He knew it wouldn't be long before other stallions of the Lagoon trickled into the Peak one by one. He wondered if he would see Argento again or even Cullen. The Lagoon had seemed quiet in the days leading up to the war so maybe there were some deserters out in the free lands. Maybe some of the bachelors gave up and joined herds or something, like Collision should have done when he talked to Kendry in the Forest. His heart was torn in his chest. He told Shenzi that he wouldn't abandon her and yet he came back to find her gone from the Lagoon. Without knowing what had happened to her, he couldn't rest and think about his own future. He had to be certain of her own first. It was his own savior complex that held him back, always connecting to those souls he felt needing saving and remembering Shenzi's great feeling of loss when she talked about the lives of her bachelor friends and her best friend dying right in front of her...it ate at him something fierce.

He lingered near the borders of the Peak, unsure whether he should go on in or be invited. They were told to come here but what did that make them to the mares of the Peak? He knew better than to expect to be welcomed warmly. The Lagoon and the Peak were well known as enemies though Collision himself had no quarrel with them. He'd heard they were strong mares who held onto stallions like the Lagoon held onto mares, like prizes or trinkets, their only use as allies or breeding tools. Collision had always wanted to be a father, but that wasn't exactly how he'd planned it. He thought more along the lines of meeting a new mare and forming that connection, planning a family cause they both wanted it. He wasn't eager for his first time as a father to be with a mare who despised him because of his connection to the Lagoon. But maybe they wouldn't do that. Maybe they just wanted to make their point then they would release the stallions who they weren't interested in. Collision doubted any of them even knew his name.

Surprise and confusion clouded his mind when he caught the faint scent that he'd been looking for though. Shenzi...could she be here? He didn't question it, instead taking off at a gallop along the outskirt of the Peak since it seemed like the scent wasn't very far in either. Had she come here with the other Lagoon members? He knew as a mare, she probably wouldn't be held prisoner so she would be safer here. His heart lifted to think of it, so he was very confused when he only saw a young dark stallion instead of the mare he knew. His ears flicked back as he came closer and the scent only grew stronger. Who was he? He also smelled faintly of the Lagoon, but he had to be new cause Collision didn't recall seeing him at any point before the war. Why did he smell like Shenzi? Maybe he would know where she was! New hope flared to life in his chest as the paint gave a friendly nicker to announce his approach.

About that time, he noticed another horse as well, a grullo paint who seemed hesitant but resilient in the same breath. There was something off in the other paint's scent, something he couldn't place. Why couldn't he tell with one sniff whether it was mare or stallion? There was something off about it. Snorting to clear his nostrils, he tried again but it didn't help. Now he was really confused. He marked his path more toward the black colt instead, since that was his true target, though a single ear kept flicking toward the grullo horse cautiously. As he got closer, he slowed to a trot then a walk, finally stopping a few feet from the colt as he dipped his head in greeting. "Hello, you smell of the Lagoon. I was a member there as well. Quick question, you smell like someone I was looking for. Shenzi? Do you know where she is?" Hope sprang to life in his brown eyes as he watched the colt, waiting for his response.