Moon Mist's life had been a blur of late. Never had she been so grateful that she was a gardener, and not something else. In her den two little foals were fast asleep. Both, at once! Moon Mist was quite sure that was the first time that feat had happened since their birth. Much of her time was spent chasing them, keeping them safe, trying to teach them about the world. While she was sure this stage wouldn't last for too long, she also felt a little pang of regret. Her garden was starting to show some signs of neglect. Just like her foals, plants needed direction. She glanced back her den, ensuring both of her sons were still asleep, and then crept a little further away. Her pretty hydrangea was looking extra scraggly. It was clear that it had see better days. Days were far more attention had been lavished upon it. Moon Mist shook her head. This was certainly not what she'd imagined her life being like! First she'd tramped off across the Barrens, then she had foals with a stranger, now she was neglecting her beloved plants? She snorted. Well, perhaps those were just all the big adventures in her life, gotten out of the way quickly. She glanced back at her foals again, and smiled. They might not have been expected, but they certainly weren't a mistake. Turning her attention back to her garden, she reached into her mind, finding her magic. Her eyes closed, and she reached out with her magic, like an additional sense. She probed the needs of her hydrangea. Not too far gone, but it needed to be pruned. Her eyes opened, nodding. "Well, that I think I can handle." She kept her voice quiet, so as to not wake her sons.
She leaned forward, snipping off one of the scraggly branches. Moon Mist carefully moved it aside. Later it would go into the compost. It was important not to waste good clippings. As she moved forward to remove a twisted branch she heard a giggle, and rustling. Her head shot up, and her eyes immediately went to her den. Only one son remained in slumber. She almost rolled her eyes. Of course Quasar was not the sleeping son.
Another giggle sounded from nearby. Moon Mist considered for a moment, and then decided to humour this game. After all, foals were only little once. Quasar seemed to relish being a handful, but that just meant he needed more guidance. At least that's what she hoped. "Is my box wood laughing? Oh, I must investigate that!" Moon Mist playfully crept forward, and shook at the bush with a leg. Another giggle sounded, no longer from the boxwood. Moon Mist smiled gently.
She crept to the honey suckle, only to hear it rustle as the foal dashed away. "My goodness, my garden seems ready to get up and walk right off! I'd better be careful! Sounds like I need to tend it better!" She pitched her voice, careful not to disturb the still sleeping foal in her den. She put on a good show of fussing over the bush, until a little brown face peaked out nearby.
"I don't think your garden's gonna run away mama!" Quasar frolicked up to Moon Mist, leaning against her. He nudged at the honey suckle. "What's this one?"
Moon Mist smiled. "This is honey suckle. Doesn't it smell sweet? If you're very careful and n** off a blossom it tastes just like it smells. But you must be careful not to take too many, or it will hurt the plant." She looked down fondly at her son. He might be a handful, but he was just learning his place in the world.
Quasar lunged forward and bit off a blossom and a good chunk of branch, and chewed loudly. "Tastes like sticks" he said, around the mouthful.
Moon Mist held her tongue, and didn't scold him. "It'll taste better if you only eat the flowers, Quasar." She nuzzled the top of his head, before he lunged again, this time taking just a blossom. He seemed to savor it for a moment. "Just remember, don't take too many, because then the bush could die, and then you'd have no sweet flowers to eat."
Quasar nodded absently, already seemingly on to his next adventure. He galloped off without another word, leaving Moon Mist standing in her garden.She shook her head. He wouldn't go far, and there wasn't all that much trouble he could get into, so she let him go. It had been a nice moment, at least. She turned back to her hydrangea, determined to finish her pruning before life pulled her away again. She could hear her son galloping around the grove, laughing. She smiled again, hoping some day he'd have fond memories of all of this.
