Relief and… something else… stirred in Adelheid when the blanketed mare pulled away from her. Something Adelheid could not place. Unwilling to think about this further, the hardened mare closed her eyes and shook her head so unperceptively the thick tresses of her mane stirred more in the gentle breeze than they did with her movement. She dared not make too much of a motion for fear of upsetting the other even further, or disturbing whatever peace, or at times lack thereof, her presence had brought her. As Iris pulled away, Adelheid had to hold her head back to forcibly bite back a protest, and bite her tongue to feel from arguing with distraught mare. Her dull teeth started to bruise her tongue as she fought. At last, her mouth opened to snap a retort but closed the second Iris went down to her knees again. Adelheid let out a deep breath, reminding herself she did have the power to remain calm, and she did not have to make a remark about everything.

However, when Iris went to the ground again, Adelheid started, and then huffed when she got back up. Slowly, a certain kind of smirk fitted on the Vulcan’s face. The sheer determination in the roan struck a chord her heart and rang true through her being. She knew for a fact if her sister, or her children, were in danger she would have stopped at nothing to rescue them, even if it meant literally biting those who had tried to help her. When the mare looked back at her, Adelheid merely raised a brow at her, one ear flicked back but not a word passed her lips. It was the least she could have done for the other mare.

Steadfast in her own convictions, she refused to leave the other’s side as Iris made her way to the creek. Occasionally, when her foot falls faltered, the dark figure would reach out and gently touch her, but would play it off as an accident, or that the brown had been the one to run into her. At last they made their way to the favored shallow river, still flanked by lush grass not yet gripped by the fall. Unable to clear the smirk from her face, Adelheid stepped aside and flicked her tail in an otherwise silent continued ‘told you so’. Whether or not the other mare drank was really up to her, but more had started to press on the black woman’s mind. She broke her glare from Iris to gaze in the direction of her alcove. Her concern grew now for her children. Never would she have thought she would care for so many who walked outside of herself.

Adelheid huffed, looking back at Iris. She figured if the woman had enough in her to snap at her and give her challenging glares, she was more put together than originally assumed. Look. I will hunt down whatever might have your sister. But I have been chasing two little brats… she looked over Iris, remembering it was her trail she had been following all day and deciding not to include her in the count. ...all day and I am not going to leave them alone. You can come to where we stay and rest or not as you please. Or, I guess you can keep looking for your sister here. In the dark. If she was taken north she is either safe somewhere in the Peak, or she was taken off the island. Adelheid doubted the mare’s sister was in the mountains. She breathed deep, mentally preparing herself for a swim she would undoubtedly make for this stranger. Dark eyes looked over the injured mare and now Adelheid studied herself for why she would do this for a stranger who had stepped into her realm. She tried to convince herself it was the right thing to do. A mare who had come into the Peak was accepted by the Peak, and if she was injured it was up to the sisters to tend to the wound. But the smell of the blood, the look in her eyes, the mention of a sister tugged at something else in the warrior mare. Come on. She growled. Earlier she had given Iris the choice, now her voice did not imply one as she made her way back to Claudya and Sciannath.