Pray it desires not You Posted on October 24, 2023 at 10:00:20 PM by Yael
Zurok’s story is compelling. Growing up with Fell and his many stoic, quiet sons, Yael is not used to so much… storytelling. Úna, the resident chatterbox, had left somewhere around a year ago now, and the Bay has been quiet since.
Yael has seen emotions concealed, however, and Zurok’s closed face and deliberately steady words do not go unnoticed. Yael has seen the turmoil in her brother’s face, heard the softening of speech to mask a waver. But she does not push; no matter how distraught someone is, no matter how torn they appear to be inside, you don’t knock on that door.
You shiver at the doorstep, indefinitely.
Yael politely accepts Zurok’s change of topic, giving him a hopeful smile. “I look forward to meeting them,” she says. She is then somewhat taken aback when the black stallion halts, and leans in toward her face. She nearly shies away, unused to such outward displays of affection, but her tail only swishes nervously as Zurok brushes her forelock out of her eyes.
She is abruptly reminded of her youth and inexperience. Despite her boldness and self-assuredness, Yael is still barely more than a filly. She’s never encountered a stallion that wasn’t her father or brothers, and although Khoshekh is nurturing in his clumsy, brotherly way, she’s never been touched with such sincerity. It’s overwhelming, and heat rises to her face once again, flushing pink the snip on her lips.
She is equal parts relieved and hyper aware of the space Zurok leaves when he pulls away, but Yael is immediately jolted back to the present when he plants a light, playful nip against the red-gold hide of her neck. She is fluent in the language of games, and a mischievous smile curls her velvet-black muzzle. “I’m insulted you think I wouldn’t,” she quips, wounded, before darting forward. She is long-legged and lithe, and her strides swallow great swathes of ground under confident hooves as she gains speed. Her ebony tail flags high, lashing through the wind. For all she is aware, Zurok races beside her, basking in the pure joy of a good run, but she soon returns to the actual game he initiated. She zips toward him, reaching out to tag him as they run, darting in and out of the fragrant pines.