Zjeena's departure had been much less violent, but no less difficult for the family. Zjeena knew that in order to restore peace to the Bay she had to leave. It was the only way, and so the mare left willingly, without the physical force of Liland's rage pushing her into the sea. The pain came not from teeth and hooves but from a love lost, and the agonizing separation between she and her children. Nattergal, Havelle, and Zjeena have all felt, and still feel, the pain of being apart. They are all trapped by Liland, shackled by his jealousy, and longing to be free.

Nattergal yearns for the day when he is strong enough to challenge for his own freedom. Nattergal may be angry, but he isn't stupid. Where he has the passion, Liland has the mass. To push past his father and escape to freedom isn't realistic at this time, but there is so much more a yearling can do.

There is even more a pair of yearlings can do.

The colt's lips spread into a devilish grin. He confesses the mischief he's already done, needing someone to share in his sweet satisfaction. "I already left a surprise on dad's favorite hill." His eyes twinkle with the implication of what the surprise might be.

His next plan is much more elaborate, and will require the coordination of at least two troublemakers to pull it off. "There's a thicket that way." Nattergal gestures over his right shoulder towards the wooded slope that descends towards the bay. "It's full of sleeping deer. If we circle around them and startle them from that direction," he gestures towards the bay. "we can send a stampede up the hill and right through the herd." Nattergal looks to his left, at the gathering of sleepy mares and foals dotting the landscape.

Some good old fashioned chaos should definitely ruin Liland's day.

Nattergal turns the darkness of his gaze back to Bran. The devilish grin remains. "What do you think, Bran. Do you think we can pull it off?"