Uncertainty froze Faolain as the unknown stallion revealed himself to her left. Vesper was well in her eyesight to her right, and for all intents and purposes the black mare stood between her daughter and the stranger, but it was still unsettling. With her young daughter having been out of sight just seconds before, she considered herself lucky that the newcomer hadn’t come across the filly before Faolain, even if he held no ill will toward the girl. Suspiciously, Faolain’s ears twisted back, and she eyed the male before her with cool caution.

When the ‘Teke had first arrived on the Ridge’s shores, she had had no intention of guarding the territory for the sake of it; rather, she wanted only to keep the land safe for any who wanted or needed a haven. She assumed any outsider was friendly until they proved themselves otherwise, and rarely addressed a newcomer as though they didn’t already belong.

But much had changed since those days. Faolain’s suspicion toward outsiders mounted with every attack on Siobhan’s freedom and that of her family, and now that she had a daughter of her own, the drive to protect what she considered hers had become much more aggressive. This particular male had not done anything wrong by coming here, or even by moving stealthily through the jungle as many others had before him. It was just poor luck that he was the first outsider she had encountered since the birth of her daughter.

Even though the tension had rocketed the moment Faolain realized she was facing a stranger, the black mare held herself in check. She was nothing if not calculated, and she did not want to frighten her daughter, or provoke the grey stag. He had offered a greeting, and after a brief pause, Faolain nodded, and returned it with a gruff ”hello” of her own. She reluctantly began to relax, with an effort - it was difficult to fight against her instinct, but logic was telling her firmly not to escalate. The stallion had not even come very close, but had instead paused a respectful distance away. Faolain let out a breath, allowing her ears to creep forward once again.

”What are you doing here?” she asked finally, keeping one eye on Vesper as the filly locked eyes with the newcomer and began to creep curiously toward him. Faolain stopped her with one graceful step of a foreleg in her path, never turning from the grey stallion. ”This place is protected. You are welcome here, so long as you keep the peace.” As she spoke, her shoulders began to relax a bit as the initial shock of the stallion’s appearance wore off, and she was able to get a better hold on her protective nature. Vesper clambered around her outstretched foreleg, and Faolain let her go, withdrawing the leg to place it in a more natural position. The star-spotted filly crept forward, burning curiosity evident in her bold (if rather clumsy) strides, and stretched her tiny muzzle out to greet the stranger.