Soljor kept an eye on his girls. Acelynn and Arachne seemed so large now. He knew they would be dropping any day. It would be both a relief and new worry. The wolves, cat, and this strange predator had not been lurking close to the herd lately, but Stardust, Luana, and Harlequin were no longer little fillies. They were yearlings. They weren’t fully grown yet, but the bright young girls were no longer easy targets. New children might bring the predators closer in now that winter had brought rations down.

A call hit his ears then. It was Arachne. He had seen her wander off a bit and suspected it was time. It had been a pained call. He turned his body and cantered through the snow towards the sound. There were other sounds too. Grunts and other low noises of effort. He approached just as Arachne stood to greet their new foal: a little chestnut filly.

He let out a low greeting and approached. The filly looked very much like her gypsy heritage. Perhaps Arachne had red in her bloodlines that presented in the beautiful painted filly on the ground. He reached a nose out to Arachne.

“She’s beautiful,” Soljor’s voice was low. The filly was a fuzzy thing, despite still being wet. He smiled. Another beautiful daughter.