An anxious mind is often an imaginative one, and Sable's was no exception. In her head, she had conjured an image of the strange mare narrowing her eyes at Sable's plea and posing them with a series of progressively more invasive questions that Sable had more and more difficulty in answering. Feeling shaky and overwhelmed - and awaiting the command to leave this place that would surely come any moment now - Sable took a moment to close her eyes. She was a thousand miles from comfort, and all she wanted to do was lay down and cry and sleep.

Merry laughter, as well as a gentle touch from Satitba, forced her eyes back open. She looked wildly back and forth between the two mares with confusion, her eyes lingering longer on the dun as she gave them her blessing to stay. Sable's gut gave one last intense twist of anxiety... then abruptly loosened with the realization that the situation was not nearly as dire as she'd imagined. She gave a half-hearted attempt at a chuckle and relaxed her ears, letting them flop forward in a more relaxed stance. "Thank you," she said, her voice quiet and demure, though internally she was berating herself. What an idiot you are, Sable.

Then the dun mare - presumably called Freya - exchanged a few words with Satitba, and Sable took the opportunity to zone out for a few seconds, glancing around at their strange and bleak surroundings. To her, this did not look like a place that could support a vast herd, but Freya had spoken of her family nonetheless. "How many of you live here?" she cut in suddenly, her attention swivelling back to Freya. "Oh, and, um... I'm Sable, by the way."

She managed a small smile, and shivered again.

15'2; Ee Ata Ff nCr; 3; mutt