Vita Nova always hated the swim. Even in her younger years, the sensation of being damp made her skin crawl. She hadn't left Tinuvel in so long that for a brief moment, the sooty-colored mare worried if she'd even remember how to keep her head above water. But alas, even in her weary state, after a traumatic labor and the exhaustion that came from the seemingly endless war, the Queen of the Inlet's instincts did not fail her. Her first swim off the frozen island had been a difficult one, both emotionally and physically. Luckily Tavas was there, right at her side, to see her through it. But the effort had not been wasted. Vita Nova's presence had somehow convinced Shamwari and Warsaw to give up their senseless, bullish fighting. And finally, the war was over.
It was difficult for her to return to Luthien, and the Prairie in particular, in such a weak condition. She wasn't prepared for the gawking eyeballs of her family and their allies. But once she got past her own self-conscious anxiety, she experienced a sense of calm she hadn't felt in quite some time. It was warm nostalgia mixed with longing and love. The golden hills of the Prairie laid out before her made her heart ache for Evaline and Valentine, wherever their spirits were. She missed Shamwari and Jabari.
During this time she was struck to find out that Evren was here, living in the Forest, and that the tri-colored mare, her old friend from the Desert, had birthed one of Shamwari's foals and was due with a second. It turned Vita Nova's world upside down as she tried to come to understand it. Their reunion had been rushed and awkward at the time - Vita Nova was thin and sick. Evren was marred with wounds from battle, with a young filly at her side. All of it didn't make sense.
Vita Nova took an extended stay in the Prairie after the war. She stayed as long as she could force Warsaw to muster it. Then she returned home feeling rejuvenated and ready to care for her now ailing mate. But she promised her chestnut brother she would return, and soon.
But Vita Nova did not return soon. Not until she had no place else to go. Warsaw lost their home to the Icelandic stallion, and the herd was moving to the Cove for the time being. Being uprooted from her home of course did not sit well with the queen. But even worse, was having to live with Solomon, and pretend to be grateful for the boastful stallion's generosity. So she took to the seas again, having much rather brave the icy, dark currents than to look at the painted brute of the Cove any longer, and set off for Luthien.
She owed Evren a proper conversation. And if she was being honest, Vita Nova wanted to hear all the details about her and her brother.
She rose from the surf not at the shoreline of the Prairie, but of the Forest this time. Her wide, blue eyes stared out into the shadowed forest before her. She breathed a heavy sigh before giving her wet coat another shake for good measure, and trudged off into the trees.
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