Kreios
wildcat of the falls
I turn at the sounds of footsteps, and the smile that appears on my face at the sight of the salmon-haired mare is smaller than the one which had greeted the dun. It is no please pleased though, and betrays an intimacy that is confirmed when I reach forward to press my pale muzzle against her neck
Ygritte is sweet and kind and soft spoken - the quintessential woman. But I suspect that she is also possessed of her father’s iron spine and her mother’s indomitable spirit(though I’d only ever heard tales of Nativity and never had the good fortune to meet her). I have never seen Ygritte truly angry, but even I – who have only ever seen her best side – knows better than to anger her. I keep her safe, instead; I protect her and the kingdom and do my best to make it so that Ygritte will never have to become hard.
(The fact that she could sprout a forest from the contests of my stomach and tear me apart from the inside has nothing at all to do with it – I’ve only ever seen her make flowers blossom)
I move away after a moment, but remain near enough that I can still feel the heat from her body between us on the chilly spring day.
I do not recognize the scent of the Chamber on the dun mare the way that Ygritte does. I’ve never met a member of the kingdom, nor have I travelled to their lands. They were restless when I was growing up, and no friend of either the Dale or the Deserts. Now that she names it though, I recognize it as the kingdom from which Lucrezia hailed (though it has been years since my lovely friend had called the Chamber home).
I listen curiously. She says that she is not gifted, and that the Chamber has little use for her. What use do they have for more gifted horses, I wonder? Was the war not enough to satisfy their desire? I’d felt the eerie shiver of magic run down my spine during the battle even from a hundred miles away; that was more than enough for me. It would seem not, if they are as aggressive as quiet Dacia suggests.
I cannot blame her for wanting to leave, I decide; I have no prejudice against the Chamber, but am all too familiar with the way that living in a place you do not belong crate grate at oneself.
“Well, the Falls is certainly less aggressive than the Chamber,” I say with a small chuckle. You’re welcome to stay here, even if just while you decide where you do fit.” I make no mention of needing things from her; she has just said that she doesn’t have what the Chamber needs. Even if she had nothing to offer the kingdom, we would still offer her a home. “Might I ask why not the Gates or the Desert? Their reputation is definitely less aggressive even than ours.”
i’m screaming the name of a foreigner’s god