In all honesty, Yscha had not expected to return, either. Once she had left, she had felt ashamed of her sudden and unnanounced departure from her home. She decided, after a couple days of contemplation, that it would be best not to return - after all, who knows what waited for her if she did? Oskar would be upset that his mother had abandoned him (even though he was perfectly capable of caring for himself) and Lord only knows how Vercingetorix would react to her disappearing and then popping up again months - or was it years? she couldn't remember - later. Surely, if he were like most other stallions she'd heard of, he would be very disappointed in her. She wasn't positive she could face that.

But she was going to, for some crazy reason. As the warmth of summer departed, replaced with the cool winds of autumn, Yscha came back to the Islands and sought out the Forest, praying he was still here, that he had not left, too. She was in luck, it seemed - as she arrives, she realizes his scent is fresh on the ground and the trees and hanging thickly in the air around her. Wearily, she calls out. Time to face the music.

She dozes while she waits, sleep creeping ever further into her already weary mind. She allows herself to linger in the neutral ground - the spectral place between cognizance and repose. While she knows she is putting herself in danger by doing this, she simply can't keep herself awake any longer. It has been so long, so far, and she is so very, very tired - she cannot spend another hour forcing herself to stay awake without further compromising her already unstable health.

So she sleeps - or at least, half-sleeps, and allows her guard to be let down, just for a little while. She's not sure how long she stays there, in her state of pseudo-sleep; it could have been mere minutes, it could have been days. All she knows is that, when she wakes, the distinct sound of approaching hoofbeats and rustling leaves is rattling around inside her brain, which feels as if it may explode at any moment. The pretty mottled mare turns her throbbing skull towards the source of the noise, ochre eyes locking onto a familiar figure in the distance, just between the trees - one quickly approaching. She blinks, and when she opens her eyes again, he is right there in front of her. She swallows back her embarrassment as she realizes she must have dozed off again for a moment or two.

A smile spreads across her lips as he presses his nose to her shoulder, the warmth of his breath causing her to shiver slightly. It's been a long while since she's felt the touch of another, and she relishes in the feeling, reaching out somewhat timidly to return the gesture. Hello, she croaks, blinking back the sleep that threatens to take her over once more. I'm sorry I left. A frown taints her pretty face, a heavy sigh fleeing her slightly parted lips. She pulls back from him, but only enough so that she can meet his gaze, cocoa-colored eyes agleam with worry and exhaustion. Are you upset at me? she fears his answer, but she must know.