Ashamin was not stupid. Though perhaps the winged mare might take his response as misunderstanding, it was dripping with understanding. Had she lost her way or not, it was easy enough to figure out where a turn went wrong, here in the unbroken north. No trees obscured the sightline--the only trees were those surrounding the Basin, the very clearly a home Basin, and whether a stranger had known this valley housed warriors, whether they knew it housed anyone at all, surely they could see the dividing line between it and the rest of the steppe.

So, Ashamin was kind. He was polite and he was generous, and he created for them all a lessening of tension with a ruse. Her acceptance of his explanation was, in the buck's eyes, an agreement of his terms. If she was to agree to them, then surely she would agree, too, to the ones to follow.

But before Ashamin had a chance to speak, the corporal at his side, who had greeted him with the same gentleness and the whisper of his name, butted in. Having arrived too late to witness the dark winged mare's flippant response, his corporal's attitude seemed unwarranted. Then again, she was the one who had ascended the ranks of the warrior class, and he had retreated to a cave with a tall, empty mirror. Perhaps it did him well to shut up and listen to her.

And so the buck did, swiveling his ears with his tail and letting the latter move to rest reassuringly along the back of his corporal. It was an intimacy perhaps unearned, but one that Ashamin would always offer. He stepped forward when Ki'irha finished, his deep black eyes holding no emotion, blinking slowly. Though it was clear to him, at least, that Ki'ir was lying through her teeth, he knew better than to contradict her. After all, though his cave was open to all members of the herd, the pegasus was not one. And Ki'irha's intentions were noble, she was protecting her herd. What harm was a lie for that reason?

Ashamin nodded in careful agreement, looking sidelong at the corporal once and then turning to try and catch the gaze of the still-wheeling trespasser. "My comrade," the painted buck began, the word feeling strange as it fell away from his lips, "is correct. I am afraid we are unable to house you this night." His tone was even and steady--controlled, even in his exhausted state. The stallion shifted his weight to his left, giving his weaker leg a break. It had been unintentionally tense, now, he noticed, for too long.


He wasn't sure he trusted the mare to venture away on her own. He did not know his herdmate very well but he knew that she must have been skilled enough to gain rank, and Ashamin respected that in her. If she was this hostile, then surely there was a reason. "There are caves outside the border--though it is late, I find myself quite awake and I am able to escort you." Ashamin watched her carefully, and turned to Ki'irha to offer that she join him, silently. The border was close, and he was suddenly thankful that his cave was not farther north. From here, he could protect. "They are not far," he added, masking his concern well. Would she try to insist they not follow her?

Did she really think she could get away with that?


[[@[Shadow], @[Ki'irha].]]

Ashamin