Sophie paused at the sight at the edge of the castle...a walking pile of crates. No...wait that's Mozu.

"Hey Mozu!" she called out.

The pile of crates rocked a little as Mozu comes to a stop. The little villager peered around the pile and smiled. "Hey, Sophie. How are you today?"

"I'm alright. You...need some help there?" Sophie was hesitant to ask that...both her father and her mother always said asking that would break your back.

Mozu shifted positions awkwardly. "Ah...no, I'm fine."

Sophie squirmed and smiled a little. "Need a look out? It looks like you can't even see over the boxes."

Mozu thought for a moment before nodding. "Yes, thank you."

Sophie nodded and walked alongside Mozu, giving her a warning before falling into a pitfall. "Kana's at it again…"

Mozu chuckled and shook her head. "All those serve to do is trap Setsuna, no one else is absent enough to fall into them."

"Unless they're carrying a stack of boxes taller than two of themselves," Sophie pointed out, gesturing at the stack of crates.

"Looks like you got more than your hair from your mother."

Sophie rolled her eyes and laughed hollowly. "If you say so, could fool me...spends more time with Shigure than me…"

"Your mother ain't that bad." Mozu smiled at the young knight. "She can be a little cold, but I'm sure she cares about you just as much as she does Shigure."

"If you say so…"

Sophie allowed silence to fall between the two as she led Mozu to the supply vault. The small girl easily pushed herself inside and started placing things where they went. But she paused when she noticed Sophie continued to linger by the entrance.

"Something up, Sophie?" she asked carefully.

"You know things about horses...right? Dad said you lived on a farm or something?"

"Having issues with Avel again?"

Sophie rocked nervously and nodded. "He may be sick...he's not eating."

Mozu was hesitant to offer her help, she didn't know too much about horses, but she was probably one of the few people who knew about horses. "Why don't you ask your father?"

"Why don't you ask Silas? Surely he should be able to tell you what's wrong."

Sophie quickly shook her head. "No no no! I couldn't ask him. What if it was something I did? He might find I'm unworthy to be a knight…"

The villager laugh and shook her head. "He wouldn't do that, Silas is a good man."

"Can you look at him first? Just...to make sure?"

Mozu sighed and nodded. "Let me finish up here and I'll meet you by the stables, alright?"

Sophie nodded and darted off, leaving Mozu to simply sigh. Children can be so stressful...she counted herself lucky that Nyx was content with her wanting nothing to do with Rhajat. That child would truly be the death of her. But she's Corrin's problem, so it's fine.

Mozu finished stacking boxes and putting supplies away, then she went to the stables, where Avel was trotting around Sophie, clearly agitated. She waved to the young knight and watched as she tried to rein the horse in. She managed to get him to stand still, and Mozu when to work. She started by making sure the stomach was alright...or felt alright, just to make sure it was nothing down there. Feeling nothing down there, she moved to his throat, feeling for inflammation.

Mozu hummed and frowned a little. "Is something wrong?" Sophie asked, her voice cracking.

"No, everything feels fine there...hmm…" Mozu stepped around the horse and very carefully pried his mouth open. His breath smelled fine...so there was no rotting tooth. She carefully checked every tooth...until she saw it. "Ah! I see it!"

"Wh-what?"

"I think your horse got into the pegasi feed." Mozu moved very carefully, putting her fingers into the horse's mouth...and very carefully grasped a visible burr stuck in Avel's gums. "Hold him still."

Sophie wrapped her arms around her horse's head, helping Mozu keep his mouth open. Mozu took a deep breath, and pulled quickly, pulling out the burr and avoiding getting chomped.

"There we go. Let it heal, and in a few days he'll be eating right as rain. Just keep him away from the pegasi stalls." Mozu smiled as she handed Sophie the small burr, a wheat seed.

"This little thing hurt him?"

Mozu nodded. "Yeah. Pegasi have stronger gums than horses."

"It's...nothing I did…"

"Nope. If your horse isn't eating again, check his mouth. That's the simplest place to find if something is wrong. So...there ya go. Now I have traps to check."

Sophie waved as Mozu walked away. "Thanks Mozu! Hope Setsuna doesn't get caught in your traps."

"Don't worry! I Setsuna-proofed it!" Mozu called back before leaving the area.