Life moved on, as it always did. Though she could never really adequately explain it to Leliel, she had never returned to the Falls. Brigand would never know its lush forestry or trickling waters, and Muriel didn't have the heart to say that it was because a part of her was tied to what she used to be. Who she used to be. And another part longed for the life that Gull had, clinging helplessly to the idea that maybe even with the complications of Leliel's return and their history together, that Muriel could still get her happily ever after. Her conflict was apparent to herself, for once. Muriel had long since learned that she couldn't lie to herself, and hiding away did nothing to solve her problems. Inexplicably, she'd grown up while Leliel had been away. Whether it was good for her or not, considering where she had ended up, was still to be questioned.

So she had stayed where they were, mostly, while Brigand found his hooves and tottered around. He was her only real joy, and every time she looked down into his ultraviolet eyes she found her heart aching with how painfully large her love for him was. Perhaps she coddled him too much, but Muriel had grown up with her parents being devastatingly apathetic and distant from her. Though not nearly as horrible as Leliel's upbringing, it had still affected her. Sometimes she wondered if that's why she had hounded Leliel so desperately, why she had been so consumed with filly fancies and daydreams of happily ever afters.

Shaking her head to dispel the thoughts, the rosen mare basked in the sunshine, filtered to a perfect temperature by the wind that swept off the distant coast. Her eyes were closed, face upturned as if in prayer. Turning, she opened her eyes to reveal pale lilac, smiling down in so much more than the twitch of her lips down at her perfect son. She was a beacon of warm colors, enveloping him at all times, and she hoped that she was as deep in his pores as he was in hers. Four wings rose in splendid arches, sunning herself beautifully in the bountiful meadow, mostly untouched by the sun's wrathful existence in the absence of the moon.

"Brigand," she called softly for his attention, not sure what his delightfully intrinsic brain had caught onto yet again in that moment. Her eyes found the gleam of the water in her peripherals, shining like jittery diamonds on the surface as it lapped playfully at the edges even in its stillness. It had to be delightfully warm, which meant it was safe for her young son. All the more reason to voice her proposition. "Would you like to swim with me?" Her eyes found only her son, his beautiful ruddy coat and adorably fluffy wings. She loved him so much it hurt. Stepping towards the shoreline, she hoped to entice him with her advancement.

A brief flicker of her eyes was spared for Leliel, wherever he stood - nearby, at least, for his blindness made him reliant upon Muriel's directions - and she lifted her voice to find his ears as well. "Would you like to swim with us, love?" It was weird to utter, after her time with Gull, and it hurt to be aware of that discomfort. But she had promised she would at least try, while Gull was still increasingly absent in their lives. Turning once more to Brigand she smiled, all motherly warmth and unconditional love, and walked into the water up to her mid-shins. All she wanted was time to bond with her little boy.

@[Brigand] and @[Leliel] if you want! Open to any crashers! ;D

Her darling is like an over-excited bird, flittering to and fro with too many wings, a cascade of feathers seeming to follow him wherever he roamed. Like the child he was, he was all down and fluff, but she loved him even when she woke up to feathers stuck in her own fully matured filaments. There was little her darling could do to make her irate with him. Muriel was a naturally peaceful mare regardless, and Brigand was the whole and center of her world. There was nothing more perfect to her, for her. He could likely become a mass murderer who hated her and she'd never be able to return the sentiment. Such was the way of a first born's gift, and the new mother could not help but fall into the trap she'd set for herself.

It still boggled her that somehow her heart, which seemed so incredibly small, could hold the depth of her love for her son.

He was a playful, energetic child. Sometimes it took the wind out of her, and she was nervous to play with him at times, so small and fragile he seemed to her. The mother inside her demanded she protect him, keep him from all harm, and so she could not always abide by the silent pleas she saw in his ultraviolet eyes. But water was a wonderful cushion, perhaps she could allow play for just one day? It was not that she desired to chain her baby boy, but she couldn't help but fear that if she wasn't there at all times, he would somehow wander into trouble and she wouldn't be there fast enough to protect him. It haunted her at night, and she dare not speak to Leliel about it, still rocky with him, not sure what to consider him any longer.

And still, she privately longed and worried after Gull.

The water washed away all evidence of her thoughts, and her laughter sprang free like a bird from a golden cage to see Brigand flounce and fumble into the water on his coltish legs. It sprayed lightly against her rose coat, and she smiled, bright and beautiful. For she was beautiful, inside and out, innocent and soft. A mother from a fairy tale, and yet she could never seem to see that of herself. Her boy was the only thing she'd ever made, ever received, that was something of value in her eyes. Gaze softened with that weight of love, of adoration.

One powerful wing twitched, springing and flaring the end of its flight feathers to splash her child with the water. Then she danced away, belly cold with the water that lapped at it, laughter trailing behind her as her eyes dared him to return the favor.

@[Brigand] So sorry for the wait, life ate me ;-;