fate depends on want
Kav frowned at her reflection as it was distorted by ripples she didn't create. Her eyes snapped up away from the water and across the pond to see what giant bird had landed to produce ripples that large. But she didn't see anything. Her raised leg dropped unceremoniously and her head lifted higher, her ears pushed forward and pink, tiny nostrils flared. There had to be something on the other side of the bank. She cast a look back at mother, whose white nose was tucked by her knees. Her slow, heavy breaths indicated she wouldn't wake before Kav was satisfied with exploring.
The bay filly skirted around the edge of the pond, her hooves leaving minute crescent-shaped marks in the sand. She kept her eyes glued to her destination. Unfortunately, she tripped once or twice on shrubbery and loose rocks, but she remained unfazed by the obstacles. She was going to complete her first mission in life no matter what it took. At about the halfway mark, she thought she finally spotted something. She paused, a whinny stuck in her throat as her eyes strained through the gradually darkening night.
She nickered quietly, fearful of waking mother. She glanced back at the mare to assure herself her mother wasn't getting up anytime soon, then continued her journey to the other side of the bank. With every step she took, her legs quivering half with excitement and half with fear. She had travelled farther away from mother than she had expected. Her curiosity drove her to widen the distance even more, but at what cost? What if something happened to mother when Kav was too far away to protect her? Her toothpick legs hadn't yet learned how to run; she certainly wouldn't be fast enough to save mother from any monsters lurking in the night if she kept walking.
But her traitor legs refused to stop, and her mind was too caught up with worry to realize she had reached her goal until she ran right into him. She whinnied as loud as a day-old foal could (which wasn't that loud) and splayed out her legs before she tumbled onto the ground.
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