The sound of her name in his mouth had grown increasingly more enchanting over time as they grew more comfortable with each other. She had known from his invitation on the Crossing that he liked her at least a little bit, but there was a new depth to the way those familiar syllables rolled off his tongue that told her they had gone beyond mere friendship. Their once chaste touches had grown in familiarity and ease as they grew closer, now often given without second thought as gentle reminders of the affection that they shared.

Shiloh was observant enough to understand that he was holding back, and that something painful lived beyond the walls that he'd erected. But she also understood that it was not her place to pry. She was happy enough with the relationship that had begun to flourish between them, and was content to be patient. Temblor was sweet and kind and gentle. The sort of stallion she'd always hoped to tie her life to, and the fact that he liked her even a little was enough for now.

The painted mare's head tipped to allow him access to her cheek as she emerged and she smiled reflexively with a small, contented sight as she moved to stand beside him. You should have, he murmured as he teased at her forelock, and she laughed softly, her eyes glittering mischievously. "Ah, but it's important for you to get your beauty sleep, Tem."

She could feel his gaze roam over her face as he drew back, and tried not to shiver at the feeling of being seen. It was easy to blend into the crowd in the Cove, easier still to fade into the background and become a silent watcher. She'd done so for the majority of her life, following her mother's lead and letting the louder, more boisterous Cove residents soak up all of her father's attention. Leaving the Cove had been her first big step, but choosing to accompany Temblor had been the one most important to her. Shiloh didn't know what the future would hold, but she wasn't sure she could allow herself to play the background role in Paradise that she'd always done in the Cove.

Especially not if it meant sacrificing Temblor's attention.

"It was nice," she murmured with a grin, casting an almost wistful glance back at the water. "It rarely got warm enough to want to swim back home, so there's always a part of me that gets excited at the prospect."

Even in the flush of summer, the Cove could not compare to Paradise at it's coldest. At the time, summers had seemed so warm in comparison to the brutal winters, and it was often a goal of every foal to convince their dams to let them play in the shallows of the cool lower lake. Paradise, by contrast, seemed not to understand what the meaning of cold. In truth, the only chill that Shiloh had experienced since her arrival was the kind that followed when they stopped touching. It was no frostbite, but it was impossible to ignore all the same.

"I don't know," she teased again, tilting her head as if considering her options. Shiloh already knew that joining him was a foregone conclusion, but she'd be foolish to turn down a chance to play with him a little. "Will you sing as sweetly to me as the parrots do in here?"

Regardless of his answer, she would step closer to him in an attempt to indicate that she wasn't really meaning to say no to his offer. In truth, she was flattered by his request and could not have conceived of something more romantic by herself, even if he hadn't meant for it to be as intimate as she was imagining. Perhaps she'd have to make sure to take him up on his offer in the future.

You seem to have acclimated well, he observed and she chuckled softly. She had been so excited to see and explore Paradise that it would have taken some sort of disaster to keep her from exploring it, all danger aside. And once Temblor had helped her get her feet wet, there was little that could scare her. "I can see why you would think that," she murmured thoughtfully, her voice soft. "And maybe I would feel differently if it had been my mom that was taken."

She winced as the words left her mouth, aware of how terrible it sounded. Just because she didn't know Vihar or Feray or Cicek did not mean that they were worth less than herself or her dam. Just that they were only a brief step above strangers to her; ones that were more important to her than the general public to be sure, but not someones with whom Shiloh had real, tangible memories with. "I'm sorry, that sounded worse than I meant it." Her gaze lifted apologetically to his briefly and she wished she hadn't started down this path. "It's just that my father's herd was so large that even when everything happened it just felt so... so far away, I guess. Not any different than when he won his crown or when a mare challenged for the queen spot and won the same day she arrived."

"Something big, and important... but not really something that involved me. Does that make sense, or do I just sound... self-centered?" Her gaze searched his, expecting to find condemnation written in his warm brown eyes. She wasn't sure she could bear it if he thought less of her for it, but the time that they'd spent together had allowed her to grow more relaxed and willing to share. Her past held no large dark secrets, unless you counted her mother's mysterious absence, but even that - her father had reassured her - had more to do with the natural cycle of the islands than it did with any fault of her own.

"Besides," she said, with a slightly more tremulous smile, offering a way out of such serious topics if he desired. "I trust that you've made this place safe for me. I haven't seen a wolf yet," she stretched to touch him briefly, promising herself that he would not recoil from her selfishness. "Just a very handsome, well-rested stallion."