Zjeena keeps pace with Rougaru in short, but powerful strides. Rougaru is not wrong. Though these are her first children, Zjeena has seen enough broken promises in her lifetime not to trust one now. Her maternal guarding will continue until her children are old enough to hold their own. Her ancestors didn't live to propagate her existence without such measures of self preservation. Zjeena's children might not be herself in the literal sense, but they are her legacy and that is as much a part of who she is as her own skin.
"I had a brother named Nattergal. Havelle is just something I liked the sound of." She confesses. Zjeena doesn't speak much of her family. She is the eldest of three, at least that she's aware of. Her mother may have had more children after they lost touch, but as far as she knows, she has two siblings. The subject of Nattergal has always been a sore spot for Zjeena. Growing up in the coven, male children were kicked out at weaning. Zjeena wasn't ready to say goodbye to her brother. She still misses him, and often wonders what he's up to. Rainne, her younger sister, brings another feeling entirely. Zjeena never got along with her sister. She couldn't bring herself to honor the witch by naming a daughter after her. Just seeing her face in a fleeting memory is enough to raise bile in her throat.
Zjeena shakes her head, clearing both the forelock from her eyes, and thoughts of Rainne from her head. Zjeena catches herself before her scowl can turn into a smile. Her face remains neutral, but she does offer Rougaru this in response to his suggestion. "I'm sure they would like that." Zjeena is, despite her displeasure, still honest. She may not let Rougaru anywhere hear her children, but she would gladly let them play with the other foals in this herd.
"Of course not." Zjeena responds to the comment about her swim. She knows Rougaru is only trying to make nice, but she's a little miffed he'd imply swimming might be too much for her. Zjeena is a bit of a feminist in such regard. She doesn't like to be seen as the damsel in distress. She is strong. She is fit. And she is proud of it. A little swim isn't going to knock her down. She's fine, physically anyways.
"Don't get me started.", she continues. There is a fresh bitterness to her voice that is not directed towards Rougaru. "It's definitely not my first choice for a place to live. I'd much rather be back on Tinuvel." This is yet another sore subject for Zjeena. It reminds her of how disappointed she is with Liland right now. She loves him, but their relationship is certainly defined by its ups an downs. "So why me? And what disagreement did you have with Liland?" Zjeena asks, sincerely wanting to know. She knows the two had some sort of confrontation but she doesn't know what it was about. For all this trouble, she hopes it was important.