zephyra -----
by spartan out of samara
Here on Tinuvel in the heart of winter, Zephyra is in her element. This is her first time roaming around without Nymphadora, but after their disagreement about Orkaan’s actions, she needs time to think without her sister trying to cajole her.
Her black and white coat is nice and thick again, keeping her warm when she’s out in the snow. She prefers the open air to the confines of the cave system, letting the freezing air and light flakes caress her as she broods.
She can’t drag her twin away from Tinuvel again, not that she thinks that Nymphadora will let her. She feels trapped in this situation, not willing to trust Orkaan but unable to leave without her sister. They have never lived apart, even if they have spent an occasional day separately. Eventually she figures she will have to talk to Orkaan again, probably with Nymphadora as a buffer, to try to clear the air and see if there’s a way to salvage their relationship. If not, she may be stuck living a half-life for the rest of her days, being part of a herd without fully integrating.
She stands facing the direction that she thinks would lead to the Cove if it was still habitable and she has to squeeze her eyes shut to keep the happy memories from overwhelming her. Time, not distance, provides the major gap in her life now.
Zephyra snorts suddenly as she hears something moving nearby. She knows that Orkaan patrols the borders frequently but she has been careful to avoid those areas and thus avoid him. Despite that, she had promised him that she would alert him immediately to any signs of danger so she braces herself to get ready to run and find him. The figure that appears, however, is distinctly horse-shaped.
She relaxes slightly, dark nostrils flaring as she waits for the stranger to get closer. She and Nymphadora had been told that nobody apart from them and the mare that Orkaan had stolen from Koray live here, but that could have changed in the time since they’d had that explosive conversation. This new mare is probably not the one that Orkaan had mentioned but Zephyra thinks it’ll be good to introduce herself anyway. At the very least, she can warn her to get away at the first opportunity.
It doesn’t appear that their paths will cross if Zephyra doesn’t get the other’s attention so she whinnies, letting the sound carry on the cold, thin air, and heads in a parallel route.
”Hello there!” she calls out when she gets close enough. She stops and looks the mare over, taking in her monochrome appearance and rounded barrel. Orkaan had never mentioned wanting children so Zephyra doubts the foal is his, which makes anger start to churn in her gut again. Had he ripped another mare from her family, this time with collateral damage in a child who would never know its sire?
She keeps her expression neutral, not wanting her hostility toward the stallion to transfer to this mare. She figures she’d better get some information before she starts assuming things. There’s a small chance that she is wrong about the whole situation and that Orkaan had been honest in his approach this time.
”Have you been here long?” she asks, noting that the mare’s winter coat isn’t as full as her own but it is long enough to indicate that she hasn’t just arrived.
pronounced zeh-FEAR-uh
five - black tobiano - mustang x quarab mix - 14.1hh |