Pike was home, but she wasn’t happy about it.

For a few days, she’d enjoyed the benefits of Solomon’s larger herd. The abundance of children her age to indulge in various games and mischief with. The blissful absence of the tension that had thrived in the Inlet since her mother’s disappearance. And of course, the less-watchul eyes of the grownups who lived there— and which had enabled the young palomino to escape their notice for longer than she’d thought was possible. But in the end, Şevket’s dad had finally recognized Pike and escorted her back to Ironclad. The golden filly had been too intimidated by the tall painted stallion to defy him, but she had sulked the whole way home. Thankfully, she’d already learned from her big sister how to make her face look just the right amount of angry and upset.

She hadn’t called him a big mean jerk when he’d left like Lakota might have, but she’d still thought it.

Naturally, the scolding she’d thought to avoid by never coming back had followed. But it wasn’t as bad as she’d expected. Her mom was gone, so they weren’t both frowning at her in that disappointed way that made her feel small and insignificant. Instead it was just her sire, and he didn’t seem quite so angry this time. If anything, he’d just seemed sad— like he’d felt left out of all that fun that she’d been having in the Cove. And more than Ironclad’s words, it was his daughter’s burgeoning guilt that convinced her not to wander away again...at least not right away. She would just have to wait until her dad wasn’t busy, and then she’d invite him to come with!

But the greying stallion was gone as much as he was here, and Pike’s guilt was short-lived. By the time that summer became early fall, she was bitter and sulky again. Her mother and father went away whenever they wanted, but she wasn’t allowed to visit her friend Şevket. It was so unfair! Stomping away from the herd as soon as the sky lightened, the pale gold yearling made her way to the Inlet’s shore. There, she tore up mouthfuls of grass as if each blade was personally responsible for the stupidity of the grown-ups. Chewed it until it became soft enough to swallow, then reached for another bite. The steady rhythm of eating even served to lull her for awhile, dulling the serrated edges of her anger— at least until Lakota’s bossy voice reached her.

Lifting her head and flipping her ears back, Pike faced her sibling’s ire with an indignant glare and an agitated swish of her tail. Lakota stalked closer— no longer significantly taller and stronger than her younger sister, but now of a more comparable size. For a second they might have flung themselves at one another, but then the tension was gone. Instead, Lakota only made a comment about Pike never living in the Cove and never being around. And though the palomino’s defiance flared at this accusation, there was also comfort to be found in the fact that her relationship with the young mare was untouched. Everything else was changing, but at least this was something she could hold on to.

“No,” she responded tersely, chocolate-brown eyes flicking briefly south. “II was just visiting my friend Şevket, but now Dad says I’m not allowed to go anymore” Okay, Ironclad may have specifically said she couldn’t go alone, but it was basically the same. No one else would go with her, after all. “It isn’t fair!” Pike burst out suddenly, flattening her ears again. “They get to go places if they want to. Mom’s been gone forever, and no one is yelling at her.” Her gaze met Lakota’s, and her voice became glum.

“Do you think they’ll ever let us decide what we want to do? Or d’you think they’re just going to boss us around forever?”