Castillon was briefly surprised by the glare he received from Snapdragon, but only blinked at her with confusion evident across his face before he looked back at Eira. With his black-lined ears tipped forward, attentive to her, he listened to her tell her story. Concern briefly showed across his face before he schooled his expression into a more passive one and exhaled a small huff of a sigh once she’d finished speaking. “Well… I’m glad you were able to escape somewhere you did not want to be held.”
He had known this was not an uncommon thing, though it certainly was here in the Prairie. Castillon had been raised by his father’s standards, raised to continue to support the vision Zevulun established for this bountiful territory. No one had any right to force anyone to live or to stay anywhere they did not want to; just because Castillon had the power of being a leader, he was not to abuse said power to force others to do what he wanted. The fact that he was allied not only by word, but blood to the Badlands herd, and they would force anyone to stay with them when they didn’t want to…
Well, it certainly didn’t settle right by him. Castillon was beginning to wonder if he should take a trip to the Badlands to get to the bottom of this… not that he didn’t believe Eira, but…
Was it even his place to show up on his cousin’s land and tell her how she should run her herd? Just because the Prairie was a place of peace where there would never be any force implemented did not mean the rest of the islands had to act that way. Castillon was young and this would be the first of many conflicts for him to face as a leader. He focused again on Eira and offered a small, supportive smile.
“You will not find yourself treated that way here, for as long as you wish to stay.” His gaze flicked back to the yearling, Snapdragon, and he added, “Either of you.” So that she would know she, too, fell under the Prairie’s protection while she was here, should she need it.
He had pried enough, they were likely exhausted from their escape and the last thing they needed was an overbearing stallion poking his nose continuously in their business. “I’ll leave you two to continue resting, but I won’t be far if you feel you need my assistance.” Eira had been successful in her escape, true, but Castillon would make absolutely certain no one from the Badlands would be coming in pursuit of either of them. He offered a brief, lingering smile at Eira, feeling relieved she had made it somewhere that could protect her, and hoped he might find the time to talk to her more soon and learn even more about her. But, for now, he knew he’d done all they’d needed of him. He gave a small, polite nod of his head before turning and trailing back up the way he’d come, leaving the mares to their quiet little valley and all the shade, food, and fresh water they could want.
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