The shadowed stallion emerged from the tangled embrace of the bramble briar, each step a painful reminder of the thorns that had turn into his flesh on his way through it. Blood trickled from the fresh scratches on his legs and sides, staining his thick coat and dripping on to the ground below. But the sting of the wounds was nothing compared to the satisfaction of pushing through the treacherous terrain, the suffocating embrace of the thorns now behind him once again.

He stood at the edge of the Algoma Prairie, hes breath heavy and his muscles tense as he took in the sight before him. The expanse of grass stretched out like a sea of green, undulating gently in the breeze. The scent of fresh earth and blooming flowers filled his nostrils, a stark contrast to the metallic tang of his own blood. Grazing animals dotted the landscape. Bison and pronghorn moved in herds, their low calls and the rustling of their hooves mingling with the sounds of smaller prey animals in the underbrush. This was a place of life, a hunter's paradise, and Uruk would spend his evening guarding it from them.

[ 1/3 Explore new land (Algoma Prairie) ]

"Speech"

CODE BY SIN

"Speech"

The evening grew saturated with a golden light. The sun setting over the west cast its golden light over the prairie like a blanket. Caught in the golden hour a creamy pearl filly reflected the sunbeams off her metallic hide. She raked her hoof of pinkish pearl over the ground to roughen up the grasses and sift through the clovers. Several herbs would be among the grasses to collect and use easily.

A curious eye caught the shifting shadow of the stallion cloaked in his hide of storms, Uruk, emerging from the thick and thorny briar. His mane and tail are a mess of bracken and detritus. Not typically one to approach a stallion herself, she does spy a few dark red marks upon his stormy sides and nickers toward him. Her dealings with him were few before now as she typically tried to avoid the attention of stallions. She'd blame both her parents for instilling a base fear of strange men in her. She had only been a yearling when she got separated from her family.

Her nostrils flared at him as she caught the scent of blood. She knew he was the new lead stallion of the herd, but he also just killed a few other horses for weakly standing against him. She needed to be useful, and brave to remain on their good side. Should she call him Lord? Or Sir? Or his name?

"I can help those thorn marks... Make them feel better, stop the bleeding..." She said pulling herself closer to him and opting to drop all monikers. Her bright blue eyes watched him warily in case she should bolt or kick him if he took offense to her suggestion. There were plenty of herbs about here that she could find on the fly to help him.

Uruk flicked an ear toward the sound of the nicker, his ghostly eyes narrowing for focus as they settled on the filly bathed in the golden light of the sun. Nuri, if he recalled correctly. She was a relatively new addition to the herd before his takeover, and though their interactions had been sparse, he was keenly aware of her presence. Her sundust hide reflected the sky, making her look almost ethereal as she approached with hesitant steps.

He could smell the fear on her, a scent he was all too familiar with from others in the herd. It took everything in him to not curl his lip in disdain, but there was something else in her tone - an offering of help, a desire to prove herself. It was a wise move, considering what had happened to those who he had deemed too weak and opposed him.

The lightningstruck stallion shifted slightly, the dried bracken and detritus caught in his mane and tail rushing with his movement. He felt the sting of the thorn marks, the blood slowly drying on his stormy hide, but he wasn't one to show vulnerability, not even to a herd member.

"You claim you can stop the bleeding?" His voice was a low rumble, deep and commanding, holding the weight of a chieftain who expected nothing less than absolute competence from his followers, as Asa and Xurek had proven. He appreciated usefulness in those around him, especially those who knew their place and offered skills rather than defiance. Nuri's wariness did not go unnoticed, but he saw no reason to lash out at her for it. Fear was a powerful motivator, it was a tool, and under his leadership, it would keep her sharp.

Before saying anything else, he paused, his ears rotating as he took in the sounds of the prairie. The rustling of grasses, the distant calls of grazing animals, the gentle burble of the creek to the east - it all painted a vivid picture of his new domain. He was learning the rhythm of this land, its secrets and strengths, the places where prey thrived and the spots where predators could be found. Every sound, every shift in the wind, was a piece of the puzzle he was slowly fitting together.

Satisfied with his study of the land, he returned his attention to Nuri. "Do it, then," he said simply, his tone leaving no room for argument. He stood still, allowing her to approach closer, his presence imposing and unmovable like a mountain. He didn't care for pleasantries or titles, he wasn't that kind of herd leader. What mattered was results, and Nuri had offered to deliver. His eyes remained fixed on her, watching every move she made, testing her courage as much as her skill. In his world, strength was everything, and at this moment.. Uruk was studying hers.

"Speech"

CODE BY SIN

"Speech"

The great stallion shifted and her own willowy tail swished with a snap from her unease. He used his low rumbling voice to test her resolve and prove her claim. Demurely Nuri reached out to his white mane of pure snow, and gingerly teased a branch of thorny bracken out of the long straight strands.

She froze with her head up as he paused, his form straining against the sounds of the prairie. She used her ears to catch any sounds from behind him. He was a solid commanding presence and if he paused to survey the land she would not press him or distract him. He seemed to have a steadier and more presence of mind than the sturdy wormbrained Xurek.

When Uruk's attention came back to Nuri he urged her to prove herself with a simple command. Silently she stepped closer then and began to search for each nick and thorn stuck in his hide. Carefully grooming his sides and back. She found a particularly harsh wound, a long scrape where a large thorn had dragged over him. Another on his shoulder.

She teased a clump of bracken out of his tail and another out of his mane. She worked quickly, without guile or hesitance, and even without promises of anything beyond healing. No, here she was all business and medicine.

"Let me take one moment to grab some yarrow." She mentioned stepping back and searching for the feathery plant. Those nicks and scratches would be healed in no time with a mash of yarrow over them.

The lightningstruck stallion remained a calm still as Nuri began to work, his ghostly eyes scanning the horizon even as she carefully teased the thorns and bracken from his mane and tail. Her movements were precise, quick, and without hesitation - these were promising signs to him. He felt her unease, the tension in her swishing tail and the cautious way she worked around him, but she did not falter. That earned a measure of respect in his eyes.

As she pulled out the thorny branches, Uruk focused on the prairie around them. The land was alive with its own rhythm, and he was determined to understand it fully. The subtle shigts in the wind, the way the grasses swayed, the distant calls from the animals - all of these painted a picture of the prairie's natural flow. It was a place of balance, where the strength of its herds and the resilience of the land were intertwined.

When Nuri mentioned gathering yarrow, Uruk gave a slight nod of approval, his gaze still roaming the landscape. "Be swift," he said calmly but with authority, his voice a low rumble.

As she moved off to find the yarrow, Uruk continued his study of the prairie. This was more than just land; it was a living entity with its own patterns. Understanding those patterns was fascinated to Uruk in this moment while he absorbed every detail, committing it to memory. His gaze then drifted back to Nuri, a beauty that caught the golden light of the sky and reflected it in her hide. Her delicate features would have drawn the admiration of many, but Uruk, as focused as he was, paid little attention to her presence. For him, beauty was found in strength and capability, not a superficial gleam of coat. Yet, despite this, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity about her. There was more to Nuri than her cautious demeanor and soft appearance - something that made him wonder what kind of character she might be hiding beneath the surface.

[ 3/3 Explore new land (Algoma Prairie) ]

"Speech"

CODE BY SIN

"Speech"

She was swift. The yarrow leaves were easy to find among the prairie shrubs and grasses. She bruised a few leaves with a hoof to let the scent drift around her. She dipped her elegant head and nabbed several growing stalks. She easily trotted in a smooth gait back to him as he kept his gaze upon their surroundings. Quickly chewing the mouthful of yarrow she deposited the paste over the harshest of wounds and used her muzzle and lips to carefully press the crushed yarrow into them.

She stepped back to look over her work. Yes, once the paste dried and fell off, he'd be no worse for wear. He was strong too, he shouldn't even scar. It was then she noticed his unsettling gaze observing her instead of the land. She dipped her head to him, her shining mane cascading over her neck.

"All done, when the paste dries it should fall off and the medicine will..." Her voice faded as his gaze continued to rove over her, peering as if from beyond a veil and through her. She knew he wasn't blind, but his pupilless eyes were startling nonetheless. The filly swished her tail, uncertain about his intentions. She stamped her hoof instead of retreating or submitting to his commanding air.

"What thoughts are running through that stormy head of yours?" She huffed through her nose. Weeks ago she would have run away from such glances, or ignored them or placed a mare between such colts. But he was testing her, at least she thought he was. So she'd test him right back.

Uruk watched as Nuri swiftly returned with the yarrow, her movements fluid and precise as she applied the paste to his wounds. Her touch was gentle but firm, each motion deliberate, revealing a level of care and skill that did not go unnoticed. As she stepped back to examine her work, his gaze shifted from the land to her, drawn by the quiet confidence she exuded despite her initial wariness.

She spoke, her voice trailing off as she realized his eyes were fixed on her, studying her in a way that seemed to pierce through to something deeper. It wasn’t her beauty that held his attention but rather the curiosity that tugged at him, the question of what lay beneath the surface of this seemingly delicate creature.

When she huffed and stamped her hoof, meeting his gaze with unexpected boldness, a faint flicker of amusement sparked within him. She wasn’t retreating, and she wasn’t submitting. Instead, she challenged him, turning his scrutiny back on him with a question that was both daring and defiant.

For a moment, Uruk remained silent, considering her words. He appreciated strength in all its forms, and here was a different kind of strength - one not born of brute force, but of resilience and spirit.

“Curiosity,” he finally rumbled, his voice low and steady. “I was wondering what drives you, Nuri. You are not like most mares.” His words were not a compliment, but neither were they dismissive. They were simply an acknowledgment of what he saw - a filly with more to her than met the eye. A fire inside.

He shifted slightly, the tension in the air easing as he allowed the corner of his mouth to twitch into something almost resembling a smile. “The land is not the only thing worth studying, after all. Thank you for coming to my aid.”

"Speech"

CODE BY SIN

"Speech"

Her heart climbed into her throat with the anticipation of wondering if she had made the wrong move. His features were unreadable but was that... amusement? She swallowed but held his gaze. Straining to bolt when he lifted his silence.

His low masculine voice wove through his words with truth. A statement of his wonder, not a question, not a command or compliment. She swung her face to see him from her right side, objectively to see him clearer. Letting her tropical blue eye peruse his storm gray thunderous features.

He made a third comment about the land and insinuated she was definitely an object worth studying. She clenched her jaw, unsure of how she felt about it.

She was driven by survival, and she was weighing the prospect of her first season arriving sooner than she wished.

"I can't be like most mares. Asa certainly isn't." She had to show strength here so as not to be chased off or made to mysteriously disappear. "I like to be useful." She huffed to make a point and decidedly relaxed as she took out her anxiety out on the grasses and munched it. She knew she was pretty, and she knew her delicate features would only get her so far.