The young mare’s response prompted a chuckle from Faolain, as well as raw curiosity at the use of the term of endearment. It wasn’t like the nickname was a secret, nor was it used by only one other - both Rivaini and Çiçek called her little shadow - but Faolain had never met this strange, carefree filly. She wondered if, somehow, this golden mare knew her. She dispelled the thought with a smile, though it was only strange, and not particularly unsettling. It wasn’t like shadow was an enormously tricky nickname, nor one that required any situational context to understand. Most likely, the girl had thought of it on her own, but it still gave Faolain a sense of familiarity. It could have been the use of the word shadow specifically, but it might also have been the use of a nickname at all. It was as if she had been in the Ridge her whole life, and Faolain relaxed in her presence, as though she were meeting an old friend.

The filly’s first words to her had caused slight confusion, but accompanied with Faolain’s amusement those feelings of strangeness had been easy to ignore. It was more difficult with her next words, however, and Faolain cocked her head to the side in a cat-like fashion, dark ears cupping forward as though she had perhaps misheard. ”I suppose that means I am a bit early,” she said, in a tone that was questioning but not without humor. She found the filly’s presence to be... almost angelic, in a way. Her glowing golden coat, bright mane and tail, and manner of speaking in riddles all added substantially to the image Faolain had of a celestial being, though the Ridge Guardian was not a religious type. The thought of this conversation being shared with a little angel did not bother her; she chose not to think too hard about it, and instead was happy to have been apparently chosen by the odd, radiant spirit. She enjoyed the strangeness, and felt no threat from the other, only gentle curiosity.

Faolain considered the filly’s next words, rolling them around in her head, entirely unsure of what she meant but not wanting to obstruct the flow of their conversation. She knew the filly likely did not mean the physical act of looking behind herself, but the only alternative Faolain could think of right then was looking to the past. That was entirely possible; the past held a wealth of information, and many of Faolain’s experiences were etched into her midnight skin as stars were etched into the sky. Could she be referring to the Ridge Guardian’s past? The black mare did not think that was quite it, either, although certainly many lessons could be learned from the lives of others. Faolain did not consider her life to be of particular importance, and she also thought that this was too obvious a meaning. So far, the filly’s words had held a depth to them, and this seemed too close to the surface, too easy to see through the glittering ripples.

Still entirely unsure how to respond, Faolain opted for simplicity. ”I am,” she said, and understood that she was far more likely to be the student than the teacher this evening, at least until she could solve the puzzle of the filly’s request.

faolain

mare // 6 // EE aa // 14hh