Desert

Some time after Chelle had been taken, Cerosi sent Kára and Zhemira off to play, and sought out Cain. She wasn’t worried about him; he was strong, and she knew he would be okay, but she didn’t like seeing him hurt. Cerosi had followed the politics of leadership from a distance, and though she didn’t participate, she had a general idea of the feuds of which Cain was a part. Primarily with Rougaru, Cerosi knew. She had never met the Paradise stallion, but this wasn’t the first time he had gotten caught up with Cain’s herd, and Cerosi felt a deep disdain for the stranger and his preference for meddling in the affairs of a family that did no one any harm.

”Cain?” she breathed into the pale morning air. It was still early morning, that time only young children and those with something on their mind were awake. ”I can’t sleep. Do you want to walk with me?”

She waited a moment for his answer before turning and padding softly away toward the beach. The world was quiet except for the soft whispering of the waves, and Cerosi walked along the edge of the water where the sand was dark and heavy, and the waves slipped up every few seconds to wash over her hooves. The silence was a rare occurrence for Cerosi, and she cherished it for a while, not wanting to speak up and break it. She wasn’t sure what to say, anyway; she didn't know if Cain even wanted to be comforted about Chelle, or if he would just prefer a distraction.

At this point, Cerosi knew Cain enough to understand that he always let the mares take the lead when it came to company. It had confused her for a long time, but she was catching on, and had come to appreciate it, although she was particularly bad at taking the lead herself. Still, she was getting better; practice makes perfect. She stopped in the sand, enjoying the cool water that swirled around her hooves. She still didn’t know what to say, so she kept quiet, but she turned to Cain and began to scrape her teeth gently down the line of his withers.