Sonorae watched from her perch amongst the greenery, her skin twitching with tension as the two men postured and posed for each other. For a moment she almost had hope that Annubis would be allowed to stay, that they would be able to resume living in Paradise without a problem, and then the massive gray stallion dashed that very hope. Frustrated, she wilted back against the branches of the tree behind her but said nothing, and began to seriously consider what path she might take back to the heart of Paradise.

The conversation continues to unfurl, and while Rae was not happy to learn that they were to be kicked out of their home, it was at least a relief to know that she'd be allowed to leave with Annubis. All she needed was a little bit of his time and she could find out for sure what had happened to Rougaru and where she was supposed to go to rejoin him.

The gray stallion's languid confidence seemed to be getting under Annubis' skin and Rae watched apprehensively as the young stallion's posture shifted and changed from neutrality to hostility. It renewed her fear that the situation would erupt into violence, and so she nearly missed Temblor's offer. She shook her head slightly as she refocused her gaze back on him, her ears tipped apprehensively back.

It was obvious from both the casual undertone and the phrasing that his request had absolutely nothing to do with her, and while that should have brought her some relief, it was hard to feel any sort of good in knowing that she'd have to stand next to the grey interloper while the one creature who might have answers ran around in the jungle instead. Still, she reasoned, if it meant that the two stallions could set aside their differences and she could escape with Annubis, she would take it.

I don’t care what she does! Annubis' voice cut through her hasty considerations and her gaze flashed to his face in alarm. Have her for all I care- The bitterness in his voice laid bare his true feelings for her, and all she could do was stare at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. She had never considered herself close to any man other than Rougaru - but she had not expected that beneath his protective posturing earlier lurked true hatred and the revelation of it frightened her.

Worse still, was the realization that Annubis had left her another parting gift: the answer she had feared hearing. Of course, missing was not the same as dead, but it left her no closer to returning to her rightful place at the chocolate stallion's side.

Frozen, she stared as Annubis shoved away into the underbrush, her gaze locked to the swaying leaves that marked the path he had taken even after his pale figure had disappeared into the shadows. By then, tears had gathered on her lower lashes and trailed down her cheeks, dampening the pale fur beneath. It is only when the massive grey stallion moved - though Rae could not have said if it was something as small as a breath or something larger and more dramatic - that the fleabitten mare turned back to him with a soft gasp of surprise.

What now?

The urge to flee was strong, but she was struck by the realization that there was nowhere to flee to. The home she had come to call her own over the span of years now belonged to him. She now belonged to him. There was nowhere in Paradise that she could run that he could not feasibly follow her to.

Fighting had never been in Rae's blood, and now with the option of flight removed, she wasn't entirely sure how to proceed. From what little she had observed of how the other mares in Paradise had lived and of how they interacted with Rougaru, she had come to understand that being quiet and well-behaved meant you were largely ignored. Given the option of either having this strange stallion pursue her or ignore her... she knew she'd rather pick the latter, safer option.

Left with what she felt was no other choice, Rae moved tentatively forward, her skin shuddering with each step as though she half-expected the storm-colored stallion to launch an attack at any moment. She extended her muzzle toward him for an exchange of breaths, although she no more than exhaled before drawing back, her throat constricting with a nervous swallow. She wanted to beg him not to hurt her, to not be like that nameless stallion on the Crossing, but she was afraid that naming such brutal behavior would give him the idea to behave terribly.

"I'mSonorae," she murmured softly, the words running together in her nervousness.