The snow had started to fall less just as the moon had started to shine less. The gold mare had followed the dark roans, dare she say command. Her ears flicked back as her blue eyes wandered over the backs of the herd from her perch. She had returned to her cavern nestled in the trees above the main herd grounds. It had become a cold hole in her absence. The dirt packed floor frozen without the constant stamping of her hooves. The peaks and dips in the soil, the scuff marks had been iced into place from when they were made seasons ago when the painted filly was brought into the world. A frown creased the corners of her pink lips. Her annoyance at having to return to this place bouncing off the walls and aimed at anything that moved, or didn’t. The branches keeping her invisible rustled to her left drawing her attention away from the equines below to the grin that appeared before her.

“Isnt it exciting being with the herd, horses to talk to and babies to play with!” Long white limbs danced into their clearing. Her young face always beamed with joy. “Maybe I will get to talk to Yoren and Solgar soon.” Panthere pressed her forehead against Winters shoulder to rub against her. The enthusiastic filly pulls back to look at her dam. To really look at her. She can see the gold has lost some padding, her frame is sharper than before. Pan reached out to nip at the ends of her mane. “Are you happy mother?” Her smile slipped for a moment, only for a moment. There were not many things on the planet that could get the perky filly down. A sly glint danced across her orbs before she stuck her nose out and butted the gold mare in the shoulder with it and bouncing away. “Your it!”

“Lets not shout out the apocalypse too soon sugar cube.” She would eventually let Pan out of her security to talk to her sire, one day Winter told her self season after season as the filly grew older. She swished her creamy tail letting the ends flick across the paints hide. All in good time. The alpha just didn’t want the poor girl to get her heart broken, she was so full of wonder and happiness. A smirk flashed across her features. Panthere is like me at that age I suppose. “Quit pestering me with those types of questions you rodent!” The gold flattened her ears and glared at her bone faced daughter with a slight chomp of her teeth. Winter was quick to discipline the poor girl. Its for her own good she tells herself. Keep her strong. The yeti turned her attention once again to the herd. She felt like the Grinch on Christmas plotting her revenge on Whoville. “What?...” The mare snorted in surprise at the sudden nudge and whipped around to see what kind of shenanigans her daughter was getting into, oh. It occurred to the snow beast that Panthere was inviting a game of tag, as she did everyday. She never understood why it always surprised her when it happened. Winter rolled her eyes but gave the girl a genuine smile, squealed and took off after her much to the paints delight. Their game took them into the trees followed by the echos of laughter, a very strange and rare sound to slip from the golden mares lips.




Panthère & WinterMare,9, Warmblood, Palomino Over Splash, ee aa nCr nZ nO nSpl, 16hh, Alpha of the Inlet.Filly, Mustang x Warmblood, Chestnut Roan Overo, 16hh, Solgar x Winter.Trepidation.