Rivaini

Though it was only a whisper of the connection that she felt to Faolain, the silver bay felt drawn to the stranger in ways that she had only recently begun to understand. Without a doubt, the mare’s appearance accounted for some of the attraction that Rivaini felt - the soft gold of her coat glowed from within, flawless save for the white map that unfurled across her rump. And like the black ‘Teke she accompanied, the newcomer was blessed with a body more feminine than that of the mare who appraised her. Rivaini - with her thick neck, broad chest, and powerful hindquarters - could only envy the leaner, more graceful build of the desert-dwelling breeds. But there was more to any creature than their appearance, and far more to the guest who was uttering words of gratitude around the stem that she still held delicately between blunt teeth.

Like the sun whose colors she had stolen, the spotted mare was warm and bright. Her joy was contagious, and the ease with which she expressed her emotions encouraged the same in those she surrounded. Rivaini was a reserved creature by nature, but she found the wall she normally wore around her heart crumbling even at the inadvertent touch that they had shared. And when the dunalino finished her task and withdrew, the bay pressed her lips to Faolain’s neck in an unmistakable gesture of affection before backing away, too. Even with the dark mare, she had never shared quite so freely of herself - fearing that the ‘Teke did not reciprocate the depth of her feelings, and would inevitably reject her. After all, it was Iscariot whom Faolain had first been drawn to, and the pale stallion’s sibling knew that he treasured the slender mare beyond what he, too, was able to express.

But a heart could not truly be so small that it only held room for one within its boundaries. Rivaini had loved her brother since the day that she was born, and the arrival of Faolain had altered nothing - except, perhaps, to bring them all closer to one another.

She watched the light-hearted wordplay between the other mares with a genuine smile, enjoying the simple moments of joy for what they were. But when the stranger’s attention turned to her, she flushed, her blue eyes flickering to Faolain’s briefly for reassurance. While it had not been her intention to interrupt their time together, Rivaini had been unable to help the vague fear that she was an unwelcome distraction. The golden woman’s words - and the black ‘Teke’s warm gaze - disabused her of that notion. “I’m Rivaini,” she offered, feeling the tickle of Cicek’s breath on her whiskered muzzle and giving a gentle exhale of her own in return.

Pulling away afterward, she glanced at Faolain once again, a mischievous smile curving her lips upward as she indulged in some of the good-natured jibing and dry wit that the black mare always seemed to enjoy. “If I’d known that you were making plans to play dress-up, I would’ve sent Iscariot in my stead. He looks far better in flowers than I do - as I proved to him once in our youth. But don’t ask him about it unless you want him to storm off in a huff,” Rivaini laughed, recalling again how desperately hard he’d fought to remove the blossoms from his hair. He’d vowed to pay her back in kind one day, although the promise had lay abandoned and forgotten for years. Seeing her receive the same treatment from Faolain and Cicek would undoubtedly vindicate him - and so the silver bay was grateful that his attention remained elsewhere.

After a lifetime spent in stoicism, this carefree indulgence felt like just what Rivaini needed.

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