The quiet that fell between the two males was comfortable; neither was particularly talkative, and so Wayne was content to let the silence pass as he looked over the dark Shire horse with affectionate envy and brushed his fingers mechanically through Buckeye's mane when the stallion nudged against him. His mind drifted from their discussion to images of the stables and pens that would be constructed for the horses, and then to images of the herd that would form as Casa di Cavalieri's numbers grew. Many were in the condition to breed again, and there was always the possibility of capturing feral horses in the area. Perhaps the native equines wouldn't suit the pack's needs, but escaped stock from traders and other packs might provide good bodies to break and train.
The sudden outburst from the dark-masked young wolf surprised Wayne, who looked the other over in a mixture of confusion and interest. He could understand the need; Fern was, luckily, a large mare and wasn't hurt under the tall Labrador's weight. But he wasn't sure what he could do for Alder personally; he was still very new to Nova Scotia compared to most of the peninsula's inhabitants, and despite his dreams of capturing the horses that roamed the lands, he wasn't traveling through familiar territory gazing wistfully after mustangs anymore.
"I'll let ya know," Wayne said, forcing a smile. "I have myself a good, strong mare -- Fern. She's recently had a colt, but if we can breed her to a big ol' stallion..." He remembered Gypsy suddenly, knocked up by Saul's stud in Ichika no Ho-en, and his heart ached for the paint mare who'd helped save her companions from a mountain lion early in their time in Nova Scotia. But they had a home now, a place for Fern to be and to care for her future foals. "We can keep in touch," the man finished, realizing that he'd trailed off into his thoughts once again. "Casa and the Court 'll have herds to die for."
And then he fell into awkward silence. He didn't know what else to say or do, though he had the urge to shake hands with Alder and make this partnership of sorts official. If only the two horse-lovers hadn't been so quiet -- but ceaseless babbling alone didn't make friends.
"Should probably head back," Wayne mumbled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the warrior pack's lands. He broke out into a grin and reached over to give the wolf a gentle thump on the shoulder. "Like I said, friend, we'll keep in touch. You did Casa a real favor bringin' in new blood, and I'm a man who likes to return favors."
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