“And that’s why you should take us to the Crossing,” Stardust finished her little rant. Her father was still long enough for once. Soljor had been pushing snow out of the way of the soft grasses. He looked at his daughter, youthful determination in her eyes.

“Are you done?” Soljor asked.

“Maybe,” Stardust snorted. “Are you gonna do it?”

“I’ll let you know if and when I make that decision,” Soljor stated. It couldn’t hurt to escort his daughter to the Crossing. He knew that, but he had to be stern with them at the moment. This was the most dangerous season on Tinuvel. He also didn’t want to get stuck in a winter storm on the Crossing. He heard the approaching hoofbeats and looked to see Mercury.

He knew something was wrong. He snorted and trotted off to meet her, leaving his oldest daughter in a huff to stomp back to her mother and glare daggers at her father. He had given her the answer she didn’t want to hear. It was annoying. Meanwhile Soljor approached the iron grey mare. He liked to think he knew here well enough to know something had happened.

His gait was still not fully recovered from a possible pulled muscle in his hind legs. It wasn’t a limp so much as it was just a slowness. When he came up to Mercury, he reached out his nose to touch hers. It wasn’t merely an exchange of breath, he wanted to give her some measure of comfort. He looked at her, meeting her eyes.

“What is wrong?” He asked softly.