The night prior, the rain had turned to sleet and the Forest floor began to grow thick with mud in lower lying patches. The golden mare had stood stiffly under the canopy of trees in this weather, her expression showing just how miserable she was to be stuck in the cold and the wet. It was Evaline's first winter season off Salem, and the palomino mare was understandably melancholy. It had taken her so long to acclimate to the dry heat of the desert island, and as such, it was taking some time to rid herself of it now. Luthien hardly had the worst winters among the islands, but the damp and the cold clung to the mare's old, brittle bones with a fierceness that made her feel her age for the first time in a long time. She didn't care for it. And she made sure everyone around her knew just how miserable she was, too. In some regards, this was a bit like deja vu. When Shamwari first traded his mother to Gabbar, the Arabian stallion of the Dunes, she was mortified. She made sure every member of his herd knew that she hated it there. But over time, things changed. Perhaps her decision to join Persephone in the Forest would eventually take a turn, too. There were several factors that compounded Evaline's ability to assimilate into Persephone's herd, however. For one, the golden mare just decided to stay without any real conversation or commitment from the roan mare who led there. Shortly after, Persephone was called away to Tinuvel for an entire season. Evaline's youngest daughter, Tayla, lived there too. And despite the horrific beginnings of the filly's life, and her developmental delays, Evaline felt drawn to her now. If only because she harbored so much guilt, and had no one else to focus her attention to. But the real reason Evaline left her post in the Dunes after all this time was because of Valve. The fierce, black Akhal Teke mare whom she'd grown to love with every fiber of her being, had disappeared. Valve had abandoned her in the hot sands with no plan to return. When Valve never showed up to the Forest to help her son expel Psychedelic from this world, Evaline finally made up her mind. It was disappointing, of course. And Evaline was left alone to let those feelings fester for sometime in the aftermath of what transpired that day. But if Evaline wasn't important enough for the dark mare to show up and aid her in this endeavor, then Valve wasn't important enough to wait for, virtually all alone, in the Dunes, either. The golden mare didn't know where Valve went when she disappeared on his long escapades. It was not her business to ask her about it, though Evaline knew Valve would never share such details anyway. But Evaline had had enough of being left alone to her own devices. She didn't want to care for the few souls that still lingered in the Dunes. She didn't want to feel lonely anymore, or the turmoil that wrecked havoc on her when Valve was gone. The anxiety that came while she waited for her return was excruciating. She was too old for this. Persephone seemed kind enough. She was pretty too, in her own right, and very different from Valve. The Forest offered ample vegetation and a more mild climate for the older mare to retire to. Plus she was just a short jaunt away from Shamwari. She knew she could always return to the Prairie to live, but chose to spare her son of that nonsense. It had been months since Psychedelic fled from the Forest. Talya had given birth to her foal. It was a lot to deal with, but Evaline was grateful for the distraction -- her own maternal mishaps and misgivings left little room for the mare to dwell too much on how desperately she missed Valve. Perhaps she was given another chance to be a mother. Perhaps now she could focus less on herself and watch what she hoped would be the last of her children grow up. Even if she chose to do so passively -- close enough to help in an emergency, but not directly interfering for their well being. She was relieved when the rain and the sleet finally gave way the next morning. She shook out her damp coat and stepped out into the sunshine, stretching her stiff legs and joints. Two golden ear lobes swiveled forward when she saw Talya tear through the trees, and followed lazily in her daughter's wake, her concern for poor Achoo, not Talya, as she neared them to investigate. But much to the palomino mare's surprise, she found the queen of the forest in the company of her daughter among a clearing. Evaline raised her head high over her withers as she approached, and feigned a smile to the leader of the Forest. She offered her a friendly nicker. "Welcome back." She said, before taking a few steps to stand near Achoo, and lowering her head to the filly for a short embrace. 17 | Arabian cross |14.2 | Palomino | Mother of Kasabian, Shamwari, Vita Nova, Paradiso, Ruxin & Talya | Vinyl |