He hadn't shouted—in fact, his voice had hardly raised above its normal level. Jefferson was not the type to explode out of anger with such little notice or reason. He much preferred silence over noise and order over confusion, and a shout from the cyclops would have denied his tendency for both. Their reactions were natural for those newer to the pack; fear, shame for being scolding. Jefferson had no intentions of "assuring" himself and the position he held over them, but only that they had responsibilities that came first above other things—if they planned to stay there, of course. Naturally, Jefferson stifled the smirk and chuckle that almost got the best of him when Domonick became inevitably flustered, but the cyclops maintained his mastery of a stiff, unfeeling expression all the while.
The brute waited until they'd exited the barn before replying to Domonick. "Horses are almost as timid as hares when it comes to new faces," he observed. "These mares are well trained—we've had a lot of faces come and go in this pack, so they've gotten used to strangers. You might have more luck with them, if you're gentle." A smile came to his scarred hips, though it was directed nowhere but the open pasture.
The timidity of the horses was unbearably similar to that of Adonia's. He would not apologize for what they probably considered an outburst, though it had been nothing more than direction from a leader. He moved to show her how to brush the tall beast, but was intercepted by a shaky, wary Domonick who cancelled himself out as quickly as he came. The cyclops reached a quick hand for the boy's shoulder and caught him, pulling him back in one smooth motion. "I have seen murders, I have seen tragedies, I have looked death in the eye," his voice, though gravelly, whispered beneath his breath, "and so I have learned how to see peace and love."
He brushed past, finally, and stepped over to the horse and its girl. "Brush with the flow of the fur," he began, brushing his fingers against the horse's skin as he moved around it. "Brush everywhere thoroughly—dust is like weeds in their coat—never can get rid of all of it. Don't stand behind the horse when you get to its rear; stay on its sides, see? Get the tail and mane... and be careful around the eyes. Not that hard. Try it."
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