The day she snuck away from the Badlands was the day she had never again returned home. Life became exciting after Canis invited her to keep his company and, eventually, began to settle in the Bay. Encelia had never admitted it aloud, but she was grateful it was the Bay that he had come to. As long as she had been alive her father and the black Beast King of the Bay had been bitter enemies; her half-brother, Raegar, had even engaged in a few fair fights now and again. The last place her mother, brother, or even father might ever seek her would be here in the Bay.
Not that they would, of course.
The bitterness she held for her family still remained a tight knot in her heart, but its pressure felt less and less with each good day her new life with Canis brought her. There were still so many things she wished for and wasn’t sure how to ask for, or even if she could, but at least life was better than it was in the Badlands. At least Canis actually seemed to enjoy her company, even if he had much lovelier mares to give him affections that she might blush any time she thought of offering him.
(How many times had they been grazing side by side and she’d found herself watching him with a quiet ache, wanting to reach out and touch her lips to the dapples across his skin she’d already memorized?)
Too afraid of being rebuked and ruining the friendship they’d foundered between them, she did everything she could to stuff those thoughts and feelings aside any time they dared to arise. Oftentimes it was easier for her to drift away from him, especially now that he was a father. Encelia would pretend to graze a little way from where he was, be it with the mares he was affectionate with or his new children, but every so often her brown eyes would drift to watch him, and she’d feel a longing burn through her chest until it threatened to choke her before she looked away.
She had done that for a bit in the morning, but eventually turned herself and idly wandered along the spring grazing until she was a distance from where he was. It was only then she became aware of a nearby horse - mainly when they lifted their head and shook it and the movement caught her eye. Encelia turned her pale cheek toward the bay, and recognized immediately that it was Canis’ mother, though she knew little else of her. While Encelia had never been outright against knowing everyone in Canis’ herd, she was so used to tucking herself away and not instigating conversation, assuming her presence would be unwanted, that she remained little more than a ghost to everyone. Even seeing his mother now, Encelia considered dropping her head and turning the opposite direction, ready to pretend she was grazing away from her but really, just wanting to give the mare space.
But then she saw the look on her face and it struck something inside Encelia. She frowned and hesitated, then lowered her head and flicked her ears out as she slowly shuffled closer to the mare. Encelia was fully prepared to be met by pinned ears and a lunge to drive her off, even though no one had ever done something like that to her here. “Um…” she started softly once she was close enough for them to have a conversation, coming to a careful stop and looking over the mare to see if there were any signs of aggression. “Hi…”
She floundered, and her nervousness and awkwardness showed across her face in the way her eyes jumped over the mare’s face, then away, and her lips pulled into a thin, tight line. She felt absolutely stupid. “Sorry, I just… saw you were alone and I…” Encelia shook her head, swallowing back hard against the anxiety crawling up tight in her throat. “I’m Encelia.” She gave her name with somewhat of a sigh, not remembering if Canis’ mother had ever officially met her or knew who she was.
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