Spring comes early in the jungle. Fragrant blooms and fresh greenery set the scene well before the first foals of the season hit the ground. Humidity rises, and with it, so does the heat.
Once the ice queen of Tinuvel, Zjeena has become something entirely different. Her tawny coat is sleek as a dragon's scales and she flies the narrow trails of Paradise with a similarly mythical ease, not breaking a sweat. She glides from favorite snack to favorite snack on invisible wings, collecting the flavors of Paradise, a different kind of golden hoard.
No longer nursing growing twins, nor any new foals of her own, the small mare's flanks fill with the riches of Atlantis. She rounds, and her coat shines. Her mane hangs in healthy, silken falls around her shoulders. It's a different kind of beauty than what a lean desert-bred might possess, but still a beauty all its own.
Zjeena kept her heat from Rougaru for one more season, afraid to experience another loss like the one she felt before. As much as Zjeena loves being a mother, she's not ready to gamble for such grief again, and a break has been exactly what she needs to unwind after catering to others for so long.
A new era has dawned for Zjeena. No longer does she live for everyone else. She lives for herself first and foremost, and she has never felt so free.