Kavala knew something was weighing heavily on Dhanya's mind. She suspected the children's father was the source of the woman's troubled heart. The Kelvic simply didn't understand that Kavala was empathic to all animals, but most especially to Kelvics. She could tell when they hurt and she could tell when they hated. And while Dhanya hadn't actually pictured the father around Kavala where the Konti could pick up an image of him, she still suspected abuse.
At first she'd thought all the angst around the father meant that someone had forced Dhanya. She'd acutely felt it when she'd caught flashes of hate from the kelvic in regards to the Akalak. Dhanya simply couldn't stand them and Kavala had no idea why. She'd been polite enough in avoiding Hatot and several of the other Akalak visitors they'd had throughout Dhanya's stay... but if Kavala had been a betting woman, she'd have bet an Akalak raped Dhanya and got her with child. Of course, they didn't see it like that. Kelvics were pets. But the fact that Dhanya's children were human meant that Kavala's suspicions were wrong.
Kavala couldn't simply read the Kelvic. It was almost as if Dhanya were deliberately hiding something from her... avoiding thinking about things that Kavala could pick up. Someone might have told her - warned her even - about the Konti's gift. Kavala immediately suspected Mao who seemed to have a passion for sticking her nose into almost everyone's business - invited or not.
But Kavala didn't really mind. She was just worried for the young mother, even though from what she'd seen the Kelvic was doing fine. Dhanya had enchanting children. Kavala loved them already and took to helping Dhanya night and day. In fact, in the style of the Drykas, Kavala often took one of the twins in a baby sling with her riding or for her workouts along the beach. It was good practice for her future motherhood. And it was good practice for her medical training.
Just this morning, Quin had been fussy and she'd been able to diagnose a stomach ache and give him a few drops of an herbal to calm him down. It had taken her almost a half an hour to brew the tincture, but she didn't let the timing or the fussy baby phase her. Instead, she wanted Dhanya to feel welcome and like she fit right in, even with her two infant children.
But Kavala couldn't stay with the babies all the time. Things needed doing, and right now horses needed training. The young frostmarch mare she was teaching to carry a rider wasn't safe for an infant tag-along so Kavala was alone working the mare in the large arena. She rode her only in a halter with a yvas across her belly to get the mare used to tack. She'd add a saddle later when the mare was going along better, but for now she was just simply adding weight and encouraging the mare to impulse forward. One of the hardest things to teach a new horse was to walk on, step forward, move with a rider on them. They mostly wanted to freeze, stay locked in place, until the unfamiliar weight disappeared off their backs. Kavala had a trick for making them move with her weight. She simply out waited them pitting her patience against theirs until they were so bored it was all they could do to hold still. Then, once they were antsy enough to start moving, she made it fun for them with praise and gentle encouragement. She never drummed her heels against their side, took a crop to them, or used loud words to get them to move.
Instead she made adding a rider just another piece of tack they had to deal with in her training program. She'd already taught them all they needed to know from the ground. Taking those lessons to their backs was just one more step. The mare in question she rode this very moment was in foal. All the mares on the place were. If they weren't fertile or exceptional, Kavala sold them and replaced them with better stock. This young mare was athletic, lovely, and smart. She also had no problems moving around the arena carrying Kavala. But the konti still had to be careful. Anything could happen at any time to spook the mare or break her concentration and then there's be interesting dealings. Usually those dealings ended up with her rear planted in the soft fluffed sand of the arena.
So, when Dhanya wandered up with her entire being oozing troubled motherhood, Kavala shifted her weight on the young mare's back, sat back to bring her to a halt and gently turned her over to where Dhanya was standing. That the mare responded and moved up to the fence pleased Kavala well enough that she slipped down, pattered her neck and greeted Dhanya.
"Hows the new mother today? The little one feeling better? He was sure upset about his stomach this morning." She added.
"And how are you doing... you look lovely this morning. Like you actually got some sleep." Kavala said, grinning. They'd all teased Dhanya about the dark circles under her eyes and the pension she'd developed for falling asleep during meals or baths. Quite a few times now Mao had went and rescued her from a certain sudsy death after she'd climbed into the tub and dropped off almost instantly to sleep.