She knew it was most likely an unwise decision, but Faolain had had enough of standing by and waiting in the Ridge. She wasn’t afraid of Björn, but the truth was that she knew almost nothing about him, and she had no real idea of where she was on his radar. She did not wish to be his enemy, though she wasn’t exactly expecting a warm welcome at the end of her swim when she left the Ridge in the early morning. She had no idea what would come of this trip as her hooves left the white sands of Atlantis, and the cool waters embraced her wiry body, and because of that she knew this was reckless, but she had to do it.

In the past few months, most of Faolain’s drive came from the need to protect her small family; this time, however, her motives were also selfish. She burned with curiosity about Björn, and about the stallion he had beaten for the Inlet. She had a million questions for him. Many of them were relevant to her own position in Björn’s old home, and relevant to the safety of her herd, but she had more questions than she would have liked to admit that were just purely curiosity. It would not have surprised her if the winter-bred stallion turned her away at his borders; in fact, she would be surprised if he didn’t. Faolain thought she might have been more comfortable if he had just returned to fight her for the Ridge, and not left her to wonder about him, but at the very least it had given her an excuse to see the island of Tinuvel (if even for a second before she was inevitably tossed back into the sea).

Her fears of leaving Rivaini and Iscariot behind to fend for themselves had faded with the arrival of Çiçek, but as her delicate hooves brushed the shallows and her body began to shiver with the unfamiliar cold, the fears slowly crept back in. What if she made a mistake? What if this was Björn’s plan all along? Had Solomon been in on it when he advised her of Björn’s whereabouts? She doubted it, but Faolain was aware of her inability to read true intentions. The ‘Teke was blunt and honest, and often forgot that others were not always so up front. For that reason she was easily lied to, no matter how often she reminded herself that anyone had the capability to betray others.

Well, there was no turning back now, even if this all was some sneaky plan to get her away from the Ridge. Faolain shook the cool water from her coat and moved inland a bit, just to get out of the open. She was used to the dense jungle at this point, and preferred the shadows and shelter of the trees beyond the beach. From there, she called out for the grullo stallion, daring to approach no further; her ears twisted about with caution, but her body language was otherwise non-threatening.