He does not bother to turn to face her, nor does he seem overly thrilled with her attempt at conversation. However he does at least offer her a single word response which is definitely more than she originally expected. She had not forgotten the stories Rougaru used to tell her.

Ears fall backwards in defeat as her gaze drops once more to the sand beneath her feet. It is not the same pristine white sands that reached far up the beach of Atlantis, it instead is a muddied cream color, as though somewhere along the lines, the minerals of the ocean and land have mixed and spat out the mixture for lack of any other place to put it. Specs of red, yellow and even black dot the grains, muting the white granules as a reminder to her that she is not home. This is not Atlantis. Her heart sinks. As if she even needed the reminder. The dunskin stallion’s frigid demeanor is more than enough.

’He is my son.’ the sentence he speaks draws her auburn gaze once more to his profile as he continues to stare after the splashing colt and canine companion. His son? Of course it is possible but that does not stop the surprise that flashes through her eyes as the thought of this stallion considering procreation. She had always assumed that bachelors choose to live apart from mares because they hated the idea of a family and children. Vanya used to torment her into obedience by telling her stories of the stallions stealing away naughty children in the night and that was how they kept their numbers replenished. She turns her gaze to the giggling mud-covered colt. Maybe… yes, she can see it. Where the water washed away the mud, Rivka can see hints of the stallion there. The curve of his jaw, the well defined muscle, even the patches of white though they are more stained by brown mud than clean white now. She had not noticed it before but looking at the boy now, it is clear that he is the dunskin stallion’s son. It also explains why he launched himself from the shadows at his returning sire. Rivka herself used to play a similar game with the old wolf whenever he was not completely occupied elsewhere. He goes on to explain that the coyote pup and the colt seem to have some sort of bond but Rivka is only half listening, her mind is years behind them in Paradise.

’If Peyote jumps out at you, just give him a good ass kicking… he’ll learn.’ now that did catch her attention. Confusion causes her brows to furrow as she studies his profile for some sign that he meant it as a joke. Surely no parent would actually WANT their offspring to be beaten up right? Wrong. Apparently. There is no upward turn of the dunskin stallion’s lips to indicate it was meant as humor, instead, his eyes are narrowed in seriousness.

”Uh…. okay.” she stammers, pressing her ashen lips together in a firm line. She starts to open her mouth to ask something else but it would seem the stallion had his own plans. He turns his hard gaze on her now as he goes on to tell her that she is a captive here and immediately she closes her mouth, the questions lost on her tongue. Captive. From a princess (sort of) to a captive. If only Rougaru could see her now. Of course she had no doubt that her Da would waste no time kicking this stallion’s ass to kingdom come, but then again, Chary had put up a brave fight and she had been defeated. It was hard enough watching the pale mare lose, she could only imagine how heart wrenching it might be to have her Da be in those shoes too.

’You don’t leave the lagoon without one of the bachelors accompanying you.’ the words hang like a weight across her shoulders. So this was what being a captive meant? Having to wear a leash and collar and answer with a bowed head and a timid voice? The smallest part of her tucked itself inward, unwrapping the thick layer of stone around her shell. Auburn eyes glitter fiercely at the idea of having to answer to anyone. ’Don’t try getting smart….I’ll find you, wherever you run.’ his words are filled with thinly veiled threats and for the first time, she feels a sense of rebellion beginning to fill her. She tilts her small chin up in mutiny. She wants to scream at him that she was capable of taking herself on her own walks, or threaten to make him put his hooves where his mouth is. She wants to be the strong, resilient mare that her father and Vanya always hoped her to be but before any sort of response can be formed on her dark lips, the boy appears between them with bright eyes.

’Run!’ he exclaims as though for the first time, the pair had his full attention. Auburn gaze darts towards the juvenile pup, who by this time has found a place to stretch out on the sand, its thin sides heaving as it pants. ’Do you like to run?’ the question is directed at her and Rivka turns her gaze back to meet his bright and innocent baby blues. A small smile tugs at the corners of her lips as she blinks warmly towards him, shaking her proud head. ”Not run…. jump.” she says, remembering the exhilaration and excitement she felt the first time she lept headlong from rock to rock up the side of the Ridge. ”Jump.” she repeats with a quick glance at the dunskin stallion, he said nothing about jumping after all.