There was a moment, a lull in their conversation where it wouldn’t have been abrupt for Impa to ask about the other mare’s lineage. Blankets were not all that common, as far as she was aware, and yet still Impa balked. It was not her place to ask. The answer would not change anything. Unless— But the moment had passed, and the half-blind mare stilled her swirling thoughts with a loose smile on her lips as her companion complimented her name and inquired about the Peak.

“Thank you,” she said. “I prefer it to the long version. I’ve been going by my nickname almost all of my life.” Just one more thing to separate herself from that wrong identity, that belief that she had been sired by an infallible stallion. And yet, what had he named her? A word that meant impatient. Impa couldn’t recall a day in her life she had been impatient. Impulsive, yes, but impatient? What about the last decade of her life?

Impa flared her nostrils but otherwise gave no outward sign of her mental distress. “It means that stallions are not welcome here, at least not without the express invitation of one of the women who live here. They may visit, but they may not take up permanent residence among us. Think of it as a bachelor herd, but for mares. A lot of us aren’t suited to typical herd life, and so we congregate here. It is also a refuge for mares who have been abused or mistreated.” Whether they believe it or not, she thought, and recalled the mare and her daughter who had resisted her help when she saved them, at least for a season, from the rapist who led their herd.

“Of course no one is beholden to remain here against their will.” Not unless I fight for their safety. “So you may stay for as long or as little as you like. All mares are welcome here, and our numbers tend to fluctuate quite a bit. Other than myself, a mare named Mouse and her daughter, Osprey, seem to be the only ones who’ve remained permanent fixtures on this mountain.” Impa’s smile widened, but it was tinged with regret. Mares did come and go, quite frequently, but few stayed long enough to integrate themselves into the Peak herd. She tilted her head to the left to view the other mare more fully with her good eye. “What will you do?”