Siren's Call

Roach is Real Done

                Roach took another mouthful of grass, chewing it thoughtfully. Sea-creature had been making shrill noises for quite a long time now, and smells-of-leather was just sitting there. Unusual, not in that sea-creature talking a lot was unusual, but he wasn't normally this high-pitched, or this angry sounding. She had been happy to see sea-creature of course. When smells-of-leather brought him out she had at first anticipated a return of apples and mane combing. He'd sat very stiffly on her as they walked back to camp though, and smelled of sweat and blood and general bad things. Again, unusual for sea-creature. She was used to smells-of-leather smelling of bad things, but sea-creature usually smelled of flowers.

Sea-creature stopped yelling and caught his breath, and smells-of-leather rumbled something. Sea-creature stiffened up and swelled slightly with apparent rage, sputtering at smells-of-leather. Oh dear. Whatever he'd been trying to communicate had not been the right thing. Sea-creature was acting like that skittish mare they'd come across last week, who'd been so terrified of the long-legged water creature that had attacked her, that she had dragged her owner for miles and then was very rude and tried to bite Roach when they caught up to her. Smells-of-leather should have just treated sea-creature like that mare. He'd been understanding then that fear caused anger, but she didn't think he'd quite grasped that with sea-creature. Oh well, he was a little slow when it came to sea-creature, but he'd catch on.

Sea-creature shrieked and kicked smells-of-leather quite hard in the shin. Roach approved. Smells-of-leather had not been handling the courtship of sea-creature at all well, and it was about time sea-creature let him know that. If a stallion had tried to woo her like smells-of-leather had tried to woo sea-creature she'd have lost patience well before sea-creature did. The man just did not understand how to win a mate. Smells-of-leather didn't even flinch when sea-creature kicked him. Oh that was bad too, didn't he know you were supposed to back off, and pretend to be very hurt and ashamed? He just stood there stoically staring at the other man. Roach rolled her eyes and snorted, pride was all very well, but sea-creature was going to get frustrated and leave if he didn't play the game.

Sure enough, sea-creature yelled again, turned, and started running off into the forest. He wasn't going to get very far like that, she thought, calmly taking another mouthful of grass. He was limping quite badly, and smells-of-leather had chased down far faster things. She looked over at smells-of-leather. Instead of chasing after sea-creature he just stood there, watching him stagger off. Oh this was ridiculous, didn't smells-of-leather know the rules at all? If he let sea-creature leave now he'd never have a chance in hell of being with him. If they ever met again sea-creature would be all cold and standoffish and smells-of-leather would go all stoic and hurt, and then would go off and fight one monster after another without a break, and she would have to stay out in the open all the time and eat grass instead of staying in comfortable stables sometimes and eating tasty grain and apples. This would not do at all.

Shepointedly snorted at smells-of-leather. He glanced up at her, frowning. Shesnorted again, pawing at the ground. Go after him you stupid man, beforehe's gone forever. She seemed to have got some of her message across atleast, because smells-of-leather went all grim and dramatic and stalkedafter sea-creature. Roach rolled her eyes again, ah well, as long as he didn'tlet sea-creature leave again everything would probably end up working out. Evenif they were a dramatic pair of oblivious idiots, there was only so long theycould dance around each other.