Pilar listened to Dia intently. Midas used to rule the Ridge? Perhaps Kasabian had not lived there very long. She mulled this over for a minute, and what that could mean for her. If Midas came back, would he fight Kasabian to reclaim his land? Or perhaps he would be content to stay as a beta if he wasn’t the confrontational type. Pilar always found it interesting how stallion-politics worked. On some level, it was kind of exciting. She had no fear of strangers, and if she spotted someone new crossing the Ridge’s border she decided she would be quick to investigate. With new arrivals came new adventures after all.

“Well you know more than I do!” Pilar offered as they walked together. “Do you think Midas will ever come back?”

As they reached the oasis Pilar took a moment to regale in the beauty of the Paradise. Even in the winter the palm trees kept their leaves, and the air was crisp but not bitter cold. Hopefully the Ridge’s climate would be similar. If so, Pilar decided it might not be so bad. Dipping her head to take a refreshing drink, she listened to Dia explain Luthien.

Pilar was impressed with her knowledge of the area, and she was glad Dia trusted her enough to share. It was all very useful information to Pilar, who knew that if she were to explore the entirety of these islands as she planned, the more she knew about them the better off she’d be.

“Oh you’re going to be a mom! That’s exciting!” Pilar liked the idea of children, but didn’t have any of her own. She was still young and having a foal would hamper her ability to explore, as Dia just explained. For now, she was content to play with everyone else’s kids until the right time came.

She nodded, understanding her decision to stay put for a while. “Maybe one day we can visit together, when your little one is big enough. Always good to see the world when you’re young!” Pilar grinned, pleased that she actually followed her own advice.

“Kasabian seems okay. I’m afraid he might not be that exciting of a stallion, but I barely know him, and truthfully there were a few others along with us when we first met so I wasn’t completely paying attention. I think he’s the quiet intellectual type though.” Pilar paused a moment, considering there might be more to Kasabian than meets the eye. Maybe it was time to head to the Ridge soon and actually have a one-on-one conversation with the man. He did seem to have the potential to surprise her, and Pilar rather loved a good surprise.


pilar

photo © Sally Mann