Jetta

Slowly but surely, winter was releasing its grip on the peak. What little snow that fell did not stay for long, and though branches were still brown and bare, new spring grass was beginning to peek through the damp earth in tiny bursts of green. Jetta no longer woke in the morning to a world coated in delicate crystals of frost, only gleaming droplets of dew, and her shaggy winter coat was beginning to itch.

She should have been delighted. Spring was her favorite season, what with all the beauty and new life it heralded. Its blue skies and longer days represented a fresh start, a new beginning free of the cold shackles of winter. Indeed, the mare felt as though with the change in season she should be ready to greet each new day with a smile on her face and hope in her heart. She had spent the better part of the last six months as a hermit, after all, avoiding the others and managing the bare minimum to keep herself alive. Grief had been her steady companion, but it was a poor one, and now that a new year was upon the islands Jetta knew it was time for her to snap out of it and start living again. It was time to move on.

Part of this motivation stemmed from guilt. She had been neglecting her best friend, after going out of her way to convince Macabre to come live with her, and she did not know if Lillith and her daughter were still around to keep Macabre company. Besides, Jetta was not the only one who had lost someone. Inka had not just been her mother, she had been Macabre's friend, and no doubt Macabre was feeling some sense of loss too, even if it was not as deep and painful as Jetta's.

Her mother was still the first thing she thought of when she awoke every day, but the sting of grief had dulled to a faint ache and her faculties were no longer completely consumed by it. Her head was clearing, slowly but surely, if she did not count the visions that visited her almost daily now.

It was late morning on one clear, cold day that Jetta finally picked up the courage to seek out Macabre. She was oddly nervous as she followed the mountain trail along the cliffs and ledges that led downhill, toward the wooded valley where she had spotted her friend from a distance the previous evening. By the time she reached the trees, Jetta was sweating. Her blue eyes were wide and watchful as they searched the area. Macabre was nowhere in sight, but her scent was strong, so she must have been nearby.

Jetta let out a cautious whicker.