The little chestnut filly that Judas had been admiring skipped towards him, her unusually long cream mane bouncing against her neck. Her beautiful sky blue eyes reflected every ray of light. She was a stunning sight for the young blood-bay. 

"Hi there." The filly pipped up, giggling as she examined the young colt.

"Hello! I'm Judas!" He introduced himself, rearing up from the ground in excitement. "What's your name?" 

The filly laughed at his reaction to her greeting. "I'm Emily." She giggled, dancing around him. "I've never seen you here before, you must be new."

"I'am!" Judas lifted his head proudly, then squealing in surprise as his mother appeared behind him and licked the tuft of hair on his mane that stook out defiantly from the rest.

Emily laughed and broke into a gallop away from where Judas was standing and splashed into a shallow pool where the rest of her friends and fellow foals were playing, tossing water at each other playfully. She looked over her shoulder, her eyes on Judas. "Come on Judas!"

Judas turned his head towards the sound of Emily's voice. His ears flicked back against his head in a sudden sense of alarm. He didn't exactly favor the water, at least not quite yet. But his mother nudged him gently towards the direction of the pond. "Your not afraid are you?"

Judas's eyes narrowed and he looked up at his mother. "No." 

Athena smiled softly and nudged him encouragingly once again. "Then go on." 

The red colt skipped forward before increasing his pace to a more confident canter towards the pond where the other foals and Emily were excited to finally have him among their ranks. 

. . .

As night settled on the valley, the foals returned to their mothers, including Judas, and the herd settled down in the meadow surrounded by a thick pine forest. 

"Judas." Athena called for the little colt as she softened the grass beneath her with a gently muzzle and the light pressure from her hoof. "Time for bed my little adventurer." She chuckled as Judas trotted up to nuzzle her shoulder. 

"Do you think I can play again tomorrow?" He piped up as his mother knelt down to lay beside him. 

The roan mare smiled as she curled her neck around her colt. "Only, if you promise to go to sleep."

Judas smiled and laid his head down beside hers and closed his eyes, but he only remained quiet for so long. Athena opened one eye, raising a brow as Judas giggled beside her. "Today, Arrow and I found a frog, and all the fillies started screaming and then he picked it up and chased them around and around and around and around-"

"Judas..." 

"...and around and ar-oh." 

"Go to sleep." 

"Okay." Judas giggled, curling up closer against his mother. "Did you know that frogs swim?"

"Judas." 

"Okay okay." The little colt shut his eyes tightly. "I'm sleeping." He whispered.

. . .

Athena yawned as she followed her little colt to the river bank. The rest of the herd had gotten up at dawn, but due to the late hour that they had fallen asleep, the white mare was tired. But as for her little Judas, the blood bay skipped on ahead of her, excited at the fact that he finally got another chance to play with his new friends.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself sweetberry." 

Judas rolled his eyes, a smile on his face. "I won't!" 

"Judas!" 

The red colt's ears perked up at the call of his name. His friends were already waiting there for him, let alone the pretty filly Emily. Before trotting off he turned to his mother, his red eyes big and pleading. "Can I pleeeaaassee go with them?"

"Oh can those eyes get any bigger?" Athena looked down at her son, smiling. "I thought I'd take you out towards the glade today."

"The glade?" His attention was caught.

"Yes, all the foals have been to the glade." Athena chuckled, beginning to lead him away from the river. 

"Are we going now?" The little colt could barely contain his newly found excitement. 

"Come on."

Athena lead them to a lower sloping hill that led to what looked like a grotto of stone that had a small, shallow creek that cut through the floor of the rock. This was the most sacred place in the herds territory. It was a place of peace and youth. The cold tempretures didn't seem to affect the vegetation here.

"This place is amazing..." Judas looked around, his eyes wide with wonder. "What is this place?"

As Athena looked around, the scenery seemed to bring tears to her eyes. "This is the glade of spring." Her voice was almost a whisper.

Judas could sense the difference in his mothers tone. "Moma?"

Athena looked down and gently nudged him reassuringly. "This is the place where I met your father."

"Really?" The colt looked down at his hooves and thought for a moment, trying to imagine his father in his mind. This was the first time his mother had ever brought him up. "What is he like?"

Athena lowered her head and touched her cheek to her colt's to encourage him to lift his head and look towards the arch of blossoming trees in front of them. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"