His skin shuddered under the mare's gentle touch. He had craved this for such a long time, but this hadn't been how he had imagined it. He pictured himself being reunited with his mother. She would draw him close, whispering how she had made a mistake. How she had loved him and wanted to be there for him. She had been scared but now she wanted to make things right. But he quickly shook those thoughts from his head. She had made her choice.

He flinched as Izzy dropped her head on his flank, but quickly relaxed as he turned his head to look at her. The lake? He hadn't been to other parts of the Peak yet. His brief encounters with both wolves and aggressive stallions left him hungry for some place safe. Deeper within the territory sounded nice, and there maybe he could finally relax. He pictured small waves lapping at the edge of lake. He pictured vibrantly green grass and fresh mountain air. He could hear the breeze singing as it wove through trees, surrounding him with the fresh scent of pine. He felt the sunlight tickling his withers, and heard Izzy's laughter as she invited him to play, sending shining drops of water flying through the air water already coating her glistening coat. He saw himself joining her in the water, the two romping around in the water as Rhadra watched and grazed, her eyes glistening with joy...It did sound nice

Jay sniffled quietly as the mare talked, her voice soothing the fear that had clouded his mind during the ambush. His young mind was already starting to sort through the memory, breaking it down into parts and storing them away. He would not forget, but the fear was already starting to fade away.

He resisted the strong temptation to hide his face as the mare exclaimed how lucky they were to have met him. No one had ever said that to him before, and it certainly was difficult to feel that way. He was born, and his herd had fallen apart. He had come here and almost gotten himself killed. The Codebreaker had had to intervene, putting her life at risk. Now that he had found this mare and her foal, they had been ambushed by vicious stallions from the Lagoon. He wondered if these events were a coincidence or if a cloud of misfortune just followed him around.

His ears swiveled forward as the mare asked for his name. Who really was he? He supposed that he would keep the name his mother had given him. He would at least acknowledge that part of him. But he would no longer wear it in her honor. He wasn't going to be her son anymore. She had made her allegiances clear, and they weren't to him.
My name is Jay Azuli. It's really nice to meet you both. He paused for a moment, suddenly conscious of what he had just said. It sounded so awkward when he said it out loud like that. and-um-I would love to join you at the lake. If that's okay with you. he added on quickly, still in disbelief that someone would want him anywhere.