Common

you shouldn’t walk where the hemlock grows

Faolain listens.

She listens to the second-hand accounts Cimmaron that Charybdis weaves for her, painting a picture of the mighty island in her mind, but she also listens simply to hear the pale mare’s voice. Though it is salt-roughened and mournful, Faolain hears longing and pride in it as well, and even without all of those things, it is a pleasant voice. She wants to hear more, about the island and about the soul apparently swallowed by the sea alongside Cimmaron. Faolain imagines Rivaini, her silver-maned Guardian, standing on the Ridge as the arms of the ocean wrap around the tangled green of Atlantis and pull it down. Her heart throbs at this thought, though she does not need to have imagined her own version of the scenario to feel the sorrow in Charybdis’s voice. All the same, the face in her mind grimaces while she keeps her outward expression composed. Attachments are new to Faolain, and loss of this magnitude is unfamiliar and terrifying to think about.

But she is fortunate. As far as the dark mare knows, Atlantis is going nowhere and neither is Rivaini, at least not permanently. A subtle smirk tugs her dusky lips as she reconsiders that Rivaini is, in fact, very likely to run wild. It is not in the silver bay’s nature to stay still. The thought of the other Guardian galavanting around the other islands, however, does not cause Faolain pain. The black ‘Teke has no interest in holding anyone hostage, and as long as her loved ones are alive and happy, she doesn’t worry much about where they are.

So long as they don’t sink to the bottom of the sea, Faolain thinks.

As she loses herself in the ghostly mare’s voice, the storm outside begins to calm. There is still wind, and a few lashings of rain, but mostly it is just overcast. Faolain enjoys the heavy, electric air of a stormy day, and if it weren’t for circumstances of her friend’s grief, she would be quite happy standing in the wake of the temperamental skies.

Despite her sorrow, Faolain suspects Charybdis would enjoy it, too; and it seems they are not the only ones. Through the hazy atmosphere, Faolain spots a vaguely familiar dark shape approach them where they stand by the stream. Her attention shifts to the newcomer, mostly curious and a little bit cautious as his image becomes clear through the misting rain and dim light.

”Fearghas?” she says, her tone friendly; he seems much more cordial this time, compared to their first meeting. He greets Charybdis as well, who pulls away from Faolain’s support to respond with a polite greeting of her own. Though she turns her face toward the young spotted stallion, she does not move from the ghostly mare’s side.

She is glad to see Fearghas (particularly away from the golden Lagoon boss) but his question to her makes her rather nervous. Had Ally made her escape from the Lagoon, then? Faolain wonders if she had intended to come to the Ridge and been stopped somehow, or if perhaps Cullen had done something to her and lied to Fearghas about it. Neither thought sits well in the dark mare’s mind, and though her priority right now is to Charybdis, she decides to at least find out if the gray mare is safe.

”I’m sorry to tell you, Fearghas, but Ally is not in the Ridge. I hope that does not mean anything bad for her,” she says honestly, her expression regretful. ”If it worries you, I would like to help make sure she is safe, once I am able. After getting my hindquarters kicked by Cullen, I feel… obligated, even out of spite,” she says with a dry chuckle, though she finds little humor in the situation. She turns back to Charybdis. ”I challenged a regretful stallion for the freedom of Fearghas’s friend,” she informs, in case the pale mare is interested. ”I lost, but now she seems to have disappeared. It is… not exactly my business to get involved, but I have no love for that stallion, and Ally deserves to be safe from him.”

She gives Fearghas her attention again, blinking dwindling rain out of her eyes. ”I hope that she is alright, wherever she has ended up. I would be happy to help find out for sure; you know where to find me. In the meantime, I wish you luck with your business in the Lagoon.”

As the sky slowly settles over them - still overcast, but no longer angry - Faolain waits patiently until Charybdis is ready to make the journey to the Ridge. She does not dismiss Fearghas, but she does not expect him to stay, either.

mare | black | 14hh | akhal-teke