She seemed to know exactly what he was feeling as she stepped up beside him on the edge. His gaze followed hers down to the lone figures moving around at the base of the mountains, grazing or socializing. Some alone, others in pairs or even groups, all seemingly living their own lives with no thought to the two figures up above watching them. For a moment, it made him feel invincible. She turrned to him, telling him how she liked to spend hours up here and he nodded. "Understandable. One could get lost in the view." He glanced back out over the edge with a reluctant sigh before finally taking a step back. "Guess you just have to remind yourself that life is worth living, not just watching." When she brought up Kestrel, he pricked his ears curiously. She didn't know if he was a volunteer or a captive. Seems Collision would have to find out himself. He smiled. "That's okay. Thank you for telling me about him. Gives me hope that a stallion could be happy here."

That was worth something at least. When the mare stepped away and whickered to him, the paint stallion smiled and moved to follow. She asked him to tell her about his friend and his expression softened at the thought of Shenzi. She was truly the first real connection he'd made in the islands since coming here. Sure, he'd made friends and acquaintances in Cullen and Argento, his brother Diamant, and now Kendry. But Shenzi's grief connected with him on a whole new level. She even asked about the maiden bands, saying he sounded like he had lots of stories. He smirked, tilting his head as he thought for a moment. "I've had my fair share of adventures. I met Shenzi on the outskirts of the Lagoon. She was crying, torn up over the loss of her former herd, a band of bachelors who had taken her in and treated her as an equal. I swore that she was safe with me, that I would protect her." He out a heavy sigh, shame filling his expression.

"Then the war happened and Cullen called on the Lagoon for fighters. I volunteered cause it seemed like the right thing to do, the loyal thing. I went off to fight and when I came back to check on Shenzi, she was gone. The call came for the Lagoon members to report to the Peak and when I got here, I met a young colt who said he found her trying to escape and traded her off like a piece of property to another stallion." He looked away for a moment to control the anger he felt at what happened. Shenzi wasn't a trinket to be sold or traded off. She was so much more than that. With a deep sigh, he shook his head and looked back up at her, trying for a smile. "As for the bands, I only got a glimpse of one when I was running with my former herd but they were a sight to see. They had a lead mare and a council of sorts that helped make the decisions for the herd. They would break off and lure stallions from bachelor herds or find them out alone. That's how they reproduced and kept the herd growing.

"If they had a filly, she would, of course, get to grow up and run with the maiden band if that's what she wanted. If it was a colt, they would sent them out with the first bachelor herd they came across once they were a yearling. They didn't keep stallions around like the Peak does, just in passing rendezvous's to get what they wanted then they were gone and on to the next good grazing land." Admiration shown in his eyes as he thought of them. He saw them as a colt, barely a two year old himself when they came courting older stallions of the band of bachelors he belonged to. There were many stories of them, even myths and legends of them being like sirens, luring a stallion to their deaths, but a death any stallion would be honored to have.