Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Early afternoon, I think," Nova answered. She glanced toward the cave enterence, which now loomed ahead. She had to squint when she looked at the sky, though she had only been in the caves for a few hours. She imagined it was a hundred times worse for Duga. "At least, I think it's early. I came into the caves shortly after dawn, and the sun's moved a good distance since then. Oh..." Nova hesitated when she realized a flaw with her plan. Maybe it would have been better to keep Duga in the caves until the sun went down. "Um, did you want to wait until nightfall? I could run and get you something to eat... but we're almost at the exit. Waiting now would probably mean going backwards..."

"A cave in?" Nova winced. Another thing she hadn't considered well enough before she entered the tunnels. "I don't think these tunnels are that unstable. At least, we haven't had any earthquakes or anything that mind indicate that... did you see many cave ins while you were down here?"

"Almost there," Nova promised. "Just another couple steps." She eased Duga forward those couple of steps and blinked away the bright spots as they finally stepped out into the daylight. "We're outside... can you feel that?"

Nova did her best to ease Duga's way to the ground, or at the very least make sure Duga didn't hurt herself when she fell. When the other mare asked to rest, she nodded. "Yeah, of course, resting is good. We'll rest for as long as you need. What can I do for you?" Nova couldn't help but fuss over the mare. Now that she could actually see her in the light of day, she could see just how filthy Duga was. Either the other mare was black covered in brown markings, or she was in serious need of a bath. Nova considered asking, just to satisfy her curiosity, but decided not to. That would be rude.

"It's about ten minutes away," Nova answered, hesitantly. "Maybe you should stay here for a bit. I could run there and come back with some fruit. Or I can forage around here a bit and get something. You probably shouldn't eat too much all at once anyway." That actually seemed like a great idea. She could get a little bit, Duga could eat a little bit, and they could rest here until Duga was ready to move again. Still, she had the feeling that Duga didn't like having decisions made for her, so Nova waited for an answer before moving.

Hearing the grumble, Nova grinned a bit. she quickly tried to wipe the expression away, just in case Duga didn't appreciate being laughed at. Not that Nova was laughing at her, but she knew how defensive people could get, and she still didn't know Duga very well. "I'll get some things for you to nibble on. Do you like berries? I'm pretty sure there's a patch of some good ones nearby. Wait here." She bounded off before Duga could answer, glad to have a goal now.

Nova wasn't gone for more than ten minutes. Maybe fifteen. She was careful to gather as many berries as she could carry, and only the freshest and best she could find. Hopefully, the rich flavors wouldn't bother Duga too much. Nova wasn't certain what a sick person could handle. Though... did someone who was light sensitive and near starving considered sick? Nova rather thought that they would. But she always considered a sick person to be someone who simply wasn't healthy, and near starving certainly didn't count as healthy. So, what was she supposed to feed a sick person? She pondered that as she rushed back to Duga with her bounty. If this didn't make her feel better, then Nova would just go try to find something else. When she returned to find Duga dozing, she hesitated. As quietly as she could, she set the berries where Duga would be able to see them when she woke. Assuming she could open her eyes, at least. That done, she settled down to watch over the other mare.

"I'm here," Nova assured her, quickly. She tried to keep her voice gentle, in case Duga was half asleep. She had heard of sleepwalkers before, mostly from Akis. They weren't always aware of what was going on and, according to Akis, it was a bad idea to wake them abruptly. Nova did notice the lovely golden color of Duga's eyes, though they were unfocused. "I brought you some food... are you up to eating?"