The pale coat of Maziel becomes visible through the pines. Fell wants to approach her first, to announce himself with a soft blow of air and quiet hoofbeats, as he’s sure she has come to recognize from him, but the pale sister slips past him. The black stallion bristles, ears pinning back against his rough mane, but the excitement of the reunion stills him. He does not want to hurt Maziel… or at least that’s what he tells himself. It’s true, but deep down, he knows it’s equally true that he does not want to expose Maziel to the monster he understands himself to be. Halting her long-awaited reunion with her lost sister would most certainly accomplish that.

He holds back, but when Maraiel proposes that Maziel leave the Bay, he bristles even more harshly than before. The beast within him growls, but the sound is unable to escape Fell’s silent throat. Still, the snap of his tail betrays his discomfort, and he can feel Suleiman’s eyes on him.

Maziel’s response to her sister seems to shock everyone — including Fell. He blinks, processing the fact that he had up until this point thought himself to be far lower down on Maziel’s list of company she would prefer to keep. He understands it is a much more complicated situation than Maziel simply preferring him over her own sister, and even that simplification is certainly outrageously incorrect, but he can’t stop the small stirring of his ego.

Now, though, he worries about Maraiel’s reaction. The ivory mare is a capable one, and Fell begrudgingly credits her that she might get Maziel from anyone else should she try. He does not want to consider the possibility that she might pry the dunalino mare away from him, so he shoves the thought away and refuses to acknowledge it. He would be hard-pressed not to fight for Maziel even if she had wanted to go to the Arch, although he would be hesitant to ruin any chances of her ever returning to him. Knowing that she wants to stay in the Bay, however, has him fired up.

It is, in part, for this reason that Fell remains still while Suleiman steps forward to greet the blind mare. The other part is the nod of acknowledgment from the other stallion; Fell is almost unsure what to do with that, having never had a positive interaction with any other stallion aside from the Tinuvel King within his own territory (and even those were more often strained) but it still manages to reassure him that the tobiano does not intend to try anything rash.

Suleiman speaks, seeming to side with Maziel on her decision, or at least choosing not to argue it. Fell’s metaphorical hackles smooth steadily; the longer this interaction lasts without a disaster, the less Fell seems to verge on explosion. His ears tick from Maziel, to Maraiel, to Suleiman, and back again. When the Arch stallion offers a compromise, Fell stills, listening. Now that his head is not filled with fury, he can think a bit clearer, though he remains tense.

Diplomacy has never really worked for the mute stallion. At least, not when he’s tried to initiate. Now, with something at least noticeably close to a peace offering being extended to him, Fell considers it carefully. This feels similar to the beginning of his working relationship with Solomon, but different in many ways as well. Perhaps this one will turn out better than the one he had nearly destroyed with the Tinuvel King, although he can’t help but envision it going similarly, with Suleiman apparently being Solomon’s son. But what choice did he have? He is still here, in the Bay, even with tension between himself and the Cove. He doesn’t want tension with the Arch as well, but he supposes there will certainly be tension if he rejects this compromise.

He cannot tell Suleiman and Maraiel that Maziel will certainly only visit with an escort, but they can cross that bridge when they get to it. Fell’s golden eyes flick from the little roan mare to meet Suleiman’s gaze, and he gives a curt nod.

FELL

stallion. 16hh. black. marwari x. Rougaru x visurix.