What if searching for the creatures alone would prove more profitable, what if letting the other lead was a mistake, what if she would swell up with the urge to leave all she was coming to know behind just as she had each time before, and the world would swallow her whole to bring her to a fresh place even though she had just arrived to one, would those things make her abandon another land where she was finding a corner to settle into, another equine who would take her in to keep her mind from shredding its edges as the stallion had done? But no, she could not move away from one who also suffered tragedies that showed different symptoms, she would not allow solitude to hold its claim over her again, not when another would put her before herself, not when she wasn't bathed in the moon's glow but graced with the sun's touch this time, when she might have had a chance this time, maybe this would be her time.

...

Understanding of Kahlua's troubles would never be something for Maat to come by, never an idea she would be able to grasp. The entire concept of love seemed to have been wiped from her existence, the simple vocabulary a word she didn't know. Yet it could not be something taught, for her parents loved her well enough and perhaps even that stallion did too but it was all wasted on her. She could not return the favor and experienced proved it was not possible to instill in her.
That was why she hunted those ghosts however, for she could feel the immobile hand on her clock while the remaining two ticked on. She felt rooted even though she was never still. The bewilderment upon the other was clear when she spoke her sentiment, but she couldn't explain herself any further--she knew she couldn't lose anything she didn't own from the start. She was helpless to give the mare any sense of relief.

A slight nod in acceptance displaced the bald face; it was dawning on her that things with this paint were more complicated than they originally appeared. She knew not of even to whom she spoke, wasn't aware that she was in the presence of a leading figure. Yet their simple interactions told her the girl was no different from the rest and it snuffed out Maat's sense of desperation long enough to almost make her forget her purpose. "That sounds like an acceptable compromise, I am indebted to your kindness," and perhaps the faintest trace of a smile drew her lips upward.
With names to memorize now, she had something to preoccupy her quivering attention while waiting for the ghosts to make themselves seen one more. Kahlua's land seemed almost ironic to her--the place she would make a nest in--as on edge was the only thing she knew how to be. But if things really were different this time, maybe that would change too. It was with ambling limbs that Maat followed alongside, tranquil for once in her world of chaos. She wasn't sure if mindless chatter was what the paint preferred, or to listen to the lyrics nature spoke to them. She thought of taking a chance, though, if only to figure out the ways of the one who found her. "Your troubles can't be run from. They are faster and only wear upon your heart," though it was soft spoken, not chiding, as if she were talking about her own experiences.