Qadir stood, miserably, shaking in the dense of the forest as he waited for some sensible thought to come to him. He didn’t know what to do. If it truly was the end of the world, there was no reason to do anything but wait for his fate. He wanted to find Selenium, but he had no idea where she was. Maybe she had known the end was coming and already escaped the islands. A low groan rumbled from his chest, and his head hung, defeated. He wondered why she did not warn him, and then was instantly grateful she hadn’t warned him. He was too old to leave these islands. If she had warned him, he would have spent the last few weeks terrified and afraid. At least his last days had been relatively enjoyable.

He barely noticed the other horse approaching until he spoke. Qadir swung his large head towards the stranger. “I was born from a mountain,” he shared quietly. It was his only secret. He wanted someone else to know it before he died. He hoped the bay stallion would appreciate it, or at least pretend to. Kenchiro was the only other one to know, but he hadn’t been able to grasp the significance of it. Qadir doubted his bay stranger would understand either.

Still, the newcomer restored his spirits a little bit, and he raised his head. Company always made him feel better. Even now, when he just wanted to mourn, he couldn’t help but feel sociable. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with friends, or family, or someone more important than a stranger like me?” He shivered at he remembered the islands’ doom, and awaited the bay stallion’s response.