selenium -----
by bellum out of dissolve
She has not expected their arrival to garner such a dramatic gathering and she has to scramble to keep her wits about her as the size of their group doubles before her eyes. She isn’t used to being around so many at once…she’d (longingly) observed Aleksei’s herd from a distance, never being officially invited to join in and not daring to insert herself, but that had been a number of years ago.
The golden mare that arrives first does not claim to be the leader here but Selenium observes her regardless. She shows her age in the subtle weariness of her body – Selenium has had a lot of time to observe such things – but she’s obviously made of strong stuff if she can still live in this climate.
She flicks a blue ear in amusement of the mare’s tone, reminded of her mother. ”Yes, well,” she says with a wry twitch of her lips, ”better now than the middle of summer, and we weren’t about to wait until winter.”
She turns to glance at Qadir, glad that he’s so obviously enjoying himself. His large brown form fits in well with the shining tan dunes, she notes as the sun glints off his damp pelt. She nods in agreement with his suggestion, already thinking longingly about sinking into water again before her skin can get too overheated. It probably wouldn’t be as refreshingly cold as the one in the falls had been but it would be better than staying out in the open.
”You’re welcome, although I’m sure you would have found your way here eventually,” she grins, reaching to bump his neck fondly. ”Let’s just say I get a favor from you someday.” She wouldn’t use that favor to try to get him to visit Tinuvel, although it’ll be fun to see if he’ll think she will. Maybe she’ll get to watch him squirm as he waits for a request she never plans on making.
She ignores his awkward exclamation, hoping to spare him any further embarrassment, and in a perfectly timed moment, she spots the dark newcomer. This mare is obviously the one in charge, judging by her bearing. When she confirms this, Selenium gives her a respectful nod. She doesn’t know how Valve can stand living here; just taking in her black figure makes Selenium uncomfortable.
The young blue mare suddenly speaks up, apparently overwhelmed and lost. Selenium’s eyes soften in sympathy and she lowers her head, trying not to appear as large as she actually is when she notices that the girl is apparently bordering on frightened of her and Qadir.
”It’s all right,” she says, gentler than she’d thought she could be. ”There’s so much water around here that getting lost is easy to do.” She looks around at the others, hoping that Priya won’t be scared off. ”My name’s Selenium.”
ten - smoky blue roan overo - draft mix - 17hh |