Fiona was silent as she took a knee before the foal, staring into his eyes. She nodded once. "I can't think of a better way to remember my friend. Thank you, Laurell would have been honored."
I will tell my child stories of your friend's exploits.
Fiona scratched an itchy part on Lore's neck, making him lean into her touch. "I have a few of those stories to tell myself."
Eva sent Belle a startled look. "Are you sure?"
Fiona glanced over her shoulder. "What did she say?"
Eva's answer was slow in coming. "She says, if you're willing, she will send Lore to you when he comes of age. She wishes you to be his rider and teach him what it means to be a warrior."
Fiona sucked in a shocked breath.
"Can you offer that?" Eva asked, feeling overwhelmed.
He is my foal. I can do as I wish, and your warrior is exactly the type of rider I envisioned for my son. Together, they can make a new future.
Fiona stood, resting one hand on the foal. The baby nickered and tossed his head up and down.
"I would pledge my life for him," Fiona said in a serious voice.
Belle nodded.I'd expect nothing less.
A soft whicker left Belle as she summoned the foal. She nudged him with her nose, half lifting him into the air as his wings flapped awkwardly. Only when he managed to get airborne did Belle follow.
You should know you're not alone; no matter how it appears.
Belle and the smaller figure beside her disappeared around the mountain tops.
"I have a new life goal," Jane said into the silence.
"Oh?" Eva asked, her eyebrows rising.
Determination shone in the normally taciturn Anateri's eyes. "Make a mark strong enough a Kyren will want to be named after me."
Eva's eyebrows rose. "Ah ha. Not sure I'd pick a goal that revolves around my death."
But she could see how an Anateri might.
"You've got the wrong perspective there, Caller." Jane allowed herself a tiny smile that seemed as wise as an old woman's in that moment. "It's all about your life and what you do with it before you go."
Eva hummed as she studied the night. "I suppose it is."
Soft laughter came and they looked toward Fiona to find her bent forward. She gasped in between her guffaws.
"Should we do something about that?" Eva asked.
Jane shook her head. "Let her go. She needs this."
Fiona straightened, cupping her hands as she shouted at the sky. "Laurell! You have a namesake; you will be remembered."
Jane and Eva lifted their voices in solidarity, howling their approval at the night.
Gradually, they quieted as the wind carried their voices away.
Fiona took a deep, cleansing breath. "Thank you, Eva."
"I had nothing to do with it. This was all Belle's idea," Eva said, uncomfortable in the face of Fiona's gratitude.
