It seemed that whatever spite these two held for each other, it ran much deeper than even Nalia's keen intellect was picking up on, evidence by the harsh manner in which Roseen gave Leilan a final answer regarding the little colt's fate. Nalia had somewhat tuned them out, a bit bored by this interaction between them. To her knowledge, this was supposed to be a happy time, for the stallion to meet his colt and the mare to perhaps think about forgiveness for the sake of the little one.
But the longer this went on, the more words exchanged between the two older horses, the more worried Nalia got. Leilan was obviously getting hurt by the mare's words, something that Roseen didn't seem troubled by. Was that her purpose, to hurt the stallion verbally before delivering the final blow?
Roseen seemed to get the final word in when she told Leilan that, given how he had abused her trust before and she wasn't sure if she could depend on him again, her decision regarding Thorgal's fate with Leilan would remain planted. Nalia was a bit offput by that decision, but she didn't let it show. In her opinion, Roseen was making a mistake, saying that Thorgal would start growing to know Leilan as a friend and not his sire. The filly almost teared up at such harsh words, having been one of the few in her herd to grow up without really knowing her sire. She was one of the unlucky ones Leilan was talking about, something that none of the gathered horses here knew about.
Nalia was only a few days old when the bachelor stallion had galloped in and claimed the life of her sire in a vicious battle for kingship over the herd. She'd stayed with her dam, to help comfort her in her grief, even though Nalia didn't really know what to do since she didn't have any positive words to say about the sire she never knew. The two of them were each other's rock through the younger years of Nalia's life, up until the point where the stallion decided Nalia would bare one of his foals, just as her own dam would. That had been the point that Nalia's dam needed to push her daughter away, telling her to flee under the cover of night and go live her own life without the threat of the stallion over her head.
To this day, that stallion was the only horse Nalia could effectively say she hated to a degree. She hated him for taking her sire away, and for essentially providing the ultimatum her dam needed to push her away from the herd before Nalia got to know her little brother or sister. How many foals had her dam been forced to bare for that wretched beast? Was she even still alive, enjoying life as one of the select mares the stallion favored for her beauty, or was she now in the lower ranks, subject to his teeth and flying hooves when the herd was forced to stampede to safety from a predator?
Leilan's rough shove to get Nalia to move brought the filly back from her thoughts, the stallion's action causing Nalia to turn her head to watch him go, mutter a curse under her breath, shoot him an evil look before mocking him as he fled, then stop when a twinge of sympathy ran through her at remembering what she was doing here in the first place.
Breckin was also still here, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Thorgal was now standing and successfully nursing from his dam, Roseen's attention focused mainly on him. Knowing to keep her space but eager to meet the little one, Nalia stepped close, extending her neck again to gently sniff the colt.
"Hello little one," she spoke in a gentle tone, "It's good to finally meet you. You are such a strong and handsome young one. I doubt there is ever a colt who has looked so fine and proud as you."
She continued to fawn praise on the small one for a minute before directing her words to Roseen, her eyes remaining on Thorgal's tiny form, "If I can offer my two bits, for what it's worth, I think Thorgas deserves the truth when Leilan comes to see him," Nalia offered. "Obviously I don't know all of what happened, but Leilan had a point. There are many unlucky ones out there who don't know their sires; I grew up with a number of them back in my homeland. My dam could've hated my sire's guts, and she still would've told me the truth because she knew I deserved to know my sire."
She looked at Roseen for this part, ready to move away if the bay mare got defensive and wanted her to step away from Thorgal, "I'm not trying to dictate your life choices Roseen. Hell I just met you so I've got no right. But think for a moment what it'd be like if you were Thorgal, a few years from now, and found out the truth rather than when you were a foal. I wouldn't like it, I was lucky enough to know mine. At least consider what you said, then think about it from Thorgal's and Leilan's view."
@[Roseen] @[Thorgal] @[Breckin] @[Leilan]
OOC: Sorry this reply of mine took forever y'all. I was laid up recently with a nasty series of colds/flus (I'm still recovering). Hopefully the muse hasn't completely died down for this post yet before it officially ends.
Also, yeah, I can now see the drama queen side of Leilan haha.
But the longer this went on, the more words exchanged between the two older horses, the more worried Nalia got. Leilan was obviously getting hurt by the mare's words, something that Roseen didn't seem troubled by. Was that her purpose, to hurt the stallion verbally before delivering the final blow?
Roseen seemed to get the final word in when she told Leilan that, given how he had abused her trust before and she wasn't sure if she could depend on him again, her decision regarding Thorgal's fate with Leilan would remain planted. Nalia was a bit offput by that decision, but she didn't let it show. In her opinion, Roseen was making a mistake, saying that Thorgal would start growing to know Leilan as a friend and not his sire. The filly almost teared up at such harsh words, having been one of the few in her herd to grow up without really knowing her sire. She was one of the unlucky ones Leilan was talking about, something that none of the gathered horses here knew about.
Nalia was only a few days old when the bachelor stallion had galloped in and claimed the life of her sire in a vicious battle for kingship over the herd. She'd stayed with her dam, to help comfort her in her grief, even though Nalia didn't really know what to do since she didn't have any positive words to say about the sire she never knew. The two of them were each other's rock through the younger years of Nalia's life, up until the point where the stallion decided Nalia would bare one of his foals, just as her own dam would. That had been the point that Nalia's dam needed to push her daughter away, telling her to flee under the cover of night and go live her own life without the threat of the stallion over her head.
To this day, that stallion was the only horse Nalia could effectively say she hated to a degree. She hated him for taking her sire away, and for essentially providing the ultimatum her dam needed to push her away from the herd before Nalia got to know her little brother or sister. How many foals had her dam been forced to bare for that wretched beast? Was she even still alive, enjoying life as one of the select mares the stallion favored for her beauty, or was she now in the lower ranks, subject to his teeth and flying hooves when the herd was forced to stampede to safety from a predator?
Leilan's rough shove to get Nalia to move brought the filly back from her thoughts, the stallion's action causing Nalia to turn her head to watch him go, mutter a curse under her breath, shoot him an evil look before mocking him as he fled, then stop when a twinge of sympathy ran through her at remembering what she was doing here in the first place.
Breckin was also still here, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Thorgal was now standing and successfully nursing from his dam, Roseen's attention focused mainly on him. Knowing to keep her space but eager to meet the little one, Nalia stepped close, extending her neck again to gently sniff the colt.
"Hello little one," she spoke in a gentle tone, "It's good to finally meet you. You are such a strong and handsome young one. I doubt there is ever a colt who has looked so fine and proud as you."
She continued to fawn praise on the small one for a minute before directing her words to Roseen, her eyes remaining on Thorgal's tiny form, "If I can offer my two bits, for what it's worth, I think Thorgas deserves the truth when Leilan comes to see him," Nalia offered. "Obviously I don't know all of what happened, but Leilan had a point. There are many unlucky ones out there who don't know their sires; I grew up with a number of them back in my homeland. My dam could've hated my sire's guts, and she still would've told me the truth because she knew I deserved to know my sire."
She looked at Roseen for this part, ready to move away if the bay mare got defensive and wanted her to step away from Thorgal, "I'm not trying to dictate your life choices Roseen. Hell I just met you so I've got no right. But think for a moment what it'd be like if you were Thorgal, a few years from now, and found out the truth rather than when you were a foal. I wouldn't like it, I was lucky enough to know mine. At least consider what you said, then think about it from Thorgal's and Leilan's view."
@[Roseen] @[Thorgal] @[Breckin] @[Leilan]
OOC: Sorry this reply of mine took forever y'all. I was laid up recently with a nasty series of colds/flus (I'm still recovering). Hopefully the muse hasn't completely died down for this post yet before it officially ends.
Also, yeah, I can now see the drama queen side of Leilan haha.