It had been a long time since Impazienza had set foot in the Forest, and she did not miss it. The trees she had once viewed as protectors grew so thickly she felt caged, and she struggled to find a path through them that would accommodate her large girth. This was a land for slim, agile mares like Flare. The thought of her sire’s one-time lead mare lifted Impa’s nose to the air, and she paused in her struggle amongst the trees to test the scents the wind carried to her.

None were familiar.

She emitted a huffy exhale and strode forward again. She would not be discouraged, she decided before she knocked her left shoulder into the rough trunk of a great oak she hadn’t seen. With a muffled curse she side-stepped away from the obstacle and brushed her muzzle against her bruising skin. If she had not been so distracted by the lack of familiar scents among the trees, perhaps she would have paid better attention to her surroundings. Her half-blindness was only part of the problem, though: everything looked different under the canopy at night.

Treading carefully, Impa only banged against a couple more giants as she made her way further into the territory. With every step forward she took a deep breath in the vain hope that she would find a trace of her wayward sire, or the sister she’d never met. Eventually she picked up a scent that was stronger than the other foreign smells that permeated the greenery, and the mare it belonged to came into sight as Impa entered a clearing. It felt good to have space to walk like a normal horse again.

“Hello,” she greeted the mare, her eye dipping to the pattern on the chestnut’s hindquarters. “I like your coat,” she grinned. She jerked her chin at her own blanket as she stepped up beside the other mare to introduce herself. “My name is Impazienza. Can I ask how long you’ve lived in the Forest?” She extended her nose toward the slender mare to exchange breaths before she pulled back to wait for the answer.