her heart delights in hearing the old language fall from his lips, further alighting the feeling of protective kinship she feels with toward the colt as he buries himself against her side. her soft muzzle strokes his shoulder, his back, hoping to ease his tears though her own roll down her cheeks. ” Kuráž… tvá matka by byla pyšná, dítě. jsi tady, jsi silný.” you are a blessing she thinks.

kendry has disappeared, not knowing the gift he has given to her that day. a painful twinge twists in her heart as she thinks of him and the his hurry to leave. perhaps, someday, she would seek him out… for now though, there is much to be done to get the child settled and comfortable. ”přivedl mě k tobě. dal mi vzácný dar.“

the mountains that stand looming above them them, magnificently, catch the colts attention and božena follows his eyes toward the rugged horizon upward. she knows the tie he feels to that beach, the longing desperation that his pierces his heart every time an empty wave washes up the shore without a trace of his home. his rodina. the quiet acceptance in his eyes as he gently questions her is both heartbreaking and encouraging. he will recover from this trauma, just as she had.

her large head bobs in a nod, the corners of her lips curling in a gentle smile at his amazement. ”náš domov, pokud chcete?” she pulls away from him slightly, slowly, and gestures up the long winding path. the sun is slowly falling in the sky and she is hopeful that the thrill of the climb and the brilliant sunset she knows they will soon witness will ease the painful abandonment of his post here at the water’s edge. ”pojďme, drahý chlapče. jmenuji se Božena.” she takes deliberately slow and steady steps away, giving the colt time to make his goodbyes to the shoreline, to his past.