Faolain listened quietly to Rivaini’s worries about Iscariot. She had felt the flesh of the bay’s withers jump when she began to groom, but it was not unexpected; based on their other similarities, Faolain had assumed that Rivaini was also fairly unfamiliar to friendly touch that was not Iscariot’s. It didn’t seem to bother her for longer than a few seconds, however, so Faolain continued to groom. There were a few moments of silence, and her skin began to feel raw under Rivaini’s teeth, but it was not a bad feeling. The itch from the salt had been scratched, and now the ache on her hide was satisfying, though she wondered if Rivaini meant to groom her so roughly. She pulled her lips away, but didn’t move more than that, and looked out over the water thoughtfully.

"I wonder what it would have been like to know you and Iscariot earlier in life," she pondered. "This is… a lot of change, very fast, and I’m sure it’s even more so for you. It’s hard to understand what you or Iscariot are going through, together and as individuals." She moved away now, but only so she could swing around to face Rivaini again. Her eyes swept across the tangled green peak behind the silver bay, meeting the blue gaze for a moment before continuing on their journey along the horizon. "I hope that having this place to call home, and to feel safe, will provide a sense of normalcy. Everyone wants adventure in their life, and no one thinks about stability until it’s gone. But I don’t think you can enjoy adventure without stability."

She turned back to the lake, stepping toward it until her front hooves were submerged. The water was warm from the sun, and very clear, each stone on its floor spiderwebbed with the reflection of the lake’s surface. The giddiness of their discovery was wearing off, and the reality of the future was coming to replace it. They still had to go back to the Crossing and get Iscariot, but part of Faolain worried that this paradise would disappear as soon as they left, as though it had all been a dream. If they had simply hoped hard enough to materialize this place, they would have to wake up eventually, and the dream would disintegrate . It felt like a ridiculous fear, and Faolain knew they would just have to move forward and find out.

Beyond that, Faolain knew that just finding this place and bringing Iscariot here safely would not be the end. She had to defend it, and she did not know anything of the enemies here. What if the previous owner came back to reclaim their home? Faolain knew her strengths did not lie in aggression and violence. She could hold her own in a fight, but she was not strong, or very experienced. She had sparred a few times in her life but had never participated in a real fight. Her skin was unbroken by scars. When one lived a solitary, ever-moving life, it was never a bad idea to just run from trouble, and that’s what Faolain was used to.

Her time of running had come to an end. This was not a ridiculous fear, and though she tried to dispel it by pushing it to the back of her mind, it loomed, huge and menacing, at the front. She stared down at the water hugging her legs, her body so still she might have been a statue, with only the slight movement of her barrel as she breathed to give away that she was alive. It felt like she stood that way for a long time, but it was only a few minutes before she lifted her head and turned to look up the hill they had just raced down. Just like her fears of scattering this dream to the winds, she would only ever know the future by moving forward. They would just have to try. She gave Rivaini a small, rather tired smile, but it touched her eyes. "I suppose we shouldn’t keep this place all to ourselves, then," she said. "We should rest, and get Iscariot as soon as we have the energy. I still feel guilty for separating you again."

Her head dipped low, whiskers brushing the surface of the water too lightly to cause ripples. She stepped back into the grass once again and turned to face Rivaini for a second time. "I could not have done this without you," she said. "Thank you."