The mare seems shocked at my offer, so much so that I am forced to consider if I have gone so far. I have little experience with sisterhood or true herd life, and so I am not really certain if I have gravely overstepped in some fashion. In hindsight, there is a part of me that wishes someone had been there when Caine was born, if only to keep an eye out for him in case the worst happened to me.

Luckily, the white-faced mare seems to gather herself and responds positively to my offer and I let out the breath I'd been holding. Guard duty I could manage. I nod briefly, affirming my offer, and then find myself stiffening again as her gratitude spills over me. It is... a lot to take in, and it takes a moment for me to adjust from wide-eyed surprise and stiffness to tentatively leaning into the embrace.

"Of course I would. We're family now, in a way." I murmur, trying to deflect slightly as I shift on my dark hooves. She asks for my name then and this time I do laugh - a genuine, stress-relieving giggle that bursts out of me without warning.

"Sorry, of course. I'm Avarice. And what was your name?" I twist my ears toward her again, relishing in the new feeling of lightness. I don't know that I would call this friendship yet, but it was beginning to look suspiciously like the start of one, and it made me feel... good. Even though she held some of my mate's affection. Even though she might carry his child. Even though.

"Do you want to stay here or would you like to go home?" This question was more hesitant as I wasn't sure what it was she wanted. It made me anxious to be in a territory I did not know, among leaders I was not familiar with, but this wasn't just my decision either.