What in the actual fuck.

Those were the only words that had managed to come to her startled mind when the black stallion appeared from what seemed like nowhere. Literally, one minute she was enjoying a few hours of Raegar to herself, and then suddenly he appears. Like a wraith from the shadows, he manifests from the growing shadows that surround the canyon walls. He wastes no time in buffaloing his way between herself and Raegar with hard bites and determined shoves. Golden ears lace tightly to her skull as bewildered, she finds herself utterly shoved into the warm surf. There was no discussing the matter, no arguing or fighting the brute off. He is relentless in his pursuit, ignorant to her screams of rage and fury as his blunt teeth nip and scratch at her rump if she dared to stray from the path he set before her. ’ Why? Was Raegar okay? What happened? Why? ’ Again and again she is plagued with the questions but the swelling surf that rises around her throat silences her voice. This is the first time she has ever attempted to swim deeper than the shallow waters that surround the Badlands. She did not dare risk inhaling any more seawater than what already coated her tongue.

Fear is something foreign to her, an emotion that she has never faced in the Badlands. Like the prickling of cool rain on her skin, it begins to grow, coursing down her spine until even her long legs feel the shivering effects. This was not safe. She was not safe. Sure there were dangers in the form of vipers and scorpions that sought the same protection from the harsh sun’s rays the herd sought, but always Raegar had been there to protect her. Always. Glancing back across the foam-flecked sea, there is not even a sign of Salem’s familiar shores. Raegar was not here. For the first time in her young life, Amaris is on her own. No Raegar. No Ayiana. Not even a grumpy Rafe standing watchful in the background. Everything familiar to her is gone. A small whimper hangs in her throat as she silences the sorrowful scream that tries to escape. The small child in her wants to call for her mother, to call for Raegar in hopes that somehow the two would hear her plea and come running to comfort her as they had always done. She wants to feel the familiar warmth of Ayiana’s sleek buttermilk skin and envelop herself in the comforting scent of Raegar’s muscular shoulder. But that is not the cards dealt to her now.

Ears snatch backward against her crown as the obsidian stallion moves in her peripheral. Finely dished head turns to let her own dark gaze seek him out, a snarl of anger curling across her lips. He makes a move towards her and she jerks away from him, prancing gracelessly through the white-capped waves and onto the dark shores beyond the reach of salt water. Droplets of water drip from her belly, brow, and chin but she does not dare to shake herself dry yet. She did not want to give the beast any indication that she planned on staying here very long.

Once more her gaze seeks his broad figure, the golden curve of her throat bent protectively as she stomps a single striped hoof against the rocks and exhales a hard snort. She was pissed and he damn well would know it.