The brush of her lips across my forehead solidified my trust in the black splashed mare and I pressed closer to her side. Sheltered as I was against her side, protected from the biting cold of the winter wind, I was able to relax enough to absorb her words. They made little sense to me with exhaustion clouding my thinking. How did entire islands get lost? Did my father know of this place?
Without moving from my protector's side, I stared out at the bitter ocean that had forcibly deposited me onto these shores. Somewhere in that unforgiving mess of iron colored water was my home of heat and sun, where my hooves could skip over the sandy dunes with utter surety. I even missed the younger foals, if only so that I had someone, anyone, that was familiar to me. The mare's question gives me pause and my heart breaks a little. How did she not know of my home? The desert was vast, stretching as far from the ocean as it was possible for one horse to travel.
"My family is my home. We live in the Morning Desert." I know my confusion at her lack of understanding had edged into my voice but I hardly cared. To some degree, I felt far too grateful for her kindness and warmth to really suspect ill will of her. I know alab would be disappointed that I was not being more careful, but I could hardly care at the moment. She was taking care of me.
I did not know if my family would be able to find me, but I was certain that I could not stay here. If what this mare said was true - that she knew of a land that was warm and comfortable - then I hardly had room to turn her down. Left out here much longer and I would shiver myself into an early grave.
I knew alab was a smart stallion. He would know that I had to flee to warmer pastures and would send help appropriately. I had to trust in him. With a shiver of horror at the thought of lingering in these chill lands longer than necessary, I quirked my head toward my savior and continued. "Can we leave now?"