The first scream was lost in the roar of wind and the pounding of his heart. After he stopped though, there was no wind to lose the sound. He skittered backwards from the rearing behemoth, ears flattened against his maneless skull. His flank scraped against the rough bark of the tree he'd sought shade beneath, trying to keep space between them but the black kept coming. He had no idea what he'd done to inspire such a response until the stranger spoke.
"Where is she?"
Pale blue eyes blinked, startled by the question and all together confused. Fear ran cold nails down his spine- was he mad? Madness was, perhaps, one of the things Vadim feared most. He had seen it only once in his life before coming here and it had not been a pleasant sight. There was no room for madness in the Vetish herds. It was one of the few times they turned on their own with teeth and hooves, spilling blood on the thirsty sand. Vadim groped for a reply in the following silence, hooves shifting on the soil as he shifted back again from the other stallion, giving way before him. Regardless of youth and naivete, Vadim could very well see when he was outmatched.
"Where is who? I've seen no one besides you yet today." And yet there is a hint of defiance in the words- he has done nothing wrong. It is an unjust accusation. Still he watched the other stallion with a wary eye, muscles tense to flee if he gets the chance. He doesn't see much shame in running. Better to save his skin than suffer injury under the hooves of a madman.
@BlackPlague
