The blanketed sisters had spent the rest of the winter sheltering together near the large waterfall on the Crossing. Eve was awed by how bits of it froze over on the coldest days; she had seen many a waterfall in her travels with Gnome, but never one in winter’s grasp. The sunlight glittering off the ice dazzled her and filled her with childlike wonder. It was almost as if, having found Iris and knowing that their mother was alive, she felt free to let loose the glee she’d had to suppress at such a tender age. Relief and happiness lightened her heart, so that she often would entice Iris to join her prancing about the edge of the pool as though they were both fillies again. All the while, she refused to acknowledge the gradual swell of her barrel that signaled her own impending motherhood. The longer she ignored what was happening to her body, the longer she could put off processing the events that had prompted her to return to the isles to seek out her father.
As winter melted to spring, however, both sisters could no longer hide from each other. Eve’s sides were quite protuberant by this time, and she had noticed her sister’s guardedness. Out of politeness she had refrained from interrogating, but now the curiosity was too much to bear. She had to know where Lilika and Iris had been all those years.
On a clear, warm morning, when at last the snow had completely melted, the roaned mare went to her sister. They had been grazing some distance apart, though always aware of each other. Eve bumped her muzzle, dark with a band of tawny around the nostrils, against Iris’s smooth dark shoulder. Then, she stepped back and angled herself so they were facing each other. Her dark eyes sought their match in the other mare’s face. They were no longer as guarded as they had been in the presence of Roheryn, which made Eve think that now was her opportune moment.
“Iris, I wanted to ask you something…what happened to you and mom? Where were you all those years?” The roan paused for a moment, casting a glance over to the falling and dancing water that could just be glimpsed through the trees. Though this was a popular destination, they were quite secluded in a little grove at the moment. “You can tell me, and I won’t be angry or think of you any differently. I just…we looked everywhere, and it was almost like you didn’t want to be found. And now, you’re here…” Her voice trailed off.
She knew she should bring up their parents, too. The sisters should be helping their mother locate Gnome, but with how heavily pregnant Eve was at the moment it was unwise to make any sort of swim, and the blanketed pair had not seen either of them anywhere on the Crossing. Guilt flooded her, but she pushed it away with the knowledge that her mother, if she were still in the Prairie, would at least be taken care of; Eve’s interaction with Shamwari had proven his kindness. Furthermore, they had no idea where their father currently lived. So for now, the focus had to be upon the questions that were threatening to eat her from the inside out.