It was easy to forget the rest of the world in those long moments Fell and Kohelet stayed wrapped together. Even Ivo was little more than a satellite in his awareness, not forgotten, but peripheral. There was nothing else but the three of them as Fell’s world shrank to encompass this piece of his family.

Eventually, though, the present seeps back. Kohelet pulls away slightly, and Fell is neither surprised nor worried. It’s a given that ‘happily ever after’ is a gross simplification of even the most blissful situation, and while he feels as though a broken bone has been reset and righted within him, there is still healing to be done. His ears press forward, and he prepares as though to receive a blow, or perhaps to endure the wrapping of a recently un-broken limb. The way she speaks makes him think this news will hurt him somehow, but he doesn’t dread it — he anticipates it like the ache and itch of healing wounds.

I have a daughter, she confesses, and Fell’s ears swivel as he takes this in. Surprisingly, it bothers him less than he had expected. When he had been younger, and a fresh leader of territory and herd, he had grappled with feelings of competition. He distinctly remembers the moment he considered killing Svenja’s son when he found her in the Bay after claiming it, and shame ripples through him now. He hadn’t done it, but the thought had also not disappeared entirely. It had taken a few reality checks before Fell got it into his head that children begotten by other stallions were far more plentiful than children begotten by himself, and that the idea of trying to compete with every single one was ridiculous. Additionally, many of his mares had existing children before him, and he had learned to accept and even enjoy their presence in the Bay, as in the case of Charmeine. To hear that Kohelet had a foal with someone else, while not holding any obligation to Fell or the Bay, was roughly similar to hearing that a mare he brought home had a child somewhere that Fell would have to retrieve. Of course, there are slightly more complicated feelings in this situation, but ultimately he can’t blame Kohelet or the daughter for any of it.

Fell nods after a short moment to process, then nods again when Kohelet asks him to show Ivo around. He feels a prickle of excitement, which strikes him as out of place in the atmosphere of anticipation and apprehension. He wants to spend time with Ivo and get to know him. He even wants to meet the daughter Kohelet does not share with him, though it doesn’t cross his mind yet that she would have to be older than Ivo and therefore not really a child anymore.

Fell brushes his nose affectionately against Kohelet’s temple, then pulls away from her and turns to the yearling colt. He steps past him, but instead of gesturing for Ivo to follow, Fell tags him lightly on the mane before skittering a few steps ahead. It’s an invitation to chase, and he pauses and turns to make sure Ivo is into the game before bolting further into the Bay.

stallion | marwari mutt | black | torn left ear | bay