Distracted by the storm brewing above his capped head, Asche failed to notice the petite golden girl who appeared behind him as silent as the beat of a hummingbird's wings. Tropical and cantankerous, the Ridge was growing on him as moss and weeds stubbornly clung to the rock formations he called home - and he alone. It seemed that Jabberwocky had left his land as empty as Asche had left his father's all those years ago - yes, the Cove as never his, it was Array's through and through and nobody could ever erase the hoof prints left behind by that blue-hatted fellow, the formidable collector of women and enemy of men. Asche longed to be exactly like him, but entirely different, and was torn between which of the two was most near to his current state.

She spoke, and he rotated quickly, rocking his weight onto his back legs, hooves scraping the sand as he faced her and planted himself firmly back upon the sodden ground, just as warm rain began to lightly fall and hold his dark forelock down in moistened tendrils between his eyes. Listening intently, he began to close the gap between them, offering his pale hide as a small amount of shelter from the rising wind and pointing his ears eagerly towards her in an attempt to hear her over the increasingly agitated weather. Perhaps it was due to the season, or maybe he was just softer than he liked to admit, but he wanted to be close to her and he wanted to keep her from harm's way - even if the biggest threat was a humid gale.

"Soda," he nodded, soaking in her information as his coat soaked in the rain. "I would apologise for challenging your father, but I like to be sincere." His tone was warm, gentle, though loud enough for the wind not to whip away his words. For a moment he raised his face to the heavens again, eyes closed, lips parted. "I'm still adjusting to the conditions here, but if you're accustomed to them, you'd be welcome to stay. It's the least I can do after dividing a family." It was rare, he thought, to find a family that did not divide itself - functional, you could call it. It was what he desired for his own. "I can answer any questions you may have, but would you prefer to do that somewhere more sheltered? It seems timing is against us."

As he looked to the ridge's caverns and the border of the jungle, he realised he'd forgotten something crucial.

"Asche - I'm Asche."