Inka
Inka listened to Evaline with rapt attention, nodding her head often. She absorbed all the information that was presented to her, and attempted to build a visual picture of Shamwari in her mind. It was difficult, however. Rook and Evaline were so vastly different in appearance in every way, from their height to their color and build, that Inka could not easily piece together what a mixture of their bloodlines would look like. It was an even greater gulf to bridge than there had been between herself and Valentine.
As the conversation turned to the spotted stallion, Inka's lips pressed firmly together and her heart pounded hard in her chest. Just speaking of him was making her miss him all the more intensely, but equally, it was strange to think that the father of her children had taken her nephew under his wing without knowing it. "That's Valentine for you," she agreed, her voice soft with longing, and she thought she could see some of the same emotion in Evaline's expression. "I'm glad that your son had such a good influence in his life. If Valentine raised him as his own, I'm sure he turned out to be a fine stallion."
Her dark eyes drifted to the ground for a few moments, and she lapsed into thoughtful silence until Evaline posed her with a question. "I suppose maybe he did. For the longest time I thought he might have gone to the Lagoon, but I live right next door to the bachelors and I've never seen any sign of him. But then again, he's good at hiding. I guess he could be anywhere."
Her expression brightened at the invitation to talk about her children. "Oh, well, there's Jetta, my oldest. She's a little younger than Shamwari, and the sweetest thing. Then there's my younger daughter, Adelheid, who's just the opposite." Inka laughed. "My youngest is called Argento. He's my little mischief maker. Both he and my daughters were sired by Valentine. Then... then there's Diamant, my adopted son. His parents died when he was born, so I took him in."
She regarded Evaline with bated breath. She had masqueraded as Diamant's true mother for so long that it was nerve-wracking to be so honest, but something about the little mare's presence compelled her to open up. She even entertained the thought of mentioning her firstborn, lost to her all those years ago, but he had been dead to her for so long that it was easier just to pretend that he had never existed.
Inka continued on, pushing past her discomfort and forcibly brightening her expression. "I'm sure they would love to meet Shamwari, once they knew they knew he was their cousin. Do you think he would mind if I took them to see him some time? It's been so long since we've visited the prairie, and it would be good to meet another member of the family."
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