When you came in the air went out [any]

[Texas]

and I discovered that my castles stand

upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

The colt had mentioned finding someone to clean him up, and Texas has vague flashbacks to the few times his own dam had bothered to take care of him. He can recall witnessing other mothers taking care of their foals in such a manner, but has never been involved with such boring parents of parenting. “We’ve got a waterfall for that,” he says in reply, continuing his ambling walk toward the kingdom, “Just splash around a bit or something.”

He’s clearly not paternal, but he’s not inclined to let the boy die on his watch, and that’s better than nothing. Having been raised with a liberal use of teeth and hooves, Texas has always kept his distance from the rearing of his children, even in the rare cases when he was present for their childhoods. Few of them turned into anything of note, but as they reach the border of the Falls Texas remembers that Piety has returned. She was a mother (right? It’s so hard t okeep track these days) and he imagines that she’ll rather like the colorful little colt.

As he stands beside the colt who stares into the water, Texas glances over and asks: “So have you always been that color, or did you have an accident?” Either seems likely, especially with the bubblegum pink mare that’s coming to live in the Falls. Beqanna is populated by stranger looking creatures than when he had been Below’s age, but he’s well past being bothered.

texas