Don't say that, I absolutely love your attention to detail that I've seen so far! You're better than you must think you are. And oh poor Ripp! 😢 I didn't expect Noda to ever be so violent! (FOR SHAME, smh) But hey, I'm up for the challenge and maybe this can be an epic redemption story for her. ))

The red mare flicked an audit forward at the name he called her. Noda, was that her name? Wait, did he know her?! She slowly lifted her amber orbs to find his frame, but she was shocked to see a wave of anger and disgust completely take over his features almost instantaneously. His roaring voice hit her with so much weight she physically felt like a hole had been puched in her chest as she faced him. Her ears laid back against her head in fear as she startled backwards. "I'm sorry, I ... I don't know who you are!" She tried to remain in a calm voice but truth be told, she was now fearful of her life. "I, I dont know anything. I dont remember anything." She said a little softer and in a more nervous tone. It wasn't clear if that stallion had even heard her. Nonetheless, if he did know of her, as he seemed to, whatever impression or relationship they must have had was not a good one. It might be best if she tried to get away from here as quickly as possible.

Even with that thought in the forefront of her mind, Noda found herself unable to move, frozen in fear. Her hooves felt as though they were cemented to the very earth that she stood on. "pl, please, I don't mean you any harm." She tried to plead with him. "I will leave without any trouble." She stood there, staring fearfully at the stallion until she finally felt the weakest give in her hocks and she was able to move again. Cautiously, the red mare began to step away slowly, but was too nervous to turn her back to him, fearing an attack. She veered her rump towards the shrubbery of the woodlands. When there was an adaquate amount of distance between them, Noda righted herself in the direction in which she had orignally come from and began to trot off. The movement from each beat of her gait caused a seering pain over the mare's body. She could feel the older wounds cracking and reopening across the moveable joints of all four of her legs. However great the pain, Noda clenched her teeth and tried to simulate as sound of a beat as she could muster to make herself look like a stronger target than what she really was, just in case the stud changed his mind about letting her go.

Aww pffft thanks I'm trying lol. And I told you I'm a drama junkie XD. Worst case scenario usually happens with me :D. Noda is quite violent, isn't she? Lol. However, it doesn't matter because as you said, this will be the best redemption story ever xD!)

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The grey stallion was overcome by the emotions that came flooding back with the painful memory still fresh in his mind. He could clearly remember the pain, searing through every nerve of his body, burning his veins. He could remember the mental agony of being rejected, of being outright hated. The emotions paired with that were now bearing down on his mind, searing their way back in. Anger. Regret. Betrayal. Unhappiness. Gut wrenching grief. It all showed in his posture, but most of all, emotional agony, his face twisted and eyes filled with horror and pain. He had hid it for so long, stowed it all away, changed everything into anger and silence so that none of it showed through, that it was now spilling out in full force.

Her reaction was so different than anything he had been expecting he momentarily paused his panic attack, his eyes wide with shock, his posture stiff. Words came pouring into his mind, but deciding what to say would be impossible. "You- you don't know.. you don't know who I am?" He asked in disbelief, his voice hitching at the end as he looked away. No. She was lying. She couldn't have just forgotten him. This was another plot to hurt him. To tear another hole in his already shattered heart. At her next faint words, his rich brown eyes turned back to hers, disbelief, anger, grief, and surprise portraying the state of mind he was in. Truthfully, none. His brain had disconnected as a trauma response, but a part of it was ever so slowly latching back on. "You don't remember anything?" He whispered, hating himself for letting bitter hope strangle it's way in. No one could ever change enough to become this, but there was obviously something not right, something VERY wrong here. His gaze glazed over as he stared at her, his eyes not really seeing anymore. Confusion and everything else was clashing together, trying to figure this out, trying to sort out everything. For being a logical horse, he was disgusted with how he was reacting, but the MEMORIES. They crowded his mind, made his brain physically throb, pain stabbing at every part of him. It was like he was reliving every word she had ever yelled at him, every bite, every kick. He didn't know how to deal with it. It was absolutely overwhelming.

However, he knew one thing. As his eyes focused and he saw she was already disappearing, the two sides of him that had just been Forged clashed together. He wanted, so badly, to just let her leave and never have to worry about it again, but he knew that wouldn't happen. He couldn't just forget. He hadn't for 2 years. He couldn't let this ruin his life all over again. The other side of him wanted him to go after her. To figure it out. Riptide knew what he wanted, so desperately, to decide, but his brain commanded his legs to move and a split second later he was Galloping after her. It only took a couple seconds to catch up, where he slid to a stop in front of her, blocking the mare from moving. Ripp could tell she was in pain, and against all his better judgment, against all his memories, against all the PAIN she had caused him- he couldn't let her suffer. He hated her. He knew that. But this didn't seem like her. She didn't even know her name was Noda! She didn't REMEMBER him. Something had happened. He needed to figure out what. "Don't leave. You need help. I won't hurt you. Go wash your burns off in the lake, and you can rest." Ripp stated lowly, his voice almost hesitant, like he had no idea what he was doing. Granted, he didn't. He had no idea why he was doing this either. "Don't leave." He repeated in a quieter voice, a guarded look sliding over his expression, hiding his emotion. Hiding everything.

Noda's face turned pale as the thunder of hoof beats closed in on her. This was it, he was going to come after her. Noda dug in on her haunches as the stallion threw himself in front of her, bracing for whatever punch he dealt next ... and that would be why his next words would be a complete shock to the mare. His features had calmed considerably and he was now standing in front of her, extending help. Noda was at a loss for words as she stared at him, trying to decide if she could trust him. This was almost too quick of a personality change for her to believe that he was being sincere. Her mind screamed TRAP! But she had this unknown stirring down in her marrow, urging her to follow him. Though she had no memory whatsoever, there was some form of familiarity to the equine that stood towering over her on his large frame. If she hadn't been so frightened, she might have gone with him right then and there. The mare's features furrowed into a look of concern as she finally mustered up the courage to look him in the eyes. There was a question on the tip of her tongue she was dying to ask him ... how did he know her? She was a breath away from asking when her flighty instincts kicked in and stopped her. It was now known that she could not run from this "stranger," and the fear of what he might do to her if she tried nearly ate her up inside. So instead, she plastered a faint grin on her muzzle and lowered her head, averting her gaze to the earth below her. "I appreciate the gesture, but it's not necessary." She breathed calmly, hoping he would just give up on her and move on, but when he insisted once more she not leave, she accepted her fate.

Noda followed the stallion to the banks of the lake he had mentioned and stood only close enough that her hooves flirted with the water. Her body quivered at the thought of the cool liquid touching her skin. The pain. She wondered if she could even get belly deep without coming unhinged in front of the stallion. She peered over her shoulder just slightly to see his gaze still on her. As much as she didn't want to do this, she knew some of her wounds had already begun to become infected. With a deep breath, the red mare took the first steps into the body of water and hissed underneath her breath as the water met her fried skin and sent rigid pain through her legs. On the inside she was screaming, but on the outside, she appeared to be handling it fairly well. The water around her began to turn black as the dirt, dried blood, and ash washed away from her pelt. Her red coat seemed to gain back just a smidge of its former shiney red color and her main and tail had changed to a silvery/grayish color, much closer to its original creamy white consistency, but with how much damage it had taken, you could hardly expect it to. Noda hadn't realized how filthy she actually was and immediately began to feel embarrassed at the realization. After the initial rinse, the water began to actually soothe her aching body. She closed her eyes and for the first time in six days since she had woken up in that field, she relaxed and her features were completely soft.

When Noda realized that she had completely forgotten about the stallion, she quickly exited the water and stood a respectable distance from his, still finding herself unable to look at him. "Thank you." She whispered before perking her audits in the opposite direction of the stud and observing the area around her. The grass seemed to grow a lot taller and greener around the lake, an observation that made her stomach rumble. Noda took a few inaudible steps in that direction and daintily gripped the blades between her teeth and plucked them from the earth. Unfortunately, the grass was not as sweet as she would have predicted it to be because she forgot to account for her disrupted taste buds that only allowed her to taste smoke. She sighed, finding little interest in even attempting to eat now. She glanced around her body towards the stud and then again at the area around her. To believe that she wasn't thinking about an escape would be laughable, but she didn't have the guts to try and outrun him, or even to persuade him to let her go back on her own. Was that even a good idea? Noda had been traveling with no idea where she was going or what she was looking for, only that she had this almost gut feeling when she decided to choose east as the direction she would wander. She hadn't run into any other living beings up to this point. Maybe he was the reason she felt to come this way? It was a valid guess, but given the attitude he'd recently shown her, she didn't think of it as all too likely. And she also wasn't going to be brave enough to ask the extent of their past relationship, not today anyways. With a deep sigh, she returned to the lakeshore.

The stallion was already partially regretting his hastily made decision, as the mere looking at Noda was making him feel sick. All the times she had pretended to like him, the times she had brushed against his flank, nuzzled his shoulder, gotten so CLOSE- it was all a lie. All just a setup. All because she was jealous of him. She hated him, so after a while he had returned the favor. At times, he had even regretted not fighting back. Not giving her the same treatment she gave him. Not scarring her the same way she scarred him. Of course, he knew this was wrong. Nothing she did would warrant an attack from him, especially now. She was hurt, and obviously scared to death. He could see in her gaze that she was absolutely terrified of him. Yet, why? Was she scared he would try to get back at her after these years for what she did? Or was... was she telling the truth? Did she really not remember anything? How could that even happen? They had grown up together. Her name was burned into his mind. Her beautiful face that had grown so angry. What event could've made her forget? Questions swarmed his mind. It was rather over-stimulating. Only a small part of him was still functioning correctly, and it was telling him he needed to make sure the herd was still okay. This instinct to protect was a lot of the reason he had stopped Noda.

Riptide kept his stance still, not threatening yet stiff. He was ready for an attack, in case she really was faking everything, but he knew for a fact she wasn't faking those injuries. Or that fear. It was so genuine. Nothing made sense right now. When she refused his offer at first, he sucked in a breath to speak again, however she had quietly accepted. He could tell she didn't want to come, that she didn't want to be anywhere near him. Most of him was screaming at his brain to just let her go, but he couldn't. He tried to open his mouth and say the words, but he couldn't. He couldn't let any mare, even Noda, wander off with these wounds- especially since he had glimpsed a pack of wolves around here four times in the last 2 days. He turned back towards the lake as she accepted, keeping his strides to a walk, not wanting to leave her in the dust. After arriving at the crystal clear waters, Ripp mentally thanked someone that there was a river going through the lake, so that the blood and grime would be washed away.

Observing carefully and silent, he could easily tell it hurt. She was in pain. Physical pain, anyway, while he battled with mental war. A whisper in his mind informed him that he felt a little bad for her- he didn't like seeing ANYONE in pain- which only irritated him more. He SHOULDN'T feel BAD for the horse that tortured him, physically and mentally. His grey pelt was covered in scars from her and her alone, not to mention all the others from leaving the herd too early and not being strong enough to defend himself. All caused by HER. Why would he ever feel bad for her? He HATED her. A small part of him didn't think so, though. Did be really hate her? Or was he just covering up other things? Closing his eyes for a moment, Ripp tried his hardest to shove those thoughts away. He needed to focus on her. After a quick glance around confirmed the rest of the herd was okay- intruoged, but okay- he turned his chocolaty brown gaze to her pelt. More memories spiked at his mind as he saw her burnished red pelt peeking through. The pelt he knew all too well. The one he had mistakenly fallen in love with. He waited until she left the lake, again pausing and not speaking when she took a couple tentative bites of grass. He didn't want to speak, nor did he want to stay silent, but he had an important question. Riptide hoped he could tell if she was lying or not, but a churning part of him knew she was telling the truth. "You're welcome." He paused again, blowing out a breath and shifting his weight, his gaze flicking up before landing on her again. "Noda... do you really not remember me? Do you.. remember anything?" He finally asked quietly, a little bit of pain sneaking back into his gaze as he waited for a reply.

There had been a calming silence between them as Noda busied herself among the grass, making herself eat. Her body was already thin and ribby from her disinterest in the basic need for survival. She had finally quieted down her frantic thoughts long enough to stop the throbbing in her skull ... that is until the stallion broke the silence. She repeated his question in her mind as she turned her head from grazing to his direction. She gulped hard. "No," she said so quietly it was almost missed. She cleared her throat and picked up her posture to be a little more confident. She could tell the question pained him for some reason, and it made her feel miserable. What could she have done that was so awful? It's something that would be a constant anxiety inducing question until she finally worked up to asking him for herself. IF she ever did. She cleared her throat quietly before continuing. "Honestly ... I don't even know my own name." She sighed. "For all I know you could have me mixed up with someone else ..." She thought aloud. Unlikely. She shook her head, "But I have no idea who you are, are we friends?" The question left her lips before she even took a moment to think about it and she immediately regretted it. Stupid, they OBVIOUSLY are not friends, had she forgotten how uncomfortable and angry he's been since running into her? He probably pitied her, which was the only reason he was helping her. She was beginning to feel her body squirm uncomfortably, feeling the urge once again to just bolt. Her body felt slightly better since she waded in the water, but she knew it was wishful thinking to believe she was in any better shape to fend for herself. "The only memory I have is of the past six days since I woke up like this, everything else is blank." She thought about telling him about the reoccurring nightmare she'd been having for the past five nights, but refrained. It's not like there were any hidden clues as to what it meant or where she had been. It was all just so confusing and it made her want to crawl inside a cave and just wither away.

It wasn't until now that she realized that they had a distant audience. A small collection of mares was just peaking over the hills, only ears and eyes to be seen. Her skin crawled at the thought of eyes on her, watching, judging. Without even thinking about it, she walked around the stud, putting him between their prying eyes to hide herself without being very obvious about it. As she listened to him, she brought her muzzle to the water's surface and blew air from her nostrils to create ringlets that scattered across the lake surface. She took a few sips which also seemed to help cleanse her pallet.

The stallion's dark brown shoulder, almost the same color as his eyes, twitched as he shifted again and flicked his tail to ward off a couple of flies. He swiveled one ear towards her and the other away, towards the herd. Her answer was quiet, whispered, but his hearing was quite good, and he picked it up clearly. The single word sent his head spinning again. He felt like a Tilt-A-Whirl on the highest speed. Like a hurricane. Twirling round and round. Thankfully, some part of his brain got stuck in the eye of the storm, and could think clearly. So she didn't remember anything. He had watched her carefully, and her answer was entirely truthful. She hadn't been lying. She really didn't remember anything. She didn't remember him. Ripp lowered his head slightly, deep in thought, although still alert enough to notice even the slightest movements. When her timid voice entered his mind again, he was momentarily distracted. She had always been so commanding before, and now? She was a whole different horse. After the thought passed through his mind, he focused on the words coming out of her muzzle. His audit flicked slightly as he lifted his cranium again, his eyes slightly sad. "No, I know exactly who you are." Ripp commented quietly, then paused. "Your name is Noda, if you haven't realized from me calling you that." He added, looking the slightest bit surprised at her question. Of course, that brought up a flurry of questions, but one smacking truth that REALLY dug in deep. Of course, he knew she was telling the truth, but it seemed to hit home now. She REALLY didn't remember ANYTHING. The rather shocking truth made him stop again, hesitating, not knowing exactly what to say. A quick glance at her showed something he would've never guessed. She was sad, grieven, even, that she might be someone that inflicted pain on him. Obviously she had figured it out. She wasn't stupid, and he had been rudely giving off signals this whole time. Especially with his first reaction. It was confusing, to say the least, but he understood it at the same time. If he forgot everything and met a random horse that seemed to hate him, then he would feel terrible. He assumed she was feeling the same way. "... no. We weren't." He finally answered, his words short and stout. He couldn't bring himself to say more at the moment, until words left his mouth without him realizing. "But I sure wish we had been." The words were a mere whisper, barely audible, but they shocked him probably as much as it shocked her. His gaze flitted to her again, and with his above average emotion reading eyes, he could tell, again, she just wanted to bolt. Since he had gathered she was rather smart, not that he hadn't known that before, she had probably figured out there was no way she could outrun him. It surprised him a little that he had already internally decided he would chase her if she left. He couldn't let her leave now. Not because he wanted to hurt her. Because he wanted to figure this out. Her next words were rather dull, as he had already assumed that. Noda, his literal living nightmare, had forgotten everything about her past. Including him, and everything they had ever experienced. "You... need to recover. If you'll agree.. it will help you to stay here, at least for a couple days. Eat, drink, sleep, recover... then you can choose to leave if you still want." Riptide's voice was low, like he didn't want to say those words. At this point... he didn't want her to leave. Not because he pitied her. Not because he liked her any more than he did before. He would never forget what she did. He wanted her to stay because she deserved to know a little about her past. A horse wasn't whole with 5 years of their life missing. She didn't deserve to live like that. Especially now. He noticed that she sidled onto the other side of him, which brought his gaze to the small rolling hills where the other mares were grazing, just barely visible. Well, of course Noda wouldn't want to be stared at. A little while later he'd have to talk with the other mares.

I might be done for the night, it's getting a bit late over here, but I get off work earlier tomorrow so I'll be available sometime a little after noon)

It was quite bizarre how her lack of memory seemed to turn this stud completely upside down and cause him such emotional confusion. He tried to keep his emotions contained under near fix features, but Noda could see through the cracks. Regardless, she couldn't hide her own as he reaffirmed that he did NOT in fact have her confused with some other red tyrant of a mare. She felt that punch to the gut once more as he continued. She found anything else but him to look at, completely ashamed of her former self. A single, slender audit tipped in his direction, picking up the faintest words under his breath. If she wasn't so shut down from the thoughts of her own actions, she might have smiled. A friend would probably do her good right about now, but she still wasn't entirely sure if she should trust him. I mean, if she had caused so much pain to this stud (keeping in mind he was trying his darndest to hide how much it was affecting him, there was probably so much more that she didn't know), what was stopping him from striking his revenge while she was at her lowest, the most off guard, and the most vulnerable she probably had ever been in her life. Ugh, just the thought made her head spin.

His offer was tempting, but she was still wary of how much she could trust him. "Are you sure? You obviously don't owe me anything to be so generous, I don't want to cause any more pain or trouble than I already have." She admitted sheepishly, stealing a peek over his massive frame towards the herd. "I really don't want to be a bother." She thought to say more to be insistent on her departure, but she was quick to admit she knew it would be of no use. If he hadn't let her go by now, he probably had no intentions of doing so anytime soon. She could figure he wasn't malicious, but her skittish nature just wouldn't let it just be as simple as that. She loathed the thought of rest; sleeping. Her nights were haunted with nightmares she couldn't escape. She actually was too anxious to sleep as often as she should, but perhaps in the company and if she dare say, in the safety of others, maybe tonight could be different. "Fine." She gave in after some thought. "I can stay for a couple of nights is all." She insisted, still not able to look the stallion in the eye.

The thought of her past actions was still weighing heavily on her chest, nearly suffocating everything else. She swallowed her shame for just a moment to look at him as they moved. "Hey, I ... I ju- ... I just want to say," She had to take a breath and calm her nerves and rapid breathing. "I'm sorry." There was a beat of silence between them. "I don't know what I did exactly ... But I do want to make sure I have apologized, though I know that wont fix anything." These were the most words she had spoken to the stallion in the hours she had been with him and it narrowly exhausted her anxious self.

That's all good! I'm right on HEE time, so it is pretty late for me, too. I have a really busy day tomorrow, and may not have enough time to respond until later in the day, but I'll try to wiggle it in!)

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Riptide cocked a back hoof, not relaxed in the slightest but feeling almost tired from the immense thought and emotional toll this had taken on him. He had never envisioned seeing his, dare he say, enemy, ever again. He had hoped, formerly, to never see her again. Now? Everything had been shaken. When his burnt umber eyes flitted over to hers, he saw the sadness. The feeling that she hated what had been implied she had done. This was world changing for Ripp. She really was like a new horse. She was a new Noda. She didn't want to hurt others. However, he could never tell her what she had done to him. It would be too much for her. He knew, if he was in the same situation and she told him that he had emotionally and physically abused her for months, then he wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. He wouldn't press that on her. However, there was still the battle raging inside of him. His mind and his emotions. He remembered, so clearly, the numb terror she had caused. He remembered the agony. The betrayal. It was all sealed in stone, cemented in his mind. However... what he was seeing and hearing now clashed with that in ways he didn't think possible.

He vaguely guessed that she had heard his soft words, ones he had not meant for her to hear. She wouldn't understand. She never would, anymore. He lifted his cranium slightly as his gaze flicked to her again, observing her features. It hurt and was expected, at the same time, that he saw mistrust and fear in her gaze. Some part of him wanted to earn her trust, wanted to explain everything, WANTED to be her friend, but it was battered down by the pain. Riptide had realized a long time ago that emotion was one of the most powerful forces on the planet. Horses would kill out of anger or sadness, and they would die out of love. Emotion drove almost every decision they all made. It was the core of everything. Knowing this made it quite hard to just stand there and not drive her away, quite hard to try and understand her point of view, quite hard to help her.

Her words tugged him out of his own mind, into the present time. Ripp shifted slightly, his crest of mane twitching. Of course he wasn't sure, but his mouth had a mind of its own at this point. "I'm sure. It doesn't matter what I owe you. It's as simple as you won't make it very far without food and rest." He stated simply and quietly, not liking to put it that way but not being able to put it any more nicely. He still wasn't all that chipper about suddenly becoming her best friend. Yes, he was helping, and trying to listen, but that didn't mean he'd go to all lengths to give her every whim. "You won't be a bother. There are only 7 mares and me in this huge place. There's more than enough room for one more, even if for a limited time." He commented before flaring his nostrils slightly and raising his cranium, scenting wolves. They weren't close, but again, they had been hanging around this area for a couple days now, and it made him uneasy. As the single word from Noda's muzzle entered his consciousness, he turned his own face back to her, lowered it slightly as an acceptance of her answer. It gave him a couple nights to get everything from the past 5 years figured out. Totally enough time.

Ripp turned his cranium back to her as she spoke, his gaze flitting away for a second, swallowing another wave of emotion. This was very new. She- she was outright saying she was sorry for things she has no idea she committed. It was, again, confusing, but there was that same small part of him that seemed to control his mouth. "If you really don't remember anything, Noda, then you can't be sorry. It may have been your pelt, but it was not your mind. You can't feel guilty about things you consciously didn't commit, even if they still happened." Riptide stated firmly, his brain screaming that what he said was a total lie. To his distaste, he WANTED her to feel guilty. She should. She DESERVED it. She deserved to hurt for what she did to him... but was that really true? Or was it just the anger talking? Nothing seemed true anymore.

That's alright, don't feel any pressure to get something up immediately! This one isn't very strongly detailed as I was rushing a bit to respond before having to get ready for work! Once they start moving on, I can start lengthening my posts up again. I just already love the way this story is playing out already, I have high hopes, lol! Also, I’m thinking about adding a side character from the herd to add a little more drama for them. Perhaps some payback on Noda)

Noda had to turn away from him as he spoke to hide her bigger emotions. She toyed with a blade of grass that tickled at her muzzle while deep in thought. She couldn't be sorry for what she did if she couldn't remember it? What the hell? Her teeth clenched together as she held back the smallest, sarcastic chuckle down in her throat. Because if that were true, why did she feel like this? Why couldn't she even stand the thought of herself once she realized how awful she must have been before? For all she knew, she probably deserved what happened to her for all the pain she caused. Perhaps it was Karma's way of punishing her for her sins. With how she felt now, always scared and regretful, she almost found the insinuations that stallion projected onto her to be nearly impossible, unbelievable! How could there have ever been a time when she was strong enough to hurt someone? Maybe she did it without knowing herself? Like, maybe she chose someone else instead of him? With the way he watched her, she could only continue to wonder what the nature of their relationship was. It could have been ANYTHING! That thought made her shiver. He could be feeding her anything he wanted her to know or feel and she'd have no idea if it were true or not. However, one thing for sure was that even without knowing what exactly she had done, she still felt awful that the stallion had to endure it. I guess she wouldn't be wasting her breath to try and explain that more to him, though.

As she stood there, a musky wet scent filled her nostrils and it sent her nearly over the edge. Wolves. She didn't need her personal memory to know that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with them. Her tail flicked nervously as she stood there in thought, her audits resting tensely towards the back of her head. She turned to the stud that seemed to have picked up on it as well. She lingered on his frame, taking in the scars that showed years of wear and abuse. She could only assume from keeping his herd safe or maybe even fighting others for it in the first place. There was one rather large one across the side of his flank that she couldn't quite look away from and for some unknown reason, it made her gulp hard. Some odd pull made her want to comfort the stud for just a split second, seeming to come out of nowhere. As if he would allow that, but also she still was scared out of her mind over everything, she wouldn't even entertain the though. Instead she breathed a large sigh and waited for where he planned to take them next. She glanced over to the herd once more and now there was one dark mare, clearly in view, still slightly hidden behind the hill they originally were on. Noda wondered how this encounter was going to play out. Did these mares know more about what she had done than herself? Highly doubtful, as he seemed so reluctant to tell her anything. She just hoped that for the duration of her stay, she could lay low and not cause any issues within the herd. She wouldn't fight for any respect as she didn't feel like she deserved any.Maybe they wouldn't bother her if she didn't seem like a threat to their way of life.

No worries. I'm over here in shock that I've actually kept up with writing longer posts lol- I guess I've got used to the shorter posts, since I haven't had a partner that did this much in a while. I can't wait to see what happens! Feel free to add whatever side characters you want- I'm just trying to finish constructing the stallion's exact background in my mind haha)

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Riptide let his gaze flick to her again, immediately knowing she wasn't even considering trying to take his words as serious. He couldn't really be irritated about it, though. If he was in her hooves, he would do the same thing. He had done things that he would regret forever, and the feeling was sickening. There were times in his life he hoped never to revisit, and although Noda was the biggest one, there had been others. Specifically a memory he had been trying to hide and push away ever since he had first smelled Noda a couple hours ago. Now, it wasn't as bad- it was much easier to shove the memory away. However, when the stench of smoke entered his nostrils the first time, it just added to the reeling confusion. That memory, that night, it tried to flicker its way into his mind, but he couldn't focus on that now. Yes, he had overcome a lot, but he needed to move on. Really, he was still rather young, and if he let his past burden him for the rest of his life, he'd never live a full life. Still... he knew, full well, he had let everything that happened with Noda burden him. The way he never got to close to the other mares, or never offered a cheerful nudge- it all just reminded him of how Noda had pretended to care, then betrayed him in the cruelest way possible.

His ears still perked in the direction the scent was wafting from, his cranium still high, and his nostrils still flared, Ripp was well aware of the wolves and tracking their movements to make sure they didn't come too close. Honestly, he was quite worried about how they had been hanging around- he was just one stallion. The only thing that was probably keeping them from attacking is that he'd be able to take out a couple of them before he was too weak to fight anymore. After that, the mares would be able to protect themselves against the smaller pack, and wolves weren't dumb. More than one death just for one horse? Yes, a horse was a lot to eat, but they were also dangerous prey. With this clouding his mind, his gaze didn't fully return back to Noda until the scent was fairly faded.

A quick, rather small thing flashed across the front of his mind. It was rather trivial, but it brought up a lot more emotion. The mare before him did not know his name, as she had forgotten everything and he had not told her. This, of course, wouldn't be acceptable, as names were how you got in contact with everyone. *Hey you, tall one, over there, move!* would probably be a little too long in any case. However, even this small thing made him want to just run away. The thought of hearing her say his name was burdening. Again, though, he had to speak, and it shouldn't have taken this long to decide. Another small thing... if she knew his name, it might make her trust him a little more, but did he really want that? Some part of him did. "I realized.. we technically have not been properly introduced. My name is Riptide." He commented quietly, his umber gaze flickering to her amber one.