The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd
Chapter Thirty-Four: Too Old
The Mare was old. She had never aged a day in her very long life, yet The Mare knew, in her heart, that she was old. She could feel it in her bones; in her soul; in her very core. Old. Too old. Too old to defend her Valley. Too old to lead her people. Too old to protect the pools. Barikah would, no doubt, keep the main pool safe, but she was a rare one. Too few could see the other sides of the pool, and fewer still would not be bought by the Shifter and Moloth. Too old. Too old.
Something must be done, for she was old.
olo
Around the time of the cursed of Arodousna and Mellifer, a peculiar thing began to happen in the Herds. They became so large that their respective head Stallion chose to mate with his own mares, rather then with The Mare. As this happened, The Mare slowly retired from the Valley, retiring to the great mountains which still represent her today, even though her title comes from a different source. After Orcinus had his last foal with The Mare, none of the Elementals would breed with her again. And so the foal that grew up within the Herd of water, the one named Lotaringe, was her last. All agreed upon that.