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Kihaku hummed as she lays in the grass, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her back while grazing occasionally on the grass around her. Currently, not much was on her mind. She finished her lessons with Mikhail earlier in the day, and didn’t have to go out and gather anything for the family. Even if the three of them did need anything, it wasn’t her turn to go out. Looking up at the sky, she let out a soft sigh while watching the clouds slowly drift by.

Kihaku was oblivious of her father’s inner thoughts and concerns. In all honesty, she didn’t even know what he was currently up to as he wasn’t with Mikhail and she didn’t see him currently- silently curious if he wandered off for a walk or something. Soon enough, he seems to answer her unasked question by walking up beside her. Her gaze shifts from the sky to her father, giving him a warm smile while he lays down in the grass near by. “Hi Dad. It’s going pretty well, just enjoying the sun.” She was about to ask how he was doing in return, but noticed the shift in his usually over-confident/cocky demeanor of his. It causes her to pause, tilting her head and waiting to see what else he had to say because something was clearly on his mind. What he said next caught her by surprise, apparent by her eyes going wide briefly in response. For a moment, she’s quite silent as she takes in what he just said and how to even process it- nickering softly in response to the nuzzle to her cheek. After another minute or so, she lets out a sigh. “Oh… that, that has really been some time ago. I haven’t thought about those events in so long.” She pauses again, contemplating on her answer. “It’s alright. You were probably super worried during that time, so it makes sense that you would be curious... I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you.” Leaning in, Kihaku gently noses her father’s cheek in return.

There was another moment of silence, followed by another soft sigh from the mare- her tail swishing slowly behind her. “Well, as I said, it’s been a while and I’ve done my best not to think of it. So… I don’t really remember everything that happened.” Kihaku tilts her head, doing her best to recall that moment when she was a foal. “Let’s see… after we were separated, I waited for you to come find me for awhile. Then when you didn’t show up, I started to look for you for as long as I could without going back too far in the direction we had come from since I didn’t know if the danger was still around. Eventually, I got too tired to continue, so I found a bush to hide in and slept. The next day, I went out to try to find my way out of the forest, or hopefully, find you again. In my search, I met a colt… and a mare?” She tilts her head, looking up while she thought and tried to refresh her memory. “Yeah, I believe it was a mare. Anyways, I had asked both to help me find a way out of the forest or find you. The mare was little help, and the foal tried to help, but had to head home at some point.” A small frown pulls at her lips, at a thought. She should have went with the foal to where he lived. If his parents were caring enough, she would have had food and shelter for the night and extra help in her search the next day. She shakes her head, hindsight was twenty/twenty and it was rather late now. “I just kept looking until it got late again, where I found another place to hide and fell asleep. The next day… I don’t think anything significant happened. Just more searching.” She shrugs, though honestly, it’s more about the fact that meeting a Kalona was that traumatic that she blocked it from her mind.

Kihaku stirs, shifting in place a little to get a little more comfortable. “Let’s see, on the third day… it all happened so fast, it’s hard to remember everything.” Her hoof tapped the floor, trying to recall that moment. “Oh! I know. During my search, I came across a river. Looking back, I realized I should have just followed it on the side I was already on, but I guess I saw it as something blocking my path.” Her shoulders lift in a shrug. “Well, I decided to cross to keep looking. The part I crossed at wasn’t deep, I just didn’t expect how fast the water was going and so, I was swept down stream. I don’t know how far I got down the river, I just remember a colt diving in and saving me.” She pauses for a moment, brows furrowing in concentration. “… I don’t really remember what happened after, but he clearly didn’t stick around around after that. But clearly I still didn’t find you, but I made it to the next day.” Another lift of her shoulders for one more shrug. “The fourth day, nothing really remarkable happened. I met a colt that I got, what I know now, a crush on. At that age though, I had no idea what I was feeling, so I was too scared to tell him. Not that it mattered, I ended up meeting him again when we were both grown. I confessed these feelings, and he said he felt the same and we got together for a little while… but he just ended up leaving one day, no reason.” She looks down with a frown at that memory, taking a few minutes in silence just before shaking her head with a small sigh. “But, that’s another story that’s neither here nor there. Apparently, I was so smitten and/or confused, that I didn’t even bother asking this colt for help and we went our separate ways.” Going through the memories again, she never realized just how many foals she ran in the forest on their own until now- inwardly hoping that they’re all okay. “The fifth day was the day we found each other again, but life decided to add insult to the injury of the experience, I guess. I forget how, I think I tripped or something, but getting so close to the end of the forest… at some point I broke my leg. Luckily, and also a bit strangely, that colt from the first day found me again and helped me- at least, assisted on getting me to the edge of the forest. Not long after, you found me. So… that’s what happened. Sorry if it wasn’t an epic saga, it happens when someone can’t remember all the details. I hope it helped sate your curiosity at least.”

WC: 1,155