Snap.
The mare's weight shifted as she lifted and swung her head away from the pool to stare into the dark of the woods. She watched and waited for a few minutes --that felt more like an eternity-- to pass before moving again, frozen by the thought of something out there watching her. Unease coiled in the deep of her gut like a snake. Pinning her ears, the young mare made to turn away from the pool's edge. The water's surface danced with light refracted from the full moon above, casting glimmering arcs of light across the mare's dark fur as she retreated into fuller darkness.
The night shivered around her as the varnished female wound through the woods. Her focus was on walking the exact opposite direction of whatever might have been near the pool near the base of the Falls. Having seen nothing actually moving to constitute rushing away, the two year-old tried to calm herself. Intentionally slow breaths cycled through her nose and lungs. Then, she cast her eyes upward to find something else to think about. (Nothing's chasing you, silly!)
Boughs mostly barren of leaves swayed in the air above her head. Their branches clacked and scraped together like a scattering of stones or.. like.. an animal's gnashing teeth. The frosted length of her tail lashed, washing over a flank in one hissing sweep. Unsettled by the imagery her mind concocted, Polaris glanced uneasily over one shoulder. And still.. the darkness stood peering back at her. In that moment, Polaris felt a flicker of regret for not staying with her mother.