They remained.
What had once been a large herd, had now dwindled to only a few, and the medicine hat stallion had gone away one day and never returned. The sisters and their children were not actually awaiting any kind of return (though none would complain should Asche choose reappear) they just had no reason to leave the Atlantis. They were settled for now. Comfortable until the foals were old enough to travel long distances or leave their mothers completely.
After spending the morning frolicking amongst the trees and tiring themselves out, the small group settled at the base of one of the mountains to rest, a solid rock face at their backs. Lope and Lupa stood nose to tail, quietly grooming the other’s back while their foals dozed in the afternoon sun.
Inez was on her side, eyes closed and almost dead to the world, while Izar stood over her, his back hoof cocked lazily and his head down. The boy’s ears twitched frequently, his eyelids fluttering as he tried to fight the need to sleep. In the absence of his father, the boy had grown protective over the females in his life. At only 7 months old, however, he was more of a hindrance than a help if the family had to do anything more than flee from danger.
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