Mouse closed her eyes as Impa lipped at her forelock. The grill was pleased by such a warm reception. There’d been a time, long ago, when the draft had been angry with her for leaving. Any worry she’d had about a repeat of that argument was quickly wiped away. She nodded at Impa’s observation, not feeling it warranted a verbal response. Gazing up into the graying black face, she noted with surprise that both eyes were cloudy now. Yet, it did not seem to be bothering the other mare. She knew Impa was so familiar with the area that she didn’t need to see it.

The bay began to speak of others. Mouse vaguely remembered Inka, and of course Anath send a prickle across her back. Though she was sad to hear the general had passed, she could not pretend that she would’ve wished to see her again. Adelheid was also not a name she had heard, but Macabre struck a chord deep within her perhaps. The little mare had often kept to herself and done a rather abysmal job at socializing amongst her sisters. This final time around, she resolved to do better.

As Wasp was welcoming them home, Mouse gave her a smile of gratitude. It did feel rather good to be back. She heaved a contented sigh, and it was only then that she finally realized there was a lingering odor of stallions. She shuffled back a step from Wasp, her expression becoming wary. Her home herd contained stallions, of course, and she knew they were not all like Styrke. But this was a haven for mares, a place where few men were welcome. It seemed like there were many here. Since Impa hadn’t yet asked, to her knowledge, she cleared her throat again and asked nervously, “Why are there stallions here? We’re not close to the Lagoon at all.”