJ - Aro
Mary
Whirlwind

-------

Helen

I stared at the bachelor, tense. I was ready for him to try anything, but I didn’t know what I planned to do about it.

I couldn’t stand much less fight, and even if I could run, he was blocking the entrance. Still, I waited for him to do something.

Several moments passed. He did nothing.

“Well,” I said to fill the silence. “You caught me.”

Oh, look, he blinked. At least I knew he wasn’t a statue now.

“So you’re just gonna stand there?” I ask with more confidence than I felt. “For someone who chased me across kingdom come, it’s a slightly disappointing end.”

“I chased you,” The bachelor finally spoke, his voice dark and full of a pain I could not fathom. “But it was not I that wanted you.”

He’s a lackey then? There were more bachelors about? That worried me. Who could want me so badly? I had good relations with my last herd. I’d only left because I was bored…Wait, I also left because of that third stallion that my leader let near the herd.

What was his name? I don’t think I cared to hear or remember it. But I left because I didn’t trust him. He felt off but I couldn’t figure out why. Was the mysterious stallion him? But that didn’t explain why he had chased me or why he left my father's herd—

I startled as lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the crack in the rock that opened into the Valley. I saw movement there, but I wasn’t sure what it was. A bird? But surely birds didn’t like flying in this weather…

Too fast to track, a shadow darted into the cave and flew over to me. It was a bird! A large one at that. A vulture? That was ominous.

The bachelor laid his ears back and struck out at the creature, “You are not welcome here, find some other cave to shelter in.”

The vulture hopped out of the way, into a corner where the bachelor couldn’t fit. It flared out its large wings and screeched. I flattened my ears at the horrible sound. It rivaled the thunder in volume. The strange thing was, it was almost as if the bird had called for…help.

“You best start running, dark servant,” The bird spoke. It was female. “She has found you, and tragedy follows her.”

The bachelor tensed to go at the bird again, but then he flicked his ears toward the exit of the cave. He growled and then he shot for the shelter quicker than a mountain cat. I was kind of in awe that he could hear anything over the thunder and rain.

As soon as he left, I turned to the bird. “She? Bloody Mary? She’s coming?”

She bowed her head. “The Princess of Darkness has come to rid her land of the bachelor. The one they call Tragedy has come to rescue you.”

My heart felt conflicted. I was elated that my general plan of pissing the demoness off enough to help me had worked. But I was nervous about this other being.

How could Tragedy rescue me?

Troy

I ducked my head, Layshl’s screech could have been heard in the Dark Forest it was so loud.

“She found them!” I yelled over the rain. Mary’s only response was a flick of her ear.

She concentrated on the rocky cliffs we were climbing. Grimm seemed to be a natural even given the wet, slipperiness to the stone. When I asked about it all he said was, “Alpha taught me.”

I was doing alright which meant we were making good progress, but until a few moments ago we had had no idea where Helen or the bachelor was. Thankfully, the vulture’s screech had not been far away.

We quickened our pace toward the sound but had to pause as Grimm blocked the way. He was standing in the middle of a large area of flat rock, still has a statue. Looking, waiting, watching.

Knowing this was how he tracked and given my already discussed lack of ability on that subject, I let him do his thing. I, however, followed Mary to the edge of the clearing where there was a sheer cliff several hundred feet down into the burning forest.

“Don’t fall,” I muttered sarcastically.

“Shadows don’t fall,” Mary hissed back. Ugh, couldn’t she be nice for, like, a second?

She walked back to Grimm. “Do you see anything?”

“I see a crack in the mountain,” Grimm responded. “Maybe an entrance to a—”

A dark blur shot out of the cave; he went straight for Mary who simply stepped aside. The bachelor tried to slow and turn back to her, but the rock was wet, and he slipped toward the edge. I thought he would fall over the side and save us a great deal of trouble, but he managed to stay on.

He quickly got up and ran back at Mary. I intervened, barreling into him with as much speed as I dared to muster. The bachelor turned his angry gaze on me and bit me on the neck. I reared to shake him off, and he used that advantage to kick out at me and knock me off balance. I fell, hitting the sharply jagged mountainside.

The dark blue bachelor took a step toward me before Mary appeared between us and charged at the stallion. Still recovering from his shock, he had no time to react. The two horses became locked into a battle of bites, kicks, and stumbles as they tried desperately to stay on the mountainside.

“Get up,” A growl came from my left. “She needs you.”

I startled and glared at Grimm. “Really? Because she looks like she’s got this. Why should I risk injuring myself further?”

Grimm growled again, but I simply got to my feet and walked toward the cave. Helen was why I was here. Not this bachelor. But as I turned toward the entrance, I saw a silver stallion get to it first.

I darted toward him in an effort to stop whatever he was planning, but Grimm was faster. He got to the entrance at the same time as the bachelor and bit him on the leg. The stallion struck out, but Grimm simply backed into the cave which was nearly too narrow for the silver bachelor to fit through.

Once I also reached the entrance, I briskly pushed the other stallion out of the way before standing in front of it like a knight before the entrance to a castle.

To Grimm, I said, “No one gets in, wolf.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” Grimm responded coldly from behind me.

“No, but you do generally take the smartest course of action,” I quipped back.

The silver stallion chuckled at this. “Is that so? Because fighting each other right here will lead to death. It may be mine; it may be yours, but it doesn’t seem smart to risk it. And why risk your life for a mare and a herd you don’t even care about? Seems wasteful.”

“The air you breathe is wasteful,” I hiss at him. “And as for my life, I have the daughter of darkness on my side. I’ll take my chances.”

A blinding flash streaked across the sky. It was so close and so bright that I was temporarily blinded. I heard a crack and the crumbling of stone before my eyesight somewhat returned.

My stomach dropped. The lightning had hit the mountainside blasting off a portion of the cliff. The dark blue stallion and Mary were at the edge, blinking away the last of the light in their eyes. But Mary was a mare born in darkness and it took her longer to shake it off.

The blue stallion took advantage of this and barreled into her, pushing her toward the edge and knocking her off balance. All it took was a half rear and one well-placed blow on her shoulder to throw her off the mountainside.

“Mary!” Grimm barked.

“Oh, dear,” The silver stallion said with fake concern. “What a shame.”

Grimm started forward but a look from me held him back. He glared but made no further protest. He didn’t seem as upset as I expected from one so devoted. Did he think she had survived?

I looked to the silver stallion, but he seemed in no hurry to fight. So, trusting Grimm would stay where he was, I rushed to the edge. Dutch’s words rang in my ears like the echo of a scream.

Take care of her.

I hoped with everything I had that Grimm’s confidence wasn’t misplaced.

However, when I looked down, I saw nothing but darkness, smoke, and rain. It didn’t matter. I knew what I would see if the night had been clear, and I was glad my vision was clouded. No horse could have survived a fall like that.

I glanced back at Grimm and the wolf’s expression changed from anticipation to confusion. As if he couldn’t believe his mistress was gone.

I stood there and stared down. Uncertainty locking my muscles in place. The moment seemed frozen in time as my mind raced with different thoughts and emotions. My body unsure of what to do.

I didn’t like Mary. She was arrogant, dramatic, and dark in a way that shouldn’t be allowed to exist. But she was also soft when she needed to be. She cared for Witch like an older sister when most horses would have dumped her. She seemed willing to fight every danger on her lands so her herd could be safe. She had even adopted a wolf as a foal when every other horse would have run or killed it. She was dark but kind. She was ruthless, but with a strong sense of justice.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I had come to not like her but respect her. She may not have done everything right, but she did it for the right reasons. Slowly, time began to start. I felt the rain, I saw the stallion tense beside me, and I heard the thunder in the distance.

Slowly, I realized was angry.

I turned to the blue stallion, and I pinned my ears. I must have looked even more furious than I felt because the stallion backed a few steps away from me.

“How dare you!” I growled at him. I took a step forward. When he didn’t say anything, I continued, “You stalk a mare that clearly wants nothing to do with you and then you invade Mary’s territory and kill her when she tries to protect it. You’re despicable.”

The silver stallion scoffed near the mountainside. “She was a demon. Why do you care?”

I take a calming breath. “A demon who has the heart of an angel is better than an angel with the heart of a demon.”

I don’t give him time to reply. I launch myself at the dark blue bachelor, the stallion who seemed like the larger threat.

His eyes widened with surprise, but he still protected himself in time. I didn’t stop or hesitate though. I kept going. Biting, kicking, striking, ramming, rearing…I didn’t let up, not once. I may not have been the best in the world at combat, but I was capable, I was relentless, and I wanted revenge. Would Mary have done this for me? Probably not, but I would do this for her. She deserved it for trying. Plus, I know if Dutch were here, he would have done it, and so I would do it for him.

Finally, the bachelor didn’t look where he was stepping and tripped. I was able to ram him into the sharp stone of the mountain. He screamed in pain and tried to get up, but he failed. I stalked toward him unsure of what I was going to do and too angry to really care.

Before I got more than a few steps, I heard hooves coming toward me. I turned to see the silver stallion galloping up to me. I tensed but knew I wouldn’t be able to react in time.

I braced for the impact, but it never came. Instead, Mary appeared between us forcing the silver stallion to slide to a stop.

“What?” he said.

I, however, scoffed with disbelief.

Mary threw a smirk in my direction. “I told you, shadows don’t fall.”

“And I told you not to fall!” I snapped with my ears flicked back in irritation. My anger unsure of who I was angry at.

The blue bachelor finally struggled to his feet where he took stock of the situation and promptly limped back down the mountain.

Mary watched him go and then gave me an impressed look. “You’re not so useless after all.”

I laughed. “That was almost a compliment!”

The silver stallion trotted in front of us, neck arched, and nose flared. “I don’t care what blood runs through your veins. I will kill you! I will shove you off that cliff until you’ve run down your teleporting trick, I will rip you limb from limb, I will make you bleed for how much trouble you’ve caused, I will—”

“Why?” I asked. I was honestly curious, but the look on his face at my calm interruption was priceless.

“Because that mare is mine and no one else’s!” The stallion growled.

“Pathetic,” Mary said, stealing the words right out of my mouth.

He seemed even more enraged than before. He tensed, ready to spring—

But in the end, it wasn’t Mary or even I who attacked him.

It was Grimm.

The large black wolf ran and sprang upon the bachelor’s back. His teeth latched onto his silver neck. The stallion screamed and started rearing and bucking trying to get him off, but Grimm held on with his teeth, his claws digging into the bachelor’s shoulder and flank.

Without warning, Layshl flew out of the cave right to the bachelor. She flared out her wings and reached out with her talons, scratching the stallion across the face. Then she bit down on his ear, slicing it in half. Grimm took the moment to jump off his back and bite down on the stallion’s leg.

I swear, I heard a bone snap.

The stallion screamed in pain shaking the two animals off and then clambering down the mountainside, blood trailing in his wake.

“Damn,” I muttered. “No wonder you keep those two around.”

Layshl looked at me with disgust, let out a screech, and flew after the bachelor as fast as she could through the dying rain.

“Uh, as much as I admire her bloodlust,” I tell Mary, “She shouldn’t fight him alone.”

“She won’t,” Mary replied. “She’s just following them to make sure they leave my lands.”

I laugh. “With her trailing them, I bet they will.”

Grimm trotted over to Mary and begin to examine her diligently.

“I’m fine, Grimm,” Mary told him. But he ignored her and began licking a wound on her knee.

She seemed annoyed but before any of us could say anything, a squeal echoed off of the rocks.

The mare had wandered out of the cave. My breath caught a little bit at the sight of her. Helen was slight but lean with muscle. She had a dark coat with striking white patches and speckles that looked like stars. That’s what she looked like. Like dusk right before the sun died. She was beautiful.

Before I could say a word, my gaze caught on the blood dripping from her leg. My eyes narrowed with worry.

“It worked!” Helen exclaimed, yanking me out of my thoughts. “My plan worked!”

Grimm growled at her. “Your plan nearly killed my Lady.”

“Hardly,” Mary said with a smile. “I was never in any danger.”

By the look on Grimm’s face, I’d say he disagreed, but he kept his mouth shut.

“Let’s go,” Mary ordered. “The fire has died; we should return to the herd.”

I took a step forward, but she flicked her ears back at me. “Not you. You don’t belong to the herd and have fulfilled your purpose. You need to leave with the other bachelors.”

So, that’s what I get for trying to avenge her.

Before I could make an awesomely scathing remark in response to her unfair command, Helen tilted her head.

“Who are you?” She asked. “Are you Tragedy? The Vulture said that Tragedy had come to rescue me, but I didn’t understand—”

“My name is Troy,” I answered with a polite bow of my head. “Which apparently, sort of means tragedy. And yes, Aamia kindly requested I rescue you after I found her. I couldn’t say no.” I glared at Mary. “So, I should at least be allowed to escort her back to her friend.”

Mary stared angrily at me but said nothing.

Helen, however, looked at me as if I were that god—what was his name? Right. Azazel.

“You saved me?” She murmured with incredulousness. Then she smiled which lit up the shadows around her. “How considerate of you…Not many stallions of your looks would do such a thing.”

My looks? What was that supposed to mean? Was she calling me stupid? Was she calling me shallow? Was she—Wait a minute, was she calling me handsome? Had she just called me considerate? Was she…flirting with me?

For a moment I was stunned and unsure of what to do. Then I threw on a fantastic smirk and said, “All in a day’s work for me.”

Helen giggled but Mary groaned and turned to leave down the mountain.

“I’m going back to the herd, feel free to drown in the rain.”

I ignored her and so did Helen. Mary could have fallen off another cliff, and I wouldn’t have known or cared. My mind was full of Helen and as I stared at her, I doubted that would change for a long while.

So admittedly, I lied. This was a kind of a love story. Whoops. But it did have action! It did have adventure! Kind of scared when Mary was thought to be dead, weren’t ya? Don’t ever tell her I said this, but I kinda was scared too.

Anyways, that, my friends, is how I rescued the prettiest mare in the Valley, and I bet none of you can top it!

Description
Part 2 << Part 3

-------
Stallion ID: Troy #17
In response to: n/a
Art features: Troy, Bachelor 111

Items Used:
x1 Wildflower (LannisterHeir )
x1 PeanutWood
Companion Animals:
Ignis - P
Aztec - ST
Salem - H

Collab: Yes

Rolls: Feather Roll

Other notes: n/a

-------

Stallion ID: Dutchman #3
In response to: Mare Steal + E-Stallion 111 MS
Story features: Troy, Mary, Aamia, Gwyneth, Helen, Bachelor 111, Bachelor 283
Word Count: 3071

Pregnancy: Mary 3/3
Mare Steal: Helen 3/3
MS Pregnancy: No
Destination of Bachelor: Bachelor folder

Items Used:
Wildflower x1 (Ramenpuff )
Cherry + Apple on Helen (foal by Troy)

Companion Animals:
Grimm - Wolf - Protecting
Salem - Cat - healing
Layshyl - Condor - Nursing
Reaper - Bat - Caring
Luthair - Coyote - Helping

Bachelor Herd: No
Collab: Yes

Rolls: Normal rolls

Other notes:
PPJ - Dutch
Whirlwind
Armada

PPJ - Aro
Mary
Whirlwind

-------

Helen

I stared at the bachelor, tense. I was ready for him to try anything, but I didn’t know what I planned to do about it.

I couldn’t stand much less fight, and even if I could run, he was blocking the entrance. Still, I waited for him to do something.

Several moments passed. He did nothing.

“Well,” I said to fill the silence. “You caught me.”

Oh, look, he blinked. At least I knew he wasn’t a statue now.

“So you’re just gonna stand there?” I ask with more confidence than I felt. “For someone who chased me across kingdom come, it’s a slightly disappointing end.”

“I chased you,” The bachelor finally spoke, his voice dark and full of a pain I could not fathom. “But it was not I that wanted you.”

He’s a lackey then? There were more bachelors about? That worried me. Who could want me so badly? I had good relations with my last herd. I’d only left because I was bored…Wait, I also left because of that third stallion that my leader let near the herd.

What was his name? I don’t think I cared to hear or remember it. But I left because I didn’t trust him. He felt off but I couldn’t figure out why. Was the mysterious stallion him? But that didn’t explain why he had chased me or why he left my father's herd—

I startled as lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the crack in the rock that opened into the Valley. I saw movement there, but I wasn’t sure what it was. A bird? But surely birds didn’t like flying in this weather…

Too fast to track, a shadow darted into the cave and flew over to me. It was a bird! A large one at that. A vulture? That was ominous.

The bachelor laid his ears back and struck out at the creature, “You are not welcome here, find some other cave to shelter in.”

The vulture hopped out of the way, into a corner where the bachelor couldn’t fit. It flared out its large wings and screeched. I flattened my ears at the horrible sound. It rivaled the thunder in volume. The strange thing was, it was almost as if the bird had called for…help.

“You best start running, dark servant,” The bird spoke. It was female. “She has found you, and tragedy follows her.”

The bachelor tensed to go at the bird again, but then he flicked his ears toward the exit of the cave. He growled and then he shot for the shelter quicker than a mountain cat. I was kind of in awe that he could hear anything over the thunder and rain.

As soon as he left, I turned to the bird. “She? Bloody Mary? She’s coming?”

She bowed her head. “The Princess of Darkness has come to rid her land of the bachelor. The one they call Tragedy has come to rescue you.”

My heart felt conflicted. I was elated that my general plan of pissing the demoness off enough to help me had worked. But I was nervous about this other being.

How could Tragedy rescue me?

Troy

I ducked my head, Layshl’s screech could have been heard in the Dark Forest it was so loud.

“She found them!” I yelled over the rain. Mary’s only response was a flick of her ear.

She concentrated on the rocky cliffs we were climbing. Grimm seemed to be a natural even given the wet, slipperiness to the stone. When I asked about it all he said was, “Alpha taught me.”

I was doing alright which meant we were making good progress, but until a few moments ago we had had no idea where Helen or the bachelor was. Thankfully, the vulture’s screech had not been far away.

We quickened our pace toward the sound but had to pause as Grimm blocked the way. He was standing in the middle of a large area of flat rock, still has a statue. Looking, waiting, watching.

Knowing this was how he tracked and given my already discussed lack of ability on that subject, I let him do his thing. I, however, followed Mary to the edge of the clearing where there was a sheer cliff several hundred feet down into the burning forest.

“Don’t fall,” I muttered sarcastically.

“Shadows don’t fall,” Mary hissed back. Ugh, couldn’t she be nice for, like, a second?

She walked back to Grimm. “Do you see anything?”

“I see a crack in the mountain,” Grimm responded. “Maybe an entrance to a—”

A dark blur shot out of the cave; he went straight for Mary who simply stepped aside. The bachelor tried to slow and turn back to her, but the rock was wet, and he slipped toward the edge. I thought he would fall over the side and save us a great deal of trouble, but he managed to stay on.

He quickly got up and ran back at Mary. I intervened, barreling into him with as much speed as I dared to muster. The bachelor turned his angry gaze on me and bit me on the neck. I reared to shake him off, and he used that advantage to kick out at me and knock me off balance. I fell, hitting the sharply jagged mountainside.

The dark blue bachelor took a step toward me before Mary appeared between us and charged at the stallion. Still recovering from his shock, he had no time to react. The two horses became locked into a battle of bites, kicks, and stumbles as they tried desperately to stay on the mountainside.

“Get up,” A growl came from my left. “She needs you.”

I startled and glared at Grimm. “Really? Because she looks like she’s got this. Why should I risk injuring myself further?”

Grimm growled again, but I simply got to my feet and walked toward the cave. Helen was why I was here. Not this bachelor. But as I turned toward the entrance, I saw a silver stallion get to it first.

I darted toward him in an effort to stop whatever he was planning, but Grimm was faster. He got to the entrance at the same time as the bachelor and bit him on the leg. The stallion struck out, but Grimm simply backed into the cave which was nearly too narrow for the silver bachelor to fit through.

Once I also reached the entrance, I briskly pushed the other stallion out of the way before standing in front of it like a knight before the entrance to a castle.

To Grimm, I said, “No one gets in, wolf.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” Grimm responded coldly from behind me.

“No, but you do generally take the smartest course of action,” I quipped back.

The silver stallion chuckled at this. “Is that so? Because fighting each other right here will lead to death. It may be mine; it may be yours, but it doesn’t seem smart to risk it. And why risk your life for a mare and a herd you don’t even care about? Seems wasteful.”

“The air you breathe is wasteful,” I hiss at him. “And as for my life, I have the daughter of darkness on my side. I’ll take my chances.”

A blinding flash streaked across the sky. It was so close and so bright that I was temporarily blinded. I heard a crack and the crumbling of stone before my eyesight somewhat returned.

My stomach dropped. The lightning had hit the mountainside blasting off a portion of the cliff. The dark blue stallion and Mary were at the edge, blinking away the last of the light in their eyes. But Mary was a mare born in darkness and it took her longer to shake it off.

The blue stallion took advantage of this and barreled into her, pushing her toward the edge and knocking her off balance. All it took was a half rear and one well-placed blow on her shoulder to throw her off the mountainside.

“Mary!” Grimm barked.

“Oh, dear,” The silver stallion said with fake concern. “What a shame.”

Grimm started forward but a look from me held him back. He glared but made no further protest. He didn’t seem as upset as I expected from one so devoted. Did he think she had survived?

I looked to the silver stallion, but he seemed in no hurry to fight. So, trusting Grimm would stay where he was, I rushed to the edge. Dutch’s words rang in my ears like the echo of a scream.

Take care of her.

I hoped with everything I had that Grimm’s confidence wasn’t misplaced.

However, when I looked down, I saw nothing but darkness, smoke, and rain. It didn’t matter. I knew what I would see if the night had been clear, and I was glad my vision was clouded. No horse could have survived a fall like that.

I glanced back at Grimm and the wolf’s expression changed from anticipation to confusion. As if he couldn’t believe his mistress was gone.

I stood there and stared down. Uncertainty locking my muscles in place. The moment seemed frozen in time as my mind raced with different thoughts and emotions. My body unsure of what to do.

I didn’t like Mary. She was arrogant, dramatic, and dark in a way that shouldn’t be allowed to exist. But she was also soft when she needed to be. She cared for Witch like an older sister when most horses would have dumped her. She seemed willing to fight every danger on her lands so her herd could be safe. She had even adopted a wolf as a foal when every other horse would have run or killed it. She was dark but kind. She was ruthless, but with a strong sense of justice.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I had come to not like her but respect her. She may not have done everything right, but she did it for the right reasons. Slowly, time began to start. I felt the rain, I saw the stallion tense beside me, and I heard the thunder in the distance.

Slowly, I realized was angry.

I turned to the blue stallion, and I pinned my ears. I must have looked even more furious than I felt because the stallion backed a few steps away from me.

“How dare you!” I growled at him. I took a step forward. When he didn’t say anything, I continued, “You stalk a mare that clearly wants nothing to do with you and then you invade Mary’s territory and kill her when she tries to protect it. You’re despicable.”

The silver stallion scoffed near the mountainside. “She was a demon. Why do you care?”

I take a calming breath. “A demon who has the heart of an angel is better than an angel with the heart of a demon.”

I don’t give him time to reply. I launch myself at the dark blue bachelor, the stallion who seemed like the larger threat.

His eyes widened with surprise, but he still protected himself in time. I didn’t stop or hesitate though. I kept going. Biting, kicking, striking, ramming, rearing…I didn’t let up, not once. I may not have been the best in the world at combat, but I was capable, I was relentless, and I wanted revenge. Would Mary have done this for me? Probably not, but I would do this for her. She deserved it for trying. Plus, I know if Dutch were here, he would have done it, and so I would do it for him.

Finally, the bachelor didn’t look where he was stepping and tripped. I was able to ram him into the sharp stone of the mountain. He screamed in pain and tried to get up, but he failed. I stalked toward him unsure of what I was going to do and too angry to really care.

Before I got more than a few steps, I heard hooves coming toward me. I turned to see the silver stallion galloping up to me. I tensed but knew I wouldn’t be able to react in time.

I braced for the impact, but it never came. Instead, Mary appeared between us forcing the silver stallion to slide to a stop.

“What?” he said.

I, however, scoffed with disbelief.

Mary threw a smirk in my direction. “I told you, shadows don’t fall.”

“And I told you not to fall!” I snapped with my ears flicked back in irritation. My anger unsure of who I was angry at.

The blue bachelor finally struggled to his feet where he took stock of the situation and promptly limped back down the mountain.

Mary watched him go and then gave me an impressed look. “You’re not so useless after all.”

I laughed. “That was almost a compliment!”

The silver stallion trotted in front of us, neck arched, and nose flared. “I don’t care what blood runs through your veins. I will kill you! I will shove you off that cliff until you’ve run down your teleporting trick, I will rip you limb from limb, I will make you bleed for how much trouble you’ve caused, I will—”

“Why?” I asked. I was honestly curious, but the look on his face at my calm interruption was priceless.

“Because that mare is mine and no one else’s!” The stallion growled.

“Pathetic,” Mary said, stealing the words right out of my mouth.

He seemed even more enraged than before. He tensed, ready to spring—

But in the end, it wasn’t Mary or even I who attacked him.

It was Grimm.

The large black wolf ran and sprang upon the bachelor’s back. His teeth latched onto his silver neck. The stallion screamed and started rearing and bucking trying to get him off, but Grimm held on with his teeth, his claws digging into the bachelor’s shoulder and flank.

Without warning, Layshl flew out of the cave right to the bachelor. She flared out her wings and reached out with her talons, scratching the stallion across the face. Then she bit down on his ear, slicing it in half. Grimm took the moment to jump off his back and bite down on the stallion’s leg.

I swear, I heard a bone snap.

The stallion screamed in pain shaking the two animals off and then clambering down the mountainside, blood trailing in his wake.

“Damn,” I muttered. “No wonder you keep those two around.”

Layshl looked at me with disgust, let out a screech, and flew after the bachelor as fast as she could through the dying rain.

“Uh, as much as I admire her bloodlust,” I tell Mary, “She shouldn’t fight him alone.”

“She won’t,” Mary replied. “She’s just following them to make sure they leave my lands.”

I laugh. “With her trailing them, I bet they will.”

Grimm trotted over to Mary and begin to examine her diligently.

“I’m fine, Grimm,” Mary told him. But he ignored her and began licking a wound on her knee.

She seemed annoyed but before any of us could say anything, a squeal echoed off of the rocks.

The mare had wandered out of the cave. My breath caught a little bit at the sight of her. Helen was slight but lean with muscle. She had a dark coat with striking white patches and speckles that looked like stars. That’s what she looked like. Like dusk right before the sun died. She was beautiful.

Before I could say a word, my gaze caught on the blood dripping from her leg. My eyes narrowed with worry.

“It worked!” Helen exclaimed, yanking me out of my thoughts. “My plan worked!”

Grimm growled at her. “Your plan nearly killed my Lady.”

“Hardly,” Mary said with a smile. “I was never in any danger.”

By the look on Grimm’s face, I’d say he disagreed, but he kept his mouth shut.

“Let’s go,” Mary ordered. “The fire has died; we should return to the herd.”

I took a step forward, but she flicked her ears back at me. “Not you. You don’t belong to the herd and have fulfilled your purpose. You need to leave with the other bachelors.”

So, that’s what I get for trying to avenge her.

Before I could make an awesomely scathing remark in response to her unfair command, Helen tilted her head.

“Who are you?” She asked. “Are you Tragedy? The Vulture said that Tragedy had come to rescue me, but I didn’t understand—”

“My name is Troy,” I answered with a polite bow of my head. “Which apparently, sort of means tragedy. And yes, Aamia kindly requested I rescue you after I found her. I couldn’t say no.” I glared at Mary. “So, I should at least be allowed to escort her back to her friend.”

Mary stared angrily at me but said nothing.

Helen, however, looked at me as if I were that god—what was his name? Right. Azazel.

“You saved me?” She murmured with incredulousness. Then she smiled which lit up the shadows around her. “How considerate of you…Not many stallions of your looks would do such a thing.”

My looks? What was that supposed to mean? Was she calling me stupid? Was she calling me shallow? Was she—Wait a minute, was she calling me handsome? Had she just called me considerate? Was she…flirting with me?

For a moment I was stunned and unsure of what to do. Then I threw on a fantastic smirk and said, “All in a day’s work for me.”

Helen giggled but Mary groaned and turned to leave down the mountain.

“I’m going back to the herd, feel free to drown in the rain.”

I ignored her and so did Helen. Mary could have fallen off another cliff, and I wouldn’t have known or cared. My mind was full of Helen and as I stared at her, I doubted that would change for a long while.

So admittedly, I lied. This was a kind of a love story. Whoops. But it did have action! It did have adventure! Kind of scared when Mary was thought to be dead, weren’t ya? Don’t ever tell her I said this, but I kinda was scared too.

Anyways, that, my friends, is how I rescued the prettiest mare in the Valley, and I bet none of you can top it!