you shouldn’t walk where the hemlock grows

What is your role here?

Cerauno’s voice had carried over her shoulder as they made their way along the mountain path, and Faolain had thought about it until they reached the waterfall. Now, as the dun stallion steps into the pool of water to rid himself of dirt and dried blood, she decides on her answer.

”When I first found and claimed this place, Rivaini and I called ourselves Guardians. I feel the title remains accurate, or at least I hope so, though I’ve had time now to learn about leadership. It is… much more difficult, I think, to lead as a Guardian, and relinquish control, than to chain your people. But I believe that chains are unethical, even if they are easy to apply. I do not wish to abandon my family, and leave them to fend for themselves in the name of freedom, but neither do I wish to keep them captive for their own safety. I seek balance, and hope that I can find a way to protect my family without suffocating them.” She pauses, looking out over the mountain vegetation. She can see a thin line of ocean from here, and she watches the sun glitter across the gentle, distant waves. ”I think I will always be working toward that goal. I don’t expect I will ever reach it, and just… stop learning.”

With that, she turns back to Cerauno with a somewhat embarrassed smile. ”I apologize for the lengthy speech,” she says with a chuckle. He has emerged from the pool, water running down his body, and Faolain’s eyes narrow suspiciously as he approaches. ”What are you -” she begins, but is cut off by his snort and by the water that suddenly sprays from him as he shakes. Faolain leaps out of the way with an offended squeal, but there is no real fire, and the hooves she sends at him in a dramatic kick don’t even come close to his hide. She settles with a grumble and begins to lap the water from her coat, but as she does this, she realizes that she is nearly as dirty as her companion, minus much of the blood. It is only better hidden on her midnight coat, so she trades places with him and takes her turn in the cascading water.

As she watches Cerauno explore the little spot, Faolain wonders why she hasn’t yet shown anyone else. It’s fairly secluded, but she wouldn’t say it’s actually hidden or hard to find, and it’s such a pleasant place. She knows Rivaini would have fun playing in the waterfall, and if they could convince him to come out, Iscariot would surely enjoy the sereneness of it. Çiçek, of course, would love the whole thing. She smiles quietly as she steps out of the battering pressure of the waterfall and shakes, her silken mane slapping against her neck. She steps out to join Cerauno where he grazes, standing for a few moments in comfortable silence.

What will you do now? the dun stallion asks, but before she can answer, the sound of little footsteps pulls her attention away. Following the stream up to the falls comes Siobhan’s yearling daughter, a filly Faolain had not actually met but had seen on several occasions. Faolain cannot help but chuckle when Roisin addresses her, but the questions come bubbling out before the black mare can reassure her that ”just Faolain is fine, thank you.” The ‘Teke turns to look at the pool and, sure enough, swirling in the jagged edges of the reservoir, is a little bit of pink water. Faolain assumes it’s from Cerauno’s splinter wound, and is struck with sudden uncertainty as to how to explain this to Roisin.

Hiding her nerves and thinking quickly, Faolain nods solemnly at the blood in the water. ”This is actually an excellent spot to find rainbows,” she says truthfully. Most mornings the sun hits the gentle mist of the falls just right, causing delicate arches of color to stretch across the spray. ”You can see them best as the sun rises, but you have to wake up a bit early. They don’t stay very long.” She eyes the pink swirls of water, watching as they slowly ebb away. Soon they would disappear. She wonders if she can just avoid that particular part of Roisin’s question, but doubts it - the yearling is too smart, and withholding information is nearly as abhorrent to Faolain as lying. ”The pink water, though, is… well, it’s blood. Cerauno and I were running and we fell over each other. I’m sure it would have been very funny to watch.” She offers a small, but genuine chuckle thinking back on the tumble. It probably was funny to watch. ”We came to the falls to clean up, and of course to see if we could catch any rainbows, but it looks like we’ll have to wait until tomorrow for those. We missed them.” She gives a slightly exaggerated scowl.

When Roisin turns her next question to Cerauno, Faolain also turns to him expectantly, waiting to hear what he comes up with for an answer. She has an expression of amusement which she cannot seem to hide, and she sticks her tongue out at him when the yearling isn’t looking. He’s on his own; payback for spraying her with water, she thinks.

mare | black | 14hh | akhal-teke