Dances trails Rowena back to Echo’s prone form, and he remains silent and gives the mares a little space, trusting that the black and white mare would be much better equipped to comfort the younger bay mare than he. He turned away from the suffering of his daughter, and set his eyes instead upon the unfamiliar terrain. He would keep watch over the ones he loved in this time of need. No soul would trespass upon them – inhabitant or predator – without Dances moving to intercept.

Echo raised her head weakly as she heard her mother approach. Her scent, gentle touch, and soothing words were enough to calm her for the moment. She lay on her side, gasping for breath, trying to muffle her sobbing. “I’m scared, Mama,” the confession was whispered hoarsely, and was quickly followed by another ripple of agony that drew another keen of pain to her speckled lips. Somehow through it all, Echo was able to register Rowena’s request for the lifeline that it was.

She drew in a ragged breath during a break in her contractions, and reached into her memories. “The tree,” she gasped, her blind eyes closing as her face creased with pain and exhaustion. “The one in the Meadow, that we used to sleep under.” Silence stretched between them, and even Dances glanced to the pair in worry. But Echo’s breathing was strong, if still a little unsteady. “Do you remember that one night it was so dark that neither of you could see?” The ghost of a smile flickered across her lips, and then Echo was groaning again, tossing her head and struggling to stifle the sounds of her pain. “But I knew the way back to the tree, and you and Dances, you followed me home.”

With one final cry, Echo fell still and silent, her heart racing as the stabbing pain slowly subsided. There was no sound, until the bay mare started sobbing again. “What did I do wrong?” she cried, struggling to raise herself up. It took all her strength, and she cast her muzzle around desperately, distraught that the foal she’d birthed had yet to make a sound. Since being forcebred, Echo had been drained of her spirit, and had been so close to giving up entirely. She hadn’t wanted a child, let alone one sired by a heartless beast. But now, the thought of losing her foal, the possibility that it was born dead… The very idea broke Echo’s heart, and filled her once more with despair.

Dances was quick to return to Rowena’s side, and tried to comfort their daughter with a gentle touch, but she pulled away, still seeking the form of a newborn foal. And though it did not make noise, Dances saw it lying on a soft bed of leaves, and as it stirred, he felt a burning anger rise in him. And though he was quick to stamp it out, overcome by shame, he hadn’t been quick enough. Another thing that he’d regret for all his life – the ugly, selfish desire he’d bury deep within – a lapse of judgement, and a moment of weakness. Between the burning anger and the overwhelming shame, there had been just a fraction of a second in which he’d wished death upon the child, to spare him from having to live with a reminder of how he’d failed his daughter.