Kohelet kept the friendly smile on her face as the mare flinched, but inside she was crumbling with self-doubt. Had she been too abrupt? Too nosy? Had she inserted herself where she was unwelcome? Or had she interrupted something that she had been too distracted to notice? Her ears ticked back in a mirror of the sabino mare's uncertainty but she did not yield, although that was at least in part due to being afraid of offending the mare further by walking off without an answer.

Eventually, the mare's unique voice breaks the silent standoff and Kohelet relaxes, her lips curving upward more warmly and her throat constricting with a swallow as she listened. At her request for forgiveness, Kohelet shook her head kindly and chuckled. "There is nothing to forgive."

She hadn't seen the blue mare interact with anyone besides Fell since her arrival a few days ago, and since most of the herd kept to themselves, it was a fair assumption to make. "It's still a bit quiet here," her voice was wistful as she looked back over the other mares. She had hoped that with the advent of other children, the Bay would have at least a little bit of the noise she had grown accustomed to as a filly, but so far each mother and child pair kept largely to themselves. "But hopefully that will change."

To Koh's delight, the little sabino mare then asked a question of her, and she followed her gaze to where Khoshekh was entertaining himself. This laugh was more robust and warm, indicative of her growing comfort as their conversation found its footing. "Both, every chance he gets." As much as Kohelet wanted to present a suave, confident personality to this mare, she could not stop the way her voice grew sappy with the adoration she had for her son. "You think it's cute when it happens to everyone else.... Not so much when you're the one dodging those tiny flailing legs. For something so small he kicks awfully hard."

Though her words might have been taken as a complaint out of context, there was no malice in her tone. Khos was a wild, rambunctious little boy but he was not mean, and Kohelet had not coddled him into thinking violence toward his parents was acceptable.

Turning back to the mare she tilted her head inquisitively and inquired to learn more. "Have you had any of your own?" She knew that the recently-arrived mare had not come with any children, but she seemed mature enough to have maybe had one of her own before joining the Bay's herd. And while Kohelet had learned a lot from the other mares in the Cove, she would always welcome parenting advice.