05-04-2015, 12:29 PM
 The rain is certainly annoying to deal with, and maybe if circumstances were different at home, Talulah would have known when to fold (if the Dale hadn’t grown more and more silent as winter wound down, if she had been more successful on her countless trips to the recruiting grounds). For these reasons and more - and her inherently stubborn nature, perhaps – she stays. The night seems to darken further as two more black stallions join the first. One is stocky and bears the scars of a Tundra brother. She remembers that cold kingdom, remembers how even in summer, the southern breeze feels more like autumn. She remembers, too, that she owes them a diplomatic visit. Barring any disapproval from a recently returned Tiphon, the grey mare makes a mental note to hasten her trip. The next black horse is actually a colt. He’s a yearling, the same age as Ramiel, but he is unaccompanied by his mother. She is surprised to see such a young recruiter and later, even more surprised at his poise and attempt at doing so. They huddle around the homeless horse, a circle of black save for her silver. Errant offers her his previous shelter and she smiles at this kindness, rainwater dripping from the corners of her upturned lips. Before she can voice her thanks, however, Ramiel steps up. He is less trusting than his dam and wonders if it was a clever ploy to eliminate the competition. “Rain grows the world. I don’t mind it.” It is only half of a truth, because as much as he likes the drops racing down his sides, the earliness of the season makes them rather cold. He wants to be brave, though. He wants to not mind, to be immune from anything that would make him less. “Thank you,” Talulah says anyway, nodding in appreciation before turning back to the matter at hand. Noctus answers her, albeit with a wavering voice that speaks to his nerves. It makes her all the more curious about this sneaking creature of the night who returns when most others are fast asleep. What has brought him back? Is he fearful of what is behind, or what lies before him? Motherhood has softened some of her sharpest edges, and she feels an instant sympathy for Noctus. He speaks of his past and it becomes clearer why he is running. His nomadic childhood would certainly prevent him from growing roots or an attachment to any one place. Talulah wonders if he’s now ready, if that’s why he’s chosen the Field as his next stop. “Our home is the Dale. It’s east of here, nestled in the mountains.” Her eyes are thoughtful and full of love for her home. She could wax poetic about it the rest of the night, but she figures the others might not be so keen on that idea. Instead, the mare looks to the other males before returning her gaze to Noctus. “We are like a surrogate family there, but I understand the importance of blood family, too.” Ramiel stirs at her side at this – he knows his mother’s anguish at meeting her father only once after her mother died, a brief meeting with a decrepit old man she couldn’t save and barely knew. He chimes in, his voice polite but curious all the same. “Where was the last place you saw your sister?” lady of the Dale |
