It had been one of the few times Honeycutt did not have her daughter hidden away in the numerous places she’d found in the Lagoon to stash her out of sight that the mare descended upon them. The sudden increase of energy and the way the great black bachelor stallion had surged up to meet her in a fight had frightened Honeycutt, who’s eyes rolled white as she quickly guided her daughter as far away from them as she could get.

Unfortunately seeing as they were fighting over her, there was no retreating into the swamplands to find somewhere to hide from the action. As soon as the roan mare had taken the upper hand and driven off the bachelor, she turned right for Honeycutt.

“Quickly!” The mare said. “To the Falls!”

“Osmanthus!” Honeycutt cried out to the empty distance as the mare lowered her head and charged insistently at them both, but she knew the cry was going to only fall on empty air. There was no waiting and hoping he would come to stop whatever was happening. Honeycutt was no fighter herself and far too much a coward to even try to kick or resist, which meant she was quite easily herded by the insistence of the much taller mare.

“Stay close to me,” Honeycutt told her daughter as she lowered her head to gently brush her muzzle as comfortingly as she could over the girl’s shoulder, then started off in the direction the mare was leading them – away from the Lagoon and to the Falls.