Adelheid watched Rade with sharp eyes, noting every movement and expression that crossed his pale face. With each moment she became more convinced this was a side of Rade he would never let anyone else see. She knew the feelings and the words he spoke to her when his son’s life was not on the line. This was not the man she had seen in the mountain’s forests seasons ago. What stood before her was a man whose depth was truly unfathomable. There was something in him and about him the mare could not deny. The hard exterior was defensive, an armor around a still wounded core. Adelheid wondered what happened in the years of this man’s life to motivate him now.

She saw the stallion’s reaction to her own demand for more time with the boy. Either absent mindedly, or instinctually, every so often Adelheid would break her gaze at Rade to touch and comfort the colt. Her timeline would not change, and she stood firm to it. With each layer revealed to her she wondered how exactly she was going to raise this child, and how involved Rade thought he was going to be. She had vowed with her daughter that she was going to allow the girl to dream, give into her most wild fantasies to take the world by storm. Now, she looked at the struggling colt and hoped she could do them both right by their lives. When she turned back to Rade, his face was lowered toward his son. She could feel the warmth radiating off the golden stallion, deepening her conviction to do right by both of them, and perhaps use her own armor and masks so the boy would not have to live like she did, or like his father did. Hiding who he was from a world that may have been built to love him.

Sciannath. she repeated, touching him again. Meet Claudya.

Delighted, the filly grinned under the colt’s soft licks. Her body quivered with excitement as she tried desperately to keep herself still. It was much like the time she was trying to get a butterfly to climb onto her nose. She realized she had to be still and careful. Her velvet ears flicked at her mother at her name and her grin turned to a dazzling smile. I can show you the cliffs! Her voice was whispered and rushed, eyes alight with the new possibility of sharing these heights with a new friend.

Not the cliffs. Adelheid enforced sternly. Not yet when he is so new to the Peak.

Claudya glowered at her mother from under her. Fiiiiine. The creek! She skipped out from her spot and deliberately placed herself next to Sciannath, still at a distance though her nose carefully reached out to him, trying to further encourage him to open up. The creek… and then the cliffs. She whispered quietly, eyes on Adelheid to see if the Vulcan had heard her.

Adelheid’s eyes fluttered in a silent sigh at her daughter. Turning back to Rade, she replaced a shadow of her shields, more to give him the grace of being able to protect himself and pretend this was merely a transaction though they both knew the depth of this ‘trade’. As I said, he can know who you are. I can keep you in the know. But for now, I have foals to attend to. She blew gently at Claudya who dashed forward happily, leading the way to the brook. The mare cast a last look at Rade, hoping he was comforted to know she would care for his son.