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 Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 9:31 am
 He should have left the area, left or finished. Those were the only sane choices that the stallion should have made and yet he did neither, rather he left the days pass by, made excuses about why he should put off doing either - he needed to regain his strength after their last battle, he needed to rethink his strategy, he needed to wait until the mare and her herd were in a more favorable position for attack. Good excuses as far as excuses went but excuses none the less.
In reality the stallion knew he was lying to himself, and this troubled him deeply as he did not think himself typically prone to such things. But he continued to do so and meandered in the herds general vicinity with no real decision made. There was something different about this mare - the way she moved, the way she fought, her strength and agility, he had never met another like her, none of the warrior mares of his past could compare and none of this targets either.
She was different and that was a proving to be a problem for him. Snorting at himself and these absurd thoughts Achilles told himself for probably the one hundredth time that he would finish the job and kill the mare. Tomorrow. Maybe. His neck was still a bit stiff.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 9:42 am
 The herd had been a bit uneasy since the attack on Penthesilea. She had assured them that they were safe, that they had nothing to fear, after all Achilles had only had her targeted and they had come to a truce at the end of their battle. Kadira had needed more attention since that day and it had taken all of the mares watching her day and night to calm the filly down and give her the reassurance that she needed. She hated that the filly had been traumatized by Achilles actions but with time she would be alright. She had had to tell Kadira that everything would be alright today, especially since Penthesilea was planning on going out on a patrol The herd had been sticking close together the last few days but they couldn't do that for long. They had to ensure their borders were safe and Penthesilea decided that she would go out and check them. The herd was her responsibility after all and so she needed to ensure their safety.
The wounds on her neck were healing nicely thanks to a salve that Yakut had put on them. It stung while being applied but then it soothed. Another couple of day and there would be little to no mark left. Whatever was in that salve worked quickly. She left the herd and set out to check the lands around them.
Due to the thickness of the trees here it was easier to do the patrol on foot. She walked at a solid pace, looking for any signs of predators in the area that could become a threat later on. A few small fox footprints were found but that seemed to be the extent of it for now. Pausing along the way Penthesilea stood quietly and listened, her body relaxed but ready to spring into action at a moments notice. She could have swore she caught the faintest whiff of Achilles scent. Were her sense lying to her or was he out there, waiting for his chance to strike her down? After another moment she continued down the trail keeping her sense open to any movement, scent or smell. He was out there, she was almost certain of it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 9:53 am
Achilles had indeed been down that trail earlier in the day but the stallion had moved farther away, to a small opening in the trees where he stood, basking in the sunlight and grazing while he pondered his continued mental dilemma. Standing out in the sun like he was might have seemed a bit on the brash side given that he had attempted to kill the Queen of the local herd only a few days prior..but he was Achilles and he wasn't frightened of such mundane problems.
Besides if the mare came upon him and attacked well he wouldn't have any more decisions to make now would he? His old mentors would scoff at such an idea but Achilles shrugged off their nagging historic voices. He was sure that they had never met the likes of this mare either.
And so he continued to graze, feigning complete indifference when he heard the mare approaching, chewing placidly with an almost bored expression on his face while he waited for her to come upon him. He should leave...of finish it, his mind continued to tell him and yet Achilles made no move to do either.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:07 am
The scent was growing stronger now and Penthesilea slowed her pace a bit. Had he tried to lay another trap for her? If he had, he had done a poor job of it, leaving his scent everywhere like this. She followed the trail until it opened up into a wide clearing. As it all came into view Penthesilea caught site of Achilles. Seeing him standing there grazing like it was the most natural thing to do in this moment Penthesilea couldn't help but let out a small snort. She knew he would have heard her approach so there was no sense in hiding her presence from him. She came to a stop just inside the clearing. If she was smart she would press the attack, start up what they hadn't finished from the other day and be done with it.
Yet, she stood there. He had not attacked her in the past few days nor had he tried to set a trap for her today. So the question was, why was he lingering like this? Was he hoping she would become accustomed to his presence and eventually drop her guard allowing him a swift and easy kill? Though she didn't know him all that well she doubted that was his style from what she had seen and learned about him from their first encounter. She should say something, but instead she stood there and waited for him to make his move.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:18 am
Ah there she was, Achilles paused in his grazing to give her a quick look over - she was looking well, though he could still see the wounds he had inflicted they looked to be healing, he wasn't even sure if they would leave a scar. By the looks of it she had had someone smear some type of healing gunk on them, explained why they were healing so nicely.
"Hungry?" He asked her matter of factly while she stood there staring at him, no doubt she was waiting for him to make the first move, he probably should - of course if that had been his intention he probably should have planned this encounter out a bit more, this battleground was fairly even for the both of them, giving neither and advantage over the other. In any case Achilles didn't feel like picking a fight with her - a strange sensation given that she was technically still his target, his tail flicked in unease, at is own hesitation in finishing thing.
But she was different, and a part of him was sure that he had been hired with misinformation, or maybe that was just another excuse he was using. In part to see what she would do and perhaps to poke at her slightly because he just couldn't help himself Achilles turned sideways and tore another bite as though completely unfazed by her appearance. "The clover is quite good." He was well aware that she could charge him now while he was slightly vulnerable but Achilles wasn't to worried, he was the veteran of far to many battles to leave himself so vulnerable that he couldn't get out of it if he had too.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:26 am
Just what game was he trying to play? Her eyes narrowed slightly as she took him in. He looked relaxed, but she could tell he was also ready to move if and when needed. A warrior never truly relaxed enough to not be ready for battle at a moments notice. His question made her ears flick. He was so different from any stallion she had ever encountered. Most of her experiences with stallions were with the slaves in the herd, and those stallions for the most part were weak and lacking intelligence. But Achilles was the exact opposite of them, he was strong, had obvious intelligence and yet he got under her skin in an irritating way like all other stallions did. It irked her that he was so casual at the moment.
With a shake of her head she began to move towards him. "Is that why you have stuck around, because of the clover?" Her words were laced with sarcasm and yet she was curious as to why he was still here, why he wasn't doing what he was hired to do - and that was killing her.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:42 am
"Perhaps. It is sweet, if you eat enough perhaps some of it will rub off." He nettled her, he could tell that she was irritated to some degree, the tone of her voice made that quite clear and yet - because he was Achille's - he continued to prod at her, just a little bit, a small jest. He just couldn't help it really and his voice held a touch of amusement to let her know the comment had in fact been in jest.
In truth Achilles had no other answer for her - he should spin around now, as she approached and let loose with an attack, finish things as he was supposed to do and yet he didn't, he didn't really want to - for some odd reason he preferred to simply speak with her again, for a stallion whose sole social interaction tended to be contracts and battle it was a strange desire but what harm could come from pursuing it? As long as he kept an eye on the mare.
"That is not entirely fair of me though, I'm sure you can be quite sweet with the right company." He went saying the comment in such a manner that she might not be sure if he was teasing her again or being completely sincere. He really shouldn't prod at her like this but that was simply his way and Achilles hadn't really learned any other. Mercenary training left little room for social niceties.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:52 am
Penthesilea snorted. "There is not enough clover in the world to have that happen." She knew he was joking, it was irritating but she could handle it. Though she wondered why he felt the need to be like this, to be casual, to tease her when only days ago they were at each others throats - quite literally. Her gaze moved to the marks on his throat. They were not healing as quickly as her own were, but then again he didn't have a healer looking after them. They didn't show any signs of infection so she knew in time they would heal and leave nothing but a small scar that would be covered mostly by his fur anyways.
She came to a stop a few paces from him. At his next comment she shook her head. It would be more preferable to have him attack her again then listen to the drivel that was coming from him. "Enough with your flattery." She said in a somewhat mocking tone, though there was a tinge of angry to the words as well. "Why are you still hovering around my herd?" Enough with the jokes, it was time to get to business.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 11:00 am
"If that is what you consider flattery then I wonder at your previous companions." Achilles remarked in an off hand tone, it seemed that he had riled her as far as she was willing to be prodded however and Achilles turned more towards her, giving the impression that he was now giving her his full attention - although he had been doing that since the start.
"Contrary to popular belief I am an honest stallion and since you have asked me so directly I suppose I will give you the truthful answer - I don't know. Common sense tells me that I should have left or attacked you again as my contract demands and yet...here I am, making excuses so as not to do either. It's a rather odd occurrence actually, but then you are an odd target, so it's really your fault I'm still here I expect." He stated, managing somehow to make the last part of his otherwise sincere statement into another light hearted jest.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 11:12 am
Her eyes narrowed but she did not respond to his jab. She should have. Hell if any other stallion had have said half of the things he had to her by now she would have beaten them for it. And yet here she was standing her letting him get away with it. Why was that? Honestly Penthesilea didn't have the answer to that and that bothered her more than Achilles' comments.
As she listened to his reason for sticking around she was struck by how odd they were. He didn't know why he was still here, why he hadn't left and why he wasn't doing what he had been hired to do. Hearing that it felt all too familiar to how she was currently not sure why she wasn't pressing the attack either and why she was letting him get away with teasing her the way he was. She remained silent for a few moments thinking it all over. He had seemed to be truthful, even if he did turn it into a joke in the end. Finally she looked at him and gave him a smile. "Admit it Achilles, you stick around because you secretly want a lifestyle change. You know what my herd is like and after seeing me in action you are so desperate to live the life of a slave, to be pushed around by me that you cannot bear to leave here until I have taken you into the fold." Oh yes, she could joke around too.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 11:20 am
Achilles snorted in amusement at her comments. "Oh...you don't want me as a slave, I'm entirely lazy when it comes to domestic duties, I'd get bored and start poking fun at your warriors, inciting your slaves and cause you no end of trouble." He told her only half jokingly, it was likely he would do pretty much all of that if given the chance.
"But I see what you are doing, now that you have sampled my keen intellect and world famous fighting abilities you simply had to try and recruit me. I don't blame you, I'd recruit me too if I were King of a herd," He told her with a long suffering sigh of acceptance, giving the impression that it was truly hard to be this magnificent.
Despite the joking around Achilles did have some questions for the mare and since it seemed that she too wasn't keen to start fighting again Achilles felt comfortable enough to ask her. "Why does your own brother hate you enough to try and have you killed?you don't seem to be anything like he described."
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 12:04 pm
How strange it was to be joking with him. Only a few days ago he had tried to kill her and now they were standing around talking and joking like they had been friends for some time. It was so odd. She shouldn't even be talking to him, and yet she was. She also had little desire to attack him. What she really wanted to know was what made him tick, what propelled him through life and other such details. She just might learn these things with time. She was just glad the herd was not around to see her being so casual and open with him, that would not bode well for her status as leader.
"You're right. You have found me out." She told him with a slight shake of her head. "How could I pass up the opportunity to add a Soquili such as yourself to my herd." Had he been a female, she would have offered a position in the herd in a heartbeat. They needed to increase their numbers and bring in more skilled fighters. But he was male and so it wasn't an option.
"I think jealousy has a lot to do with Tierehl's hatred of me. He was often ignored by my mother for he was nothing but a slave, where as Yakut and I were females, we were the lifeblood of the herd and we lived to see the traditions stay alive." It almost would have been better for her mother to have abandoned Tierehl when he was fresh out of the basket and let the forest decide his fate. "While mother looked on us daughters with pride she felt pity for Tierehl, for she knew he wanted different for his life but could not achieve it within the herd, and he knew it. It only fueled his hatred." She gave her head a shake. Not many males ever came to resent their life in the herd but Tierehl was one of them and he hated it more than anything. "Killing me won't change a thing for him. He will still hold a hatred of females and the herd will live on." She looked at Achilles. "What he really needs is a solid amount of sense knocked into him. He has left the herd and yet still clings to it to fuel his rage and revenge."
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 10:41 am
Achilles mulled over the information she gave him - while he could sympathize with the plight of stallions within this strange herd he also saw the pointlessness of continuing to harbor a grudge once you escaped. It seemed that with or without the herd Pen's brother was doomed to lead a pitiful, angry life. A shame really - for all his anger and cocky disrespectful manner Achilles had not gotten the impression that the other stallion was stupid, his intelligence should be turned towards other more fulfilling goals then pointless revenge.
"I can sympathize somewhat but holding on to such feelings is like drinking poison everyday. I was taken from my own mother when I was barely weaned, given to the Mercenaries for training and though I sometimes longed for a more typical foalhood it is something that cannot be changed and as such is pointless to yearn for." Shaking his head the stallion refocused on the present, how strange it was for him to open up to this mare, such life stories were not something he typically shared - with anyone, let alone a virtual stranger he was supposed to be trying to kill. To turn the direction in another direction Achilles brought the conversation back towards the mare and her herd.
"So you are truely a Queen then? And someday when you are ready to have heirs you will...turn to one of your slaves?" It seemed a pity in all honestly, while he did not agree with slavery it seemed that these ones were slaves by choice more or less, if her brother could escape then surely others could as well if they wanted too - and to be a slave by choice seemed to speak of a weak will and timid, submissive creature. Surely such beasts should not be the sire of future royalty. It was a personal question he asked..but Achilles was curious and did not really care if his question might step over social boundaries.
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 11:03 am
Her ears flicked slightly. The last thing she had expected to hear from Achilles was anything about his foalhood or how he ended up becoming a mercenary. But now she had a slightly better understanding of him. She could not imagine being pulled away from her mother at a young age and thrust into a new life. Though it felt a bit similar to her own life, minus the separation from her mother, for the herd began training their warriors young, very young so that by the time they were adults they could fight well. "Few foalhoods are perfect." She said after a pause.
"I am indeed a Queen." She said with a bob of her head answering his first question. The second question however, she did not give a response to right away. This was not a subject she had expected him to bring up, and yet it was strange because recently she had begun to think about it. Her position as Queen was solid and as of yet unchallenged but soon enough she would be expected to prove herself as Queen and produce an heir. The herd had only a couple slaves at the moment and honestly she could not see herself using either of them to father her future children. It wasn't out of the ordinary for mares to seek stallions from outside of the herd to father children, which helped to bring in new blood. Her ears flicked once more in thought as she looked over Achilles. He was like no other stallion she had ever met.
"I will not be using a slave to father my heir." She finally told him. "I require stronger blood than what they can give me." Call her crazy but she knew where to find stronger blood, it was standing right in front of her. Perhaps...she could use him in a few different ways. "My brother wants me dead, but so far you have not seen that bargain through, I wonder if you ever will." She said with arched brows before she continued. "Tierehl will not bring you the payment he owes you even if you took him my bloody head as proof of your work. So let me propose something to you. I hired you to teach my brother a lesson, to let him know that his hatred towards me and the herd is foolish and that even a mercenary cannot bring me down. I do not wish him killed, just beaten enough that he will remember this well." She paused and began to circle around Achilles, looking him over. "You will require a payment of course. And this is where I come in. I am a Queen, yes, but so far I have no heir, the longer I go without an heir the higher the chance of my loosing my position becomes. Deal with my brother for me...and as payment you will father my children." Was she crazy for offering this to a stallion who only days before had tried to kill her. Perhaps, but she saw an opportunity here and was not about to pass it up. "Our firstborn girl would be Princess of the herd and future queen, any other daughters we would have would be warriors." She did not mention sons, for he would know the fate of them already.
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 11:34 am
"That does seem to be the case." Achilles agreed. He had a feeling that even those with so called perfect foal hoods did not consider them such, indeed they likely yearned for the 'more exciting' lives of other foals. In any case it hardly mattered in the long run and Achilles found his attention taken by the mares next few statements.
The offer was...intriguing and Achilles had to admit that the prospect was attractive, he would be siring future Queens and Warriors, what better way to ensure that his legacy lived on then that? But while he cared little for the fate of Pen's brother - he suspected that she was right in questioning his honorable ways when it came to payment, he did have a few adjustments to demand. If this was to be a contract them let him treat it like one and haggle for his own desires.
"It is a fine deal but requires some adjustments... I will not be your slave, waiting about like some simpleton waiting for you to point me towards a task, I must be free to pursue my own career...and my sons shall be mine to train should they desire a lifestyle different from that offered them in your herd." He thought to question her about what her herd might think but decided not to - her herd was her problem really, what did he care how what they thought of him, surely she could keep them well in line.
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