you shouldn’t walk where the hemlock grows

Faolain watches as Akadi stumbles into the waves, catching herself before turning to look at the dark mare. She can see uncertainty in the filly’s eyes, and is surprised when she approaches, but Faolain reaches out as well to meet her, bumping her dark muzzle gently against the filly’s soft little nose. Brave girl, she thinks again, having expected the girl to be at least a little bit spooked. It causes a strange feeling to unfurl in Faolain’s belly, something she does not yet have words for, but it feels… good. The trust of a child is a delicate thing, and should be protected; though she is not sure Akadi’s gesture is necessarily one of trust or simply to be polite, Faolain knows that she is not obligated to greet her in any way, and for this reason she appreciates the gesture all the more.

For a moment the filly seems to struggle for words. Faolain waits patiently until she finds a way to communicate her mission, and a sympathetic smile crosses Faolain’s dark features. She expected this was the case, but still her chest tightens with worry. If she tries to talk her out of it, she is sure Akadi will be driven away even faster; if she forces the girl to stay, she will have broken any potential for trust between them, and how could she lead if she does not have the trust of her family? She knows Akadi is not exactly her family, but she has deep respect for Ailill and to abandon his people would be just as dishonorable as abandoning her own. She also knows that not every negotiation with a child is so delicate that they cannot be contradicted by an adult, but she remembers the stubbornness of her own childhood seasons. Maybe not every foal would be driven away so easily, but Faolain certainly was. She does not want to risk it.

”I do know where she is,” she offers kindly. ”I have been to the land, even. It is beautiful, and bitterly cold, but not everyone there is cruel. There is warmth.” Her thoughts, upon the image of the Inlet’s frozen expanse, turn to Björn. Regardless of Nyimara’s intentions, Faolain does not believe the grullo stallion will allow Sio to come to harm, or at least she hopes as much, and it comforts her to remember her last brief interaction with the Inlet king.

”I think,” she begins, ”That in order to get her back, we will have to wait. She is on the island of Tinuvel, which is a long way away, and the ocean beyond our home is very cold. If you want to see her, I will come with you, but I worry that it is dangerous, and her captors may not allow us to visit; as for bringing her home, she has already made the cold swim once. We should wait until it is warm again, and safer for her to swim a second time.” Faolain’s words are genuine; if Akadi truly wants to try and see her mother, the black mare will accompany her. It is a risky swim, not to mention the dangers of Tinuvel and Nyimara herself, but Faolain is more inclined to follow the filly now rather than find out later that she tried to make the journey on her own. She knows, however, that there is no chance of bringing Siobhan home before the spring, and as much as it pains her not to be able to help the child, she will not lie and allow her hopes to come crashing down when she realizes the truth.

Her gaze sweeps across the ocean, then back to Akadi. ”What would you like to do?” she asks sincerely.

mare | black | 14hh | akhal-teke