Nattergal and Kendry might be more alike than they realize, being so newly acquainted. Nattergal has never had father figure either. He was only a few weeks old when Rougaru stole his mother from Liland. Together, the family traveled to Paradise, and that's where Nattergal grew up. Rougaru never rejected the foals that were not his own, but neither did he play an active role in their upbringing. Zjeena did all of that alone.
Zjeena did everything a mare in her position could. She was lead mare, leading alongside Liland until she was stolen. Her responsibilities grew in that time. Not only was she a new mother, but she was a mother of twins, and as lead mare, she felt it her duty to use her situation to her advantage and ensure tensions between Rougaru and Liland never threatened their herd again. Zjeena raised two foals and forged an alliance with a would be enemy before bargaining for her own freedom and passage back to Liland.
Nattergal was thrilled to return to his birth herd. He pictured a happy reunion, where he had a father, and their family could be whole again, but such a picture existed only in dreams. Hopes of a family, happy and whole, would never find a place in reality for Nattergal.
Upon their return, Liland was angry at Zjeena for the price she paid to return, and jealous of the relationship she formed with their former enemy. He stripped her of her power, and shamed her before the herd. Nattergal heard rumors about his mother spread like wildfire, and thoughts of such still color him red with anger.
Nattergal stood by his mother's side as she tried to prove her worth to the herd again. She suffered and she grieved. Eventually, Liland let Zjeena return to Paradise, but forbade Nattergal and Havelle to follow. For months, Nattergal has been living with a father that pays him little mind, and missing his mother, parted from him on someone else's terms. His sister, Havelle, has fallen prey to Liland's charm and disapproves of Nattergal's resentful behavior.
Nattergal longs for a family like the Lagoon, a band of brothers free but bound by a loyalty better than blood. At his young age, He sees no fault in a bachelor's way of life. Maybe someday, he'll learn to see things as Kendry does. Maybe Kendry will take the time to teach him.
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It took Havelle all night to catch her brother's scent. She started in Paradise, but found no trace of him there. She then returned to the crossing isle, hoping to find Nattergal there. There is a part of her that worried he went to Luthien to find their mother in the midst of battle. Thankfully, her brother isn't that stupid. She catches wind of him near the falls, and tracks him north towards the Peak.
Havelle's stomach turns with unease and her brain buzzes with tired replays of their last meeting. She knows she's getting close, and she's not sure how to breach the topic at hand. The siblings last parted on bitter terms. Will Nattergal be willing to hear her out at all?
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Nattergal doesn't say anything as Kendry babbles on about Luthien. The colt doesn't have anything to add. Thoughts of Tinuvel raise bile in his throat. He'd rather not think or talk about where he's from, so he's grateful when Kendry moves on to something else.
The colt has never been to the falls. The sound of rushing water lulled him to sleep last night, but he didn't take the time to seek out the source. He heard the falls are a sight to be seen. But Nattergal never gets to voice all of this. He opens his mouth the respond, and the words are stopped by the sudden appearance of Havelle.
That colt's ears lace back and his nostrils wrinkle. He makes a motion to turn away.
"Nattergal, stop!" She calls from across the clearing. Havelle trots towards them. She is a spitting image of her brother. If they weren't different genders one might assume they were identical. They share the same tawny colored coats and parti-colored manes and tails. They are both small but solidly built. Though while Nattergal is developing lean muscle and forming a stallion's crest, Havelle remains soft and round. Her face is refined and altogether feminine.
The filly spares one apologetic glance for the strange stallion, but focuses on her brother. Havelle shivers though the air is warm. She fears, not the large stranger looming among them, but a potential confrontation. "I have something to tell you. Please, listen to me." She pleads.
Hearing the desperation in her voice and unable to bear the hurt in her face, Nattergal stops. He looks down his long snout at her, and his ears remains pinned, but his stillness speaks of a willingness to listen.
"Please don't leave before I finish. I think you'll like what I have to say." Havelle begins, knowing any mention of Liland, without a preface like that, might send him storming off to yet another island. "I spoke with father. You don't have to come back to the Bay. I know you don't want to go back. He said you can go to the Lagoon instead."
It takes some time for Nattergal to process this news. First Liland lets them got to Paradise to visit mother, and now he's letting Nattergal go to the Lagoon? This all seems so very suspicious to Nattergal, but this easy way out is too tempting an offer to refuse. The anger in Nattergal's face gives way to contemplation.
When her brother doesn't answer right away, Havelle panics. More words tumble out of her mouth, desperate for him to take this offer, to go before his misery breaks him. "You can learn a lot there, and maybe you can be happy." Havelle chokes on the last of what she says and her eyes shine with unshed tears.