Nyazik. Avangeline quietly thought the name to herself while holding the mare of similar-build in her gaze so she might remember her face along with her name. Whether or not Nyazik became a member of the Dunes mattered little in regards to whether or not she deserved protection. She was one who’d been under unfair attack and if Valve had no qualms with her, Avangeline did not either. Of course, Avangeline rarely had qualms with anyone.
Smiling kindly she said, “Avangeline.” She spoke her name after it had been asked for and briefly thought of how unique Nyazik’s name sounded. Did she, too, hail from the desert Gabbar had come from? Like Iftikhar? Like Al-Hattaal? As quickly as the thoughts had slipped through her mind, Avangeline pushed them quietly back out, not quite ready to take on the assault of emotions which came with such memories.
She refocused her attention as the younger mare looked to her and was quick to give a firm shake of her head. Avangeline’s gut turned to think of those intruders and how they’d come back to take away Evaline, as if they had any right to cause such disruption. It hadn’t yet occurred to Avangeline her mother had done the very same thing in the name of their goddess and it likely wouldn’t. To her, those stallions were what evil spawned and she’d never consider her mother to be like them.
“No.” She said, firmly. “They were intruders. Very unwelcome ones at that.” Avangeline snorted, the black tail at her hind giving off a few irritated swishes to clearly enunciate her distaste for them. “I’ve been told they come from the Lagoon.” Avangeline had lived on Crossing Isle for quite some time and had always made sure to avoid the seaside scape which the bachelor stallions called their home. The hard edges to her expression faded briefly as she thought again of Evaline, pulled unfairly from the Dunes and forced to be there now. “They returned and took one of our own. I expect Gabbar and Valve will act soon to show them how unwelcome they are.”
Avangeline had never been a true advocate for war; she was too sweet and raised too sheltered. It hadn’t occurred to her she hadn’t had a reason to be was because nothing like this had happened to her; her family hadn’t been threatened when she was old enough to understand what was happening. A myriad of emotions stormed inside her and when she thought of the two stallions who took away Evaline, she finally knew what anger was.
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