She had received no invitation. It was the unusual number of horses traveling the snow-clad paths and trails in one direction that drew her attention, and like the curious creature she was the blackbird followed in their wake. It was growing harder to move around as she wished. As days passed and nights grew longer her body swelled with life, to the point where she no longer could close her eyes to the obvious. Once again Shadow was pregnant, once again after a thoughtless night with a stranger. But this time she was not going to handle the situation on her own. There was no herd to back her up now, no resident healer to patch her up if things went wrong. While years had passed she still had the painful birth of Kari fresh in memory, and it was with mixed feelings she counted down the days. Not long now. Not long at all - her child would be born at the peak of winter, for better or for worse.

With wary hesitation the black pegasus flew in over the borders of the Falls, expecting guards to come and stop her and not entirely reassured when they did not. Apparently the gathering was open to everyone, which was either generous or completely retarded - she had yet to determine which. This was a land she had never visited before, and while she had a vague recollection of there once being a mountain where water now cascaded into a deep valley she didn't feel the same confusion as she had when faced with the change around the Throat.

Shadow approached the gathering horses and listened with half an ear as someone held a speech - oh, so they were playing games? How casual of them - but was far more interested in studying the gathered participants. Most were nothing but strangers, horses she had never seen or met before, but there were a few familiar faces around. In the crowd she was able to pick out Maren's vibrant coat and peculiar head-wings, and flying in with graceful expertise only to land in a treetop was Ampere, dark and looming as a storm cloud. The mare regarded both with mild trepidation because neither mare had left an encounter with her on happy notes. One had attacked her and dragged her into a fight for no good reason and the other... well she had offered to help find the missing son, but Shadow had been less than susceptible to kindness at the time and more or less blew the bluejay off.

She wondered, while absently studying a young black and red colt who seemed to be looking for someone, if it was too late to take Ampere up on that offer. But it would have to wait until this gestation was over - it was hard enough to walk around as it was.

"Kind of them to arrange this, is it not" the mare said, addressing the young stallion while donning a motherly smile - he was young, barely more than a child in her eyes. Had he known her son before Kari disappeared? "I saw you gazing about, are you lost? Do you need me to help look for someone?"

The days were short and intensely cold; no one should be on their own in times like these.


@[Öde] That's a good idea! :D