Tigerlily shows little interest in Ysabel’s approach, lifting her head wearily as the lead mare came to a halt nearby. The question that was asked fell on ears made deaf by a broken heart. Even if she’d been interested enough to engage with the white and gold mare, Tigerlily wouldn’t have known how to answer. Silence trickled by as the buckskin mare trawled through her recent memories, ivory face creasing with the effort it took. It was all for naught. If Elvira had spoken up about where she was going, or what she was doing, Tigerlily hadn’t been in a state of mind to process that information. She was as clueless as Ysabel. Useless, and good for nothing. No wonder her mother and brothers had left her.

All Ysabel got was a half-hearted shrug as Tigerlily hunched her shoulders before dropping her head again. In days to come, Tigerlily would be deeply ashamed of her behaviour in this rather dire situation, and would seek Ysabel out to ask for forgiveness she did not deserve, with the desperate hope that Ysabel would understand. But now, Tigerlily sank ever deeper into the darkness that threatened to drown her as her attention was drawn to the small lone figure that approached.

Nyimara’s perfectly healthy and undeniably beautiful boy. Bjorn’s precious son and heir. Groaning inwardly, Tigerlily turned away, chest throbbing with a fresh wave of pain. But it spread, until she felt like she was burning with envy and anger and the unfairness of it all. And she hated herself, for the jealousy she felt toward Nyimara in that moment, for the disservice she did Björn by thinking for the briefest amount of time that he would no longer want her.

She might have gone to Sigurdr then, upon realising that Nyimara too was nowhere in sight, and attempt to integrate herself into his life and stake some kind of claim on him in her state of delirium and agonising grief, if not for a tiny little voice piping up and breaking the silence that had settled so solidly upon them. That’s right. Elvira had gone after her mother. Mother. Something Tigerlily would never be. The buckskin mare drew in a shallow breath, losing herself in the depths of her despair. Had the mare Elvira had gone after not wanted to be a mother? Tigerlily had little recollection of the black and white mare – had only observed her briefly from a distance. She had not seen her in some time though, but Tigerlily remembered coming across her scent near a cave on the shorefront, mingled with the scent of another mare, and a stallion Tigerlily had thought she’d never come across again.

Dances With Wolves.

A jolt shot through her like lightning. Dances With Wolves. A mention of the Forest had slipped from his mouth when he’d verbally torn strips from her after Echo had been attacked. The Forest was a safe place, he’d said in the past. The herd there was a long-time ally that his family on Tinuvel had trusted once upon a time. And a more recent memory, Björn forbidding them from leaving the Ridge for their own safety, for war was descending upon the Islands. Starting with Luthien. " I have to go," Tigerlily rasped, throwing a wild and frantic glance towards Ysabel. "The danger- I have to warn them, I can’t -" With a sudden urgency, Tigerlily ushered Elerona towards Ysabel. "She’s gone to Luthien. I have to go, bring them back, Dances. Dances and…" Tigerlily trailed off, turmoil roiling within her at the name on her tongue, the name of the stallion she’d loved so much. Oh, how he’d hurt her…

But oh, how she loved him still.

"Elvira is there, I’ll bring her home," Tigerlily stumbled over her words, as if quick to give Ysabel something that she couldn’t argue against. Looking her lead mare in the eyes for the first time, suddenly so alive with nervous energy, Tigerlily pleaded. "Don’t tell Björn, please Ysabel. I should’ve stopped Elvira. It’s my fault." Truthfully, her main concern was Dances With Wolves, but Elvira was the way she’d get to him. "Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. It doesn’t matter what happens to me, anyway. But Elvira, Elvira, I’ll bring her home." And Tigerlily was already moving, bolstered by the knowledge that Ysabel would be prevented from following her far, considering the three foals with her. She picked up an urgent pace and did not look back, disappearing into the thick jungle foliage and vanishing in the direction of the beach.