Why did you leave?
Freya can't say she's particularly surprised by this question. Most folks who came to the Islands never left, and even fewer who were born here ever set hoof outside the borders. It seemed many were happy to live their lives here, never leaving their corner of the world. Contact with the outside was rare, but most liked it that way. Indeed, the old mare had found solace in the Island's quiet ways, a peace she had not known for some time.
"I didn't have a choice at first. After my mate disappeared, I stuck around to tend to the few who remained. I had hoped he would come back, but he never did." Freya knew this wasn't unusual; on the islands, monarchs came and went practically with each new season. Dogun had, apparently, ruled slightly longer than average. Still, the tundra eventually met the same fate as its neighboring islands. One by one, its residents up and left, until nothing remained - until the next horse came along and tried to breathe new life into it, only to repeat the cycle. How sad it was to see a land that once thrived now withered and dying, its population only growing smaller.
Freya speaks again, continuing her explanation. "Eventually another stallion came along and forced me to leave with him. I lived on another island for a short while, and then when he, too, disappeared, I decided to leave. Only after I had found out my children were also gone. Without them, there was no point in staying." So, why was she back? It was a question the seasoned woman had asked herself more than once, but the answer was still beyond her reach. Perhaps she had sought that elusive answer here on the Islands; perhaps that is what drove her to come back after so many moons had passed. Perhaps all this was nothing more than a twisted attempt at self-healing, a futile effort to patch up the empty spaces within her soul. Whatever the reason, it seemed best not to dwell upon it.
The dun feels a twinge of disappointment at Vita Nova's reply, although she can't say she's surprised. Part of her wondered if Bjorn had set out in search of her - but would he really leave his sister behind like that? If anything, Freya supposed, Schuyler would have been the one to leave first. She had always been more independent than her older brother, more willing to take on risks and embark on adventures than the grullo colt had been. The roan mare had always admired that about her daughter, and although the thought of her on her own terrified Freya, she knew she could not hold onto her daughter forever.
For a moment, she considers taking Vita Nova up on her offer. The companionship was pleasant, and there was truth to her words. But... could her daughter make the swim again? Freya had not even attempted to bring Bjorn or Schuyler off the island until they were weanlings. How old was Nova's daughter? Old enough to survive on her own, should tragedy strike and they become separated? Carefully, Freya weighs her benefits, but nothing she thinks of makes her feel better about taking the risk. Shaking her head, she replies simply, "As tempting as that is, I wouldn't want to ask that of you, my dear. Unless you were planning on going that way anyways, I think I'm content to linger on the mainland for a little while." She offers a reassuring smile to the younger mare. "So, have you been to any of the other islands?"
((ooc: so sorry for the wait!!))