As Gelvin galloped through the farm towards freedom, he spied the five mares he had passed by upon his arrival. They had all been woken up by the commotion and now looked around in confusion. It occurred to him that he could win even more favor with the Copperstones if he showed up with seven Witch's Pony mares instead of just two. Besides, they were all very lovely. It would be a shame to leave them behind.
So, with the help of Rain and Thunder, they managed to kick open the stall doors. For a second, the mares just stood there looking dumbfounded, as if they had just witnessed something insane. In fact, some of them even seemed to be staring at him in horror. What, had they never seen a stallion before? Judging by their pregnant state, that was unlikely.
Hm, must have been born and raised in captivity, Gelvin thought. Maybe the poor things just needed some direction. Before they had time to react, he cast a soothing and alluring charm on them, a common tactic when dealing with wild or skittish horses. Instantly, they relaxed.
"Come with me," Gelvin commanded, and they obeyed without hesitation.
Gelvin was thrilled. In one fell swoop, he had more than doubled the size of his herd! Together, they dashed into the forest. At last, after an hour of running, they stopped to rest. Rain and Thunder took this time to get to know their new herd sisters, sniffing them and whickering amiably. The others returned the gesture in a relaxed manner.
Gelvin knew this time of peace was only possible because of the breeding paste and alluring spell. When those wore off, so would the peace. He needed to establish his leadership before that happened.
With that on his mind, he...