The last couple days had been a blur for Jetta. She could remember arriving on the island, feeling hot and dizzy, and then waking to find herself face-to-face with a strange stallion she had seen in her dreams. Already the details of the vision had faded away, and Jetta could not recall what she had said to the stallion. Nor could she remember his name (she had to have Wade remind her later), only that he had introduced himself and granted them rest and respite in his home. Wade had introduced them in turn, thanked the stallion, and then he had ushered her off in the direction of the nearest fresh water source.

There Jetta had rested for two full days, sleeping, then eating, then sleeping again. Wade watched over her dutifully the entire time. There were plenty of scents in the proximity to indicate the presence of a herd on the island, but if any members approached them, Jetta could not say. No matter how long she rested, the humidity seemed to continually sap the energy from her. Even her gut seemed unsettled, for any food she ate caused intense cramps that ripped through her abdomen and left her breathless. Whether this was due to the unfamiliar foliage they had been eating, or something else, she could not say.

Finally, on the third morning, Jetta felt strong enough to send Wade away into the forest to find Bjorn, and while she waited, she drank from a little stream that trickled through the mossy rocks. If there was one thing she could say about this place, it was that it was beautiful. She had never been anywhere that was so very green, or that had so much diversity of life. The plants, the flowers, the birds… there were so many colors, and so many things she had never seen before. If only it wasn’t so intensely humid.

When finally Wade and Bjorn appeared through the trees, Jetta offered them both an appreciative smile and, with a glance, told Wade that she would like to speak to Bjorn alone. Her son gave a small nod, then strolled off a short distance to graze, out of earshot but close enough to hear her if she yelled. Finally Jetta regarded Bjorn, and looked him over as if she was seeing him for the first time. In a way, she was, given how out of it she had been during their first meeting. He was small in stature, but he carried a presence to him, and the scars on his hide told stories of the kind of life he had lived. He intrigued Jetta.

“Good morning, Bjorn,” she said to him graciously. “I hope I haven’t pulled you away from any important business. I was just hoping to have a chat with you before we leave.” She paused, regarding him with weary blue eyes to see how he would take that. “To begin with, I must thank you for your kindness in allowing us to stay and recuperate. I hadn’t anticipated… Well, I am sorry you had to see me in such a state. I would have preferred that to not be our first meeting.”