When the time had come for Mizuki to give birth to her second child she had picked a secluded space within the dense pine trees on the southern side of the Inlet. It was the furthest point from the shore that you could get without straying into the neighbouring herds of the Arch and Bay. Most importantly it was far from the place where she had given birth last year. Tragically her last baby had been stillborn, and although Mizuki knew this baby was strong and healthy, she was still very anxious about going into labour.

Her fears did not come true. In and out, the contractions came like the rhythmic push and pull of the sea. The birth was over before she fully realised that she had gone into labour. She was soon gazing lovingly down at her daughter squirming upon the forest floor. She was beautiful and perfect. A silver shade of blue with white markings painted across her small body. Just like her father, Mizuki thought and she smiled proudly. As she cleaned and bonded with her daughter she was momentarily distracted by rain that had started to drip through the canopy. “Rain?” Mizuki questioned turning her brown eyes towards the sky. “Snow?” She whispered with a hint of disbelief. It was early spring but surely it was too late in the year for snow now? And then it dawned on her, that should be the foal's name. “Ameyuki,” she christened her daughter gently with a nuzzle to the foal’s forehead.

Now it was natural for a mare to stay away from her herd after giving birth. A few days or a few weeks was normal. Mizuki had not realized that a few weeks had expanded into a few months. She was horrified when she noticed that some of the pine trees were dropping their needles around her. Has summer really come and gone already? Despite her daughter being born healthy, growing steadily and eagerly absorbing everything she was being taught; Mizuki had not escaped the trauma of her last baby and had subconsciously placed all that fear unfairly upon young Ameyuki’s shoulders. Like she expected the young girl not to get up one morning. But she did, she always woke up in the mornings.

“Come little one,” she stated determinedly, “Time to meet your family.They will want to see you,” Mizuki had to gently nudge her daughter along. Her brow furrowed in concern a few times during their walk. Was Ameyuki anxious about meeting her herd? Or maybe she was afraid about leaving this space in the forest they had called home for too long? Had her prolonged isolation, unintended as it had been, made her this way? Or did the foal simply have a nervous disposition? “It will be alright,” Mizuki smiled gently in an attempt to inspire courage in her daughter.