I DON'T WORRY,
WORRYING DON'T AGREE
THINGS THAT BOTHER YOU, NEVER BOTHER ME!

The roan colt leaned his head back, neck stretched, and looked up at the two mares who looked down fondly on him. His mother reached down and, rather than give him a loving nuzzle, pushed into his shoulder enough to rock his weight. He grunted and flicked his ears, pale stub of a wet tail flicking behind his rump.

Talya pulled her head back and glanced at the Forest Goddess as she asked after Kestrel’s father. She wanted to lie and tell her she didn’t know who he was or where he was or what he was. She wanted to be as clueless as she’d been the first time.

Unfortunately it turned out the one horse she was incapable of lying to was the one asking her the gentle questions. The Forest Goddess had a profound effect on Talya, and she felt that to lie to her was to commit blasphemy itself. Her pale ears flicked out to the side and her head slightly dropped. “I’m trying to forget him, but it’s very hard this time.”

Kestrel may not be a spitting image of Frey, but there was something in the colt that reminded her of him. Or at least, the version of him who hadn’t yelled at her.

She lifted her head and looked at the Forest Goddess, explaining further. “The Good Witch took him captive because of some drama, I don’t know.” If it was a drama Talya didn’t know about, that meant she actively avoided it and it was negative. She shook her head. “I got excited when I saw him on the beach cause I… I thought he came to play games with me. He’s the best game playing friend I’ve ever had!” Her voice lamented sadly to think she’d never have a fun day like the one she’d had playing in the Falls with Frey. “But he didn’t come to play with me. He was mad and he yelled at me.”

She kicked her hoof into the dirt and Kestrel snorted, pulling his head away with an indignant jerk. He still hadn’t bothered trying to stand up yet, taking advantage of his mom being too distracted to push him to it.

“He called me stupid.” She said sadly.

Frey hadn’t exactly called her stupid…

“I told him he wasn’t my friend anymore and every day since then I keep trying to forget him, but I can't...”

She looked at Kestrel and sighed, stretching her head down to nudge him again.