We're Not all Evil [ Grange and Io] {Private}

"I'd like to think so," the stallion replied, shaking his mane to shoo away a few flies. He noticed her admiring the landscape, and he felt a small surge of pride for his homeland. Although the Bachelors might be a cruel batch, their home was undoubtedly beautiful, and it made Grange feel good that the outsiders took notice of it. "Well, for the most part, the stallions spar, but I like to spend my time exploring the territory. There's all kinds of secrets hidden in these lands," he said, gazing about the clearing fondly, thinking of all his little hidey-holes. "I can show you...if you like," he offered, watching the mare for her reaction.

"I promise," Grange said, bowing his head slightly to the Exile mare. He could see that she was nervous, and he was certain she had good reason to be. It wasn't a very welcoming land, the Bachelor island. The inhabitants made it a little difficult to survive in. "I'm not much like my herdmates," he said, with a rueful smile. "See this?" he asked, showing off the long scar that ran down his right shoulder. "Another stallion in the herd gave me this, for disagreeing with him."

"It is. But, there's nothing to do to change it that I haven't already done," the stallion said, his expression growing fully serious for a moment. He thought of all the things he had done, all the stallions he had alienated for this cause, and he decided it was worth it. Even the Exiles, at one time, had it better than the Bachelor herd. The Olde horses...they were untouchable, it seemed. But they were so caught up in their wild beliefs that they didn't even realize it. At Io's comment about the scar, Grange chuckled slightly. "I suppose you're right," he said, grinning. "And in my herd, that's a good thing."

"Right this way, M'lady," the stallion said, smiling as he turned and began to lead the pale faced mare down one of the many side paths he had discovered on his jaunts throughout Bachelor territory. The path itself led to a secluded meadow, with a small pond and stand of trees. From their location now, the meadow wasn't visible, and it wouldn't be until they were almost on top of it, adding to the 'wow' factor. Grange moved slowly, not wanting to exert himself to any great length as they ambled along.

"I wish I could have seen it before it burned," Grange said, glancing back at the mare with a sympathetic expression. "I've always wanted to travel...to get away from this place," he added, with a quite sigh of his own. He stopped to stare at the land around him, taking in the greenness of the land and the blue of the ocean off in the distance.

Grange listened to her express how beautiful her island had been, seeing the sadness in her expression as she sighed. Her visage changed, however, to one of interest as he mentioned traveling. He could see her ears twitch, and she looked more animated as she spoke of traveling as well. When Io expressed that nothing was holding her, Grange felt a sudden tug of envy. He had things to hold him back, like chains keeping him at the bottom of some deep ocean. There was the fact that he had been raised to show loyalty to his heard, no matter how much he despised them. And there was the memory of that awful trip into the mountains, when Cain had forced all dissenters to their knees before him. Grange knew that if he abandoned his post, he would most likely be hunted down and killed, his body left for the grass beasts to dispose of.
"It's true. There could be anything out there," he said, shaking off his grim thoughts.

"I thought I could, a long time ago," the stallion said, sighing as he remembered the plans he and Casper had made to escape the herd, if only things worked out right. They never did, and now both horses were mired in their herd, tied by duty or by loved ones, and not able to flit away like they had once hoped.

The small bird alighting caught Grange's attention, and he watched it flutter off from the tree branch. He was itching to exercise his gift and ask why the sparrow was so far from its flock, but he wasn't sure what the Exile would have thought, so he simply watched it fly away. When he next turned to Io, he noticed that she was frowning.

"Everything all right?" the stallion asked quietly, his ears pricked as he looked over at the mare.