Compass was surprised when the other stallion joined them. She hadn’t caught his scent before on the territory, but he seemed friendly enough, and Kasabian introduced him in a comfortable manner. The little black mare smiled to him, assuming he was the second.

Compass noticed the pale mare looked slightly uncomfortable for a second, though she smiled and introduced herself. The little black mare smiled back. “I’m Compass,” she said, realizing both she and Dragon had no doubt stared a bit at Marlena; Compass, though slightly ashamed, nonetheless admired Marlena’s welcoming demeanor even under the eyes of her peers. Compass knew she herself would have squirmed beneath their gaze, or even possibly have lost her temper, and so was rather impressed and grateful that the creamy mare still welcomed them.

Compass’s attention turned back to Kasabian as she shared the news about Pilar. The dark mare flicked her ears uncertainly; she hadn’t known Pilar very well, but it was still unsettling to know that she had just been snatched away. Even so, Compass had little fear for herself in particular, and hid her nervousness so as not to agitate Kasabian even more. “I don’t know Pilar very well, but I can’t imagine her parade being rained on by a Lagoon stallion,” she offered when the buckskin had finished speaking. “There’s very little I can think of that would bring her down.” She hoped her words were true. Compass had seen the spirit Pilar possessed when the little mare had all but challenged the gods before the ocean’s witness; she hoped this would just be another adventure for the Marwari. She bumped her nose comfortingly against Kasabian’s neck. “We’ll see her again.”