"And now I wish to God that The earth would turn cold
And my heart would forget it's made of glass"

Numb. Cold. Disbelieving.

Someone called her name, and the voice seemed to come from very far away. Erthë turned, and her eyes as she looked up and saw others gathered around the fallen mare was black with grief. There were so many of them. People she knew and people she had never seen before, familiar faces and unknown strangers. Again and again her name was called, mumbled words of regret and sympathy.

But she felt nothing but emptiness as she listened to their laments.

A white unicorn, spotted with inverted stars or perhaps dyed in mimicry of a stone-strewn winter mountain side, told her that her mother had left. That made absolutely no sense to her, because her mother was still there, wasn't she. Her body was still warm, the blood was still oozing from the gaping wounds in her chest, the tangled mane still fluttered in the soft breeze. With the lids closed over amethyst orbs it looked as though she was simply asleep, dozing in the bright, warm sunlight.

It was just her sides that didn't move, only breath that didn't stir the glittering water beneath the soft nose. The mare looked too peaceful, an expression the pale child had almost never seen on her mothers face while she was still...

While she was still alive.

Maren was there, and the painted healer, Miykael. He did something that enveloped her in a sensation of warmth, like fireflies and rays of light and glowing embers swirled and danced through her body. It tickled and warmed and chilled, and it might be her imagination but the filly felt as though it became easier to breathe for a moment, as though the black muck loosened in her lungs. The golden lord of the Basin said something, but she couldn't really make out what.

It wasn't until Badger spoke that she stirred, finally reacting to something that was being said. Clumsily the filly got to her feet and limped over to the dark equine, pain and sadness and the gravity of her loss spilling over in new icy tears as she made to press herself against his chest. There she remained for quite some time, the slender young body quivering and shaking as she let emotions take over; not oblivious to those present, just too overwhelmed to respond to their kindness and quiet support.

"And all the pretty tulips would disappear
And never disturb me again"