Over the course of their journey Alleo noted a change in Rasta's body language. For having a full night of sleep she seemed to be getting tired quickly and when her coughing started he grew concerned. Occasionally he would glance at her and watch her, nothing the changes in her breathing and the expressions that crossed her face. He suspected that the mare was beginning to get sick from the combination of the cold water, the cool night air, and her very thin pelt. For being a protector he certainly wasn't doing a very good job of it so far. Only a day and Rasta was already getting sick, but luckily they were heading to the Foothills where his sister was a very capable leader and would be able to heal her quickly.

There was a fear, though, in the back of his mind that she would get as sick as he had when he'd been young and forced into the water in the dead of winter.

He asked if she was okay and she shook her head, which made Alleo stop and touch his muzzle against her neck. He was feeling for a rising body temperature and he thought that she felt a touch warmer than she had during the night, but there was no way for him to be sure. He was a fighter, not a medic. He knew how to break bones, how to shred muscle, snap ligaments and tendons, crush skulls, and completely batter a body until the owner of it was unable to rise and continue to fight. What did he know about healing?

Zero. Zip. Zilch. Squat.

The first and foremost thing on his mind when they finally made it into the Foothills was to find a healer for the mare he'd brought with him, but he took the time to welcome her to his home and ask her if she wanted to stay until Tallsun. She lipped at his side and he reached to touch his muzzle to her cheek. "You'll stay with me." He said, finally understanding what she meant by lipping his side everytime he mentioned the Foothills. "I'll keep you safe." There weren't many in the Foothills that he felt would pose a threat to Rasta, but there were the warriors who took their jobs as seriously as he did. When they scented an outsider they would track her and if they found her alone she would be run out of the Foothills. "Stay close to me."

The way her body trembled when she coughed led to Alleo stepping forward, his neck reaching to lay across her back and pull her to his chest until her trembling stopped. "My sister is a healer here." He said matter-of-factly. "We'll have to see her about soon before you get too sick." He wondered what Lakota would say about him bringing another mare into the Foothills, but this one smelling of the Throat and clearly clinging to him like a lost pup.

"."