Havelle has never been to the peak, but her imagination runs wild, filling in the gaps between Bacardi's words, and painting a picture not of this world. A hot curiosity compels her to visit, but Havelle wonders what her father would say. There are no stallions in charge. Might he let her go?
As the filly rehearses potential conversations with Liland, the colt's face falls. It's a look Havelle is all too familiar with. She seen it on her brother's face and felt it on her own. All of them are too young to carry the weight of the world like they do. They are too young to know loss, and yet they dine with her at every lonely meal.
What would mother say about the Peak? Would Zjeena encourage Havelle to explore the peak, or would she urge her to stay away, as she rejected her own mare-led upbringing? Havelle can't imagine her mother discouraging her in any way, but there's no way she'll know. Zjeena lost the right to mother the twins the day she turned her back on the Bay for Paradise.
"It's nice." Havelle begins, reflecting upon her home, searching for the words to describe what sets it apart from the other territories on the island chain. "Winters are colder, but there is more snow than the other islands. I love snow! It's hilly, and rocky, and the pine trees smell wonderful. The shoreline in the bay is shallow and calm, good for swimming." Nattergal may not like the bay but Havelle does. She likes it just as much as she liked Paradise, but for different reasons.
"Trouble seems to follow father. I get tired of the drama, but I like the herd, and I'm glad to call it home." Havelle finishes honestly. A lot has happened to the whole family over the least few years, but Havelle wouldn't trade her family for the world. In her chest beats a young heart full of love.
"Are there any stallions on the Peak? Do you know your father? Will they let you stay when you are grown?" Havelle meant to ask about stallions on the Peak, but more questions come to mind and the spill from nervous lips before she can stop them. She clamps her jaw shut, and her ears turn apprehensively. She hopes she didn't ask too much and upset Bacardi.