Falls

Solomon

He knew it was probably a losing proposition. The odds of finding the two mares he sought were slim to none, but he had to try at least once more. If his coupling with Sabriel had taken, rough though it was, she was likely heavily pregnant and the thought of her wandering the Crossing alone in such a condition worried him. He had realized in the aftermath of their parting that she had not been so willing as he had believed in the moment, and while he could not bring himself to regret all of what had transpired between them, he did wish he had been gentler.

Sabriel belonged with him, in the Cove. Where he could protect and care for her, and perhaps even to begin making amends for the callous way they had come together.

Ylva occupied his mind as well, although his worry for her was less sharp. Ylva had no true ties to him, but he thought of her often and the bombshell of information she had dropped upon him at their last meeting. To know that she considered herself Harley Quinn's mother was staggering enough, and in truth, made him feel almost obligated to make sure she was safe and taken care of. He had lost his golden girl, and he did not want to see her relatives meet the same fate.

He had seen neither woman since parting from them in the Fall, although he had not spent much time looking for them either. A rough fall season and the subsequent wolf attacks had forced him to spend the winter at home recuperating and he'd kept himself from traveling too far, too often. Even now, beneath the thick layer of winter hide that protected him from the bitter cold of Tinuvel, his ribs were more prominent than they normally would have been, and the swim here had reminded him of muscles that had been pulled during his most recent fight with Bjorn.

He should have stayed home. But the desire to travel was strong, and had led him by the nose back to the Crossing for one last retreat before Spring arrived. Soon his mares would begin to foal, and he couldn't wait to meet his new children. The Cove would once more be bustling with new life, and hopeful the cacophony of joy that traditionally followed would be enough to swallow some of the underlying tension that had not yet abated.

And of those that had been lost.

Solomon shook to dislodge the memory of Aine's fate as he paced along the shores of the Falls. The weather was warmer here, already breaking for the heat of Spring and he relished in the way the sun sank deep into his bones. He loved his wintry home, but even he eventually grew tired of the bone-chilling wind on occasion. His pace stilled with the Falls just barely in view, their dull roar a background melody for the birds that chirped overhead.

With a backdrop of a small rock to bounce the midday sun from, Solomon cocked a hind hoof and allowed his gaze to drift over the Crossing in search of something worth approaching.

Dutch Harness Horse Mutt | Champagne Grullo Tobiano Stallion | 17 Hands | The Cove