the firestarters always get the burns
and the good guys never get the girl
When Ilma wakes, Llowell wakes too - and she wonders what else could have startled her. Perhaps a bad dream - she doesn't have so many nightmares any longer, not with Svedka filling the holes in her mind or heart, but sometimes she still thinks back on last fall subconsciously, or she dreams that she does leave Llowell behind, or worse, that Arty comes to claim him and take him away, and she sees him later and he's just as bad as his father - never, she will never let that happen in real life, but sometimes the mind plagues from corners not looked into at daylight.
But now that she's awake, a midnight stroll is as good as anything. She leaves her baby in the shallow cavern that they've been sleeping in, figuring that if he wants to stay asleep he can, or otherwise may follow. She loves him but, to look at him is sometimes a challenge, and a few hours respite from caring for the baby will do her good.
As she's stepped out and walked a small distance towards the fresh air near the lake, mingled with the wisteria scents, she knows what woke her. The grunts, panting and soft cries of a mother in labour are unmistakable, and they echo softly in the still mountain night. The white mare, having only recently given birth herself, follows sound and scent - hesitates a little when she nears Solace and Kagerus' home. She's not exactly called for, or asked after for support - but she's the only one experienced, and somehow she manages to boldly step forward regardless of perhaps overstaying a welcome.
But as soon as she lays an eye upon the scene, she knows that Solace is doing well - she lies on a comfortable underground, and the white mare quickly steps back, to leave her queen alone - she doesn't need more attention, and so, the moon-lit pegasus takes a position just outside, content to wait. She's nearby should anything be needed, and that's enough for now.