the massive mare’s mind whirs like a clock that has been wound too tightly. the moment one of her large hooves collides with verrat’s pale hide, sending him to the lagoon floor, Božena’s heart lurches with sickening devastation. his scream is deafening… it rings in her ears as she falls back to earth, scrambling to put some distance between them. and an eternity passes as she stands there, dark eyes glued to his prone figure. she feels blood pulsing in her ears, her heart pounding in her chest as if it means to escape its bony cage of ribs altogether… finally, when he is able to rise, the colt shuffles away, dragging one of his hind legs. it is his whimper that animates her once again.

it is her body that shakes now, with both the exhilaration of battle and something else… a dreadful feeling of anguish…remorse. it rushes over the mare in nauseating waves. her large head stretches out toward the young stallion, a hoarse nicker leaving her lips. it is rife with sorrow.

Božena isn’t sure what to say that will make this easier… and she cannot take away his pain, though she would gladly if it was possible. she is built for suffering, it seems. the statuesque ebony mare can only utter a silent prayer that she hadn’t caused any lasting damage to the son of her enemy before stepping gently toward him, large head held low and unthreateningly, hoping he would turn to face her once more so that they could speak. Even if he continued shuffling away, instead of engaging with her, she hopes he would still hear her words. ”i did not mean to wound you Verrat. you are a brave son, and your otec should be proud of you.

the world seems to close in on her then, as she remembers her own otec, her father… he was a proud beast, as one would expect… but he was inherently good. he reminded his rodina constantly to do what was right… what was honorable.. the mare wonders what her otec would think of her now. would he be proud of what she was trying to do…or would he only see her failures? she wasn’t sure.

though she had failed her sestra, Božena will be proud to bear her offering to the other mares of the peak. she did not want to think of the anguish macabre’s children would feel, but she hopes her actions would honor their matka. the towering dark mare fervently hopes that while the stallions of the lagoon make residency on the mountain territory, the tide of evil that had befallen the brotherhood would turn. the band of mares and stallions would be forced to learn how to coexist peacefully… and perhaps things would someday get back to normal.

she calls out again to verrat, maintaining a respectful distance so as not to frighten the colt any more than she already had. ”stay here and regain your strength, valiant one. stay with your father, for now, while your brotherhood joins me at the peak. someday, when you are able, i ask that you come find me there so that we may discuss the future.” surely he would see reason if she could only explain why she had done this…and explain how his father had murdered her sestra in cold blood. Božena doesn’t want to be hated by the colt, though she could’t blame him if he felt that way now, in the face of his defeat.