Everything appeared to happen quite quickly around the trotter. The winged stallion turned to leave as simply as if he were merely a passing phantasm, drifting in and out of their lives, of their consciousness. Fence let distraction overtake him and let his gaze drift as the mare, the supposed object of his attentions, was overshadowed by the parting stallion and his splendor. He had an interesting technique, that one; Lev was left curious about what else the bay might have had to say. And his wings—shifted in such a way that Fence couldn't ever picture him taking wing.

There was something truly sorrowful about the gentle heart, Fence thought with a sigh.

But soon he returned to his duty and the lost mare who sought shelter. His blue gaze sought her mis-matched one, and in silence he reached out to her. Emotionally, that is. He knew better than to dare brush her side as confidently as he had Emerson's, and for some reason he lacked the strong desire to. He watched with warm confidence as the forest mare wandered closer to him and away from the white assassin, who still prattled on foolishly. He no longer acknowledged her; apparently she didn't understand that this was a battle she'd lost hope of winning.

And just as Fence parted his lips as if to speak, another stallion arrived. This one was stranger, darker than Thor, but still smelling of the same herdland. Everything about him screamed a threat to Fence. The way he spoke, alone—the manner in which he responded to and warped the newcomer's questions—put Fence at ill ease. Protectively, he stepped before the peculiar mare whose interest in the Foothills seemed to be growing.

"She'll find company and safety just fine in the Foothills, sir," he said, his voice taking on a sharper edge reminiscent of an older, long lost Fence. He turned to the strange mare, his focus clear and his voice firmly supportive. "A home you shall find, miss. Come, the nights grow dark early this time of the year, and it would be best to reach the Foothills before dark."

His ears flicked forward again; he hadn't even noticed them pull back as the strange pegasus appeared. He needn't stay much longer here, not if the mare had made up her mind. Slowly, he stepped forth towards home. Maybe, maybe she would follow. Maybe he would be the company she so desperately sought.