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Sneffels did not like losing. He rarely lost; almost every time he went on a hunt, he was successful. He was just very good at what he did, and he knew that. So when he did lose, to say it stuck in Sneffels' craw was an understatement.

The only option, in his mind, was a simple one: vengeance.

Sure, the female and the blue one had found a herd. Gods, was there any more embarrassing concept? A herd. If you couldn't survive on your own, you didn't deserve to survive at all.

But the brown one? The one with the ears? He had not joined the herd. Sneffels didn't know why, and he did not care. What mattered was that while he had not joined the herd, he occasionally visited it--and, occasionally, the male who had joined the herd occasionally ventured out of herd lands to visit the blue one.

They didn't often go far, but Sneffels was patient. Sneffels could wait. That was what he told himself as he stalked the area downwind from the herd over the months that followed his chase, his loss, of the targets that had escaped into the 'safety' of the herd. He ate other things, of course, he didn't starve himself, but mostly - he waited.

Finally, his patience was rewarded. He scented them on the wind, both of them. They were coming closer, and Sneffels smiled slowly to himself.

Today would be his lucky day--and, if he had his way, it would be the other males' last.

---

Wink was always anxious. Nervous was his natural state of being, with thoughts of what could go wrong flitting around his mind every chance they got. Since joining the herd, surrounded by other unicorns as he was, he had calmed slightly, but - only slightly. He was still shy, and he still had trouble making close friends.

The one exception, it seemed, was Lavender Violet. LV had made the journey - the horrible, near-death journey - with himself and Ruby Maxine however many months ago, and LV was... a balm, admittedly, on Wink's heart. He was just so - happy. So easy-going. It was hard to be peppered with anxiety while spending time with Lavender Violet, who, in spite of having at least one bad day that Wink knew about, acted as though his life had never been anything other than easy, peaceful, and happy.

So they arranged to meet up, every so often. It was helpful for Wink, who still felt somewhat lonely, even in the herd. It was helpful for LV, because having something like an expectation - something like someone who cared about him - made it a little bit easier to keep his hooves on the ground. Wink knew that, on some level; it was strange that he was anyone's grounding presence, but he didn't mind it. He liked Lavender Violet.

But he didn't like that Lavender Violet had - an elastic relationship with time. Meaning he lost track of it, frequently, and didn't always show up when he said he would. Wink couldn't be too angry, as long as LV showed up eventually, which he always did, but he never knew how long to wait before he returned to the herd. He was just about to do so, ready to circle back and wait at the designated spot again the next day, when he heard someone tromping through the woods, which could only be his friend. His sweet, foolish friend, who had no idea of all the things that could be waiting in the forest. This was why LV needed him, Wink thought to himself. How else would he keep himself alive?

"LV! You need to be quieter!"

--

Lavender Violet had never had a bad day. Sure, he'd had bad days, but he'd never had a bad day. Did that make sense? No, it did not, but Lavender Violet knew what he meant, and that was all that mattered. He was still alive, was the point, still had his bunnyfriend, and even had another horse friend! Wink! Wink was so good, and so sweet, and so silly. He seemed to be entirely clueless as to his own importance and his own heart, which baffled Lavender Violet.

That wasn't saying much, though. Lots of things baffled Lavender Violet.

But he needed to see Wink, and Wink needed to see him, and he knew Wink didn't like it when he was late. It was just that time - the days of the week, the days of the month - they all blended into one long, pleasant experience, but a promise was a promise, and his bunny managed to get him back on the right path to meet up with Wink, more or less when he'd agreed to.

Lavender Violet knew he had to be quiet in the woods. That had been a not very good day - when that bad guy had tried to hurt them. So he wasn't singing! That was quiet, wasn't it? LV nodded to himself as he stomped along at top volume. Yes, he was doing a great job being quiet.

Then he heard Wink's voice.

"Wink!" Lavender Violet said, stopping in surprise for just a moment before he started into a trot, toward the sound of his friend's voice. "You haveta be quiet in the woods!" LV scolded him as he emerged from the trees, a teasing smile on his face. "Don't you know there's bad guys out there?"