Zevulun loved children. Mariael had a soft spot for children, but she did not warm so kindly and so fluidly for them as Zevulun did. To Mariael, a child was a weak thing that depended on her to protect it – if anything went wrong when a child was in her presence, she needed to do all she could to keep it safe. This was likely born of her, at three years old, becoming responsible for raising her brother, Zevulun. This was also perhaps one of the reasons she’d avoided being covered any season she went into estrus – she’d had a difficult enough time watching Zevulun get scuffs and bruises, she couldn’t imagine the toll it would take if it was one of her own.
But Zevulun understood children. He loved their thirst for life and adventure, and marveled at them as they absorbed the information around them to learn more about their world. Avalon could always count on Zevulun to whisk their daughter away whenever she needed a moment’s peace to herself.
So, the two horses had different reactions to the approach of a young colt – Mariael stiffened, ears forward and head high as she looked wildly around, only relaxing when she saw it’s mother on the approach. Zevulun split a wide smile over his pink lips and lowered his head to be on the colt’s level, ears forward as he eagerly listened to the excitable babble that fell from the boy’s mouth. He wished Iz was nearby; even though his daughter was a year-old now, it’d do her good to spend time around more young horses. “Yes,” Zevulun was answering with a nod, “we do live here.” He’d pulled his head back to look at the mare – squinting faintly, feeling as if he recognized something about her – and then clearing his throat. “I’m Zevulun and this is my sister, Mariael. She’s Queen of the Bay; I am her Queensguard. And it’s no intrusion,” Zevulun smoothed over with the flash of a charming grin, “we always appreciate having guests.”
"The Queen of Tinuvel." Mariael corrected smoothly, her mind made up. She had watched the mare approach and then glanced into the depths of the Inlet, suppressing the sigh which wanted to bubble up in her throat. “The Inlet has been dead for years now. Every so often a herd will come, they’ll try and put down their roots, but they are not strong enough to survive Tinuvel.” She paused, tilting her head as she looked upon the mare with curiosity. “What business brings you to the Inlet?”
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