Dynalia was just working up the courage to approach the blanketed mare when someone cleared their throat to her left. She turned her head and peered through the trees to see a champagne mare hidden behind the trees. Dynalia had not been around the herd long enough to observe the dynamics of the herd, and so she did not know which female was the most dominant. In the interest of remaining peaceful with the others she decided it would be wise to defer to everyone equally until she discovered who was the lead mare. She was not of the herd, after all, just an outsider who shared the same home.

She stepped toward the mare in the trees and greeted her with a low whicker. “Hello,” she said. It was so strange to approach another in the Forest who she did not know, and to stand outside a cluster of mares knowing that she did not belong to their herd but rather to the land they traveled. Unsure of how to introduce herself, the leggy bay mare tossed her head and tried to think of something else to say.

The arrival of another to their informal gathering saved her from the silence that made her feel awkward. Dynalia did not recognize the golden mare, though she stared at the haggard Akhal-Teke unabashedly. She looked even worse than Kisei or Dynalia ever had, perhaps because her breed was so much more petite than the shire and his offspring. “Yes,” she replied, at first too stunned at the blunt, straight-forward speech of the stranger. “I am.” she squared her shoulders. “I am Dynalia,” she introduced herself to her two companions. She swept her dark eyes over the champagne and then the palomino. “Who are you?”

In the Akhal-Teke’s naming of her sire, Dynalia felt pride unfurling below her heart. She could handle a simple thing like an introduction. She was the King of Luthien’s daughter, a princess, and she would not be intimidated by anyone in her search for her father. The tall bay mare arched her neck and sustained her confidence with thoughts of Kisei’s pride for her.