Rivaini

Had she paused to consider the potential effect of her actions, Rivaini might not have indulged in such provocative behavior. Of course, the silver bay could not have guessed that she might hold any appeal to the two mares. She only knew how they made her feel. The curious warmth that pervaded wherever their skin made contact, the strange fluttering beat of her heart when she witnessed simple things, such as the sound of Çiçek’s laughter or the mischievous curve of Faolain’s smile. Even Solomon’s flattery touched her where few others had reached before, though he did not hold even a shadow of the allure that the feminine figures beside her held. And as she had never even felt such attraction before her arrival on the islands, Rivaini was beginning to wonder if this was a deepening of the emotional bonds that she had formed.

For the bay mare, at least, lust could not exist save where it shared company with love.

The champagne stallion extended his offer of a home - a gesture that she found both courteous and kind, even if she might never take advantage of it. Tinuvel was far from Atlantis, and Iscariot would not weather such a swim well; nor would she abandon him on Atlantis. On the other hand, should they ever lose the Ridge as their home, it was reassuring to know that they might be welcomed elsewhere - whatever Solomon’s intentions in extending that welcome might be. Of course, Riavaini could not believe ill of him after the way he’d comforted her in her grief. But neither was she inclined to surrender her newfound freedom for the sake of conforming to the expectations of their kind. While the hierarchy of the Ridge could be considered unconventional, the closeness its residents shared transcended the bonds that she’d experienced in the traditional herd she’d been born to.

As if sensing the silent determination of her resistance, Solomon went on to lament his envy at their tight-knit bunch. Rivaini laughed lightly in her response, prepared to resign him to his lonely rejection when she felt Çiçek stir restlessly beside her. She yielded willingly to the words and whims of the golden mare - easier than she would have done if it had been Faolain who had responded instead. Though the dunalino was treasured by the silver bay, she had not known her long enough to feel the same possessive edge at the thought of her sharing someone else’s company. And admiring Çiçek for the free spirit that she was, Rivaini was determined not to confine her.

So she let the spotted woman take the lead, and even willingly stood by to see if Çiçek’s suitor would take up the chase. By the interest that Solomon had shown, she didn’t doubt that he would. Reflecting briefly on the words that had been spoken - and the hidden meaning that might lie between some of them - Rivaini wondered whether Çiçek had been presented with the option of making her home with the handsome stallion in the Cove. And if she had, what had inevitably called her to the Ridge instead, when she was so clearly enamoured with Solomon? Was it the warmer climate or Atlantis that had drawn her here? Or had she been seeking something more than the superficial ways of their kind, as she and Faolain had been when they first arrived on this narrow strip of shore?

The air next to Rivaini felt cold and empty without the presence of the bright mare, so she sidled up beside Faolain to ease the sting of Çiçek’s absence. By the black ‘Teke’s lead, she would follow - if her co-Guardian took up pursuit of the pair, then Rivaini would gladly race alongside her. But if the dark mare so chose, they could simply enjoy their quiet moment here on the beach, sharing in the comfortable familiarity of one another’s warmth while the others had their fun - wherever it might inevitably lead them.

Perhaps she should have felt concern or jealousy at the thought of the others’ joy and potential intimacy. But the muscular mare was quite content to remain where she was - as long as her dearest friend was here, too.

mare / five / silver bay tobiano / andalusian mix / 15.3hh