Fjö∂ur doesn’t accept her apology with any amount of graciousness but bhaskara hadn’t expected she would. it is enough to see short ears rise from the pony mare’s tangled blond mane and the hint of heavily veiled astonishment.

the mahogany bay mare’s upbringing hadn’t been easy either…in fact she hadn’t been brought up at all. perhaps it was better that way, than Fjö∂ur’s situation. bhaskara had only every encountered her father a few times before being whisked away by her mother arcana who she was separated from only a few short months later…she had been on her own the vast majority of her life, only recently reuniting happily with her half brother. it was a great joy she had never expected, which was why, when the pony mare had come charging in, she was worried something horrible might follow.

bhaskara watches the smaller mare closely, following her eyes out to sea and back to the expanse of the dunes before them. though she knew Fjö∂ur would never admit it, the landscape was intimidating. unlike the pony mare, she was made to survive a land like this. she was lightly built, with a lean wiry body that made her as agile on the sand as a bird in the sky. the bright bay mare doesn’t let her mind linger on how unsuitable the pony mare is to this terrain though, because she knows Fjö∂ur would be leaving as soon as she was able.

bhaskara sets off, reminding herself to keep a shorter stride and to choose the easiest path between the winding sand hills toward the oasis that lay closest. for the most part she keeps her dark eyes forward, as well as her curled ears, but every so often she risks a glance back at the painted little mare, hoping she had cooled enough to bear the trip.

when they had walked nearly half the distance, she stopped. the sun was high above them, beating down, and though it did not bother the dark mare, she does not want to risk overheating her company to exhaustion. she only plans to pause a few moments, to let the mare rest if she needs it, and then they could continue on. as a distraction she explains the isles a little more fully.

”salem is one of the five isles that make up this landscape. there are three others similar in size that make up herd territories and one large common isle. perhaps it is there you should begin your search.” she makes the suggestion casually, guessing that the smaller mare probably wasn’t the type who took advice very willingly. she doesn’t dare offer much more help yet, but perhaps once Fjö∂ur had her fill of fresh water and ate she would be more inclined to listen to what bhaskara would offer.