The dissolution of the recent meeting between the ladies of the Peak had left the grulla mare on edge. She lingered between the thick trunks of the mountainside, watching but making little noise. Coming to terms with the memories that had come back to her was difficult, especially since they were not yet quite clear. It frustrated her still that try as she might, her mind could not reach into her past to grasp the events leading up to her memory loss. Her time alone had been spent exercising her brain, straining to clarify the shadows that danced in her thoughts. Thus far she had failed.
Currently she surveyed her surroundings, pondering recent events. There was her first meeting with most of her fellow residents, of course, but she pushed that quickly from her mind. What preoccupied her for the moment was the painted male that had come to her several months before. Though she was aware of the scent that had pervaded the air around her, she had become lost in her thoughts and let her guard down. As a result, she had essentially invited the stranger to mount her. For weeks she had let herself believe that nothing would come of it, that she would not be saddled with the burden of raising a life on top of being lost in the world.
Yet as the days had passed, she felt different. It was not noticeable at first, but soon her appetite was near insatiable and her sides began to swell. Now, in the midst of winter, she was rather round and could feel the jerks and twitches within her. She wouldn’t admit it, but it scared her a bit to think of what childbirth and motherhood entailed. A sigh escaped her as she left the shelter of the trees briefly to walk along a snow-encrusted ridge. Her thickened coat made her seem even puffier as she strode along, the frost crackling underneath her hairy feet. Now that her nerves had settled, she was restless and craving company once more. Though she would not go near a group again too soon.
It was not long before a familiar sound reached her small ears that barely poked through her dark mane. Quickly, she wheeled around as best she could and set off at a brisk trot in the direction of what could only be her tall, blanketed friend. Though they had recently seen each other, it had been too long since they had really spoken. Perhaps Impa could give her some insight on her pregnancy. Although as the slate grey mare rounded a corner and finally caught sight of the draft, she could not imagine that Impa would have had much experience with children. She supposed time would tell.
In the meantime, she let out her own quiet greeting as she approached her friend from the left, tossing her black head as she bounced down a slight incline. Her spirits were high, for the cold gave her energy and as time passed here she grew more confident, at least in the absence of a crowd. ”Hey, Impa!” For the time being she kept her distance, cautiously aware of the fact that the other female had previously seemed to favor looking out of the opposite eye.