To begin with, Hollowshank had been as worried about her father’s absence as the rest of the herd. As the weeks passed, however, the sooty filly had started to forget about the black and white stallion. She understood on some level that she should be worried and sad but the longer his absence continued, the more she forgot he even existed. His name brought her little more than confusion these days.

Gradually, other members of the herd disappeared and she forgot them too. Her mother stuck around for a long time before she too went away. Perhaps it was the cold, or perhaps it was something more sinister. If her mother had told her where she was going, Hollowshank did not remember. The details her tall mare’s face were fading more and more with each passing day, though the sound of her voice still lingered in the back of the girl’s mind. How long before that faded too? How long before Hollowshank would mistake both her parents for nothing more than mere strangers?

The only figures that still endured the harsh climate of the bay were Hollowshank. the red lead mare, Fly and her daughter (Hollowshank’s half sister), Peyton. Peyton had disappeared a few days ago, though to Hollowshank it seemed more like a few months. She wondered if the girl would return of if she would disappear as her mother had (for she no longer the other disappearances). Perhaps she and Fly would try and find the filly if her absence went on much longer.

Hollwshank was pondering this absence when Fly’s voice broke through her thoughts. While she couldn’t entirely remember why, she knew she needed to remain with the herd at all time and so she followed not far behind the red mare. The filly's belly growled as she wandered after Fly and she tried to remember the last time she had eaten something.

She could not.

By the time she started paying attention to Fly again, the mare had stopped and was looking toward the shore. Blue eyes catch sight of what, or rather, who the red mare had seen and her ears swivel cautiously as Fly’s call rings out. ”Who is that?” she asked uneasily, halting beside her.