Sonorae woke to the tonal change of birdsong as the feathered fiends overhead flocked away from an approaching creature. In their hushed tones she read wariness, rather than danger. There were few creatures unfamiliar to the parrots of Paradise, given that - unlike the equines that "ruled" it - most residents were unwilling to move once they were settled.
A stranger, then.
Hardly surprising given how busy Temblor had been recently. Far faster than Rae had been prepared for, new faces flooded Paradise. The promise she'd given to the gray stallion hang heavily in the back of her mind, always looming accusatorily. Each passing day that she spent in her same routines, the guilt grew heavier and the weight of her failure more uncomfortable to bear.
How was she supposed to help them, if they did not need her help?
The freckled mare had taken to resting closer to more habitable spaces, near to the walking paths and the commonly used clearings. She tried to make herself more visible without actually approaching anyone, but such little effort on her part didn't clear the guilt.
She'd told Temblor she'd help. That she'd leverage what little strength she had to help the herd... somehow.
The Lusitano had come to consciousness quickly - a skill born both from anxiety and from experience - and listened for a clue as to who had come. A sharp yell filled the quiet from roughly the direction the parrots had gone quiet, it's origins unclear. Had that been a startled bird? An injured child? A cry for help? Sonorae didn't know, and had it not been for her promise, she would have likely stayed away out of caution.
But she'd promised.
The pale mare made an agonized sound, but rose to her feet and trotted in the direction of the sound, her wide eyes alert for any further clue as to what had happened. "Hello? Is someone there?" She trotted a few more steps, and then paused to listen for a response. Anxiety clawed at her throat and she paused for no more than a few seconds before calling out again, her whole body tense. "Are you okay?"
