15.3hh - Gypsy Vanner - Lead of the Inlet


He watched her step onto his soil, her hooves sinking into the rocky shores just as his did. With any who came to his territory to call it home he felt a certain spark of warmth and contentment. The land welcomed her just as he had. With a swish of his tail he invited her to follow him into the Inlet.


”There have been a couple who have come to live here. As I said before, your freedom is your own and you may come and go as you please. The others who are here have embraced that freedom and continue to wander the islands.” Though the noble man was pleased with his commitment to the mares’ freedoms, he had also committed himself to their safety and protection. Not knowing where they were, or if they would come back, worried him deeply. He had to trust the spirits that his land attracted knew how to take care of themselves. If they returned, they returned. If they did not, then their paths were not meant to thread as closely with his. He accepted that. But still, he worried.

A smile that was slowly becoming familiar on his face grew again when she complimented his land. ”It is your beautiful land now, too.” He reminded encouragingly. As they walked he took her up paths that led them to the sulfuric hot springs. In the summer season the water was clear and warm, when cold winds blew the streams would steam with the comforting warmth that would eventually come to save them from the cold. He brought her to one such stream and lowered his nose to it, eyes on her to prompt her to follow suit. ”Some of these waters smell, and will make you sick if you drink from them. But if you ache, or are cold they will warm your flesh and your bones. On the horizon over the stallion’s shoulder, white hot steam started to spew from the earth’s thin crust. In the distance the ground began to moan until boiling water shot itself into the sky, releasing what could have been anger at being earthbound, or pure joy at finally being able to reach for the sky. For a moment Pagan had turned to watch the phenomenon, once more humbled by the incredible things he saw around him. His attention recoiled back to the mare beside him.

”There are places where the earth is not so stable.” He nodded towards the geyser. ”Be wary of where you step, lest it crumble from under you.” His ears flicked for a moment as he mentally ran through aspects of Tinuvel she needed to know. ”Beware of the moose. All the joy he had expressed fell from his voice and his features at the mention of the creatures. White ears flattened to his skull in his growing distaste for the antlered being. ”Stupid as they may be, they do not know to leave horses alone. A couple are testing my patience. The elk are okay though, and will let you walk among them.

PAGAN