The pride that swelled his chest dwindled some, as horse after horse filed in and gave the same answer as he. The brute shifted uncomfortably, cloven hooves gently scraping against the firm ground beneath him. He pressed closer to Rhoa, moving his head to look down at the colt. He nodded a reassuring nod toward the boy, his dark amber eyes staring straight and confidently into the boy's azure gaze. He had been aware of the colt following him for a while. It was not unusual for young stallions to follow on the heels of older stallions to learn what the more experienced had to offer. Einarr, a warrior of blood and determination, had not given attention to the khalakka because the boy had simple not asked for it. Boys who wanted to learn needed to seek the men in their own time, and Einarr would not pry into his child's life unless he desired the older warrior to do so. Einarr was not unlike Rhoa. Though his own father had not been a Khal, he was a general. Einarr had followed closely in his father's footsteps, his destiny bringing him to the path of the bloodrider, of the Warden. He sought out his counsel, however, and learned well. The primitive stallion only could hope that Rhoa would choose to do the same.

Shifting again, Einarr looked back to the white wolf. She scolded a stallion in their party, and Einarr have a glance back at him. His brows knit together as his gaze swept back to the white wolf, now shifted into a more comfortable position it seemed. Breathing steadily, Einarr listened as the she-wolf began to ramble off another riddle. Images flashed before them in the wake of the disappearing green door, and the stallion was mesmerized. There was power within this she-wolf that went far beyond being a guardian of an egg, and Einarr was drawn to her. In his flicker of admiration, the inky stallion nearly lost the concept of her words. Clear confusion riddled his features as he stared hard at the she-wolf. The others around him seemed to fade away--all but Rhoa--as he listened.

The language barrier was stronger now that he had noticed in a while. In the Dragon's Throat many of the horses he encountered were patient with him as he spoke to them, and he assumed it was only because they were used to speaking with and listening to Gaucho. Frustration, however, rimmed the stallion's mind as the she-wolf stopped her riddle. Einarr shifted his eyes away, looking out into the distance as he thought. He was silent for some time, and the murmur of others giving their answers around him was given no mind. Einarr's lips wrinkled and he shifted his feathers. He was so angry in this moment. He did not want to look at the wolf, however, for she had scolded the stallion before. He did not want the wolf to believe Einarr was angry at her, for he was not. He was angry at himself for being unable to unlock and decipher her puzzling words. Defeated, Einarr breathed out his answer, "No, Einarr not answer riddle."


[Prior refusals: #1 | Wishlist]