*Defender of the Toklat Clan* - Sparkling Creek Valley

The sun was beginning to climb beyond the horizon by the time Enyos made it to the southeastern stretch of the prairie. It was miles beyond where his clan resided, but the young stallion wasn't entirely eager to bring his two new ladies home for King and Majesty to meet just yet. He'd worked hard to gain their freedom, and was hoping a little bonding time with the pair would help prevent the older males from snatching them away.

To that end, he'd moved with relative leisure through the Valley, loosely following Requiems River north, while offering occasional commentary on different locations and landmarks they were passing. As the trees began to fall away, and the land before them expanded in a sea of rolling grasses and blooming flowers, Enyos finally came to a stop and nodded his dial to the prairie that spilled out before them, "Welcome to the Prairie. It's fairly safe in this area, but I'll keep guard while you two eat."

"I've been here before." Silver Edge said quietly, even as she gazed in wonder at the open land, as if seeing it with brand new eyes. "Not this area, and not by this path, but I remember the smell of this area." She took a few steps beyond where Enyos was standing, taking her time looking in one direction, and then the other. Her dappled withers twitched, and her tail slapped from one flank to the other before the appaloosa mare shook her head and spoke again, "But I had a rider then, and no choice to move on my own, or feed on the grasses."

Delphine stepped in closer to Enyos, while her bright sorrel ears fixed on Silver's words. "I've never been out here." There was wonder in her voice as she said this, and that same emotion reflected in her dark eyes as she too took her time to see all there was to see here. "Is this where your family lives, Enyos?"

"You won't have to worry about humans ever again." Enyos boldly promised, "My father and Uncle don't tolerate them in our land, and neither do I." He followed Silver's gaze for a moment, feeling a sliver of the awe that she was experiencing right now. And more than that, the pride of being the one that had brought her the freedom this early morning. So long as he could help it, she would never be under the saddle of another two-leggers.

Delphine's voice brought one of his chestnut ears back, followed soon by the rest of his alabaster muzzle as he answered the younger mare, "Not quite. We live at the Toklat Canyon, down in the heart of the Valley." The stallion then glanced behind them, his gaze shifting south as he thought of their rugged home, "We'll head back that way before dark, and you can meet the rest of the family."

Silver took in his promise, and held into it with caution. The young stallion had kept to his word so far, but the wary mare wasn't so blindly smitten as her companion was, and wouldn't feel fully secure until they were back 'home'. Still, the sheer awe and relief at being free had left a sizeable crack in her cautious pessimism, and the spoke while still gazing out on the endless grass around them, "You've gotten us this far, so I'll hold you to it. I can even help, with my knowledge of the two-leggers."

A chestnut aud shifted in Silver's direction, then joined its counterpart in swiveling full-tilt to Enyos, "I can tell you about humans too, if that helps." Briefly, Delphine followed the stallion's gaze to the land south of the prairie, but her attention had remained on him more than anything, and as his neck was turned, she reached forward to gently nibble away at a bit of dried mud stuck in his coat.

"That would be really helpful, actually." Enyos acknowledged with a perk of his ears and a decisive swish of his flaxen tail. "We can talk about that when we start back for him though. I'd still like to learn a little more about you." Beneficial as their inside information on humans would be, the young stallion's immediate goal in this moment was to build a bond with these two that would hopefully hold out against any advances by King or Majesty. And while Silver Edge seemed a bit more cautious and reserved, the gentle nibble from Delphine told Enyos that his efforts were at least working with the chestnut mare.

A delightful shiver worked down his neck, briefly shaking his mane. It was one thing to be groomed by his mother or Cloudbreaker, it was something entirely different to have this attention and adoration from a young mare near his own age. Enyos gladly angled his muzzle back towards her, to gently nibble at a spot along her slower shoulder, even if there was no dirt or debris there.