Another day, another adventure.
 
As I grew stronger, I grew bolder too.  Since the snows had relented, moving around freely was significantly easier.  Snowdrifts may not be an obstacle to a grown horse, but to a child on wobbly legs, snow turned the Basin into a fortress. Of course, things would be much easier if my wings worked, but downy feathers were not meant to sustain flight.  I let out a little huff in disappointment as I shifted the fluffy appendages, and Everly let out her own peep of agreement.  For the time being, the pair of us were earthbound.  But it wouldn’t be forever.
 
Hopefully.
 
Everly was again on her chosen perch between my ears as I navigated the great unknown. I had definitely never been to this place before.  There were flowers in colors I had never seen before and a strange structure made of rocks that looked much smoother than those in the caves where I’d become accustomed to sleeping.  I was so caught up that I had all but forgotten my surroundings until Everly’s surprise and intrigue pulled me from my own thoughts. As soon as I turned my head to see what had captured her attention, a little Oh! left my lips. There was someone there!
 
I recognized him, or at least I thought I did.  The images in my memory were hazy and unclear.  There were so many unfamiliar faces that day, and all of them had sort of blended together in the presence of the mother fish and her intriguing games. Multitasking was not a skill I could claim to have any mastery of.  Things like walking and speaking complete sentences had taken long enough.  The world certainly had high expectations of the youth.
 
I knew nothing of Gods or blessings or even of the intricacies of companions and the significance they held.  My world was still breathtakingly simple.  My world was just mother and brother and Everly and now father. That was it.  That was all I knew.  That was changing every single day, but it was certainly nice for now.  However it was naïve to assume that things would be the way they were now forever. At least I knew that much.  There was just too much to see, too much to know out there.
 
Maybe that’s why it was impossible for me to stay put.
 
Undaunted, I immediately made my way over to the stranger with the pretty wings.  He hadn’t caused any trouble during the mother fish’s games, so I didn’t have any reason to think he wouldn’t be someone I’d want to meet.  And he had an egg! Everly let out an excited chirp as she, too, saw the egg nestled among the flowers.  I trotted over to the stallion and his egg and looked from him, to the egg, and back again.
 
“What do you think is inside?” I asked, forgoing introductions and nosing up to the stranger. I looked up to the stranger and offered him a smile, and Ev even offered her own chirp in greeting. 
 
“I’m Vesper, by the way. This is Everly. She came out of an egg too – just like yours!”  Everly was clearly restless and wanted down. “Do you mind if I let her down? She wants to see…” I asked the stallion, hoping he wouldn’t mind.