"If Love himself weep, shall not lovers weep,
learning from what sad cause he pours his tears?
Love hears his ladies crying their distress,
showing forth bitter sorrow through their eyes
because villainous Death has worked its cruel
destructive art upon a gentle heart,
and laid waste all that earth can find to praise
in a gracious lady, save her chastity."

Hollowed beats ring out into the air with every stride, even underneath Macabre's relative lightweight frame. The ground is that cold, that the frigid earth radiates the sound of her dull hooves with every step. Occasionally she crunches through the first layer of light snow as it packs in patches across the land with ease, and the wetness dampens that of the mare's chestnut legs. Her eyes are wide and wild. Though otherwise, the mare looks healthier than she has in ages. Her coat is full for the winter and has a healthy shine. Though her ribs and her hips still jut from her slender sides, she's better fed in Peak than she has been in many months.

Dogun appears on the horizon and at first, Macabre is startled. Her petite head whips high over her withers and without thinking, she begins to back up several steps. Her nostrils flare as she breathes in the crisp scent of her surroundings, of pine and snow and Dogun, and she does her best to relax. He calls out to her, keeping his distance and the mare lowers her head, her nose now in line with her knees. "He's gone. For good this time." She replies, her voice loud enough to carry the distance between them but not much more.

During her extended periods alone, Macabre found herself revisiting the memories of the Inlet often. In order to keep her from her dizzy spells of grief when remembering Shiraz, she thought of the others here who dwelled with Dogun. Silver, and her colt who must be nearly a young stallion by now. Sigrun. And Freya, Dogun's pretty and kind lead. The one who helped her the night she brought Shiraz into this world. Macabre often wondered if she were more like Freya, would he have fought harder to keep her. She knew this was cruel and unfair to fathom but she couldn't help it. No one would ever be fond of her like they are of the prettier ones.

"I owe you an apology, Dogun." She said quietly, her gaze drifting off to the trees in the distance before settling back on the Pony King. "I'm sorry, for everything." She hoped he wouldn't make her go line by line. For washing up on his shore, pregnant with another man's spawn. For abandoning her child here when he needed her the most. For disappearing with Dexter. For bringing Dexter here. For Dexter hurting him. But should wouldn't apologize for Dexter taking her away. That was, perhaps, the best thing that could have happened to him. "And I wanted you to know I'm doing better now."