I DON'T WORRY, WORRYING DON'T AGREE
THINGS THAT BOTHER YOU, NEVER BOTHER ME!

A dry, hacking cough rattled the little bones of her chest. When she wasn’t hacking, her breathing was raspy and shallow; labored, as if she’d just run a mile. Dry mucus cracked along the shallow dips of her nose, and running mucus was a wet path down her lips. Her little eyes were swollen, puffy; the whites were bloodshot red. She sneezed, shaking her head and lowering to rub her face over her knobby knees. She sneezed again. Again. Again. She sneezed enough to make herself dizzy and stood, staring out at the sky, dazed and confused for a moment while she tried to gather her understanding of the world.

“HAHA!”

That would be her mother who was laughing wildly and running circles in a smaller meadow clearing they’d come across. Her laughter was stolen on the wind from her mouth as she ran faster and faster yet. Dirt flew as she skidded to an awkward halt, bouncing a few steps to catch herself, tilting her head to look at her daughter.

“Did you time me?”

“Huh?” The little filly said, blinking miserably and peering up at her mother through bleary, watery eyes. Her voice was nasally – congested – she dropped her face again to rub it on her knees.

“Aww, come on Achoo! You were supposed to see how fast I could go and then try and beat me!”

“I don’t really feel like running, mama.” Achoo, the filly who should not be named that, sniffed back some of the built-up mucus in her nose and hacked, coughing hard enough to make her whole body tremble. Achoo sniffed up her runny nose and blinked miserably at her mother. “I think we can just go ahead and say you won.”

“Oh. Okay!” Talya bobbed her head in an agreeable nod, seemingly undisturbed concerning her daughter’s severe respiratory allergies. These were things she didn’t understand, and worrying wasn’t a thing she did well, so to solve the issue, Talya pretended they didn’t happen or that they weren’t a problem. So what if Achoo couldn’t run very far because she couldn’t catch her breath? So what if Achoo was always sneezing? So what if Achoo woke up with crust built around her eyes and nose? So what if Achoo was always itchy? Life went on as far as Talya was concerned.

This was also why she decided Persephone’s absence from the Forest was voluntary and this was also why she’d decided Mamapapa’s absence was too. Forget that whole messy drama that had happened sooooo long ago! Nope! Gone! Talya was much happier deciding she and Mamapapa had a fun talk and he decided he was gonna go explore elsewhere while she stayed happy in the Forest. That was a much nicer thought. Yes… yesss… much better…

But then there was the yellow mare. Talya was very wary around the yellow mare, but Persephone trusted her… which meant Talya was supposed to trust her too… and Mamapapa wasn’t here to remind Talya not to think of a reason to be okay with her being around… so… Talya’s mind still hadn’t come up with a good reason yet, but the alternatives were bad, so it was easier to omit them entirely. Instead she just kept an eye on the mare who’d given life to Talya against her will and tried to think of a good reason this could all be okay.

Achoo had decided she liked the yellow mare, which made it that much harder for Talya to think she was that awful. Achoo stiffened suddenly and turned her head, big ears flicking (the soft, tender skin inside burned red – there was something putting out pollen this autumn that just wasn’t doing her any decent favors… but then again that story had been the same in the spring, a little less in summer… they had yet to see how she’d be in winter). “Oh!” She said, sniffling and heading toward the clearing her mother had been running in just a little bit ago, “look mama!”

Talya blinked, turning her head to see the yellow mare moving into the clearing, grazing on the late autumn grass. Talya’s eyes narrowed, her mind a strange hive of worry, very much reflecting the inner conflict she felt inside and how she didn’t necessarily know how to solve it. Achoo, not having these issues, tried for a little whinny though it was stressed at the end, as if she’d ran out of breath to cry out for so long. It’d been enough of a call as she wandered from the tree line, tail flagged out behind her tiny little haunches, moving toward the mare who’d be her grandmother.

Talya slunk after her, appearing more like a child drug to a family event they didn’t want to go to and less like the mother of a severely allergic child.