'Like a Thief in the Night (Huddles)

[Padfoot]

M A U J A; There was, and had always been, a certain satisfaction that came with sneaking onto another stallion's land for Mauja, a vindictive pleasure at doing things they would hate right under their ignorant noses. He supposed it was the same with all stallions, simply because that between the majority of them there always seemed to be something of a competition (for Mau, it was a little bit more than something). The constant fight for mares, land, or just general superiority was as old as stallions themselves, and it was invigorating to have that feeling of irrevocably besting another. Besides, as long as you got in and out undetected, which wasn't particularly hard, there was really no harm done--the King would never know. Unless, of course, you took a couple of his mares, which Mau was not opposed to in the least.

It was on one of these trips into the territory of Octavian that Mauja found himself in a thin forest, looking around himself (because for god's sakes, there had to be a mare around here somewhere) for another equine. Of course, a mare to persuade or coerce into his own herd, which would hopefully get him a position of power later, would be ideal, but at this point he was so bored another stallion would do. He could do with a fight. Or he might even run across the fickle prince they always talked about, who was rumored to be slightly addled in the brains; oh, that would be fun, wouldn't it?

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[Hud]

Little Lotte could've been known Homeland-wide as the most scatter-brained, distractable fillies ever born. And yet, she did not fit in with those excitably distracted girls. Lotte was much more distant in personality. Livius, one of her elder brothers, was often to be held responsible for his sister's strange ways, though she could never blame anything on anyone, let alone her own brother. Her activities as of late, however, had been her own. Today she could be found flower hunting.

The black and white mare had her nose in a clump of daisies as she quietly hummed a tune known well by most subjects of her brother's rule. Her tail swung gracefully behind her as she made sure to smell each and every one individually. Her promise to Livius about not straying again was long forgotten as she roamed away from the rest of the herd, allowing herself to be driven by her oblivious mind.

[Padfoot]

M A U J A; Mauja heard the filly before he saw her, a faint humming reaching his swiveling ears and alerting him to an approaching mare. His head turned automatically, eyes lighting on a spot where, seconds later, the mare crested the hill, sniffing flowers for whatever reason, and swishing her tail slowly. Even in the colder regions, the summer heat and the dampness of the season had cause an extreme upturn in the insect population. She was black and white, her markings as perfect as if she had been dipped in first one color, then the other; ebony on top, ivory on the legs and the lower part of her barrel.

"Hello." The stallion stepped forward quickly, with the self-assurance of someone who knew what he was doing. He refused to whinny, for fear of a nearby herd member hearing and rushing to the filly's "aid", but his bold step and commanding voice was sufficient enough to announce him, as he moved up the hill toward her. "Who are you?"

[Hud]

The princess was perfect to the eye. Her slender form was pleasing and her color was just interesting enough to call attention to her, though not so intricate as to chase others away. Lotte's appearance was, little did she know, both her best friend and her worst enemy. Today, it had demanded the attention of an unfamiliar stallion - a black and white one.

His greeting did not make her jump - things rarely did. Lotte was always so rapt in her own world that interruptions from reality did not phase her too much. Taken from her mind's flowery haven, Lotte turned her blue gaze to the stranger as he asked her identity.

"Who am I? My name is Lotte and I'm a Northern Princess. Who are you?" Lotte had never been known to reveal information with any sort of tact. The poor girl didn't understand the concept of consequences.

[Padfoot]

M A U J A; The blue eyes of the black-and-white stallion widened as the filly talked--an instant giveaway that was quickly stifled by years of controling his facial expressions. Here he only came along to see if there were any good mares for his own herd... and he stumbles on the princess of the whole region! And better yet, no trace of mistrust was yet written on her face; she seemed willing to speak to a random stranger without fear.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be much to do with this Northern Princess Lotte. What to do with a mare that would be missed immediately, pursued tirelessly and constantly, and who was, to top it off, extremely recognizable? She was no good to him, even for an attempt at ransom. However, she was the one that would have all the information about herd members and the like; he would just have to be extremely careful...

"I am Mauja, Princess Lotte, from the Far North." He told her, bowing his head to her in what he hope would look like an acceptable show of respect.

[Hud]

Any hidden intentions this stallion or any other stranger had against Lotte were completely over her head. She was never suspicious of anybody and therefore never interested by anyone either. Or, at least, very rarely was she.

To any other mare, such a handsome stallion would often be of interest, though to the filly he was simply a face to talk at.

"That's charming," she said with no readable emotion. Her eyes were wide by nature as she glanced around the stallion's face at anything and everything except him. It was like Lotte hadn't even seen him. With the unorthodox upbringing she'd received, one could hardly blame her. She was close to considering her brother Livius her father judging by how much she'd seen Octavian in her life. Luna was another story. She adored her mother. It seemed as though any and all emotion contained in the young mare was given to her mother and brother with none left for anyone else. At least, not yet.

The mare swished her tail a little as she pawed at the ground around a daisy patch. "Do you love daisies as much as I do?" Lotte's concept of "love" was rather warped, at this point.

[Padfoot]

M A U J A; No. He did not like daisies. They were insignificant to his life, and therefore he cared nothing for them. But it didn't seem especially charming to say so, even to a girl so much like a robot, who probably wasn't listening to him anyway. He could have insulted her mother, and herself, and she would have continued destroying the flowers she claimed to love. In fact, he was tempted to try it, but refrained.

"Yes, the flowers are nice." He said in a noncommittal tone, hiding the boredom more out of habit than necessity. "I suppose it's nice to have all the grass; I've heard your herd is rather large here." He might have been a tad more careful about his entrance with any other horse, but this one seemed especially stupid, and he felt no need to use more than the necessary effort.