Somewhere in the deepening darkness something stirred, and the dark gray stallion warily approaching inhaled sharply, breath catching. But it was just the mare, liquid obsidian, streaked with stark white contrast, eyes like crystal pools of water. Mares always seemed so seamlessly elegant, graceful, moving with beauty and a liquid-like ease. Was it because of their gender? Did mothers have a secret way of teaching their fillies to move so? No, Isdira did not move like the ladies in Helovia.

Her horn seemed to flash in the light seeping into the cave from behind him, and he blinked, momentarily dumbstruck by the glitter. She had been in here for longer than Argetlam realized- several weeks by now, certainly. And she was round... very round, plump around the belly. The big-boned draft had never seen a pregnant mare before, perhaps due to his natural awkwardness. He never seemed to really notice small details like that. Normally his mind just revolved around metal. How to bend it, shape it, create it, mold it, sift it.

Isdira would've laughed at him, incredulous her brother was this thick-skulled, but the charcoal mare was not here. Besides, she would've been scolding him, no, swearing at him like hell, about abandoning family, dishonor, disgrace... Argetlam shook his head miserably, trying to push away the thoughts of running away, fleeing the anger of his family.

Surprisingly enough, the black mare remembered his name, and put it to him in question. Did Insanity send you? Insanity didn't have the authority to order him anywhere, although Argetlam would've have done it if she had asked politely anyways- but that was rather besides the point. Wasn't the slender shadow here? No? Huh. The dapple gray thought she would've been. "Oh, no, Delinne. I'm just... well..." What do I expect from her? "Two of the herd have been kidnapped, and I don't know what to do, and I don't know why I came here, maybe it's because you aren't involved in herd politics. What should I do, Delinne?" It all came rushing out of his mouth so quickly he was slightly dumbstruck, and it keep going on, until the flood died away and he stood there blinking like a deer caught in the headlights.