I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness,
nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory
She is right that he is lost in his own thoughts, eyes closed, soaking in the surroundings. But he jerks fully awake at the sound of her approach, his green gaze drawn to her as he takes a cautious step backwards, careful to keep some space between them. She is not much older than he, but Ryan knows not to underestimate anyone by appearances. Not in a place like Beqanna. For the first time, he mourns the fact that his panther form is as juvenile as his horse form, because hot thinks perhaps he would feel safer as a fully grown big cat facing off against the angry girl in front of him, but the body of a half-grown panther cub isn't going to do him any favors. He opens his mouth to form some sort of reply, but is distracted by the second arrival.
The colt is older than the two of them, though Ryan wouldn't call him an adult. He shares the same interesting sheen to his coat as the girl, and Ryan wonders if it's something he can replicate, but he doesn't want to startle anyone by trying to change colors so he tries to resist the urge. "I'm Ryan," the boy says carefully, gaze flickering between the two. Clearly they are related, perhaps siblings? Ryan doesn't know that his own grandfather looks much the same, complete with the shimmering coat (and perhaps he will never know), but he admires the beauty of the two of them, regal even in childhood, almost as much as the lake itself. "Your home is very beautiful," he offers with a hesitant smile, "But I can keep moving if you'd rather I not linger. I'm looking for a home, but..."
The colt's eyes turn to rest on Iset, before liking back at Amet. The colt seems welcoming, to want new people, but the filly less so. Ryan doesn't want to overstay his welcome - the Lake might be beautiful but it is not the only beautiful place in Beqanna, if she does not want him here. In his anxious wait, he forgets that he was trying to stay his own natural color, and begins to change. The purple stays but his body color gradually deepens, something between Iset's copper-brown and Amet's light bay, and takes on some approximation of their natural sheen.
Ryan
( I love only that which they defend. )