Charred ears tilted slightly as they caught the words the unicorn steed, the waters of Mirage's mind slowly becoming clearer as thought processes continued chewing the implications. The sedatives seemed to slow her mind to, but as they wore off, as standing became more bearable, the speed at which she as able to process her thoughts seemed to increase, to slowly return to normal.

It was puzzling at first, that the stallion would steal her to gain esteem amongst a crowd of unicorns whose beliefs he did not share. The mare had to wonder, if he had met herself, or another from the Qian first, would he still have turned to his own kind, to the group of outcasts who promised nothing more than a united front against anything without a horn?

This was, of course, assuming that the stallion spoke the truth, just as Mirage was speaking the truth. Could they both have been lying, to each other, to themselves? No, there was one thing Mirage was not, and that was a liar. Though it was comforting in its way, how the stallion seemed to wish no harm upon her, he still had been the one to capture her, to thrust her in the hands of this new land, to guard her, stop her from leaving as she wished. Why? Did he not realise that in everything, he had a choice? He could choose to release her, to prevent the harm that would surely scar her when his herdmates arrived.

He apologised, and this was yet another twisted piece thrust into this messy, undone puzzle. Eyes of liquid gold refocussed upon him, this time they softened, the compassion and kindness that usually beheld them finally breaking through the mask of indifference she wore. There was a sadness present too, one that spoke of different circumstances, of a chance where something akin to friendship might have been forged between the dun and the black.

The expression was short-lived however, and did not venture past her soulful eyes. In that glance she shared with him, she tried to communicate that she did not blame him for what he did - he was only acting on what he thought was right - just as she was.

"It is curious, that I should come to like and respect the one who captures me, as if they are but another comrade, performing his tasks with efficiency, acting upon what he believes in." Her words were thoughtful, her expression faraway. It was as her eyes peered at he horizon once more that the inky mass, a dark bird, dived down to the trees. Akaith, with her sharp, predators gaze, tracked it keenly.

A call, a bird-like summon, rang from her maw then, a near-perfect imitation of a hawk of that size. Mirage's ear instinctively flattened against the call, for it came from the dragon upon her back, loud and clear. Being unconnected to the gold, she had no idea what information she had gleamed from the sight of the dark bird. For all Mirage knew, it was just another bird, one that Akaith had taken a fancy to hunting.

But the dragon did nothing more after her call, besides a simpering whine as she resettled atop her bonded's nape. How frustrating. Mirage could only think, before she allowed her attention to float back to the stallion, whose name she still did not know.

"They obviously have faith in your abilities to keep me captive. Surely you deserve more recognition for successfully holding the one who leads the World's Edge?" It was a compliment, in a way. He had hinted in everything he spoke that he felt distant from the beliefs of the rest of his herd. Why was it that he worried so much about what others thought?

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