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Every young Northspring mare reaches a point when it is time for her to prove herself and leave the flock to find a suitable mate. Before they leave, they are bathed in essential oils and groomed. They leave with no armor, and no weapons. Mares may choose other adornments to help them attract a mate. From there, they must travel alone, in search of a stallion suitable to breed with.

Here are a few examples of things mares look for in a stud:
Strength
Intellect
Strong Bloodline
Interesting Physical Traits
Skills That Might Pass to Young
Diplomatic or Trade Relations (In the case where the sire is affiliated with the Northspring Flock, and a breeding is used to strengthen connections.)
Potential to Yield Female Offspring (Only able to judge this if they have existing offspring, otherwise, it's a gamble to presume such things.)

Once the sister is fat with babes, she will return home. The sisters all help to rear the young and assure their health.

In the event that males are born, they are weaned right after emerging from the basket and released into the wild to fend for themselves. If the young are from a known sire with connections to the flock, then it is not uncommon for the males to go to the sire's herd. In some cases, seers know what the outcome of a basket will be before they are born. Transportation out of the flock is easier in these instances. The baskets are moved far from the North, so they will never know where they came from.

Any mare seen trying to cling to a male offspring is considered weak. The only exception would be males with super hyper strong characteristics that can be used in the gladiator pits. (Males with Flashy traits that would be good for combat or Genetics that are too valuable to waste by simply dumping out in the wild to fend for themselves. Purewalkers are almost always kept for future purposes: if not set out as weapons against their enemies, as tools to rid themselves of unwanted enemy males or spent captured stallions, or for combat rituals, sometimes to the death, to show their superiority.) However the mother is never the one to raise him or decide whether he is impressive enough to make for a Gladiator: She may offer or suggest her child, but only Edana Hatetalon, Queen of the Northspring Harpies, and Bloodclaw of Northspring, manager of the Bloodslash Arena (better known as The Pit), can decide whether or not they'd be worth keeping. If selected, they are raised from that point on as gladiators by those running the Pit, taught how to make a show out of it and how to fight, maim,and kill in entertaining ways. Many males die during their first real fight in the pit, but those who prove successful gladiators develop followings among Flock members, and may even pick an occasional 'pet' of their own from their potential kills: the little 'comforts' keep them motivated to keep fighting and be able to keep their toys.

In the event of a war, a mare that has left for a coming of age ceremony may return home early, if she is close enough to hear the horns call.

After a mares first coming of age ceremony, she does not have to leave the roost to sire a mate. She may use captives males or leave to search outside of the North if she so chooses.

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