If Felony had come to watch, Mercury did not care. Caliber stood obediently at her flank, his curiosity and rebellion quelled by the fear he smelled coming from his mother. The sun had risen steadily behind them, but the sky remained dark and grey and the rain continued to pour. Mercury could not tell if Synder was dead or not, and she was terrified to find out.

There was so much blood. Synder’s hind end looked to be afloat in it, as did the tiny dark bundle struggling to free itself and stand. Mercury turned slowly, as if she were moving through sap, and reached to break the film containing the baby. It was a filly, and she immediately stood up, her tiny hooves entirely submerged in bright liquid. The red covered quite a bit of the girl’s body like the dirt and pine needles had covered Caliber, and something inside Mercury shattered. It was a horrifying sight. The red was too vivid, a color that did not belong here in the grey Lagoon. Everything in this stupid swamp was dull and colorless and alive, and Synder and her blood were bright and dead.

Mercury backed up several paces. Caliber stumbled back with her, and the filly wobbled forward as well, her head low and teeth gnashing in response to Mercury’s flattened ears. The silver black wanted nothing to do with the baby, and had half a mind to leave and let her die, but Caliber had other plans. The painted colt seemed unphased by the blood on and around his cousin and aunt. He stepped boldly forward despite his mother’s grief-stricken and angry protests, even dancing out of the way of her teeth and bolting toward the dark filly. She reached out nose to meet his, and their tiny muzzles met. Mercury was suddenly in too much pain to bear, and she swung around and bolted, not thinking or caring what her son was going to do without her.

Behind her, Caliber began to frantically herd the filly after his mother. The dark little thing gave a loud squeal and stumbled along with him, outraged but compliant with his advances.

Behind her, Synder’s ear flicked and her body shifted weakly, but Mercury and the children were far away by then.