this miracle god gave to me
gives me strength when I am weak

Despite everything that had happened, Ava was completely, utterly, deliriously happy.

When her daughter snuggled up against her in the cool desert nights, when she nibbled her way along her side when she wanted to nurse, and when she squealed as she gambled around her in the warm sands, Ava thanked every god she had ever heard of for their mercy.

For the first time in her life, they had been kind to her.

The days after Ghostwood’s birth had passed slowly, almost torturously, as Ava waited for the day when her daughter would not stir when she tried to rouse her. During those days, Ava barely slept a wink, determined not to miss a moment of what little time she was sure she had left with her child, but as those days grew into weeks her heart began to grow lighter and lighter with hope.

Eventually, Ava didn’t have to hope anymore.

Ghostwood was strong and healthy, and growing bigger with each passing day. She was not her brother, though Ava saw Finnian every time she looked at her. She was the same perfect shade of startling white all over, save for her ears which were pale gold, and those emerald-green eyes that were like looking into her own reflection for Ava. She reminded her of Array, too – he would have thought she was beautiful.

There were worse things Ava could have been reminded of when she looked at Ghostwood – her father to say the least.

“Look mama!”

The bright little voice distracted Ava from her reverie, and she turned to her daughter as she butted her tiny head against her shoulder. Ghostwood’s attention was captivated by something in the distance. Following the line of her gaze, Ava noticed another mare and foal playing together in the water at the oasis, just a little way from where she and Ghostwood had been resting in the shade of a lone palm tree.

Most of the other mares seemed to like to keep to themselves, but Ava knew that she too had been unsociable during the difficult duration of her pregnancy and the past few weeks after the birth, so she could hardly blame them for not coming to befriend her. This buckskin mare was unfamiliar, however, which meant that she must have joined the herd relatively recently.

Revitalised by her latest turn of luck, Ava decided that she would take this opportunity to try and socialise again. “Come on,” she urged Ghostwood with a gentle nudge, and led her daughter back towards the water.

She let out a low nicker as they neared the pair so as not to startle them with their arrival, pausing at the water’s edge. Ghostwood bounded a few steps in front her, splashing into the water with a precious giggle. Her eyes were wide with curiosity as she watched the other foal and her mother.

“Mind if we join you?” Ava asked, tilting her head slightly and offering the other mare a smile as she waited for a response.

mother & daughter
of the desert