Falls

Solomon

"Dad!" Suleiman's bright voice cut through his sire's thoughts, jerking him back to the present. "Can I go play with him?"

The lean colt, his figure caught in an awkward stage of growth that left him butt high and all legs, gestured to the small figure in the water as illustration. Solomon followed his gaze to the water, where the shorter colt played and then to the shoreline in search of the colt's keeper. It did not take long to find the pale red mare, and much to Suleiman's chagrin, spends a long quiet moment trying to decipher why the mare seemed familiar to him. He was certain that he had not spoken to her directly, as he couldn't imagine forgetting such a uniquely colored mare, but nor could he recall her name.

"You can ask." He says as he leans in to bump Suleiman's shoulder. Given the season, Solomon was surprised to find her alone. While his own mares had grown tired of his affection and attention as pregnancy settled over their bodies, the way the red mare reacted to passing stallions suggested that she had not allowed such a thing to happen to her. His suspicion was only confirmed as they walked closer.

It is only when Bjorn's form appears that his mind jogs back to the past and remembers where he has seen the pink colored mare. She had been one of Liland's herd, before his disappearance. She alone, out of the motley band that Liland had gathered, had returned to him after Rougaru had freed them all. That sort of loyalty was rare, and something he sought above all in his own herd. It was a shame that Bjorn had already approached, but he did not consider it a total loss. His home was still in need of a second, and while he knew that Bjorn and Warsaw were at odds, the protection of his own family would always take precedence over loyalty to his allies.

Solomon offers a nicker of greeting that Suleiman mimics as they approach, which brings a wry quirk to the tall stallion's lips. He wasn't entirely sure why he had brought the bright colt in the middle of fall, considering the potential for finding mares in want of children, but he couldn't exactly send his son home alone either. The two of them pull to a stop just close enough to hear the end of Bjorn's greeing. Solomon inclines his head to both of them in turn, although his eyes linger on the red mare.

"Pardon the interruption. I thought I recognized you from somewhere, and my son was eager to meet yours." He offers a grin to the mare even as Suleiman mimics his father's head bob. The eager colt looks to the mare with a beaming smile, the lengthening strands of his tail switching across his rump At his father's nod, Sul backs away and rushes toward the Fjord colt, a shrill whicker of greeting cutting through the fall air.

Solomon watches his son leave for a moment before turning back to the two of them. "My name is Solomon, of the Cove and that, was Suleiman."

He settles himself next to Bjorn with a tilt of his hip, guessing that the grullo stallion was not likely to start a fight here from his demeanor. It was always a toss-up as to whether the two of them would be meeting as friends or barely tolerated opponents. "Good to see you out again Bjorn. I was sorry to hear of the Ridge's loss."

There was a strategy behind bringing up the loss of the Ridge in mixed company, but genuine sympathy was there as well. Solomon had looked forward to the potential of allying his home with the Ridge. As much as he questioned Bjorn's decision to sire a foal on the buckskin mare that had once held sway over the Cove, he did know him to be a fierce combatant after the fight over Marzanna.

That being said, Marzanna was in the Cove, not the Ridge at this very moment.

Eyes twinkling with some hidden thought, Solomon turned his attention back to the mare. "Ylva, is it? It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I used to see you across the border."

His piece now said, he lapses in silence, allowing his gaze to rest gently on the mare. He knew little of her, other than that she had come back to Liland after his disgrace, and that she, unlike the rest of his herd, had not returned there under Valka's rule. Whether that meant she was done with Tinuvel or just with the Fjord remained to be seen.

---

Suleiman ran freely from his father's side to splash into the water excitedly. For a moment the warmth of the water distracts him from the colt he had come to play with and he peered at it with surprise. "The water is so warm here!"

Sul swished a forehoof through the rushing water with glee before his purpose comes back to him. He sticks his muzzle toward the other with a bright grin, enthralled with the idea of being around another foal that he wasn't related to. "Hi! I'm Suleiman, of the Cove. What's your name?"

Dutch Harness Horse Mutt | Champagne Grullo Tobiano Stallion | 17 Hands | The Cove