She could hear the shuffle of her sire's hooves as he made his way to the Lagoon and knew that her words had found their mark. Osiris understood his fears, though she believed them to be exaggerated. She assumed he had some enemies, that much she couldn't deny. She knew of Nyimara and of Cullen, though she'd seen neither of them herself. They were boogeymen, in the grand scheme of things. Tools that her father used to keep himself in hiding, rather than motivations to remake his life. Getting under his skin was a skill that she had perfected in the many years he'd kept her half-hidden here on the Crossing. A skill she wielded often, almost as retribution for the life she sometimes felt had been stolen from her.
She could have had a happy childhood, with other children her age, or at least grown up knowing the security of a home rather than the emptiness of the Crossing. Maybe even have found someone of her own to love, or even started a family (though that last thought was intimidating, even for her).
Another set of hoofsteps came closer and she turned toward it, curious. The storm that had crossed her viage earlier during her discussion with Rehoboam had faded again, and she offered the newcomer a curious lilt of her head. He was handsome with a coat of pale creamy white, with barely visible flecks of color over his strong hips. Best of all was his voice. The baritone of it brought both of her red-rimmed ears tipping forward in surprise, a smile curling immediately across her lips.
"Hello," she echoed him, arching her neck as she settled to face him. "Um, kind of," she answered with a girlish giggle, her gaze flicking briefly away from him to skim over the Crossing. The true answer was yes, of course, she had lived here nearly all of her life, but she had been drilled since coming here to never reveal this truth to anyone, lest they try to use that information against Rehoboam. He'd wanted to keep her a secret to keep her safe... but she was tired of being a secret. Of being unknown.
"Yeah, I guess I do." A muted frown twisted her lips but faded quickly as she turned her gaze back to the handsome young stallion. "Hopefully not forever though, it's not really a home. I take it you don't?" Her head lilted slightly to the side in question before heat rushed to her cheeks and she clarified her awkward question. "-live here, I mean."
Osiris - Mutt - Adult - 15.3h - Red Dun Tobiano - Rehoboam x Celestine
we all eat lies when our hearts are hungry.