At last, Ladybug made her decision just as Leksea finished her meal. Together, they approached the head stallion.
"I have decided to join your herd," Ladybug announced.
The stallion neighed in approval and started to get behind her. "Good! Pretty mare, be happy!"
"Not so fast," Ladybug warned, moving around to keep him away from her hindquarters. "I am pregnant with three foals. I do not want a mate until I give birth."
"Three?" The stallion's head jerked back with a snort. "Very fertile. Fine. I wait."
That was easy, Ladybug thought. Then again, stallions tended to be less eager to mate pregnant mares when they had other mares available. Looking around, aside from Leksea's five, there were three wild mares, and not all of them were pregnant.
Added to that, the fact that she had triplets and a nursing foal made it less likely she would be dominated without her consent. It was just not worth the effort.
The real challenge would come later when she wanted to separate the five mares from the herd. Losing one unclaimed mare could be overlooked. Losing six, five of whom were already dominated, was another matter, especially when the stallions would be left with too few mares to go around. She would have to act carefully.
So, as the wild herd continued on through the plains, Ladybug took stock of the various dynamics of the herd. She paid special attention to the mares, of course, with Leksea informing her of their names.
The demure buckskin mare called Nightingale had been claimed by a gentle roan as his second mate alongside one of the wild mares.
Another stallion, a large speckled gray, had managed to snag the darker chestnut mare, Saffron.
Rather impressively, the high-spirited stallion that acted as the second in command under the alpha had dominated both the palomino, Glory, and the lighter chestnut, Citrine. With the two remaining wild mares also in his harem, he was clearly the most popular with the mares.
Still, the best had to be reserved for the leader. Thus, the ravishing snow white Iris was his alone.
This left one single stallion on the sidelines. He was handsome enough with his black coat with white around his hooves. It was simply his bad luck that the second in command was so greedy. Ladybug would often catch him eyeing her intently. She would have to watch that one carefully.
Now, with all this information at her disposal, Ladybug decided to make her move.