[Gift] 2.6 With Fiends Like These - Alistair and Satin

The night of the party finally arrived and out of the dark rode five cloaked riders atop horses that were twisted by the night. Alistair had been watching from the window of his library and at the sight of the approaching riders he rushed downstairs, grabbing Harry’s hand as he passed him and squeezed it. “Harry, they’re here! Get the spare paddock ready please.” The older man nodded and stepped out back as Alistair went out the front to greet their guests.

As they approached they came to a trot then finally a walk as they entered the courtyard. The rider at the front pulled away a thick scarf and finally took the huge hat they wore off. Beneath was revealed the face of a woman, her face scarred by the darkness and beasts alike and her eyes glowed gold. Her black hair came loose from beneath the scarf, billowing in the wind.

“Alistair!” She called, voice still as rough as the day he had last seen her.

“Cassandra!” Alistair hurried forward, pausing a respectable distance from the twisted steed she rode. The nightrider dismounted and was shortly followed by her fellows. Each began to remove their various dressings in the dim courtyard, finally free of the worst of the light that doused the town and roads. From beneath their coverings various fiends of the night were revealed, most with strange glowing eyes not unlike their leader. Many sported fur or scales, others blackened flesh and burn scars. But Alistair had long since grown acquainted with their intimidating appearances and thankfully was not remotely bothered.

Finally as Cassandra handed the reins of her frightful steed to another she embraced her friend. Alistair gasped as she gave him a much tighter hug than expected. He laughed and gave one back, daring to allow a slight bit of his hidden strength to slip out. He let his hands shift and made a motion at the darkrider before him as they stepped away.

“So what the others said was true…” Cassandra stared at the beast-like hand before her. Gently she grasped it in her own gloved hand, brushing over one of his claws and grinning. “Harry as well?” She raised her gaze up to her friend’s face. Alistair smiled and nodded. “Fascinating, I had been told we had partnered with vampires but I had no idea it was you.” She laughed and smacked Alistair on the shoulder, making him gasp at the force. “You could have told me in a letter!”

“Hah! Yeah but I doubt you would have believed me if you hadn’t seen it for yourself.” Alistair let his hand return to normal, the coal skin still remaining along his fingers and a chill tingling through them.

“That is true, I will forgive you for keeping this secret from me.” She laughed as she grabbed the reins back for her nightmare. “Come along Nyx.”

“Everyone please follow me, we have a dedicated pasture for your horses this way.” Alistair led the pack of riders around the side of the manor to a separate space left in the darkness. They had patched the fence and improved it before the event so the nightmares could be kept safely contained and away from their own horses.

Once their steeds are put away Alistair leads everyone back to the house before he and Cassandra split off to check on Satin and Daemon. The stallion appeared to be tucked away in his shelter far from the newcomers but Satin was less pleased. Alistair slipped into her pasture and gently petted the mare.

“So this is your new show horse hm?” Cassandra stayed on the fence, leaning against it as she gave Satin plenty of space away from her.

“Indeed, Harry picked her up from an event held in Lexington a few years ago. Some kind of rescue and recovery event? I wasn’t as involved at the time, I only started working with her after we resolved the worst of her behaviors. She still is a bit nippy…” he brushed a hand over her nose and she lipped at him before nudging her head against him. “But it’s nothing more than a small harmless nibble. I finally taught her to only chew on her own toys too. Harry got her to stop breaking her tack and stealing everything around her.” He chuckled and led her over to Cassandra. “But I’d be remiss to ignore my own contributions to her training.”

“Mmm sounds impressive to me, I remember when you were still nervous about even getting near a normal horse.” She laughed softly and held out a gloved palm to the mare. Satin was hesitant at first before she took a step forward and sniffed at it before mouthing at the glove and finding it devoid of treats. She snorted and turned her head back in the direction of the dark fiends preoccupying the distant pasture. “She’s a beauty Alistair, you two got real lucky finding a mare like her.”

“Indeed, her and Daemon are both truly blessings. I must admit I still can’t believe I managed to do a show with her.” He leaned back against the fence himself, letting Satin busy herself with what little grass remained on the ground at this time.

“I remember the letter you wrote after that, I was so excited for you. I wish I could have been there.” Cassandra sighed and reached over to gently pet the mare through the fence. She twitched at first at the rider’s touch but otherwise remained where she was.

“Cass, take your glove off for a second. You should feel her hair, especially now with her winter coat in.” Alistair ran a hand over the mare’s shoulder, gently brushing across it.

“Oh? You don’t think she’ll get spooked?” Alistair shook his head. “Ah, alright.” Carefully she tugged her glove off, revealing a dark burned hand with short cut claws. Slowly she reached her hand out, watching the mare for any signs of fear. Satin simply raised her head a moment, looking back at the woman before snorting and returning to her important task of seeking more green sprouts. Cassandra laughed softly as she finally touched the mare and ran her fingers through the delicate coat. “Oh wow, you weren’t kidding…”

“Right? Her tail’s like silk too, it’s unique to their breed.” Alistair gently nudged the mare closer and picked up a bit of her tail, letting Cassandra run her fingers through it before they dropped it.

“Wow, what a stunning breed. When you told me they had such soft coats I thought you were exaggerating.” She let out a soft, impressed whistle which made the mare lift her head curiously once more before she lost interest and dropped it again.

“We should head back inside, we’ve probably left the others waiting long enough. Harry’s excellent at entertaining strangers but I don’t want to make him go it alone for the whole night.” The pair laughed and chatted as they made their way back.