Common

After the encounter with Shamwari and Faolain on the beach of his new home, Iscariot was consumed by an unfamiliar series of emotions. More than anything, the pale stallion longed to prove himself to his new companion, to hold some value to her. But he had already failed to be of much use in the dangerous politics that she faced as a guardian of the Ridge - and with his handicap, he also knew that there was little chance of him being able to defend her physically. And though he had never harbored dreams of leading a herd, Iscariot was suddenly frustrated by his inability to hold a candle to the chestnut stranger who had been conversing with Faolain. Was her interest in Shamwari’s company purely political, as a friend, or was there something more between the pair?

Iscariot didn’t know. He didn’t even know what he felt regarding the dark mare, only that the thought of being permanently separated from her had birthed a sense of panic deep within him. There had to be something he could do to keep her happy, something to keep her safe. Though he might not have entirely understood what he wanted as far as their deepening bonds went, the perlino knew that he wanted that more than anything, even his own safety and happiness. And so the pinkening light of dawn found him standing on the thin strip of sand that formed the Ridge’s beach, fighting back the flutter of fear in his chest as he contemplated the journey that lay ahead. He had never braved the sea alone, and undoubtedly Rivaini and Faolain would be upset when they found out what he had done. But he couldn’t tether one or both of them to his side forever.

Stepping forward into the pummeling of the waves, Iscariot turned his body west - in the direction of the Crossing - and began to swim.

It wasn’t long before his arthritic hind limbs began to sing in complaint, but the Andalusian was accustomed to some level of pain in them and - focusing on the steady rhythm of his breathing -arrived safely on the eastern shore of the Crossing. Once there, the familiar surroundings were a comfort that stilled his quivering off-white hide, and eased the burdens that he had carried with him from Atlantis. Because the Ridge was so new to him, in a way this felt more like home, though it lacked the companionship of those Iscariot cared about most.

Overcome by a sudden bout of loneliness, the perlino considered making good on his promise to visit Rhadra at her home in the Peak. But his hooves carried him west instead, toward the spot where he had once washed up on the shores of this foreign and frightening land. So much had happened in a relatively short span of time that he felt the inexplicable need to ground himself, and to revisit the last remnants of a past that he left behind willingly. The islands were more his home than the land in which he’d been born could ever hope to be, but that didn’t mean that he would ever forget Antilla, or the treacherous journey he had undergone to arrive here.

In search of that one particular stretch of beach, Iscariot witnessed the prone figure of a deep brown creature wash up on the shore, and felt the call of kismet within himself. He, too, had been deposited in such a rough manner, and without the assistance that Faolain had offered, who knew where he would be today. It was not in him to leave the dark bay mare without offering her the same. Nevertheless, Iscariot was cautious about his approach, understanding that the stranger may be disoriented, or even terrified. As soon as he was certain to be within earshot, the stallion gave a concerned nicker of greeting, his strides never pausing.

"Hello?" Iscariot spoke in his soft and tentative voice, pale eyes raking her body for any signs of harm. "Are - are you okay?" The perlino could see the mare’s damp sides heaving with - cold? Or something else? - and sympathy overwhelmed him. And though he knew how unwise the course of action could be, he lowered himself beside her with a grunt, laying close enough that she would be able to feel the warmth of his body, but hopefully not so close that she would feel crowded or alarmed by his presence.