Sciannath was accustomed to his sire’s inexplicable absences, but today was different.

Old enough now that he was free to wander the Peak’s border without an escort, the blue colt had visited every one of Rade’s favorite haunts in search of the golden stallion. They had never developed a bond of affection such as the one he shared with his adoptive dam, or Claudya - but the boy’s father had slowly become someone he could share his secrets and his deepest thoughts with. And in turn, his father had come to tread Sciannath as the adult he was slowly becoming. Rade shared his insights and his wisdom without pressing, allowing the child he’d sired to either heed the mistakes he’d already made… or repeat them, and learn the lesson on a more personal level. When couple with the firm guidance - and subtle affection - that Adelheid had raised him with, it served to give Sciannath a level of confidence and independence that few of his age achieved. He even knew what he wanted out of the nebulous future that he faced.

But the thought of leaving the Peak - of leaving the woman who had raised him - still felt like a betrayal. And deep down, he worried that the black mare might feel the same way. That she would be angry - or worse, hurt that he wanted to join a bachelor herd.

At first, even Sciannath had shied from the idea. There were few secrets in the Peak, and Adelheid was not one to shelter her children from the truth in any case. The roan colt knew that the captives in the Vulcans’ land had once belonged to the Lagoon herd. He knew, too, that their leader had killed Wasp, who had once led the sisterhood. But when he watched from a distance, they hadn’t seemed cruel. And when he’d spoken to Rade, the palomino stallion had spent the entirety of an afternoon sharing what he knew of the Lagoon’s history - and what he dreamed of for its future. With that vision, Sciannath’s perspective had shifted. A bachelor herd was a good thing - or it least, it was supposed to be. There, young boys could learn the skills they would need when they were grown, and older stallions who did not fit the traditional mold could find a place to live.

But darkness could be found everywhere, Rade had explained - and worse, it could spread.

It hadn’t been until later that the aging stallion had shared more. That he had told Sciannath of his own darkness, and some of the regrets that plagued him to this day. The blue roan had only listened in thoughtful silence, offering neither comfort nor condemnation until his father spoke no more. Then, he’d only touched his dark muzzle to Rade’s scarred shoulder, and said - But you’re not truly bad. Not like Cullen.

To this day, he didn’t know why this had only seemed to increase the palomino’s strange sadness.

In any case, Sciannath had thought that Rade might be able to help him explain why he wanted to leave in a way that would keep Adelheid and Claudya from being unhappy. So he looked everywhere, and - when his search turned up nothing but a trail that led beyond the Peak’s borders - decided to risk his mother’s wrath to follow it. The trail led him south, following first the winding path of a stream and then the broad curve of the island’s shore. And then, at the periphery of a vast meadow filled with his own kind, he lost it. Whether it was the multitude of other scents that criss-crossed over it, Sciannath couldn’t say - but he had come too far to be deterred. Instead of turning back, the blue roan colt chose to continue south - crossing unknowingly into the boundaries of the Lagoon.

At first it was fun to explore, but in the absence of his bright-natured sister, the eternal twilight that existed beneath the densely-packed trees heightened his fear. Having paused to drink deeply from a pool of clear water, he froze at the sound of a body moving through the thicket nearby. “H-hello?” He called out tentatively, tensing his little body in preparation to flee. “Who’s there?”

Oh, he hoped it wasn't a wolf. Around the time he was weaned, he'd wanted nothing more than to see one - but that was before Adelheid had told him about the pack she'd have to fight away from a young boy who'd wandered into the Peak. They'd eat him whole, she'd told him when he begged to go.

And when they were done, they'd spit out his bones for her to find.