They stick together in Taiga, a sense of identity emerging from the territory during a time when a horse could barely tell what direction they were headed. Oren and Roselin tried to respect their mother's wishes as much as they can (but as growing adolescents, the boundaries of their relationships are to be tested as much as the physical borders of Taiga). Reave, at a year old, seems to follow the familial path of his older siblings and the roan colt wanders frequently.
Lilliana does her best to keep track of their whereabouts (even Yanhua, despite his proud height and his maturity and Nashua for all his exploring). But there are patrols to be done. There are the inhabitants who have remained within the Taiga to find and speak with. There are grandchildren to dote on.
Despite the lack of daylight, Lilliana is still running out of time.
But as one hour ends and another begins - after she has checked on Lumi and Ellie - the chestnut heads towards the grove that forms a cloister near Taigan shore. It is where her children know to find her and as she waits, her youngest set of twins come. Oren will be taller than her before she knows it and though Roselin is still quieter than she wished, the sight of the pair is a balm to her worried heart. The silver-black filly tugs at one strand of her curling mane and gold-blazed Oren tells her of a recent trek to the Field that makes her smile.
"Rosey, Oren," their mother asks, "can you fetch Reave for me?" He's bound to be close. By this time, the tobiano yearling knows to return home. That the fact that he isn't is worrisome (though as a mother five times over, Lilliana knows that teenagers don't always return home when told) but when the twins disappear through the dark, the chestnut tilts her head.
She has to wait for some time but when she hears the footfalls, the Taigan leader knows it is not a monster coming. (And he might even know it is her, with that dragon-sight of his). "@[Leilan]," she says with a breath of relief towards the broad shadow. Though it is hard to see, her blue eyes go searching for his. "We need to talk."
