Despite his initial annoyance at the colt's poorly-timed appearance, Volterra cannot help the surge of protective anger that spasms through him as the boy mentions something trying to kill him. If there is one thing the monolithic Gladiator cannot stand, it is child murderers. "You are safe now. The monster will not harm you with us here." Already confident on the battlefield, Volterra knows that a possible threat towards a foal would only add greater force to each colossal blow that he lands upon this would-be monster.

He looks back to the mare, who reveals that she comes from a hot land. She would be perfect for the Throat, then. Being black, the beast suffers more than most, and the scorching Throat sun sometimes borders on the unbearable. Of all the lands that he could have chosen to live in, he would not have picked the hottest, but alas, fate led him in a direction that his heat-hating body could not resist.

The behemoth is somewhat crestfallen as the mare and boy seem to bond over a land named Dorobo, which Volterra locks away in the back of his mind to be remembered later. It will be most embarrassing if he loses out on a potential recruit to a mere child, and it takes a lot of effort for him to not eyeball the colt with distaste. The mare compliments his name, which somewhat eases his wounded pride, and he makes sure to draw himself to his full height in order to display every rippling muscle beneath his obsidian hide.

She then asks a rather interesting question - if she will be allowed to see if she wishes to join the Throat, before actually joining. Truthfully, the stallion does not know the answer. He is still new to herd politics, and has no idea whether it is considered good etiquette to allow a complete stranger to look around the land before deciding to join. What if she is a spy, and he unwittingly offers her insight into the Throat's defences? What if she has a band of rogues just waiting to invade?

Let them try, thinks the young warlord.

"I don't see why not," he rumbles. The mare then asks if the place the colt mentions is real, and the giant racks his brains to think if he's heard of it before. He only knows of the Throat - his home -, the Falls - where Isopia lead him to her clearing - and the Basin - taught to him by his mother. "I believe it is one of the herds, although I am unsure of which direction it lays in." He's sure the boy will be able to lead them, however. "This land is known as Helovia, and we are in its Threshold." He fixes the woman with his crimson gaze, eager to answer any questions she may have.