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Alder hummed. It was an idle habit of his, a soft tune that sometimes seemed to bring a little tinge of calm through him and the horse he was working with. He had raked the sandy floor of the small ring until there was a soft cushion beneath all their paws and hooves. But the horse on the end of his line did not seem to appreciate that effort, or the calm composure that the Marshal attempted to hold onto. It was not always easy to keep both hands onto the allusive serenity that was needed when working with the skittish prey animals. All Alder wished to do was walk the beast around the ring. But it did not trust him. Such a thing brought him sadness rather then frustration, and yet he knew that he needed to be confident rather then emotional. The male straightened his posture slightly, quit his throaty song and lead the horse rather then attempting to coax it to follow.
Engaged in the task at hand he did not notice the minor evidence of a new canine among the stables. But when he heard the deep beats of hooves he could almost feel the panic that rang in the sounds and vibration. Alder turned, the lead falling from his hand and hastily walked away from the horse. Blue eyes grew wide, fear tightening around his heart and gripping it tightly. Almost mindlessly he hopped the fence, and walked towards the sound.
The movement was like watching a school of fish swim in a small bowl with a brown figure pushing them forward, and Alder paused for the briefest of moments at the shock the sight brought him. Masked eyes narrowed, a swelling of rage coming over him almost to the point where he could barely think. If he could rip the skin from his chest to reveal an angry beast inside he would have, yet with the painfulness of a clouded mind his body changed from an Optime beast to his four-legged form. As soon as his paws touched the ground he began to run. His body was too large to fit beneath the fence and so he jumped over it, back paws pushing him off the top rail. Alder raced for the cause of the chaos, not yet knowing who it was, and caring little about such a detail.
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