The golden mare watched as the sun grew to be a distant bright spot over the horizon, posed against a black sea and a purple sky. She hadn't slept much this night. Evaline had spent most of her time lately assisting Valve with various remedial responsibilities. Being the only two adults in a small herd of four these days, Evaline felt compelled to be of some assistance. Most of the time this meant taking short patrols, in which the palomino mare would travel from one sand dune to the next, flanked by two foals, until they reached the shoreline, in which then they'd turn and retreat to the oasis along the path in which they came in upon. Evaline would report back to Valve about what she saw. Most of the time it would be little or nothing at all. Nothing more than a shift in tides, or a trail of a scurrying mammal disappearing from the sand in the passing wind. But on this particular day, Evaline and her bastard children chose to bed down for the night along the shoreline. Evaline had never been one to like the water. She hated swimming. She hated the way it felt when the liquid dampened her coat. But she appreciated the change in scenery. The shoreline had been what comforted her when she felt so lonely when she first arrived on Salem. How foolish she had been then, Evaline cursed under her breathe when she thought back about those days now. How stupid. So when she arrived at the shoreline just as the day's sun was beginning to dip low in the sky, illuminating the horizon in brilliant hues or orange and pink, she folded her ailing body neatly into the sand. She watched quietly as the foals played in the shallow water and as the bright stars began to twinkle overhead. Eventually she trailed off to sleep, her chin resting gently in the sand at her chest. But sleep did not come easily these days. She woke after some time to find only one foal resting at her side. The filly, Taliya, was no where in sight. But instead of urging herself into a standing position in an effort to find her, Evaline stayed where she was. Her dark eyes surveyed the land around them, her ears taking in the serene sounds of the crashing waves that muddled out the tones of nearly everything else. She considered breaking the silence to call for her. But she didn't. Hours passed. Soon the purple sky was beginning to brighten again, and the stars faded away into a royal blue and clouded sky. Taliya never returned. Evaline swallowed hard as she tried to keep the frantic thoughts at bay. She didn't want to see the lifeless body of her child wash up with the current. She didn't want to find her stiff and dead in the sand. Evaline didn't want to come across a trail of blood or the crimson-stained smile on a nearby predator. She just lay silently, accepting the fate of a child she wasn't sure she ever loved, and looked down at the quiet one that hugged at her side. Evaline thought of Valve now, as she often did these days, but in this moment, as a ploy to keep her from panicking. Evaline couldn't put into words the feelings she was harboring for the dark, stoic mare. But she cared for her more deeply than she ever did for Gabbar. Perhaps even Valentine, too. It was mixed strongly with a deep desire, an intimate, primal need to be close to her. At first Evaline wondered if this was some sort of post-traumatic episode. But she didn't care. Valve was the first good thing to happen to her in a long time. Evaline craved her. She wanted nothing but to be closer to her. And as the fate of Taliya drifted further from her mind, Evaline was reminded of the way Valve looked at her children. They were a nuisance. And for so long, they were hindering her ability to recover. Evaline couldn't change Taliya's fate. And perhaps that was for the best. The sun's warm rays eventually stirred the painted colt at her side. He grinned willfully at his mother before searching the immediate surroundings for his sister. Evaline nudged him roughly with her nose before outstretching her legs to stand herself. She shook the sand from her marred coat and then looked down at her son whose worry was plastered woefully on his face. "Come. It's time to return to the oasis." 17 | Arabian cross |14.2 | Palomino | Mother of Kasabian, Shamwari, Vita Nova, Paradiso | Vinyl |