Inka

A small part of Inka had subconsciously feared that Taika's sweet nature would have soured with maturity as Adelheid's had, especially given the pair had once been inseparable. When she saw that was not the case, her smile widened and her dark eyes gleamed with elation. She had always been fond of Taika and almost considered her a member of her own family.

Then Taika's attention shifted to something behind her, and Inka turned her head to see that Argento had decided to follow her up the cliffs after all. The yearling colt was huddled against her hindquarters, his brown-and-white spotted coat stark against her own, and his bright blue eyes observing Taika with confident interest. He chuckled a little awkwardly at her enthusiastic greeting. "Um, thanks," he replied, and side-eyed his mother as if to say, Is she all right in the head?

But Inka did not see his bewilderment, for her attention was fully on the young mare before her once again, and her heart was thumping with excitement. At Taika's questions, Inka flicked one ear back and chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "I'm not sure I ever met your brother, but I'm sure he's just fine. Adelheid left about a year ago, however. She... wanted to explore the islands. I was hoping you'd seen her, actually. You haven’t, have you?”

As if to disguise how desperate she was to hear news of her daughter, Inka continued on with her interrogation. “How have you been, anyway? Have you travelled anywhere exciting? How is your mother?"