Falls

It was breeding season once again, and the mares of the Prairie were casting off their children one by one. A few of them were pregnant again already and eager to begin conserving their milk once more; the others were just plain tired and had declared it time that the foals switched to grazing completely and permanently. The change was making some of the youngster’s grouchy, but with their burgeoning adolescence came a greater degree of independence and Valentine had agreed to escort them on visits to the Crossing whenever they wanted.

Today it was Foxglove’s and Firethorn’s turn, enthusiastic and inseparable as they were.

The sun was out but the air was cold as Valentine shook himself dry on the shore of the Crossing, the two chestnut fillies stumbling out of the water behind him. They were both growing like weeds, but though they ran rings around him all day long on Luthien, the long swim had been testing for their bodies.

Foxglove came up beside him, leaning her delicate weight against his side as she struggled to catch her breath. The poor girl was exhausted he noted, nudging her check affectionately with his nose, but her brown eyes were wide with curiosity as she gazed up the shore to the Falls ahead of them. Firethorn’s sides heaved as she too chased after her breath, but she was too busy marching ahead to take much notice of her own fatigue.

“Firethorn!” Valentine called, going after her with Foxglove at his heels. “Don’t go off by yourself.”

The youngster rolled her eyes, but fell back in line with her father with a swish of her copper tail. Together, the trio made their way up the beach until the sand melted away into grass and they could hear the rush of the water from the waterfall in the distance. Valentine lead them to a stand of trees by the edge of the pool, where they would be sheltered from the autumn wind.

“Now,” he began, turning to face his daughters head on. “I’m trusting you two – don’t go too far, and don’t go anywhere near the Meadow or the Common.”

He gave them both a sharp look to convey his seriousness. They were both still just little girls, but Valentine didn’t trust that was enough to keep some of the characters on these Islands away if they wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I’ll come back here to meet you in a few hours, so stick together and have fun.” He offered them a smile and bumped noses with each of them before turning and heading off to find some entertainment of his own.

The girls were quiet for a moment, watching their father until he was out of sight. Foxglove continued to stand by, apparently unsure what to do with this newfound freedom, so Firethorn put her out of her misery.

With a playful squeal she lurched towards her sister, leaping up and shoving at her with shoulder with her knees. Startled, Foxglove yelled as she lost her footing and fell into the water with a loud splash. She scowled as she got to her feet, drenched and embarrassed, but at her sister’s laughter she couldn’t help but burst into a fit of giggles as well.

foxglove && firethorn
LIKE TWO ATOMS IN A MOLECULE, INSEPARABLY COMBINED