&^)*#@+ Kailla!

She had been drug out of sleep by a pounding on the side of her wagon, and raised voices between Rook and Gabriel. Pulling on her clothes, the dark head slipped through the flaps as she asked what in the name of the skies was going on. Even in the fading darkness of the early morning lights, she could see that Gabe's face was contorted in anger, which was unusual for her younger brother. Telling him to calm down, she slipped back inside, finished dressing, quickly braided her hair, grabbed her cloak and stepped outside.
Gabe looked at her, scowled, and told her that if they were lucky, they might make it to the pens before someone killed that blasted beast. Now, blasted was not the word he mumbled, so she reached up, thwapped the back of his head, telling him not to talk like that, because she knew a man that might teach him how to truly clean his teeth. This attempt at humor failed, miserably.
Arriving at the pens, surprisingly, they are astir with activity. The most prominent thing she noticed, was four outriders trying to lasso Holo, who for some odd reason, was not in his segregation pen, but with the breeding mares. Her face screwed up into a mask of displeasure. That was all they needed, more ugly kaiila.
But the true tragedy, was the mares that he had gotten to. This was not a gentle beast, and it never even entered that thick head of his, that after you bred with them, you did not try to kill them. Or had he tried to kill them during the act? She was not quite sure, but two mares were down, long, deep slashes along their flanks, and visible bite marks to their necks. Anger flared in her. And with that anger, her primal instinct to kill the animal herself.
Without thinking, she charged the beast, flailing at him with her small fists, and saying words that would make even Fonce's pot of soap seem not nearly enough. Strangely enough, the beast pulled his head back, and fixed a stare on the small two-legged creature that seemed bent on inflicting him with a minor irritation. As she stood there screaming at him, making several unnecessary remarks about his parentage. Who cared? He certainly didn't.
With a shake of his head, he danced back from the irritation, and calmly walked back to the pen where he belonged. She was stunned, completely stunned. Stalking after him, she hefted the heavy gate on her own, closing it, scowling at him. The riders had never seen her quite like this. Some snickered, others growled, buy they left her with the beast. Had it been up to them, it would be dead already, but she had told them that it was not to be harmed, so she could deal with the damnable thing, and they would deal with the wounded mares.
Her anger was not abating, but she had managed to regain a small modicum of control over it. Standing there, she watched the hateful beast. He was laughing at her again, she swore he was. As he approached the fence, she backed up, remembering what had came flying the last time he did so. But he stopped, and there was the most lewd look in his eye as he seemed to look her over. How was this possible? The beast made her feel absolutely naked and vulnerable, not a feeling that she liked, but she did not back away.
Suddenly he reared on his hind legs, and she would swear that he made a lascivious gesture with his genitalia. Stumbling backwards, she flung a few final curses towards him, then moved to help with the patching up of the mares.
Was that laughter she heard? No, can't be. Overactive imagination, that is all.