Jetta

"It never snows?" Jetta replied, blinking with surprise. How odd and unnatural it was, she reflected, for a place to never grow cold in the winter. The way Macabre had offered this information suggested that she considered it a kind of praise, but Jetta was uncertain how she felt about it. Though she could not profess to love the colder months, snow had always possessed a kind of beauty and wonder for her, in the way it transformed the landscape. She was not sure she would ever want to give it up entirely.

The young mare's mind went blank as Macabre strode through the shallow water to her side. Her friend's expression had suddenly become solemn, and Jetta looked down at her with pricked ears and wide, curious eyes, full of the impression that their conversation was about to take a very different direction. She was right. No sooner was her mind racing, formulating an appropriate reply to what Macabre had just confided in her, than her friend was almost dismissing her own woes and attempting to move onto lighter topics again.

Never the impolite sort, Jetta responded to her friend's questions first, her pale lips curling in a gentle smile that belied her inner concern. "I haven't actually seen them in a while, not since our visit to Luthien. I was in the Lagoon for a time; I came straight here after, as soon as I could." Jetta flicked an ear back, aware that she was skimming over the details of her time as a captive with the bachelors, but as far as she was concerned, that was in the past and no longer mattered. Macabre's problems were more important.

"The last time I saw Mother, she was pregnant. I suppose she must have given birth now. Oh, and she adopted another foal before then, a colt named Diamant. So our family has grown quite a lot since you last saw us." She paused, and inhaled a deep breath. Her eyes searched Macabre's for a moment or two before she spoke. "Can I ask you something? Are you still having problems with stallions?"