Ann gave Riala a small sardonic smile. "Acting defeated already? That's not like you, is it? What happened to the fierce girl that almost took my life back in the plains? Don't tell me that this false honor circle succeeded in killing her and all I have left as company for this journey is her shadow." He reached to poke her in the shoulder, prodding her as he'd do his younger siblings when he was teasing them. "You never know until you try. Can you really live with yourself never knowing Lani's fate?"
Ann shifted, rising to a crouch as he put his half-chewed root back into his pack and rose, stretching. He lifted his arms above his head, spread all his fingers, and arched backwards as if he were a bird spreading his wings, his eyes closing halfway as he did. There were a few pops in his lower spine, and then he rightened himself, shaking out his body before he brushed the grass and dirt off his rear. He turned his gaze to the sky, watching as the sinking sun began to throw the evening colors into sharp relief.
"And so maybe we don't find her. Maybe she's beyond our reach. But in that journey, we might discover that the plains are no longer for us. Maybe we'll discover that our place is in the world out there beyond tribes and duty and the tenets of our people." Ann held out his hand as Ma'akéné approached, and ran his palm over her velvet nose. "But say we do. Say we find Lani. What if she doesn't want to come back with us? What if she doesn't want to leave whatever life she's found in Essyrn? Maybe she's no longer a slave. Maybe she's a queen. Maybe she's the leader of her own band of raiders. Maybe she's turned her back on the land and has gone to sea."
He lowered his voice then as he pressed his forehead against his four-footed sister's, looking into her dark eyes. "But... unless we try, we won't know. Unless we discover the answer for ourselves, we won't be satisfied."
Ann turned his head then, looking at Riala, a smile on his face and his eyes bright. "You said the Horse Lords may not exist anymore, but what if you're wrong? What if they've been guiding you this entire time, and now have decided you're ready to take this journey? What if they've been talking to you this entire time, and you've just decided not to listen?"
He moved then to swing up onto Ma'akéné's back without waiting for Riala to answer and the mare tossed her head, snorting at Ortec as she passed, keeping to a slow walk so the stallion and his sister could easily catch up to them.