“There are.” He said with an easy smile, turning his neck and pointing his ears further inland toward the great ridge of mountains which sheltered the Bay. “They’re further inland. Most of winter is spent in caves and places the rock crevices keep away the heaviest of the snowfall.” The herd was moderately sized and, occasionally, one would drift away only to come back to safety a season or so later. Nephilim did for them what he could, protected them best he could, and let the pieces fall where they may.

He blinked gold eyes at her questions, realizing it had been some time since someone had asked him such a thing. His answer had changed since then, hadn’t it? He smiled. “I used to be a real angry kid – I wanted to show the islands that I wasn’t someone to forget.” He’d had plans. Plans to terrorize, to attack other herd stallions before they could prey on him. He wanted to grow strong, to be the menace he was treated as for something he couldn’t help.

“Things changed.” His voice softened, layered delicately with a sorrow he still felt deep and hard in his heart. “I lost my first child – a son. Stillborn.” His throat threatened to close. He still remembered… still remembered the look on Rohanne’s face, the look on Roza’s. Things had never been the same for them since the death of their son. Nephilim blinked and exhaled a low, soft breath, refocusing his gaze on Dany. “I realized how important family was, I guess you could say. I had two daughters the next season.” Almost a year now, his two girls were. “I realized I wanted to protect more than I wanted to attack.”

Nephilim’s legs shifted on the pebble sand. “So, I guess my dreams, my plans, are to keep my family safe. To try and keep anything terrible from befalling them.” Having a family had taught him how important it could be, he was mistreated, abused during colthood and abandoned before he even turned a year old.

His ears flicked. He watched her. Quiet. “And yours, Dany? What are your dreams?” He wanted to know. He was curious. He wanted to know if he could help her achieve them in any way.