In the silence that followed his impulsive cries, the colt had ample time to reflect on his own foolishness.

Somewhere in the void of deep twilight, a something slithered across the sands, the sound of the unknown thing's nearby passage causing a chill to shiver up his spine. As it relinquished its hold of the beach, the sea sighed regretfully behind him, granting a momentary reprieve from the array of unfamiliar sounds that caused Baldur to quiver with fear; though he had nearly perished in its depths, the sea was now a thing to cause comfort, not concern. It was the unfamiliar he feared; for whatever lurked out there unseen was as menacing as his imagination could conjure, and the dreams - and nightmares - of a child were vibrant. Thankfully, though it seemed an eternity to the lonely and frightened colt, he stood there but a few disconcerting moments before the muffled sound of hoofbeats on sand soothed his frayed nerves and buoyed his spirits.

Though the figure that cut through the darkness was unfamiliar and imposing, Baldur felt none of the instinctual fear that should have sent him cringing into the cover of shadow; rather, the suffocating darkness seemed to relinquish its hold of him, and the breath that was exhaled in a sigh of relief had been drawn with ease. Even the ache in his throat has lessened as he responds to the incomprehensible speech of the grullo stallion with a raspy vocalization of his own, closing the distance between them in a few eager strides til his own auburn-splotched coat made contact with Nikola's own slate-gray hide. Even with his gruff voice and unnerving masculine musk, Balderdash leans happily into the ministrations of the man's muzzle as he is inspected for harm, even venturing as far as to nose the guy's shoulder enthusiastically in return.

The company of this stranger was infinitely preferable to the spectres of his solitude.

It could not, however, hold a candle to the golden coat of his own mother as she rushes up to the pair, and Baldur unceremoniously (and somewhat callously) abandons Nikola's side to spend a moment in reunion with his elder sibling before continuing on to Aliyana. Though he doesn't speak as of yet - he simply lacks the inclination, not the ability - the look in the colt's eyes as he sidles up to the mare is both apologetic and adoring, his small muzzle stretching upward as high as it can reach in the attempt to make contact with hers. Though he hasn't completely forgotten the ivory mare and her same-yet-different scent, there is no mistaking who his true mother is, and where the colt's heart lies as he drops his muzzle at last to chew affectionately at the roots of Jabberwocky's developing mane.

This was his family, and wherever they were - was home.


stallion .. mixed .. fouteen.three [wfg] .. newborn .. spotted chestnut sabino [ee/aa/Lplp/nSb] .. reba
bandersnatch x seeker