As the mare neared the bush, Viđarr remained close behind. If it wasn’t her son rustling about inside, they would have another set of problems. Protective in nature, the shadow of a man couldn’t let something happen to her as well as the boy. He was bound to keep an eye on her for now, and he would do just that. If he had to fight, he would-- such was the way. Viđarr had never been one to back down from a fight if it meant protecting someone who needed it.
And in this moment, the dun mare needed him. He’d missed this. Viđarr had missed it so dearly. The shadow of a man had his purpose restored, and he could feel more like himself. Even in moments of stress, moments of pressure, he could at least do something. He could help. A guardian with no flock-- that was a life that didn’t suit him.
With a Boo! the colt lept from his cover of brush. Viđarr’s heart pounded in his chest, though he did not jump. He’d been wound so tightly, he wasn’t entirely sure if his muscles would ever uncoil. A long, slow sigh cursed his chest. The colt had been fine. Viđarr looks to the child’s dam, amber gaze gentle. “Is he okay?” While he didn’t want to speak over Fortis’s head, he also doesn’t want to overwhelm the boy. Viđarr’s voice was soft, grasp on the common tongue still not entirely certain.
From there, he lifted his gaze. Always alert, always watching. Was there anyone out here that would bring her or her child further harm? A lone foal could draw unwanted attention from the worst sources, and Viđarr wasn’t necessarily comfortable leaving them on their own. Not yet. That, and the threat that she had perceived before-- this Cullen. The pair wouldn’t be safe on their own, would they?
How can I repay you? Viđarr’s brow furrowed. “Nej, no need,” his voice was still soft, as there had been no need for him to raise it. The shadow’s speech was still clumsy, heavily accented. “I don’t want you to be on your own,” his words were carefully chosen, and he was concerned with how he’d come off in these moments. Would his concern offend her? In Viđarr’s eyes, she was vulnerable, but he didn’t want her to see that as an insult either. “Do you have somewhere safe to go?”
Viđarr’s question hung softly. It wasn’t that he had anywhere to offer her-- the Meadow and the Falls had become his home. For now, at least, he’d become a ferry for the lost souls that came and went in this place. “I’ll stay with you here, if you don’t.” His offer was quiet, maybe more quiet than his words before. The shadow fears that he’s overstepped, but there’s tenderness here. Concern rang clearly in his honey gaze. Viđarr worried.
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