The moon hung heavy in the sky as the filly crept from her hiding place among the sage and towards the pool of water. She had managed to hold off her thirst all day, not wanting to be seen by others as they came to drink throughout the daylight hours. With her mother passing away at such an early age, and then her father disappearing thereafter, Faye wasn’t sure who was safe and who was not. So she would drift between territories, doing her best to stay out of sight, and not let her scent grow too heavy in any particular place.


It had crossed her mind, especially right after father had disappeared, to go to one of her older siblings. They would have probably protected her, but fear and doubt made Faye unsure. The stranger that had ushered in, and the division of the herd that left, it was too much change. So she had stayed away, disappearing like a unrealized shadow, and she didn’t even stop to wonder if they would look for her or not.


A rustle to her right startled the filly, and she jerked her head up from the water with a gasp. Bright eyes round with fright, only to realize how silly she had been, as a desert hare moved a few feet away. Letting out a heavy breath, she tried to shake away her fear by giving a physical shake, before lowering her head again to finish her drink.