Movement caught his eye and Collision's breath caught in his throat as he watched the familiar form of Shenzi move over the dunes and toward them. She looked healthy, her brown coat glowing in the sun as she glided over the shifting sands. Swallowing, he lowered his head in greeting to the mare he called friend, his ears pricking to hear the words she said but his brows furrowed in confusion at the meaning. She must speak a differant language, perhaps something the golden bay stallion across from him understood? He looked to Maslakhat as if for answers but was unsure if he'd find any. It might be some kind of inside joke between them or something. When she stalked toward him with intention, Collision braced when she lunged, but only felt her lips brush his shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise, but his face softened as he breathed in her familiar scent. She was really here and she was okay. That was all that really mattered.

She finally spoke in words he understood and Collision lowered his head in shame, his ears folding back as he scowled. "I'm sorry. I tried to get here as quickly as I could. You're a hard mare to track." He added on, wishing it could sound more playful but instead it only made him feel more bitter that she was tossed around like a prize instead of choosing her own path. As Shenzi looked to Maslakhat, it was like some kind of inner dialogue between them, some silent conversation he couldn't hope to follow. Collision let out a soft sigh, his chest feeling lighter in the hopes that at least Shenzi had found a place she felt like she belonged and was safe. It was all he could have hoped for and more. When the barb mare finally turned back to him, she said she was glad to see he lived and Collision offered a small smirk. "Yes, still breathing." He agreed. She spoke again in the language he didn't understand and his ears flicked back and forth uncertainly, watching as she turned once more away, looking over the sands that surrounded them.

As she looked back to him, her gaze held a new intensity to it and Collision lifted his head in curiosity, his ears pricked at this new side of her he'd only gotten glimpses of in the past. She pointed out that he wasn't hurt and he shook his head. "No, I managed to stay unharmed. You were right, Shenzi. I should not have gone to war...but I'm glad I did." He added on, wanting to let that sink in before he told her why. She then asked what happened and he swallowed and sighed. "It's a long story, but I'll try to skip the boring parts." He said with a glance between her and Maslakhat. "I went to Luthien to join the war and when I got there, it was chaos. I went looking for someone to help and that's when I came across a stallion called Kendry." He searched his friend's features, looking for recognition before he continued. "Kendry was helping the forest and he looked to me as an enemy so he attacked, but we came to an understanding. We found out that we had a friend in common, someone with much better sense than either of us had." He added with a small smirk and a twinkle in his eyes as he looked to Shenzi.

"In the end, we parted as allies and I told Kendry I would meet up with him again, once I returned to the Lagoon to find you." Here, his face sobered, his eyes growing soft and full of guilt once more as he looked to Shenzi for forgiveness. "I came back for you. I was going to take you away from there, but the peak had challenged and won, taking lagoon stallions as captives. I was taken before I could find you." He scowled as he looked away for a moment, trying to hide the anger in his eyes as he thought again of what he'd learned when he went to the peak. "When I arrived in the peak, I meant to find someone and explain, hoping maybe they'd show mercy and allow me to go back to get you, but I ran into another lagoon stallion first, Noctis." He all but growled the name even as he watched her face for a reaction as well. Knowing what the stallion had done still grated on him. "Noctis told me that he caught you trying to escape and traded you to Solomon in the cove. I...I can't begin to tell you what I felt hearing those words, hearing how badly I'd failed you. I should have been there, Shenzi. I'm so sorry." His ears folded back as he spoke, wanting her to know of his genuine guilt before he took a deep breath and continued.

"I was in the peak for some time. I should have tried harder to escape, but I'll admit to weakness. I met someone there and she showed me around. Finally, I met with a ranked mare named Bozena and she granted me my freedom after I explained the situation. I went straight to the cove and spoke with Solomon, who told me you were brought to the dunes under the care of Maslakhat." He dipped his head respectfully to the bay stallion when he said his name. "Then I came straight here. I'm sorry it took so long. I'm sorry I failed you in the lagoon. I only wanted to make sure you were okay. I had to know you were safe." He searched her face now for answers. He didn't know what he'd find, but he knew he would take everything she threw at him because he deserved it.