Ava was too intent on Nasmat to notice the sideways glance that Orhan gave her. If she had she might have been embarrassed, worried that he would look at her negatively for being so cold when she had always prided herself on her warmth and her kindness. For now, however, such a trivial thing was not enough to concern her. She had bigger problems. Meanwhile, on the ground, the tiny white filly began to stir. She squirmed a little against the soft sand beneath her, a small, disgruntled squeak escaping her as Orhan’s hot breath blew over her when he lowered his head to investigate. She didn’t know much about the world, but so far all she could think was that it was proving to be very noisy as the adults bickered around her. Ava’s ears flicked backwards at the way Nasmat recoiled from her reply. She did not understand the mare’s strange attitude, but wounded already as she was by the trauma of her day, she could not help but feel that the mare meant it as a personal slight. The thought made her bristle, but before she could respond the grey seemed to set her philosophical tone aside and returned to her usual brusque attitude. None survive. Ava flinched visibly at the words, though they came as no surprise to her. Perhaps Orhan had never seen this before, but Nasmat obviously knew better. Ava, however, knew more than both of them – she had lived through this once before. She did not know what she had done to deserve the punishment of suffering this fate once again, but she knew that she would live through it again. She glanced down at her daughter where she lay, with Orhan sniffing at her inquisitively. Nasmat’s words drew her green eyes back to her, however, but though they were still filled with tears they were cold and angry suddenly. It. How dare she call her child an it, no matter how the foal might have been conceived or how pitiful her plight might be. She was still her child, and Ava loved her. “No,” Ava replied simply, her voice hardening again. Her ears pressed momentarily against her skull, and she shifted her weight as if to suggest they would have to drag her from this spot if they wanted her to leave. There was nothing else in this world worth wasting her energy on – couldn’t the grey mare see that? Whether her daughter lived a few hours or a few days, her mother would be in her life every single second that it continued. “I won’t leave her here alone.” She held Nasmat’s gaze. |