At the mouth of the cave he had brought her to, Amaranthe stopped. Her dark eyes looked into the depths of the cave. Though spring was cheery on the outside and water dripped off rocks, she could imagine the enclosed space in the winter, their breath being the only wind that stirred. She had not faced a winter in this world, it was beyond her wildest dreams that one day the entire herd would be huddled in this cave with only survival on their minds. Three seasons. Would three seasons be enough for her to come to consider this place her place? Following the young stallion, her hooves too rang in the rocky depths.

She looked around as she moved, pondering if these caves had offshoots and hiding places for others of the herd. Just in case someone was annoying, or if one of them flooded or collapsed. Caves were not something she had much experience in. It felt odd to her, starting to put her trust and faith in Nephilim, trusting him to have found an uninhabited, dry, cave for them to be touring. “Are there other caves?” Her question was nonchalant and curious as she weighed the benefits and downfalls to having more than one cave and shelter to look into.

Family. The woman was caught by surprise by his use of the word. She stopped and looked at him, her tail swishing in her thoughts. Once again concern visited her features. Should the stallion across the border be a brute, it could easily be the end of Nephilim and his, family. Should Nephilim be a brute, what would it mean for the foal she carried? If it was a filly, she could offer it to him in return for its safety. If it was colt, would he look at it as something that could swiftly grow into competition? What would he choose to be a part of his ‘family.’

“Perhaps…” She started slowly, her tail flicking again, the swish echoing softly in the caves. “You may consider a bargain. Even if he is one to come to blows, it might throw him off long enough to you to duck.” She thought of the knights she had been around, warriors of the herd and fighters to the bone. A smile spread on her face as a snort of suppressed laughter came from her nose. “Duck and surprise him with a cheap shot.