What a hyper little filly...and a wind too. Paris sighed to herself. She was not-so-busy spending her morning underneath a nearby tree in the herd's home grove. Maui, her 1st daughter and unwanted responsibility was bounding around in the open glade around her. Chasing butterflies, giggling, fluttering her wings and all that other goody-too-shoes sickening crap. Paris rolled her eyes. "Why me?" she murmured. "Mommy mommy come look a toad!" Maui chattered, seemingly not stopping to take a breath in between words. "Kill it" Paris grumbled. "But mommy..." Maui whined, "Why do that?" The innocence of it all was really getting to the whore-of-a-mare. Maui stopped in her tracks when she noticed mom getting up and turning around to tune her out. "Mommy?" she asked cutely, "moooooooommy?" "Ugh---please shut up. I'm trying to rest" Paris growled. "Um---okay...sorry mommy..." Maui whimpered. The little filly was on the brink of tears...that was Oathkeeper's cue.
Oathkeeper trotted his was over and bent down to the fillies face. "You okay sweetie?" he asked. "Mmmhm" she nodded, lying. Clearly her feelings were hurt. "Why---why does mommy ignore me all the time?" she asked. Oathkeeper looked up and away from Maui's emerald eyes and at Paris. "Hmmm" he began. He knew Paris to be the 'lost soul type' in whom he had befriended when she had nowhere to go during her pregnancy. He didn't quite know the answer, but figured her to be the immature type. "Paris" he asked softly, "Do you want me to play a little with Maui?" "Sure---keep her off me" Paris muttered, shifting irritably again. Oathkeeper sighed. She really wasn't the mother type, how sad. It mortified him that someone could have a child---especially such a sweet, smart and loving one like Maui, and virtually care nothing about their existence. Oathkeeper turned back to Maui. "Why don't we play awhile? It seems your mother is...tired today" he replied. He didn't like white lying, but what else was there to say?
"She's always tired" sighed Maui. It was clear the filly understood her mother's care-less attitude more than Oath first gave her credit for. "Yeah, some...some Soquilis can be like that" Oathkeeper began again, "Some don't have what it takes to keep up with cute little energetic ones, like you." "I'm too energetic?" Maui asked shyly. "Hahaha" Oath laughed, leaning down in her face, "Not for me you're not. How about we play a game? You have any favorites?" "I don't know any games" she replied. Of coarse not...it's not like Paris had taught her any... "How about I teach you a fun game?" he asked. A swift and excited nod from the filly was all he needed. "Alright then! How about one of my favorites?" Oath smiled, "A good old game of wind blow, wind stop!" Maui tilted her head at this, "how do you play?" "Well, imagine being one with the wind! I stand at a distance and shout 'Wind blow' or 'wind stop!' When the wind is blowing, you 'follow' it towards me, like it's carrying you! When I yell 'wind stop!' you no longer have wind to carry you and must freeze in place. Your goal is to get to me without mixing up the commands!" Oathkeeper explained.
"Ooooh that sounds interesting, let's try it!" Maui giggled. Oathkeeper took a position a few feet away and stood tall, "you ready?" he called. "YUP!" Maui shouted. "Okay----WIND BLOW!" Maui fained being rushed along by the wind as quickly as her little legs could take her. "WIND STOP!" yelled Oathkeeper. Maui skidded to a halt. "Good good! Okay---wind blow!" he said again and off went the filly. "WIND STOP!" he said, quicker this time. Maui skidded again on the spring grass, this time face planting in giggles. "Oh no!" laughed Oathkeeper, 'wind down!' he teased as she got back to he feet still laughing. The two were so clearly amused. However, Paris by the tree in the distance...was not. She'd gotten up from her spot and began walking away irritably. Oathkeeper was 1st to notice her. "Stay here a second, okay Maui?" he asked her softly. The filly nodded, oblivious to the commencing issue. Oathkeeper rushed over to Paris, concerned. "Paris, what gives?" he asked, "I apologize, perhaps we were to loud for you?" "Too much in general" Paris growled, sticking her nose to his sharply. "I'm leaving." "Leaving?!" Oath repeated, "Aren't you over reacting?"
"Nope." Oathkeeper sighed, "Paris, Maui needs you---" he began. "Maui don't need s**t!" raged Paris, "Maui's a worthless little goody-goody! I'm disgraced to have her as a daughter! Wind breeds are disappointing to me! If only she were kalona---" the angered mare continued. "How could you say---?!" gaped Oathkeeper, "She is SWEET, and CARING and---" "EXACTLY!" Paris roared, "Nothing like me! Nothing at all! I'm not proud to have her and never will be. Now let me leave!" Oathkeeper stopped in his tracks, appalled. "I see. You're disgraceful, Paris. But hey---you're life. Sad Maui should suffer from your immaturity's" he replied finally. All he got was a snort from the still walking away female. Oathkeeper shook his head, "Watch your back out there then, it's dangerous." Another snort. Oathkeeper turned himself around. It wasn't like reasoning with her was going to help make her a better mother. He knew a lost case when he saw one.
Plus, Maui---the poor dear, would be better off without her. Wow...was that really true? Or was he just so mad and ashamed of Paris that he thought so? Either way it was now time to return to where the oblivious filly was still standing patiently. Heaviness his his heart, what was he to say? He knew what he was to do, though. He'd always wanted children of his own and after Tori's rejection of him...his thoughts of parenthood were getting a bit slim again. He would take care of her, be her dad. That was for certain. His feet had already carried him solemnly half way to the filly. He lifted his head."Maui" he began. She clearly didn't like the tone, as she hung her head. "Mom left...huh" she replied. That shocked Oathkeeper. How did she know? Was she looking? "She'd always talked about it...how she didn't want me...sometimes...how I wasn't how she wanted me to be..." Maui continued. Tears began to flood down her cheeks, "I didn't think she meant it! Am I...that bad? I'm bad...and disappointing?" she bawled. Paris had told her that?! Man----how horrible of her! "Oh goodness...Maui sweetie...no" Oathkeeper comforted, "No---Maui...Maui."
The mini mare kept crying. Oath put his head a top her and teared up too. This interestingly enough made Maui calm down a bit. "Oath...Oath...why are you sad?" she sniffed. "Because...Maui...listen. You're a good girl. Wonderful, smart, cute, sweet, funny---all that! I adore you for it! Your mom...she doesn't understand those things. She doesn't see or recognize wonderful things like you. I'm sad---cause she's that way. That she'll never see how awesome you are...she'll never see you as I do. Some some people are like that. They don't get it. We have to---forgive them for their blindness and immaturity's. Maui---" he explained, "Family....is what you make of it. We may be born to people, that may not be ready to be the parents or figure we need. They may not know how to love and care...family is who is closest to your heart and whom holds you closest in there's. Titles...like 'mommy' and 'daddy' are yours to choose...yours to decide whom really is."
Maui seemed to follow the explanation quite well. "Hmmm---" she sighed, "So mommy...er...Paris....didn't know better? I see...Um...but you do. You like...me...right?" "Of coarse I do!" smiled Oathkeeper. "So you...you'd be like...my daddy?" she asked. "I'd be glad to be...if you want me too" he sniffed. The filly lightened up a few more levels. "I'd like you to be! You have always been like daddy anyhow" she smiled. Oathkeeper teared up again, but stayed smiling. It warmed his heart. "You...you gonna be okay?" she asked. "Yeah" laughed Oathkeeper "you?" "Yeah me too" she giggled back. There was an awkward momentary silence in which Oathkeeper took a deep breath in to recollect himself form the series of events.
"Daddy?"
Oathkeeper peeked open an eye to see Maui galloping away. He jumped to alertness, but the filly froze a yard or so away. "Um---WIND BLOW!" she shouted. Oathkeeper laughed and took off playfully slowly towards her. The actual breeze of the cloudless spring day teased his colorful braids, just as "Wind stop!" was ordered. He felt lucky, blessed and a bit indescribable. But he was happy and so was Maui. And that was all that mattered.
