Falls

Summer had given way to Fall, and with the changing colors of the few deciduous trees that braved the harsh climate of Tinuvel, came the cold. Already his patchwork coat had begun to thicken in preparation for the snow that would soon fall over his beautiful home, and he'd lost the sleek lines of his summer figure.

Unlike summers past, Solomon had not spent his time racing all over the islands for new souls to gather, nor had he caused trouble with any of the other herd leaders. Which was not to say that he had been idle. The children of the Cove, both of his blood and not, had kept him busy through the temperate months running from one end of his home to the other. It was the sort of life he had always envisioned for himself without ever having been able to put it into words before.

It was not that these children were his first, nor, he assumed, would they be his last. He'd had children before he'd come to the Lost Isles, but raising them had always been complicated by the familial ties and threats of violence that complicated his life before. When each new face on the horizon had to be viewed as foe before friend, you tended to not relax your guard often or feel comfortable enough to waste energy on play.

This summer would be one that he would cherish for a long time.

With some reluctance, he pulled himself ashore on the Crossing with a long look back toward the Cove as he shook off the remaining ocean water. Not only was he forgoing the comfort he might find in the embrace of one of his mares, but he was leaving them vulnerable. His herd was comprised of beautiful women and adorable children, both tempting targets for any red-blooded stallion. They had Kendry, of course. And Ysabel. But it still left him on edge to leave them alone.

But he had to. He had promised Xiomara that he would meet her on the first day of Fall, and he would keep his word. Partly because he did truly want to see what sort of deal they could work out, but also because he was curious as to Xiomara's timing. For what purpose would a mare request his presence during the breeding season other than for procreation? And if that was her goal, was it something he would acquiesce to for her?

It was no secret that his relationship with Xiomara was rocky. She'd shown her ability to overpower him on more than one occasion, much to his chagrin. And he'd not made things easy for her either, although his nettling had certainly been less over than her own. There was no doubt in his mind that she would be a strong mother to any child of his blood, but he also realized that like with Valka, there was little to no chance he would be able to affect the child's upbringing.

Furthermore, there was the complicated and largely unexplained relationship that his budding new ally shared with the Shore Queen. Faced with what Sol assumed was his first taste of grief, and the greying stallion had fled directly to her bosom to take his comfort there. Certainly, she wouldn't be seeking to disrupt that alliance by attempting to force his hand in this manner?

But if not to ask for his 'contribution' so to speak, why now? Was it simply to make him as uncomfortable as possible? To be separated from those that might welcome his company to instead share his time with someone that barely tolerated him? Or was it to see if he was serious about such an alliance? Dangling at a time when he would much rather be at home was certainly a way to gauge the seriousness of his request.

If he were honest, his interest in forming an alliance with the mare was multi-faceted. Not only was she a strong opponent, but she was already tied to both of the stallions he considered his allies. And connected to, however strangely, to the short Icelandic stallion that had caused so much havoc on Tinuvel so many months ago. Underscoring everything, was the distrust that still lingered in his heart after she had stolen Morgause and then lost her. Even though he knew that Morgause was likely the victim of the same plague that had stolen Harley Quinn and the others, the anger still lingered. Most importantly, however, and what drove him now, was the fact that Ensign wanted to go visit Xiomara again. And as much as he would prefer that she did not, he knew that constraining her to the Cove would only breed resentment and friction.

If she was going to go, let it at least be to someone that he trusted with her well-being.

Left with the swirling mass of his thoughts, the lean tobiano moves purposefully into the Falls proper, angling to set himself just to the side of the water where the enigmatic queen could easily spot him.

Solomon