Ashitaka was not deliberately ignoring Mizuki. After he had finished his daily duties he would often come by to visit his little sister. She was easy to find because she barely moved from the beach, if she wasn’t there then she was grazing on the nearby grass or getting a drink from the stream. He almost spent every evening with her teaching her English or chattering in their native language. At other times he preferred to keep to himself to meditate and gather his thoughts.

It seemed like Mizuki couldn’t accept, or didn’t want to accept, that their life had irreversibly changed. Ashitaka still felt a knot of guilt in his guts whenever he was around her, even though she had never outwardly blamed him for their situation. Whenever he had asked how her foal was doing she would either have a one word summary, ‘fine’, or change the subject entirely. Ashitaka was concerned for his sister’s state of mind but there wasn’t really anything he could do about it. In his opinion she needed to start integrating herself with the herd as this would improve both her language skills and mental health. Surely that would be better than aimlessly staring out at the sea for most of the day?

That night he was awake. Staring up at the stars in the clear blue-black sky and pondering about the future. Mizuki’s baby was due any day now and he was rightfully anxious for her. He was not an idiot, he knew something was wrong, and if the foal had indeed died then what would become of Mizuki? Would she die also? Is there anything he could do to save her? Just as the dawn was breaking a scream pierced the air. “Mizuki?” Ashitaka called before galloping towards the origin of the sound.

It wasn’t long before he arrived at the copse. As he quickly weaved through the trees and shrubs the first thing he saw was Nicodemus, and then Mizuki, and then the small black foal lying on the ground. He slowed to a halt a few paces away from the pair. He nodded in greeting and reverence towards the herd leader before he slowly approached his distressed sister. Lowering his muzzle towards the ground he sniffed at the small fragile body and his heart sank. All he could smell was his sister’s blood and the unmistakable stench of death. “Oh, Mizuki,” he whispered, “I’m so sorry.” Though secretly a small part of him was relieved that the young grey mare, her hind legs still covered in a mixture of drying blood and amniotic fluids, was physically ok.

Suddenly he bolted and retreated a few paces as something flew towards his head. For a few moments he stared in bewilderment and disbelief at Mizuki. She just tried to kick him. She had never done that before! Mizuki had always been a gentle soul that avoided physical confrontation. Even when they were growing up together if she ever felt frustrated by one of their siblings she would choose to remove herself from the situation in a huff rather than lash out. Ashitaka’s ears twitched as she shouted at him in their native language. Briefly he looked towards Nicodemus with a mixture of shock and embarrassment. Quickly the young stallion regained his composure and waited for silence to fall before he gently replied with “What else did you want me to say?”

Male. V. Bay Roan. Hokkaido Horse. 13.3HH. Guest of the Inlet.