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She was not sure what she expected to see, for Visurix was not wholly familiar with faces outside of her own herds’, a hundred miles away. She had caught glimpses in the Lagoon of big stallions, stout brutes with wolfish ears very unlike the sabino stallion she had actually spoken to. Khajiit had looked like her, and it was an enormous stroke of luck (could she call it luck? She was no longer certain) that she had encountered someone who shared her breed. Of course, only months ago Visurix had thought her kind were the only ones to exist; that everyone was sleek and slender for desert dwelling, with curled lobes in a halo atop their heads. She had not adjusted just yet to this new reality, not even close - she had only seen these new, strange horses from a distance, and never up close, let alone spoken to one.

And so, although it was certainly a rude thing to do, Visurix took an instinctive step back in alarm when the golden stallion peered curiously around the corner. It wasn’t just his shape, but his color as well. She had never seen anything like it. Ivory locks, far thicker than any she had seen, cascaded over his coffee-hued neck. The closest Vis could recall was another of her father’s women, who pale golden in color, and possessed a silky blonde mane. This was very different, but had she been in a less shaken state of mind she would have found it quite pretty. Curiosity battled with fear and anxiety, and the thought came to her mind once again that not all stallions were friendly to the offspring of other males.

But when this one spoke, his voice was curious and kind. After a brief pause, Visurix accepted his offer to exchange breaths, her nostrils flaring at the sweet, musky scent he carried. It took her a moment to translate in her head the pet name he gave to her, as the common tongue of the islands was only her second language, and her mental translation was slower in times of stress. Her lips twitched when the words registered, however, and a shy smile crept up her ebony muzzle. It was a cute name.

“I’m not so sure anymore, exactly, but somewhere far across the sea,” she said softly in response to his question. “I’ve been living on the Crossing, but it is far too cold for me… so I swam south.” She cocked her head curiously at him. Her nerves were fading as she was coming to accept that he was unlikely to hurt her, just yet anyway. Still, she was skittish by nature, and badly worn by her long journey between the place of her birth and this Paradise, as Rougaru called it.

Is there anything I can do to help you, little blackbird? the exotic stallion asked. Visurix flushed again at the pet name. She had not yet seen a black bird in these new lands, but the way he said it made it sound like they must be beautiful. She cast her gaze down shyly at the question, afraid to ask for any favors from this stranger, but needing his help all the same. “Would it be alright if I stayed here for a while? Until my child is born, for I don’t believe I can go any place else.” She didn’t want to admit the circumstances of her pregnancy, or discuss the involvement (or lack of) the foal’s sire, but she could not justify asking for assistance without at least a simple explanation. She was very afraid of being turned away, although Rougaru had been nothing but polite so far.

“The father is… not in the picture,” she added tentatively. She offered a bashful smile, as though it were not more than poorly received joke. “I don’t believe he will look for me. I would not be surprised if he has forgotten me already.” She chuckled at this, and though her laugh held no humor, it was not particularly sad. She had not known Khajiit for longer than a few hours, if that, and had not formed any bond with him. Still, no one wants to be forgotten. If she held any dislike for Khajiit, she might go so far as to say that she had been discarded like a toy. But she did not dislike Khajiit, and ultimately blamed herself for her situation.

Visurix