He thought about leaving. His front was pointed toward the distant Crossing and he knew, from there, he would be able to see the Mainlands. Tarrant thought about leaving Wonka behind to rule and learn from making mistakes rather than having his father’s council. He thought of finding Ade, wherever she was adventuring and telling her that their son had claimed her birth home. He would tell her that Wonka ruled here while Tarrant had stood idly by and watched, proud of their boy. Tarrant was finished with herds and the likes, finished with the responsibility that he’d taken onto his shoulders when he’d barely turned one. Maybe it was the words which Midas had said, words which still cut deep on Tarrant’s heart or maybe it was the remembrance of Cimarron crashing but whatever it was, Tarrant thought he was done. He still wanted friends, of course and Wonka had asked him to stay in the Inlet…but to lead again? It would be simpler to pull a disappearing act like he’d become fond of doing, all to find his beloved Ade and chase the sunset with her.

The stirring of a horse near him caused Tarrant’s ear to flick, head turning about to see Wonka down the beach, foraging inland for vegetation to eat. He smiled a warm smile and watched his son. He couldn’t leave, he knew he couldn’t. What if Ade grew cross with him for leaving Wonka to fend off attackers on his own? What if Wonka grew hardened against his father for leaving, just as Midas had? Tarrant could somehow cope with Midas’s deep-seething hatred but to have the hatred of two sons? He had many sons and many more daughters but they were lost, some dead and some gone, he’d hate to have all the children he knew wind up hating him. Tarrant sighed and turned inland, whinnying up the beach to his son and moving off to explore. There were bodies lingering in the Inlet, just one or two and Tarrant was having fun watching his son go about without his father shadowing him.

The older stallion moved into the forest that burst into life further inland, a light snow already gathering on the ground. His green eyes shot upward to the grey cloud sky, wondering if they would get anymore. The blizzards would be short to come within a few weeks now that winter had begun to run her icy fingers across the world. Tarrant dropped his eyes back to the area around him and started walking again, going at a slow pace where he might simply enjoy the surroundings he was becoming familiar with. Eventually the ground began to slop up, urging him into a climb up a grey-slate rock cliff near one of the side-borders of the territory. Careful of ice, Tarrant climbed upward and upward yet. It wasn’t as steep as his favorite place had been within the Ravine, but it was still a good climb.

When he reached the top he was very surprised to find he wasn’t alone. A grey mare stood on the wide ledge, possibly already having heard his approach as his hooves had struck the rock in dull echoes. Tarrant’s nostrils flared out, drinking in her scent and he stepped forward to exchange breaths with her.

“Hello,”

he greeted after he’d stepped back and given her a comfortable amount of space.

“I wasn’t expecting to find anyone up here.”

His head turned and he looked out over the Inlet, frowning as he noticed the speck of a horse form on the beach, his near carbon-copy blanketed with a lot more white. He smiled, but turned back to the new mare, intrigued by her presence.

“My name’s Tarrant. I’m…well I’m sort of the second here, I suppose.”

It still felt like too much responsibility, but Tarrant had exactly worked out what his position was here.