"If you swim across and find-"

"I’m not swimming!"

"You can swim better than me!"

"Who said that?!"

Sacre snorted at the fox and dropped the matter. The damning fact was Sacre wasn’t sure how far across the sea it would be, even if Inari had agreed, the boy probably would have stopped him in the end. Still, he didn’t know what else to do other than wait for someone to notice him and open the bridge for him. If only life wouldn’t have sent him away on a mission, a matter of compassion for his sister who didn’t know… If only mother hadn’t of died and left the world a little duller than before. Even his benevolent heart couldn’t find his sister to offer his condolences. He just hoped she wouldn’t find out second hand from a stranger. The boy’s thoughts were growing rather spiritless until his little red friend spoke up in his mind.

"A boat?"

"I can’t just make a boat?!" Sacre suddenly exclaimed. Boat… Inari sounded more desperate than him. Or was he? "No, there’s a boat coming!" the vulpine stressed and Sacre’s expression turned incredulous "what?" he blurted as he turned to the sea to see the wooden object bobbing towards them. There really was a boat coming! Sacre watched it roll up against the shoreline with his face a concoction of surprise and disbelief. Had there always been a boat here? Aboard the wooden contraption was a mare sat more like dog than a horse and she had wings on her head. It looked quite cute really, nestled charmingly behind her silvery ears as her golden eyes with their red tint captured his attention along with her greeting. "Good morning" he returned, his voice wobbled a little as he took in the bizarre scene.

The boat bumped onto the shoreline and he watched as still she sat, seemingly unperturbed and he bared her examination willingly. Her voice was quite offhand as she offered him a key to get across the currently invisible bridge and Sacre was ready to jump on the opportunity until a realization seemed to strike the mare. 'No'- quite literally, she answered her own question for him and the boy watched her, holding his tongue as his expression became puzzled. He noted her sit up quite suddenly, like a guard dog, and her voice tightened somewhat or, well, more stern than her casual tone before. It was almost like she’d instinctively gone to help him before remembering she wasn’t meant to. In the end, it made the red stained boy smile brightly.

His boyish grin filled his face as he exuberantly proffered his head to begin his introductions "I’m Sacre! These two are Inari and Ríona" he nodded to each fox in turn before considering his business. "I’m from here! I went on a mission that took me away for a while and now I’ve returned-" he paused a moment, he didn’t really have anything on him to prove his identity. Though he was sure there were others in the desert land who would recognize him "I’m a crafter. That key you almost offered me, it opens a magical bridge right?" He smiled a bit more "I made that key- oh well, I made some of them maybe not that key specifically… But, what I mean is, we’re herd mates!" As always, his mouth ran away with him.

He paused again, looking at the boat and then back to the tiger striped mare who jolted along with it. Each time Sacre almost crept forward as if he was going to somehow catch her should she fall, but the tiny winged girl seemed to sit there sturdy enough. "I like your boat! Who are you?"

@[Maren]