Spring has always been a season of change: a time for the lush greenery of the forest to grow anew; for the days to grow longer and warmer; for young to be born and a chorus of birdsong to fill the air once more. This year, however, it seems spring has more in store than usual for the Forest. As if it is not enough that Shamwari - the father of Evren and Persephone's children, who had lived on the island as long as Evren could remember - had disappeared like a puff of smoke, so too has Rille been absent, leaving the strong democratic relationship of Luthien's leaders in tatters. While Evren and Persephone intend to mend this, there is only so much they can control.

Two things Evren cannot control are her young daughter's impending birth, as well as that which she's grudgingly come to accept: the questionable fate of her first-born grandchild. This has weighed heavily on her mind the past few months, and accepting the limits of her influence on Arkana's decision has been no easy task.

As she grazes on this particular spring day, her copper eyes are fixed on Arkana's swollen tobiano form which is half-eclipsed by trees. The foal is due any day now, and while Evren knows she will likely need to say goodbye to it, the thought of doing so - for a mare to whom family is everything - sits uneasily, like a brewing storm in the pit of her gut.

Evren has lowered her head to lip listlessly at the soft spring grass when a call echoing through the forest pulls her to attention. It's not an unfamiliar call, but it's still a surprise, given the bearer is a mare who has largely kept to herself during her time in the Forest. Grateful for a distraction from the heavy topics on her mind, Evren wastes no time in seeking out the dun mare, brushing softly past leafy branches and low-lying shrubs to meet her in a small, sunny clearing. She offers the mare a friendly smile and briefly offers her muzzle in greeting.

"Aponi," she says, "It's good to see you. You haven't been around in a while; is everything all right?"