The world was so much different beyond her mother’s side.

Following the slender shadow of her sister, Selune wove between trunks and wriggled through tangles of vines with strides as swift and graceful as any dance. But even so, Vesper gained on her inch by inch— slipping further ahead until the jungle’s darkness all but swallowed her. Pulse quickening, the chocolate filly ducked beneath a tangle of roots, chasing the soft rustle of branches and the faint signs of the other girl’s passage. ”Vesper, slow down!“ She called out breathlessly, ears twitching forward to catch the sharp cry of a bird that answered her. There would be no other response, she knew— no apologies or reassurances to break the silence.

Her sibling almost never spoke, but from the beginning they shared an understanding that ran deeper than any words.

Ducking beneath a branch, the pale-maned girl followed the scuff of hooves on stone, scarcely audible beneath the harsh pant of her own breaths. Moments later, she found the break in the trees— and saw Vesper waiting for her there, the silent language of her body giving lie to her long-suffering expression. ”I know, I’m slow,“ Selune muttered in irritable response, her lips curling upward at the same moment as the black filly’s. And with a laugh as sweet and warm as mother’s milk, she nudged the other girl’s shoulder with her own, nipping at one of Vesper’s dark pointed ears. ”Show me, then,“ she chirped, following the flick of her sister’s eyes with a curious glance of her own. ”What did you find?“

Together— with the darker of the pair a step ahead— they moved out of the jungle and onto the beach. Here, it was bright and big and loud, the raucous cries of gulls ringing painfully in Selune’s ears. Tail tucked, she shrank back from the sound, letting Vesper pull even further ahead of her and fighting the sudden urge to flee back to Rivaini’s side. Watching her sibling move toward the water, the silver filly flinched as the gulls’ screams grew louder still— and then whooped appreciatively when the nearest group took flight, fleeing from the unfamiliar creatures in their midst.

”That’s it! Chase them, Vesper!“ She urged the other girl, bounding forward herself and flattening her ears to defean the cacophony that followed.