The moment Al-Sarim stepped closer to Firethorn, the air shifted. The young filly’s body language said all that needed to be said. Yet, though the mood shifted, Firethorn did not cower in the face of an older, physically stronger stallion. Nephilim’s golden gaze watched her rather than Al-Sarim and then, ultimately, from the corner of his gaze it was Foxglove who took his attention. The look they shared needed no words to be expressed, he could see the worry that her sister shared, and reflected just briefly on a very different pair of sisters he’d met a month prior. His gaze flashed back to Al-Sarim, his head lifting almost as equally defiant as Firethorn’s had. It was a subtle shift, barely noticeable unless one was watching him, but instinct had kicked in over thought and if something were to happen, Nephilim would have leaped immediately into the fray, putting himself between Al-Sarim and the young mares.
Yet it was nothing more than a game, perhaps, to the older bay, for he moved away and the tension slowly dissolved with it. Having little to no interaction with other stallions, Nephilim had to wonder if they all behaved this way. It had been too long since he’d watched Lyden interact with his herd and he’d been so young, Nephilim hadn’t been watching in a way that was meant to teach him how to grow to be a formidable band stallion.
Al-Sarim’s comment caught him off-guard, Nephilim blinked and looked toward Foxglove before his golden eyes moved away just as quickly – as though she’d catch him sharing a glance and see something there he didn’t quite understand. Then, just like that, the stallion left the bewildered youths to their own company and it was Firethorn’s comment that shattered the nerves that were working their way through his stomach. “Keh,” a noise of amusement and Nephilim rolled his eyes, “yeah. Weird.”
He cleared his throat a moment later. “So… the Prairie, huh?” Nephilim’s dam had often paced the borders of the Forest, though he couldn’t possibly fathom why. “You guys ever go to the Forest?” Was Lyden still there? Was that why his dam had swum for Luthien?
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