a new world hangs outside the window
beautiful and strange
it must be I've fallen awake
I must be

In her wallowing grief, Wasp could not bring herself to even consider sharing the news of their dead mother with Bacardi. It physically pained her any time the fleeting idea crossed her mind. Her chest and throat would tighten, and her amber eyes would moisten in a fresh sheen of salty tears. The young, painted stallion had grown to be so independent - he came and went from the Peak so freely, but he was also such a friendly face among their herd, adored by most of the Vulcans. Bacardi had inherited his sire's stoic demeanor, but Wasp still couldn't bear breaking the heartbreaking news. He had been Macabre's love child, finally, a babe forged in tenderness for the fallen Codebreaker. Bacardi had been so special to her in so many ways.

But with every new day that passed, Wasp felt this creeping sensation riding up her spine to her shoulders. It was suffocating, and she knew she couldn't keep on like this forever. Bacardi needed to know what had happened back on Luthien. He needed to know why the herd had returned bloodied and bruised, and without Macabre.

Wasp had mostly avoided Božena, too, at this time. The large mare's dark face only brought back the raw memories of the fight that ended her mother's life. It wasn't fair to Božena, Wasp knew. But she just wasn't emotionally ready to handle this. All of this.

The thick bay mare was grazing on some hardy shrubs among the higher mountain elevations when she heard Božena's call. Her heart slumped into her stomach, and begrudgingly, she began a slow descent down the mountain top to greet the warrior mare. She felt a lump grow in her dry throat as her heart thumped away in her chest with anticipation. If Božena was summoning her, then well, there was some news to share.

By the time Wasp's chipped and flat hooves touched level ground, she caught sight of her brother in the distance, staring oddly at Božena and a ... gaggle of stallions? Wasp's whiskered nostrils flared as her eyes reeled into tight slits. These were the bachelors from the Lagoon. She hurried her pace into a quick two-beat trot to reach Bacardi's side, and looked quizzically at Božena.

Božena didn't have to say anything before Wasp realized what had happened. New wounds littered the warrior mare's coat. Nearly all of the bachelor stallions in Cullen's keep followed her in. She opened her lips to say something, but only a squeak came out. She snorted then, as the tears began to stream down her dark cheeks, and she strode forward to press the length of her face into Božena's neck. There she cried for several minutes, howling even, the sides of her barrel sucking in and pushing out as she tried to catch her breath. Finally, once she'd regained some semblance of her composure, she retreated, her eyes red and tired, as she surveyed the stallions who stood behind Božena.

"Welcome to the Peak, Trinkets." She grumbled with the flick of her tail. She then cast her solemn gaze back to Božena, her eyes wide with emotion, from grief to adoration to loyalty. She sighed again, craning her head to Bacardi and nickering weakly to him. "Bacardi...." She said softly. "I have to tell you something."

W A S P