Mouse was no stranger to the loneliness the mountaintop often offered. Indeed, she spent most of her time here alone, save for the presence of her daughter. In the beginning, the solitude was welcome so she was able to remember what she needed to. However, now that she had hit a block in her mind yet again, she wished for more company to give her something else to think about. To be sure, a peaceful existence was what she desired, but others to share it with would be most welcome and she would certainly not force her daughter to stay forever.

It had seemed as though she had found quite a rather sizable group of other who had similar interests and wished to live peacefully atop the mountain; but they were gone. Now it was Mouse, Osprey, and the splashed mare that were left to rebuild the peak herd. The grulla wondered what had happened to the rest of them; the other black dun and her daughter, the large bay draft who had disappeared first, and she even wondered about and longed for the company of Anath. There were more, of course, but these are the people that came to her mind first. They were the most memorable besides Impa, her friend who had led her here.

She held on to a shred of hope that the other women were around as the mare introduced herself as Irvosat. As the palomino smiled, Osprey took a few steps forward to stand close to her mother once more, though she returned the smile with a soft grin of her own.

The moment Irvosat’s face became confused was when Mouse knew there was no hope left. They were alone. Briefly she wondered who the mare was that had been stolen. It could have been someone she knew, though there were a few unfamiliar faces before the stranger had breached the boundary; therefore, she could not be certain who had been stolen and won back. The little mare nodded, and a bitter sort of smile appeared upon her lips. “Well, it is just the three of us then; I regret that you never met the others.” She hesitated, just for a moment, unsure how to address the fight to which Irvosat had hinted. “Also, your efforts to retrieve one of our own are appreciated, and I hope that she will choose to join us again soon.”