Their conversation was brief, and they exchanged few words before the dun stallion turned to leave. Faolain did not expect him to cause trouble, and she left him alone for some time before following to see where he’d gone. She never got close; the black ‘Teke made sure she could hear him, and confirmed that he was preparing to bed down as he had said before moving back to the rest of the herd. None of them seemed rattled by his appearance, and Faolain had never heard of an invading stallion marching in and introducing himself. At least not with the anxiety Cerauno had displayed.

Satisfied with her herd’s safety, Faolain made her way back to her perch at the top of the cliff. Atlantis dropped sharply into the sea far below her, and she watched the sun set over the open water. She left her perch once more to check on Rivaini, Iscariot, and Çiçek, before returning with heavy eyes to the edge.

Faolain rarely slept fully or deeply. She dozed, waking often at the more unusual sounds of the jungle, but she was built for light sleep and it did not bother her. Tonight, she woke up to the sound of thundering hoofbeats ascending the Ridge, immediately alarmed. They were still far away, but whomever was racing so fearfully through the jungle did not possess a stride that Faolain recognized. Could it be the newcomer?

Faolain took off in the direction of the sound. Cerauno was not difficult to find, and when she saw him she did not realize that he was asleep. What was he running from? She knew there were jaguars in the trees, but they usually screamed as they chased their prey. Maybe he had smelled one before it saw him and panicked. ”Cerauno,” she barked as he galloped towards her. ”Stop running, you will go off the cliff.” But he didn’t seem to hear her. In an instant he had raced past her, and Faolain herself began to feel panic prickling at the edges of her throat. She had to act fast.

Cerauno was not a slow horse, but neither was Faolain, and Faolain had the advantage of a calm mind and familiarity within her own home. She caught up quickly, running alongside the newcomer for a few wild paces until she saw her opportunity: a log on Cerauno’s other side, high enough to trip him but not so high that he would hit himself in the chest. Faolain slammed herself into him, but at the speed they were racing it did little to alter the stallion’s path. Faolain’s heart dropped, but she did not have time to think. Instead of the log, the black ‘Teke leaped forward and threw herself in front of the stallion, causing them both to tumble violently through the thick undergrowth.

She could only hope it was enough to bring the dun out of his panic. Faolain’s body was dragged through the foliage until she came to a hammering stop. Luckily, the dense vegetation had cushioned her fall, and she struggled to her feet with a hiss of pain and effort. The black mare swore under her breath, then limped forward to see what had become of Cerauno.