Winter had gripped the Peak as it did every year. The higher mountains become passable and many trails that were fun to traverse in the warmer months had turned treacherous and deadly. Throughout the days and months the black mare more than had her hands full with children who were still learning the world and did not yet know that in these seasons their adventures were far more dangerous than they had been before. As the snows started to melt and the paths open up, Adelheid loosened her vigilance on Sciannath and Claudya, trusting them to have learned more about their limits during the frozen season. Throughout the months she had continued her trend of tough but fair love. Her spiky affection apparent and her cruelty more of a laughing joke between them than anything. She knew they, more than most, could see through her rough exterior, thick stone walls and dance around her bladelike tongue with ease.

There was another, though, who had caught the Codebreaker’s attention. The painted seal mare had wormed her way into Adelheid’s thoughts and had stolen them away the night she had arrived. Throughout the winter guilt and determination had mounted in Adelheid’s mind. Iris had worried about her sister, wanting nothing more than to find her. As the months passed by and Jetta was nowhere to be seen, Adelheid shared her fear.

Trapped in the mountains by dangerous snow and even more deadly waves, Adelheid had grudgingly opened her alcoves to the mare as shelter, trying desperately to wear her masks until the dead of night. At times she was sure all were asleep, she would exhale her troubles and gaze at the sky while softly brushing her children with the warmth of her breath. It was not until the last of the snowmelt had stopped raging down the sides of the mountain did she finally feel as though her children would be safe alone and travel would be possible.

While Claudya and Sciannath were doing whatever it was they did when not under her gaze, Adelheid went in search for Iris. When she found the mare, she huffed a wordless greeting. Still want to find your sister? Clearly, now Adelheid was more than willing to help in the search that conditions had changed. She dared not also point out that with two foals under a year old she would not have gone on such a journey - that would have been admitting she cared.