She smiled as she moved along side the pond in the heart of her herd lands. It's been quiet as of late and that was a welcome thing. When it was quiet, she knew nothing wrong was stirring up among the herd members or against them for that matter.
Spotting her mother from the den she'd grown up in, she stepped lightly about sneaking up behind her as she moved. She wanted to surprise her, show her she'd learned something new from Rakshi. She'd only just returned from an outing with him and the feeling of being home was welcoming.
Illidan soared through the air, his son following close behind. "Keep up, Coridan, we're almost there."
"Almost where?" the foal asked, flapping his wings harder to catch up.
"To a friend. She'll be happy to meet you," the stallion replied, angling to the ground for a landing. He moved to help Coridan land right as the two touched ground.
Her head moved just enough to scratch at an itch on her shoulder giving her a glimpse of her 'stalker' " Oh no, what ever am I to do.. my mate and watchers are not around to save me from such a pale mare." SHe chuckled lightly as she turned to face her daughter. "I'm glad to see you've rested after returning from your journey.. see anything exciting? or were you occupied?" She teased lightly knowing that Briallan had been in the company of a male.
She gave a sheepish look as the blushed markings on her face seemed to grow a bit redder. "It's not like that mother.. he's just very sweet and gentleman like. I doubt he'd harm a fly without any real cause. But we did get to see plenty of interesting things."
Illidan landed down softly, moving to help Coridan land without hurting himself. In the distance, he caught site of the pale brown mare with her long white mane and tail. There was another with her, but he didn't mind as he trotted closer, ushering his son along.
"Who are we going to see?" Coridan asked quietly.
"It's a surprise," Illidan told him. As they neard the mare and her friend he called to her. "Shoshanna! I have a surprise for you."
Her smile only broadened as she heard a familiar voice call her name. " Ah, Illidan it's been much too long my friend." She smiled as she heard him say he had a surprise. "I'm sure I have about as much a surprise for you as you do for me..." She laughed lightly and stepped along side her daughter so as to give her a reasuring air of comfort.
Briallan nearly panniced at the voice of a new commer in the lands she was still rather shy and skittish after what had happened to the herd. " Mother.. who're you talking to?"
"You'll see my dear you'll see." SHe smiled as she waited for Illidan to push through the brush. "You found you're way back.. and it took so long to remember?" She chuckled lightly.
"I did, but only to visit," Illidan said, stepping through and ushering his son along. "I was passing this way on a journey and wanted to come see you... and introduce you to my son." He nudged the colt forward. "This is Coridan. His sister Illitana is with her mother."
Coridan shuffled a hoof, not looking up at the mare. "Hello." It was obvious he was quite a bit more timid than his father.
She smiled looking down at the colt as she stepped forward. "Well aren't you just a bundle of cute? I'm shoshana.. a friends of your dear pappa here." Looking up she motioned behind her to the pale mare. "I was wondering when I might introduce my daughter to you as well my friend. I''idan.. This is Briallan, but we all call her Bri." Looking back she chuckled lightly. "It seems we both started families of our own. I've got two more around here some where.. Florian, my other daughter looks almost like a spitting immage of myself.. and Winter.. he's really quite shy and likes to stick around his father." She smiled a happy smile. her children were her world... well them and the safety of her herd now. "This has actually become the center of my herdlands.."
She nearly choaked as she saw not one but two kalona males push through the brush. She was smaller even than her mother who was small for a mare and even she seemed to shrink to hide behind her mother untill she realised that these two weren't trying to hurt them.. they were friends. a real puzzlement. "Nice to meet you.. Mother said she had a few friends she hadn't seen in a while.. I just didn't know that one of them was.. a kalona.." She wasn't meaning it as a mean remark she just hadn't known simple as that. Glancing at the little foal, she moved closer to get a look. " Mother he really does look like winter.. all shy.. it's adorable." She gave a soft melodious giggle, her voice matching her own dainty appearence.
Illidan frowned slightly. "I wasn't always this way and not a full kalona. I don't have their temporment at all, as your mother can tell you." He looked at Shoshanna, his smile returning. "You seemed to have done well for yourself since last we spoke. The foals, eh? I have enough trouble keeping up with Cori. I can't imagine running after three."
"I'm not that adorable," Coridan huffed, stepping back a bit to hide under his father. He certainly didn't know what to think of these mares. They weren't at all like the mare he and his father were traveling with now and the younger one looked very different from other Soquili he'd met. "Your hooves are funny."
She chuckled lightly. "Yes.. well they really were a handfull.. atleast the girls were.. WInter I didn't much worry about he was so shy he barely left the den unless he was with his father... But All that running around did help me loose the foal weight.." She made a slight joke of it even though really as far as she was concerned she'd had an easy batch of well behaved foals. " They're really sweet kids.. Bri's just jumpy of anything that looks bat winged after the attack we had in the winter..." She sighed some knowing it's strike a worry with her friend.
Bri couldn't help but to chuckle and nod. " You're just as adorable as a brand new bunny." She looked at her hooved and giggled lightly. " Those? I get them from my father.. much like I do mytail see?" She turned so that her short little fluff of a deer like tail could be seen by the colt and gave it a small waggle.
"Someone attacked you? Who was it?" Illidan asked, bristling slightly at the thought that his friend and her family had been harmed.
Coridan stepped closer and inspected the mare's tail. "It's poofy and small."
"Yeah. it was.. a kalona one of those.. 'i'll show you just how evil we are' kinds.." SHe lowered her voice down so coridan couldn't hear. "He bit a chunk out of Bri's shoulder... most litterally. She hides it under her mane now days.."
Briallan laughed some. "Yes.. it's quite floofy.. I'm half Cerynie they lok kind of like a mesh of deer and soquili."
Illidan just rumbled softly, not liking that a kalona had hurt his friends. "I'm sorry that there are kalona out there who don't wish to better themselves. He has not been back since the attack, has he?"
"Cyrenei? Do you all have poofy tails? Father said kalona are supposed to have lizard tails, but we don't because he's not a full kalona," Coridan said proudly, his own little poofy tail wagging.
She shook her head. " He hasn't been back at all.. we doubled the watch though just to make sure.. If meykal hadn't shown up he might have made off with Briallan.."
"I think maybe the full blooded ones do.. and big ears too my father does atleast e also had a rack of antlers just like a stag.. But my sister has a ong tail like my mother's since we're only half and my brother.. he looks nothing like a deer at al." SHe beamed at the small colt.
"I'm glad you're okay... both of you," Illidan said. Though his expressions were often hard to read behind his blindfold, it was clear the thought was crossing his mind that he should stay to protect his friend and her family.
"Will you have horns, too?" Coridan asked. "I got horns from my father. My sister doesn't have horns or wings, though, so she stayed with our mother."
She Smiled fondly at her friend. " I'm glad we made it out alive really.. For a moment I thought I might have seen my last day when I stood in his path.. You know me Illidan.. I'm willing to sacrifice myself for those I care for. But really I'm sure we should be fine now so I wouldn't want you to think you need to change your plans on our account." She gave him a knowing grin and watched Bri with Coridan for a moment.
Briallan laughed lightly. "I'm afraid I will not be geting any horns.. Not even tiny little nubs." She chuckled lightly. "Do you miss your mother and sister??"
Illidan nodded. "I would stay here, you know that, but you're right. I've already made plans. I'm helping a mare find her lost daughter." He stepped closer to Shoshanna, lowering his voice. "I think I really like this mare, too. There's something about her. Coridan's mother was.. is special to me, but she's not the one for me, and we both knew it. This other mare, the one I'm traveling with... she might be."
"Sometimes I do, but Father takes me home to see them often. It wouldn't be easy for them to go with us since they can't fly," Coridan explained. "Father always says we're only far apart in distance."
She smiled. " Yes I know you would.. But i'm glad she's found a part in your heart. Briallan's father is special to me aswell.. You know.. When I had that accident with the ocean.. I didn't realise it then but I was carrying them with me.. Funny how things work out no?"
"I see.. My father hasn't been around much lately.. I thin he and my brother have wandered off to see to something.. hasn't told mother or I anything.. just.. Disappeared one day with out a word." She frowned some.
"It's a good thing you didn't lose them then," Illidan chuckled. "I think you were always meant to be a mother, and a good one, too."
"Perhaps they are exploring or patrolling," the colt suggested.
"It's a really good thing indeed.." She chuckled lightly. " I think you're right though.. I have seemed to make a rather decent mother.. though.. I can't help but to wonder.. just what happened to my family.. I haven't seen them since I was your son's age."
She nodded some. "I think you're right.. It's a possibility that they're just out patrolling.. or maybe My father's teaching things to my brother that a mare can't teach him..."
"Why not go look for them? They probably think about you, too," Illidan told her, giving her a friendly nuzzle. "Some day I'll bring my daughter to meet you as well."
"Or that your father can't teach a mare," Coridan added. He knew what that was like, having been given to his father to raise so he could learn to fly properly.
She offered a small smile. " I'm sure I'll see them again some day.. I've been looking only as much as I can without neglecting the herd.. Maybe when I eventually step down for one of my children I will find the time to finish my search.. After all they should know they're grandparents shouldn't they?" She returned his friendly nuzzle.
"Too true.. I'm sure it's something that in time.. he'll be able to return to us. I'm sure he wouldn't just randomly leave and never look back.." She eyed both her mother and Illidan for a moment. " Our parents sure seem like long lost friend eh?" She chuckled softly. " It really made her day to see you pappa.. you can tell just by how she's acting.. very relaxed.. not as drained and worried..."
"I'll keep an eye out during my journey and if I see horses that look like you, I'll ask them if they're your parents and send them your way," Illidan chuckled. Joking aside, he really would try to help her locate her parents.
Coridan looked over to watchi his father with the older mare. "He's never told us about her before, but he seems close to her. They must be friends from before he met Mother."
She chuckled and nodded some. "I think I'd settle for even seeing a sibling right now..." She smiled and nodded some "But thanks for keeping an eye out."
She gave a small shrug. "It's possible.. I don't think it was too far from when my siblings and I came into this life that he'd met her.. I remember her vaguly saying something about having a friend like your father."
"It's the least I can do. I'm already helping Doan find her daughter, after all," Illidan said, turning to face their respective children. "Would it be alright for Coridan to be able to come back and visit from time to time? I'd like him to know you and your family better. He seems to enjoy talking with Bri."
"I wonder why he never spoke of your mother," the colt said, looking up at Bri. "You think he was worried about your father being mad that they were friends?"
She smiled and nodded. "I wouldn't mind watching over your children every now and again and letting them come to visit, you know my lands are always open to you and yours." She beamed down at Coridan. " Your father probably didn't think it was nessicary to discuss such things little one. Since I'm sure he didn't know about my mate at the time.."
Bri couldn't help but to gigle once again. " Mother and father didn't become mates till after we came about so I doubt he would have known about my father at all. I'm sure he had his reasons." She looked up at the lder stallion and nodded. "I'll bet he was just afraid your mother might just get a bit jealous." She gave a teasing wink and laughed some. "I'm just kidding.. maybe it just slipped his mind.. after all we sometimes are prone to forget."
"I didn't forget or I wouldn't have brought Coridan here," Illidan laughed. "I was just pleasantly distracted by Cortanna and being a father, and then Doan came along..." He shrugged a bit. "Shoshanna is unforgettable, but sometimes things do slip my mind. I'm not a yearling anymore, after all."
Coridan bounded over to his father, bumping into the tall stallion's legs. "Can we come back here sometime to visit again? Bri's really nice and pretty."
Shoshana chuckled lightly. " Well.. Bri's been off wondering around.. she seems to have found a beau that's been taking his dear sweet time to court her.." She gave a teasing wink to her daughter. " She won't even bring him around to meet us yet.."
Bri moved a bit closer to the group and her mother blushing as Rakshi was mentioned. "It's not like that mother... we just travel and he teaches me things... Like.. how not to fall pray.. he really does try to keep me safe.. it's kind of sweet actually.."
"Sounds a bit like my relationship with Doan," Illidan remarked. "I hope you are able to meet her one day, too, Sho. You'd like her."
Coridan bounded back to Bri. "What's a.. beau? Is that like a lovemate?"
She chuckled even more. " I'm sure some day I will meet her.. that is unless you keep her hidden away." She couldn't help but to tease her friend some.
Bri flushed a bit. " Yeas I guess you could say a beau is like a lovemate in some way.. it's like a suitor.. some one who's seeking your interest romantically..."
"I'll bring her here when she's ready to visit. I won't keep her hidden, I promise," Illidan chuckled. "Tell those other foals of yours to come out of hiding next time and meet their Uncle Illidan."
"Romance?" Coridan asked, wrinkling his nose a bit. He looked up at Illidan. "Are you Mother's beau? Or Doan's?"
"Err... well, I was your mother's beau, I guess, but we didn't really work as well as we thought we would, which is why we don't live togehter," Illidan explained gently. "I'd like to be Doan's beau, but that's up to her." He moved a wing around his son, gently herding the colt to him. "We should be getting back to Doan before she gets worried."
She laughed lightly. "Kids.. they put you on the spot don't they?" She smiled at Coridan before looking back at her friend. " You'd better not hide her away or i'll just have to track you down and drag you into the sea..." She grinned wide. "I finally got over my fear of it after all."
Brialland snickered glad that sh was no longer the one being teased about her friend and any might be connections there. " You guys shouldn't be such strangers. Now that I've met you I can see why mother is so presistant that there's hope for even the other ones." She chuckled some and bent her head down to Coridan. " You come back and see me again won't you?" She lipped at his forelock ruffling it like an older cousin might a younger cousin's mane.
"I'll be wary of you on the beach then, Sho," Illidan laughed. "Take care of yourself and your foals." He gave her a soft nuzzle before moving away to get enough room to launch into the air.
Coridan shook his head, mussing up his forelock again. "I'll come back. I promise." He trotted after his father, following when the stallion galloped and eventually flew up into the air. The two circled around the the mares once and then headed back to where their friend was waiting for them.
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