In the days since Zevulun’s confession to her, Larka found herself caught between hovering near him to ensure that the weight on his shoulders did not press too heavily, and digging through the thick snowdrifts to find enough grazing to satisfy her pregnancy cravings. Luckily the child within is eager enough to enter the world and though her labor is longer than she remembers, it is not long until a healthy colt makes his appearance into the Prairie herd. Despite the disappearance of his sire, Larka is content to raise Orion* on her own with the help of Zevulun and the rest of her herd. Falkor and Sitara prove to be both a blessing and a nuisance. Constantly the pale mare and black and white stallion hover protectively over the little boy until he merely needs to bleat in their direction to send them running to ensure his safety. Never did Larka need to worry about him getting lost or falling victim to a coyote or wolf. As the days pass, she feels safer and safer leaving him in their care for longer periods of time between meals as she ventures further from him.

Darshan’s long absence had taught her to become more reliant on herself and while she still was careful to keep the herd in sight, Larka found herself grazing further and further away, finding comfort in the solitude. She had a lot on her mind lately. Zevulun’s confession about his sisters, Darshan’s return, Cassiah’s sudden disappearance and even vague thoughts of if Ori might ever make an appearance here in search of his son. Larka was still not quite sure how she felt about him. He had been kind to her when she felt utterly lost and confused, yet even in her thoughts of the dark stallion, Larka finds the image of Zevulun appearing and twining her heart with a whole new set of untouched emotions.

The thundering of hooves draw her immediately from her thoughts and instinctively her pale form tenses. Slender neck lifts as icy blue eyes scan the horizon for signs of danger but settle only on the forms of Ramiel and Jasper. Confusion lights her eyes as she watches them race wildly towards her. Raven tipped ears swivel back and forth as slender legs dance beneath her nervously, scanning the prairie for sounds of yapping wolves but instead there is nothing. Paper thin nostrils quiver as she inhales a deep breath of the crisp spring air but there is no scent of predator and as they slide to a halt before her, she is almost certain that Orion* and the rest of the herd is in no immediate danger. Curiosity replaces the fear in her eyes as she tilts her head towards them. ”What’s going on?” she asks, waiting almost impatiently for them to catch their breath and explain to her what had them so wild-eyed and worried.

’Darshan.’

The name causes her silver blue eyes to glance around in search of the mare of golden sands. Since her return, she had tended to linger nearer to the herd than Larka was used to but now she was nowhere in sight. Larka knew that she would be due to foal soon but the silver mare assumed that she would let her know when the time was close. The concern in Ramiel and Jasper’s eyes is enough to have her immediately in motion. ”Show me!” she commands, her alabaster brows knit together in worry as she lengthens her strides to keep up with the younger stallions. The ground beneath her is a blur and her legs feel shaky and heavy. Despite her love of racing over the hilly plains of the prairie, Larka was not nearly as young as she used to be. The birth of Orion* had taken a great deal of her strength and it had not yet returned completely.

The sight of Darshan, pale and unstable causes her pace to quicken. Forgetting that both boys raced at her side, Larka instead focuses her attention on the golden mare. ”Darshan!” she nickers, slowing to a sudden halt near Zevulun. White rims her blue eyes in fear as she glances at Zevulun for reassurance but instead finds his own wide with concern and worry. Vaguely, she is aware of the strange gray stallion and can only assume that this was the stallion that kept Darshan from her for so long. Secretly she wanted to unleash her lashing tongue upon him but now was not the time. Darshan is all that matters right now. Dark lips press firmly together as carefully she reaches forward to touch her muzzle to Darshan’s golden shoulder. ”I’m here Darshan. I’m with you.” she murmurs, hoping to calm the mare with the gentleness of her tone. For once, she is thankful that the woman cannot hear the fast hammering of her fearful heart.