The silver markings glowed beneath the light of his mother, the only thing that saved him from being a complete shadow in the night. But if he stood out a little bit, Ophelia was a spark of daylight. There was no missing her in this meadow and the sight of her instantly brought a smile to his face. Their reunion in the Basin had been brief, business driven, and he had been looking forward to seeing her again. He moved toward her with that smile still present, drawing closer as he heard his name. And a rush of air escaped him in a surprised laugh when she finished her sentence - stopping with two meters between them still. He wanted to move closer and embrace her again but given the subject, maybe not getting too close was safer.

This might not have been the ideal manner of reunion but he would not begrudge any chance that he got to spend time with his adoptive mother. There was no harboured resentment in him toward her, no intention on making her feel guilty about their past. She had rescued him, after all. Accepted him into her family when he had been a scraggly youth that she had stumbled across. She had been a better mother, better parent, to him than those he had been related to by blood. And for that he would forever be thankful to her. “It would be an honour to learn from you once more, Ophelia.” The warmth of his voice showed his sincerity but it was chased soon by uncertainty, his smile faltering.

He had never sparred before, never learned how to fight - not really. He had been in a few small scruffles here and there - once when he broke Aviya’s horn; hundreds of time when Roskuld tried to pick fights while they were foals (and she always won); and once on the beach... though he had the help of friends there. The desire to properly learn had not been in him until recently, though he felt guilty about it. The desire to adequately protect his friends and family should have kicked in sooner than his fourth year. But he had naïvely thought there would be little to protect them from. He had certainly learned in the past few years just how wrong he had been.

“After you.” The quiet words slipped out as moon’s son dipped his head politely, nerves starting to swarm in his head as his body tensed.