She ambles along sedately, ears swiveling for distant sounds while her eyes focus on her immediate surroundings. She considers heading for the cave where her parents had sheltered her when she was very young before remembering that it’s a bit of an uphill trek and she’s still too worn out from her journey to handle it at the moment. She also thinks about heading to the cavern that holds the hot springs, knowing that if she were to hang around once the full brunt of winter arrives, she would crave that sanctuary. Taking stock of her location, she realizes she’s not far from it, so she swings her body around and heads that way.

She thinks back fondly on all the winter nights that the family had retreated to the warmth of the springs after full days of frolicking in the snow and, in her father and aunt’s cases, patrolling the territory. Izizel has always loved the closeness of her family and she’ll always have hope that one day the rest of them will follow in her footsteps and return home.

Knowing the bay as well as she does, she spots a fallen tree not far off the path that hadn’t been there when her family had left. With a flick of her head, she goes over to investigate, wondering what had felled it. Just as her eyes turn to the roots to see if maybe it had just been an old tree that could no longer hold itself up, she hears something crashing through the undergrowth towards her.

She cranes her head around, nostrils flaring as she takes in the same stallion scent that she’d noted when she arrived. He looks hardy, certainly like he’s capable of surviving on Tinuvel. His words seem a little harsh, but she doesn’t blame him; he’s right in that she’s uninvited, despite her own feeling of still belonging here. She bobs her head gently, hoping to placate any anger he may have toward her.

”I’m sorry for the intrusion, Liland,” she says, keeping her blue gaze on him so he can see her sincerity. ”My name’s Izizel. My family lived here several years ago; I’ve just come back to the islands and wanted to see what has become of my birthplace. I’ll leave it if bothers you.”

She doesn’t actually want to go until she’s finished her exploration, but she figures it’s best to acknowledge his authority. Still, her natural curiosity gets the better of her as she continues to watch him. ”How long have you been here?”