Titania forced herself to pause before responding, needing to find the words. With a gentle hand, she took the mare by the bridle, bringing her to a stop so Titania could look her youngest in the eye. "Blair, my love, I am not angry but will always be concerned for you. For you and your sister. That is the way of," Motherhood? Mayhaps, but Titania had seen and heard too many horrible stories where a mother's love didn't win the day. Not everyone adored their children, no matter their origin. "It is my way, my dearest. I want you to be safe, but I also want you to be happy. This is a difficult balance and it is the way of things when you are an adult." Anya loved her stepdaughter and felt an affinity in their shared house to be rational with her. She also didn't want to crush spirits.
Giving the horse a nudge to continue and releasing the bridle, Anya went to her own horse for the day. Though he had been most unhappy about it, she had apparated her favorite gelding from Allaway House to The Reach, her days now spent more here in the islands than at home. Giving her daughter a wink, Titania pulled herself into the saddle deftly, making no effort to sit astride out of polite company. "The pack will adapt, my dear. There is historical record to show that animagi can form relationships with animals that would naturally be both predator and prey. That does not mean I want to use you as an experiment, Blair." The idea made her paler than usual, her heart somewhere in her toes. She also knew the girl's birth mother had an undesirable form. Titania couldn't imagine the humiliation of being a salmon among wolves.
Happily distracted by Blair, Anya considered how to answer that. "You don't meet your animal on the first try, not really. It is slow and insanity-making. Whatever vision you have in your mind is only that. I had no idea I would become my bear. I didn't know her and, in a way, I didn't know me. Your animal, if you're willing, will teach you much about yourself."
Giving the horse a nudge to continue and releasing the bridle, Anya went to her own horse for the day. Though he had been most unhappy about it, she had apparated her favorite gelding from Allaway House to The Reach, her days now spent more here in the islands than at home. Giving her daughter a wink, Titania pulled herself into the saddle deftly, making no effort to sit astride out of polite company. "The pack will adapt, my dear. There is historical record to show that animagi can form relationships with animals that would naturally be both predator and prey. That does not mean I want to use you as an experiment, Blair." The idea made her paler than usual, her heart somewhere in her toes. She also knew the girl's birth mother had an undesirable form. Titania couldn't imagine the humiliation of being a salmon among wolves.
Happily distracted by Blair, Anya considered how to answer that. "You don't meet your animal on the first try, not really. It is slow and insanity-making. Whatever vision you have in your mind is only that. I had no idea I would become my bear. I didn't know her and, in a way, I didn't know me. Your animal, if you're willing, will teach you much about yourself."
![[Image: 6FdDBqK.png]](https://i.imgur.com/6FdDBqK.png)