and I discovered that my castles stand
upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
It’s been a century since Texas was a herd stallion, patrolling the field in search of women to live with him on the Wildflower Plateau. He remembers only one face among the dozens, a sunny chestnut mare whose memory brings up emotions he has closeted far back in his mind. He doesn’t think of her now; he never thinks of her anymore. It’s better that way.
Close enough this time to see, Texas notices the way the mare responds to the approach of another horse – alert and prepared in a way that only those well-practiced in war ever truly are. It’s the way Texas should respond, but he is old and confident enough that his alertness is hard to find. Zylan settles to answer Yael, and Texas flicks his dark ears forward to catch what she says. The hesitation before the explanation is telling in itself, but Texas is not given to prying (a trait rather common on those with their own secrets, it seems) and so he only nods in response; her reasoning makes sense.
Never the most skilled at the complexities of veiled meanings, Texas had taken Zylan’s own question at face value. Yael’s response to the other mare’s question gives him pause though, and he glances for a moment at the golden mare, lost in his own thoughts as she answers. “I’m from the Falls,” he replies, giving the response he’d at first been prepared to give. But since Yael had expanded he supposes that he should too, though his story is far simpler. “I was born here, in Beqanna though. Over those mountains, near the sea actually.” He gestures to the west, where the mountains that shelter the Chamber rise darkly even against the night sky.
“If you’re looking for somewhere to stay, I can offer the Falls.” He adds, responsible now for the direction of the conversation. Yael can offer the Deserts as well, and while some might like the scorching summers and rainy winters, there are many others who do not. “Before I do though – what are you looking for in a home?” He suspects that Zylan would fit well in the kingdom of the dazzling waterfall, but he knows all too well that if she doesn’t like it that she won’t stay long. Best to find out what she is looking for in the beginning.
texas
