Falls

Rivaini

The russet mare had scarcely begun to process why she was suddenly lying on the ground when the commotion erupted around her. First the smokey-coated stallion approached, near enough that she could feel the welcome warmth radiating from his body when he spoke. Seconds passed as Rivaini’s weary, grieving mind struggled to wrap itself around the alien syllables and pull something resembling sense from them. To that end she did not have much success, but she was beginning to regain control of her mental facilities, and had worked out that she must have stumbled, or slipped, or - or - You’re weak, the cold voice of sense whispered with a sneer, and this time it sounded like her father. No stronger than a newborn colt - no stronger than your crippled brother!

Iscariot! At the memory of his pale figure receding from her sight, Rivaini began to struggle, heedless of the small crowd that was forming around her prone figure. Drawing on the sheer force of her will, the mare stood once again, though her limbs trembled with the effort of holding her upright. She was aware of voices and focused on them with the desperation of a drowning creature yearning toward the nearest land. She used them to orient herself in a world that seemed to swirl around her, her lucidity coming and going like the waves that struck the rocky shore nearby. Is she - are you alright? And then a younger voice, Is she alright?

The slightly-hysterical thought that this must be how her brother had often when she fussed over him felt forced a bubble of laughter from between Rivaini’s lips, though the sound was grim and without much humor. Often she had wondered at the aggrieved tone the stallion took when he responded to the same question every time he lagged behind her, or winced, or even did nothing at all. Are you alright? Rivaini had always asked him, her heart aching for the pain she knew that his legs caused him. Before today, she had never even realized that she was the only one to ever ask Iscariot, the only one who showed concern. Strangers though these equines who surrounded her may be, they had shown more compassion to an outsider in moments than her herd had shown to one of their own since his birth.

”I’m fine,” the silver bay hastened to assure them - though she wasn’t. Her gaze flickered from one to the other - the smokey king, the grullo giant, and the golden boy. Rivaini felt awkward, and it showed in her body’s silent language; she was too used to being the caretaker to allow herself to be taken care of. In addition, the pain of Iscariot’s loss was too raw for her to have come to terms with, let alone have a desire to discuss. When darkness had fallen and she was alone again, then she would weep for her brother. For now, the matter of her own survival seemed far more urgent. This place didn’t look familiar, but Rivaini knew that her father had allies in other lands who would hand her back to him in a heartbeat. Before she shared any personal information, she first had to know that it was safe to do so.

”These lands...what are they called?” the mare asked, sapphire eyes drinking in the sight of the falls, the bare-limbed trees. It was certainly colder here than in her homeland - she could feel a numbing chill creeping into her bones, stiffening the already-aching muscles of her body. Rivaini noticed that the coats of the pair who had approached her second were longer than any she had seen before, and her own short, copper-toned coat gave an involuntary shudder. Though it was beginning to dry, the wintry air made the remaining dampness feel like hoarfrost clinging to her flesh. It would be best if she were to continue moving until it had dried entirely, but frankly, Rivaini didn’t know if she were physically capable of moving another step. Like it or not, she was entirely at the mercy of these strangers in this unknown place.

And it frightened her.

mare / five / silver bay tobiano / andalusian mix / 15.3hh