Valve's words wore heavily on Evaline. She held her breathe for some time as she considered them. Evaline hardly felt like herself these days. Her strength had been robbed from her after the ordeal in the Lagoon. She had managed to survive Psychedelic and Kasabian, and childbirth, but she had nothing left to lift her from the depression and exhaustion that lingered in this quiet period in the immediate aftermath. She had no will to stand up again. Part of her confidence had been robbed by the shell of her outer form she had been left with after all this. She hated the way she looked. She couldn't stand knowing that she stood before Valve with a deformed ear, scars among her usually vibrant and pristine coat, that her flowing mane and tail weren't growing back fast enough. Her confidence had come from her looks. It was what she always had to fall back on. Be it vain or shallow-minded, it was important to Evaline. And the mare was hardly the young vixen she used to be. Her body ached. She felt tired. The will to overcome those obstacles seemed futile and stupid. She felt like a hollowed out version of herself. The fire she once had been extinguished and she was lost at how to find it again. The palomino mare grit her teeth, sliding the well-worn, yellowed molars over one another as she thought hard on the topic. She snorted in conclusion and for the first time in a long time, she tossed her head proudly, raising it high over her withers. Her dark brown eyes widened as she surveyed the quiet Dunes, allowing her gaze to settle back upon Valve. But she didn't speak. She merely bobbed her head once more and offered the mare a small smile. Evaline then shuffled in the sand as to close the gap between them and arched her neck, extending her muzzle to touch softly at Valve's shoulder. There she inhaled deeply, taking in the mare's scent before retreating slowly. Her smile seemed more wiry and sly in the wake of the short embrace. "Thank you." She whispered. But the moment was short-lived. The foals came galloping back toward the two mares at high speed, fear in their eyes as they cowered behind Evaline. "Someone's coming." The colt said as he rounded Evaline's rump, and immediately the mare's vision sought out the form of an intruder in the distance. As the strange stallion approached Evaline stood in shock, looking at the very adult version of her sweetest, and up until recently, her youngest son. She watched as the tears grew in his eyes and she pinned her ears, snorting at him and his display of such weak behavior. "Get a hold of yourself, Paradiso." She spat, swiping what remained of her blonde tail vigorously across her haunches. But as he approached, she couldn't help but allow a genuine smile to spread across her lips. It was so good to see her sweet boy. Her kind and gentle Paradiso. She hated for him to see her this way, but the second she felt the self-doubt clouding her thoughts again, she snorted and stomped a hoof weakly in an effort to expel it from her mind. Evaline ignored his heartfelt apology but embraced him just the same. She nickered gently to him as he approached. Bumping her nose to his chest and running her muzzle down the side of her face. "Paradiso, this is Valve. She rules the Dunes." She explained. Her heart was beating quickly in her chest as she realized she must address the two foals cowering at her legs. She didn't know how much the boy knew of the situation. Shamwari informed her that he had been living in the Forest, as of late, but she didn't smell an ounce of Luthien on him. "Talya, Ruxin. This is your brother, Paradiso." 17 | Arabian cross |14.2 | Palomino | Mother of Kasabian, Shamwari, Vita Nova, Paradiso | Vinyl |