"Kiddo, you can do what you want, but so can other people. Do you want to ride and leave my horse alone, or stay here?"

"Nooooo!"

She leaves.

Segda chases her but can't keep up.

Leaving a kid alone even in relatively hazardless woods is a bad idea. She can't have a travelling companion who refuses not to harass her horse, though. She picks up the pace for the rest of the way to Ninpai, murmuring at her horse apologetically.

"COME BAAAAAAACK," Segda yells after her faintly.

Nope.Are they selling eggs in Ninpai?

Sure.

She'll buy a bunch and then retrace her steps.

Segda's not right where she left it but it's not hard to find. Up a tree picking apart a pinecone.

"I got you some eggs." She dismounts to find a place to set them down.

Segda scurries down the tree. Cracks open eggs and eats them raw.

"You okay?"

Segda doesn't answer her.

She'll wait a bit.

Segda eats five eggs and then stops.

"Okay. I think we have a couple options. One, you can walk with me to Yarisong. Two, you can ride if you don't hurt my horse. Three, I can leave these eggs here and go to Yarisong myself. Which of those sounds best?"

"I want to ride the horse."

"I like that one best too, but I'm worried you'll keep hurting her and then I'll have to leave without you again."

Segda blinks up at Iris.

"Is that confusing?"

"No."

"Do you think that'll happen?"

"No."

She picks her up and puts her on the horse.