nymphadora & zephyra -----
by spartan out of samara
Orkaan looks as happy to be here as Nymphadora does, and Zephyra has to remind herself that he grew up on Tinuvel too. It may have been years since they’d last set foot here, but they can both already feel themselves adjusting to the familiar climate. Zephyra’s skin twitches and shivers travel down Nymphadora’s body but with each passing moment they pay less and less attention to the uncomfortable feelings.
Two pairs of amber eyes scan the territory, noting its similarities and differences to the Cove, the layout of which they could have probably still navigated with their eyes closed. They move as one as they follow the stallion on the tour of their new home.
Zephyra isn’t surprised that he shows them the best shelter first; he seems to have a very practical mind despite his penchant for stories. She also isn’t surprised when her sister immediately pokes her dark blue head inside the cave to get a better look. ”Phi and I found all the best hiding places in the Cove,” comes Nymphadora’s echoing voice. She’d slipped further into the cave without Zephyra noticing.
”We always liked the cold more than our mother did, but I think our father enjoyed it too,” Zephyra remembers. She’d always assumed that Samara hadn’t liked the cold because of her bad shoulder, and obviously Spartan wouldn’t have kept the herd there if he didn’t like it.
She hears the clatter of her sister’s hooves as the blue roan emerges, eyes still bright. ”Is there anybody else here?” Nymphadora asks hopefully. Zephyra immediately rolls her eyes. ”Why don’t we get settled first before we worry about anybody else, Nymphadora?”
Nymphadora immediately flattens her ears and bares her teeth in irritation at the use of her full name. ”It was just a question and I wasn’t asking you,” she snaps, showing some of the fiery nature that she normally expresses through laughter. It catches Zephyra off guard and renders her silent as they set off after Orkaan again.
As soon as the stallion mentions wolves, the girls forget their brief spat and turn somber. It had been wolves more than anything else (apart from invading stallions) that their father had worried about during winter. He had become extra protective of their mother once they’d realized that her movement had been permanently affected by her shoulder injury.
It warms them both that Orkaan would refer to them as family, at least in this early stage of their relationship. ”I’ve never heard that language before,” Nymphadora says, moving closer to the stallion as she notices his hesitance. The earlier instance of her shying away had been a fluke, only surprising her because he’d been a stranger and it had been so long since she’d had contact with anyone but her sister.
It’s strange for Zephyra to see her sister leave her side for someone else’s, but it does seem like Nymphadora has more in common with Orkaan than she does. ”Our father was very vigilant about wolves too. We’ll be sure to let you know if we catch any sign of them,” she promises him, Nymphadora nodding in agreement. She may not have liked the idea of him always knowing her whereabouts, but wolves are something she won’t hesitate to report. ”Is there anywhere else we need to worry about?”
five - blue roan & black tobiano - mustang x quarab mix - 14.1hh - of the inlet
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