“ Jes’ been watchin’ tha’s all. “ she replies pleasantly. “ Mebbe it’s cos I had a mum who was all too eager ta kick me aside when I were old ‘nuff to live witout her milk, or simply been on me own too long. But I see th’way ya watch ‘im like a hawk. Ain’t a bad thing. Jes means ya luv the li’l lad. “ she replies, almost enviously. To the nameless mare, Kohelet had it all: Family, a stallion who clearly desired her, and a brazen son to call her own. She breathed in and huffed out a soft breath, her ears tilted back with uncertainty, but her posture shifted into one of relaxation.

As Kohelet revealed her pedigree and her connection to this island in particular, she felt a twist of something uncomfortable within her gut. Fortunately, her expressions were often forged from the very stones that her mother had often tried to say that she was forged from. “ He seems ta be a good’un. Wos the first horse I met, ‘pon returning to th’ isles. “ she replies, which would have given Kohelet the foreshadowing to Blue’s beginnings. “ Is that ‘is name then? ‘Fell’? “ she asks. For reasons that would be obvious to the pair of them by now, Fell was incapable of speaking. At least, in the way that required their voices. To Blue, this had been curious, but she had been a vow of some sort -- she’d known many a zealous and ardent horse, when it came to more spiritual beliefs. Religion and spirituality inspired all manners of nonsense, as far as she was concerned… But there was at least some validity to some of it, she’d realized. Especially with her introduction to Fell, and the ravens that had lead her to him.

She’d huff a soft breath with amusement at Kohelet’s remark about the manner in which she’d greeted her.“ Well, I should be more specific; you may ‘ave been a stranger to me, but s’far as I can tell, ya ain’t a stranger to this herd. “ The blue mare clarifies, “ I ain’t always the most friendly. Ain’t uncommon for me ta leave a situation without a mouthful of hair, or hoove that’re tender from havin’ a go at someone. “ She would look out towards her colt as if adding emphasis to what she was about to reference, “ ‘Sides, nursin’ mums ain’t usually tha ‘trouble’ sort, less their foal’s the object of anothers desire. “ Which was an unfortunate fact of life; she vividly remembers her first hours of life being traumatic and terrifying. It had been loud, painfully so; she could still hear the enraged squeals of dueling mares fueding over who truly had rights over her tiny body. Sometimes, with how cruel her own dam had been as she matured, she wondered if the mare she’d known as her mother had actually been the thief. It would certainly explain a lot; like how she was as black and blue as the night sky, but Ragnfridr -- her mother -- had been an earthy tan, with dark points from the knee down, with a mane and tail full of thick unruly curls… Which was probably the only similarity Blue shared with the woman she’d known as her protector in those early days.

She thinks for a few moments, and then would begin to unravel bits of her truth to Kohelet. There was something that made the blue mare feel safe, with her. Of course, she’d not been shy in revealing anything to the stallion Solomon, but she realizes how delicate the situation could be, especially since her earlier admission of having met the gregarious King. “ I can see why you stayed. “ She replied, “ Tinuvel is quite gorgeous, n’ the scent of evergreen and pine makes my heart sing. Truly a pleasant place t’set yer hearth. “ The blue mare would offer a kind smile, “ Makes me think’ve the tales I’ve heard of Yggdrasil. “ she says, which had been a holy place for her kind. She had hoped to see it one day. Perhaps, one day, she might… But her travels had yet to allow for it. In truth, at ten years old, the blue child of the Battlemaiden was ready to settle down. She’d seen enough of the world by her lonesome. While it had made her seem worldly and wise, and she was full of stories of all sorts, it hadn’t made her happy. Not in the long term. “ I was born here. On the Peak. But me mum’s mum lived ‘ere, wos the Queen’ve this very Bay, as I hear it, “ she says, “ Her stallion, like yer father, wos King of Tinuvel, at that time. “ she replies. “ Weren’t the legacy yers seemed to make’ve ‘imself, though. Since it seems I ain’t met another to know their names beyond those I share blood with, an’ they’re long gone at this point. “

“ Originally, I’d come to see the Bay for myself, see if this spit of land could provide me the answers I’ve been askin’ all me life. “ The blue mare admits, “ Can’t say it has; but I’ve found somethin’ better. “ She said, giving a meaningful look to the tobiano mare. Although they’d only known each other a handful of moments, the blue mare already considered her a friend.