“Oh.” Zevulun said, blinking at the stranger and losing some of the defensiveness that had first showed in his expression and posture. Mariael likely would not have paused to worry over whether or not this stallion was telling the truth, but Zevulun trusted a little more easily than she did. Awkward timing, maybe, but the surprise the other stallion had shown seemed genuine enough for Zevulun to relax somewhat. Plus, before Zevulun could ask questions of suspicion just to be sure, the stallion introduced himself and Zevulun pricked his ears forward, attentive as he listened.
Nephilim. The name struck through him like a swift kick to the ribs and he nearly sucked a hard breath in at it. If Maziel was close enough and had heard, he knew she’d feel the same, only deeper. Zevulun had only six months with his father before the fateful winter day, but still missed the gold-flecked stallion who’d mysteriously vanished into the snow. “I’m sorry, Paradiso,” Zevulun said with a small, apologetic smile. “My sister, Mariael, just fought off an aggressor from the Lagoon who attempted to take our other sister from us.” He shifted and his smile remained as he bowed his head. “I assumed when I saw you that you were another Lagoon brother, trying to finish the job.” He paused briefly. “We’re Nephilim’s children, my sisters and I. He lives here no longer,” Zevulun tried to keep his tone the same, attempting to give nothing of Nephilim’s fate away, “but our father spoke very kindly of your brother, too.”
Zevulun watched as Paradiso blew air against the pinecone and his smile broke wider across his face. He chuckled and shook his head. “Not really, no. The squirrels and chipmunks do, but I’ve never been hungry enough to try it.” Of course, the eating patterns of the Tinuvel herd were a far cry different from those who might have nutrition year round. Oftentimes, after fattening up in the spring, summer and autumn, they’d go a month without eating and only then dig up bits of grass, nibble on brush, or even strip bark away from the trees. “I’m sure in a really bad winter, after not eating for a month or so, if I came across a pinecone I might be hungry enough to give it a try.” Another wide grin accompanied his words.
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