Lavinia paced. There was no better description of her frequent trips up and down the shoreline. How could this have happened? She had been busy searching with Barinthus looking for any signs of Deep Sea Dolphin when she had found herself separated from the colorful Kelpi. Instead of immediately seeking out her guide Lavinia had managed to lose her way even more thoroughly. Evidently it had not been the brightest decision on her part. She'd thoroughly exhausted herself the first few days searching for any sign of her guide without much luck. So she'd come up to the shore. Now she paced the beach. Being lost was not the biggest worry that Lavinia had though. Something else had occurred and she still couldn't explain it.The prodding in her belly had Lavinia glancing down at the rounded body part. It was obvious that she was with foal. Lavinia's mind was in turmoil though. How could she return to the Mazoku in this condition?
Lavinia narrowed her eyes as she recalled one of the first few nights that she'd spent on the beach. She'd met a few of the land-based Soquili and had taken a stallion's offer of a safe place to rest. What would have been a single night spent safe had morphed into something longer. It wasn't fair to the stallion to admit that she was using him but it was exactly what Lavinia had been doing. By keeping herself near the beach she was able to go into the water at anytime she chose. She had continued to do this every day until a sinking realization came sneaking up on her. It happened one day as she began her usual trek to the water's edge. There was a certain pull on her stomach and startled Lavinia had looked down to note with alarm that she'd gained a telling roundness to her belly. Either she was putting on a lot of excess fat or she was with foal. Her appetite had not changed since leaving on her mission so it must have been the latter option.
The dawning knowledge of her condition caused a frisson of fear. The mare had no idea if her condition would even be welcomed back at Mazoku HQ. So she had fled the stallion's home as well in order to remain in seclusion. It was a weird sensation now to feel her children kicking at the insides of her belly. They were active and Lavinia groaned before sinking to cushion her bulging belly on the sand. Soon ... it would have to be soon that her children made their appearance. She couldn't go on much longer dragging extra weight around. She would also have to rekindle her search to locate Barinthus. A brilliant idea flashed through her mind. She could leave her children with that strange stallion in order to continue her mission. Then she'd think about her options after that. A pained groan passed her lips as she settled down for the night. The waves lapped at her hooves and Lavinia felt the water recede just as quickly. The skies were dark with cloud so it would be fine to let her guard down tonight.
