Regret had recently began to paw hungrily at Asche's stomach - Tolinka was yet to arrive at the Ridge, nor her sister - the fact that one alone had not pulled herself from the ocean yet provided the ash-headed boy with some sort of comfort. He could at least put his mind at rest with the thought that they were together. His anxious imagination had often kept him up at night, the gentle breathing of the herd he now associated with 'home' the only thing that would lull him back to a deep sleep and to pleasant dreams where he reminisced of his time with the smokey girl in the pool under the light of the moon.

This morning had so far been like any other: he'd woken in the caverns, picked his way around the sleeping ladies with soft steps and found himself treading along where the sandy beach began to disperse and turn to pebbles and baked soil, drying from the storm days before, the tropical sun heating his alabaster hide and setting the sea alight. Though his adoration for the bitter cold of Tinuvel would never leave him (perhaps he should visit soon, he thought quietly,) the warmth of the Ridge and the tempremental humidity was growing on him. He'd blame it on the company he kept there if anybody ever asked - he didn't wish to seem so fickle as to fall in love with a place so soon, as well as the people within it.

His blissful trance of ignorance was shattered as a familiar bay silhouette strode towards him, his eyes squinting, ears pricked forwards as she called. "Sinopa?" he asked, his joy of seeing her quickly shattered by the lack of a dark shadow behind her - his shadow, Tolinka. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Sinopa!" he called in a stronger tone, attempting to mask his concern with excitement. After all, the man was happy to see her - Sinopa intrigued him as much as her counter part, her individuality and bold confidence causing Asche's mind to spin with giddy exhilaration. "It's lovely to see you," he chuckled, eyes dancing. "No - I haven't," he concluded, but paused. Not just for you, his mind churned. He'd spent each morning wandering the beach, his usual patrol route, staring longingly at the receding tide and praying that the two women would appear, together, safe and sound.

The reality was only half as pleasing.

It had eaten at him, the feeling of letting Tolinka go - how he had wished for her to stay within his sight and safe, but as a man of some honour, he would never have forced her hand. So, stubborn as their sisterly bond, Tolinka had left him where the ocean met the crossing isle and as Asche descended into the flotsam he had watched his dark lover vanish into the trees, towards the fateful falls where they had crossed paths. If he could go back in time, he would have stopped her, held her, and never let her go. Something did not feel right - with a mind that tended to lean towards the negative, Asche found himself physically shaking his head violently as if to rid himself of the uncomfortable thoughts.

"Of course I did." He leaned forward and pressed his muzzle softly against her velvety skin, pulling away to gently nip at her shoulder now that she stood beside him. "Though I was expecting . . . " he trailed off, should he worry her? Would his mistake of letting Tolinka go to find her sister who now stood before him alone cause Sinopa to unleash a wild fury upon him? " . . . I was expecting Tolinka to arrive with you." He gulped, turning his thick neck to look the bay woman evenly in the eye. "She wanted to find you before she came here - did she find you?"

Honour, Asche was always told, meant honesty. Even in situations where it could land you in water as hot as the Atlantis sun.