The large mare winds herself sinuously against Cain as she chastises him with a chuckle, her lips reaching out familiarly to nip at his cheek. How strange the customs in this land are, he muses to himself, recalling the same style of nip left on her own hide by the roan mare Nova. With his thoughts lingering on the past, he cannot help but to compare the two realities. Had a mare so confidently reached out to touch her stallion, her alpha, in front of someone who was not related by blood, she would have been resoundingly punished, in ways as varied and as cruel as his family could imagine. Even the mare's comment would have brought ire - addressing a male that had not laid claim to you as loves would have been regarded as a slight to the stallion you belonged to.

Crow brushes off these thoughts as the mare taunts them playfully and offers a small grin to Cain in acknowledgement of his statements. The exhaustion of the trip and the dredging of painful memories has sapped some of the delight from his blood, but he does his best to remain at least on an even keel. He has decided to trust them with his own life, and perhaps even with the life of a mare if he is to claim one, but the inner sanctum of his secrets will remain his own for now.

Together the trio crosses the sand dunes until a blessed oasis comes into view, and hardly have the words left Geneva's lips than Crow is ankle deep in the damp sand and lips buried in the cool refreshing water. A sound behind has the stallion's ear flicking toward the noise of small hooves padding through sand.

As his neck raises, water dribbling down his own chin, he regards the foal as he addresses the stallion as his father. He can see the family resemblance in the size of his bones and the way his coat is splashed in white. Shrewdly Crow watches the way the stallion interacts with the child, knowing this is often the true measure of a stallion.

To his credit, he was warm but calm and it relaxed Crow somewhat. Regardless of Cain's past, it did seem as though he were trying to make an effort to be a decent stallion. The dun finishes his swallow of water before inclining his head solemnly toward the foal.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Legolas. I'm here to help your father make sure everyone, including you and your mother, are safe." He raises his head and meets Geneva's gaze squarely. She is likely capabale of protecting herself, he knows, but he would do his best to assist Cain in protecting her and her children as well.

Allowing a sigh of relief as the water worked its way into his body, he looked back toward the overo colt at Cain's side and addressed him once more. "What else do you think I should see here?"