The last time we saw Ciri (Freya Allan) in The Witcher Season 3, she was sleeping peacefully in a little cabin in Loxia. Well, we hope she enjoyed her nap — because she’s going to need her strength come Volume 2, premiering July 27. Ciri is headed for the desert and, as an exclusive new clip reveals, she won’t be alone. 

Prepare to meet Little Horse, the cutest unicorn to ever hit the sand. 

In the video, Ciri hides among a pile of rocks, attempting to beat the heat. Fans of Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels, which inspired The Witcher, will recognize the harrowing setting from the book The Time of Contempt. 

Things start to look up once a majestic unicorn, whom Ciri calls Little Horse, neighs his way over to her. Ciri asks to pet her new desert companion. Not only because he’s adorable, but because it’s one of the few ways Ciri can convince herself she isn’t hallucinating in blistering isolation. You’ll have to watch the clip to find out if Little Horse is feeling friendly that day. 

While these circumstances are certainly dire for Ciri, her portrayer, Allan, laughed when reflecting on filming with Little Horse in Morocco. “[Production] was hysterical actually,” she told Tudum in April. “The horse’s trainers were obviously there to make sure it was doing the right thing, but it was actually a circus horse.” It took the full, concerted efforts of Allan, the horse trainers, and the Witcher directing team to depict Ciri’s initial encounter with her emotional support unicorn. 

“It was great acting with the unicorn,” Allan continued. “I love horses. I did some practice with the horse and laid out in the desert with it.” 

Although Allan enjoyed filming with her new equine friend, she also teased the emotional impact the desert would have on Ciri. The actor studied the chapter in The Time of Contempt that details her character’s journey to pull it all off. 

“It’s such an iconic moment in Ciri’s journey, it’s such a pivotal point. It’s actually one of the most important journeys I’ve had with the character,” she said. “No. 1: She has to survive. That makes her grow up in some ways. But also, the whole desert chapter is all about her trying to figure out herself.”

So who will Ciri become in the desert? And how did she even get there in the first place? Tune in to The Witcher Season 3, Volume 2 to find out.