Nicodemus had been absent for a little while. From what Ashitaka could gather the Inlet lead had traveled to his allies on the other islands. Strengthening their alliances like an accomplished diplomat should. This left him, the Beta stallion, to hold down the fort in the leader's absence since he had not seen any trace of Nox for quite some time. The small roan positioned himself at the edge of a clearing where he had a good view of the herd. The long coat that had kept him nice and warm through winter had almost fully shed. He was currently reluctant to freely patrol the territory as he normally would. Spring was starting to warm into summer now and any mares that had not had their foals yet would be delivering them shortly. Ashitaka did not wish to unintentionally stumble into any intimately private moments.

One of those expectant mothers was his own dear sister. For a brief moment his brow furrowed with concern. He hadn’t seen her for a few days now. He knew she would have found a nice little discreet place to give birth and she should have done so by now. He prayed that this baby would arrive easily and healthy. Ashitaka’s not sure how Mizuki would cope with another lost child. The strong hearted mare had made many major steps on her path to recovery but she wasn’t like her old self. He wasn’t sure she would ever be her old self again. He snorted, flicked his ear, and reminded himself that he needed to look optimistically forward. It was spring, a time of new life and new hopes for the future. No doubt he will be meeting his new nephew or niece imminently. Any moment now he expected to see her white frame emerge from behind the trunks of the pine trees.

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