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 Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:45 am
Raphe's laughter only picked up as he realized his mother was prancing along right behind him. "You're bigger than me!" He replied, his happy bouncing taking on a zig zagging pattern as he glanced over his shoulder to watch his mother. "You can jump farther!"
Although he had noticed his mother did not share his lightfooted grace, the unicorn had never once thought his mother was less pretty because of it. He would have loved her even if she was truly ugly, but that was far from the case. She had fluffy fetlocks like him, and was light coloured like him, but she had a beautiful long mane, and a warmth that his own coat lacked. Raphe would not fault her for anything, because she was the one he was hoping to please with his own prettiness, and there was no reason anyone else had to be held up to his standards.
There was only one thing that did bother him. She had marks on her that even at his young age he knew weren't normal. Yet... she didn't appear to be troubled by them, so he put them out of his mind whenever he thought about them.
The little colt lost a bit of bounce thinking about it, but quickly recovered his cheerful composure. He pranced a couple steps ahead before slipping back into his inquisitive approach to exploration. There was so much more out here aside from the snow, there were trees that stood up straight and proudly held up their branches much unlike the willows, and there were some little footprints in the snow.
"There is a lot to look at," he muttered, spending more time with his head up than paying attention to what was going on under his feet. Hopefully the ground hidden by all that snow would stay flat and uniform.
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:06 am
Bella couldn't help but giggle softly herself, following Raphe as he zigzagged through the frigid powder of snow. She kept up with him easily but did admire his own light footed grace. Her tail swished behind her, the tips of fur dragging within the snow. "I am larger," she admitted, eyes sparkling, "But you will be larger too someday. And I suspect that you'll still outshine my prancing any day! But you will indeed be beautiful, and wonderful, and lovely." That much Bella could guarantee.
Personal bias aside, she understood that her sons natural grace was a bit of a rarity. Not every newborn colt could prance around so delicately, and he seemed to hold a regard to his appearance that many adults hardly noted! Physically, his white mane and coat were gorgeous, as well as the markings that reminded her of a winters woodland. Her little son was quite special indeed and she knew that, despite the hardships she'd suffered - especially as of late - it hadn't all been in vain.
Maybe now things would begin to go right.
Trotting up beside him, she took peeked up at the clouds and the world around them. Expression gentle, she gave a nod, pawing at the ground. "There is indeed a lot. And even past these plains, there is so much more. I don't think any soquili could possibly see everything that the world has to offer." She chuckled softly, tossing Raphe a wink. "Trust me on that - I once tried."
Ah, the ignorance of her foal hood. No, she hadn't begun to see everything, much less experience anything! She had her plains, she had the woods and occasionally the comfort of Azu's woods - but that was enough for her nowadays. She'd traveled and bumped in to the darkness that lurked within the shadows. . . no, she didn't need to see any more of that. And so she stayed - she stayed where she could find comfort. She stayed where she could find peace.
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:54 am
The little foal's attention shifted from the tree limbs to his mother as she walked next to him. "As big as you are?" He asked with a grin. "And beautiful too?" He couldn't imagine being as big as she was, he would have to be... maybe double his current size! He would have to eat a lot, even though the grass was all dry and tasteless.
Putting that unpleasant thought aside, he looked up again with a softer, more reflective expression. "I guess the world must be really, really big. But I want to at least see a lot of it." He picked up his pace a bit, if he was going to see a lot of the world he would really need to get going!
His smile returned as he took in more and more, even though most of what he saw was trees and snow it was all new to him. He especially liked it when the sun came out behind the clouds and lit up everything but the shadows cast by tree limbs above them. The patchy, broken light fell on him too, making him giggle when he glanced back at his rear end. He really did look just like the snowy landscape, his stripe-like markings bearing such similarity to the branches overhead, and the sun lit up his coat just as prettily.
The colt was pulled from his bright thoughts when a familiar sound caught his ear. It was indescribable and constant, a steady babble of soft sounds. Raphe didn't know he was hearing the sounds of the river, he just knew he had started feeling vaguely uneasy. He had listened to that sound for a long time after his first mother had gone away. Was he going to be left alone again? His little ears flattened backwards, it was too soon, he didn't want his mother to go away...
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:32 am
Bella chuckled at her little white son's awe at the notion of growth. The delicate little one was so sweet that the cream mare understood just how lucky and undeserving she'd been to find such a basket. Though it did dampen her heart, only ever so slightly, that that the poor darling had been abandoned - or at the very least something had happened to keep his family away - she also knew that sometimes fate had funny things in store for one another. The spirits weren't always mischievous for no reason; and though she'd been hurt in the past, it seemed her future looked brighter.
In fact, the sullen mare hadn't had much time to think about herself with a little bundle of white spindly legs and fluff had entered her life. That was probably for the best! He'd helped heal her soul in more ways than he could possibly know - but with luck - the little one wouldn't ever HAVE to find out. "You will indeed be just as large and even more beautiful than I, that I can already tell!" Chuckling, she leaned down and gave him another affectionate nuzzle against his neck, her curled tail swishing behind her. "The world is much larger than what even I could imagine - but you have your entire life to explore. I'll but sure to take you to the best places that I know of, and I know you too will find much adventure and beauty out in the world. Much more than I have."
Though she understood all foals and fillies had to explore, part of Bella did fear for him. What if something were to happen if she wasn't around? What if he left to wander and didn't come back for days and days? What if. . . what if someday he left and forgot about her? Well, some children didn't do that, did they? She'd heard stories of others foals and fillies, and though she wouldn't ever keep him glued by her side, she also feared the day he'd grow too large for a mother's love and affection.
Ah, but he wasn't quite that big yet - he'd only just discovered her and the world today! They had time yet - didn't they? She'd never bee na mother before, and wanted nothing more than to make Raphe's life as wonderful and joyous as possible. He was her baby, her starsweeper, and he'd forever be cherished within her heart. Her smile turned in to a more serious expression as ears flattened, and concern etched within her voice. "Raphe, darling, what's wrong?"
The mare looked around, amber gaze hardening ever so slightly as if to glare at the invisible offense to her son. What had caused the young one, so happy but a minute ago, to suddenly flatten his ears? He even looked a little less upbeat and curious. . . . whatever was the matter? She offered him a reassuring nuzzle, gently lipping at his shoulders and base of his neck, letting him know she was here and wasn't going to let anything happen to him.
Even if Malice were to appear again, or that wretched silver beast, oh no - a mother's love was far too strong to allow herself or her son to succumb to their ways so quickly. She'd give her life willingly for Raphe, without a seconds hesitation. Nothing could shake her of such a resolve - nothing - so no matter what was upsetting her son, she'd be sure to do her best to fix it.
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Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:05 pm
Not even the continued praise and affectionate gestures could put Raphe at ease with the sounds of the river in his ears. "I... I don't want to go this way." He said quietly, and then promptly whirled around and took a couple anxious, prancing steps back in the direction they had come. "Let's go back, I don't want to go."
Mother said she would take him to see what she liked best in the world, which implied she would stay with him long enough to go through with that plan of action, but he didn't want to risk it. Right then he didn't want to go see the world at all. He wanted to stay right next to her, to show her how pretty he could be, and know he wouldn't be left for good. The little colt wasn't ready to be alone again, not while the world was so big and he was so small within it. Raphe didn't think he would want to be left alone even when he grew up bigger. He couldn't imagine wandering off by himself, even the thought of being on his own and being content did not seem possible.
He lowered his head slightly and pawed at the ground, hoping his mother wouldn't make him go... He would have to deal with the river at some point. He was still too young to figure that out for himself though, and with those sounds being linked so strongly to his first abandonment he would have turned and ran if he wasn't just as adverse to leave his mother's sight.
Perhaps he had come to Bella a little damaged after all, but he was still young.
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Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:19 pm
Bella blinked, reading his anxiety as if he were an open book. His ears had yet to p***k up again with ease, and the way he retreated and refused to want to continue on caused her heart to skip a beat. Her brows furrowed, not out of anger, but concern and she lifted her head to give the world one last good look. Whatever had upset him? There was nothing but a winter wonderland surrounding them, thick mounds of snow, the waters edge, and a sunny sky. The new mother hadn't put together his insecurities with the sounds of the stream, and quite likely never would unless he admitted it.
Still, the mare wasn't about to force Raphe to do anything he wasn't comfortable with. Nickering softly, she gave him a soft nudge the way they came and offered him a soft smile. "We don't have to continue on, love; we can go anywhere you want to go, baby." Offering him one last nuzzle, she stepped protectively over him and began the slow trudge back to the way they had come. Unless he sprinted off another direction, the mare decided the perhaps that was enough exploring for one afternoon. He'd only just taken his first steps shortly before so perhaps it was time for a rest. She didn't want to exhaust the little fellow anyway.
Yes, the more she thought about it, the more home sounded like a good plan and a place to be.
(( Ahh! *flails* Disgustingly short. D: I apologize.))
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Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:15 pm
Raphe felt like an entire world of snow and trees had been lifted off his shoulders. So she wouldn't make him go where he would be left alone... It was such a relief, and the little colt was determined to stay in his mother's good graces so she would keep loving him, and saying he was beautiful, and making nice big paths in the snow so he didn't have to wade through it too much.
He head-butted his mother's leg with an uncharacteristic possessiveness, but although he walked close enough to be a tripping hazard he didn't let his horn scratch her. "I didn't like that noise," he muttered unhappily, once the sounds of the river were once again muted by the snowy landscape. Only then did he half-heartedly prance off into the deeper snow to continue his adventuring.
But he was quickly running out of steam, the snow was rather exhausting to walk through, and all his anxiety over the river had also taken it's toll. As much as he wanted to go see everything that wasn't near that unpleasant sound, perhaps a nap would be a better idea.
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Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:51 pm
Bella was careful with every step, not accustomed to one so small and fragile walking so close. It amazed her that at one time she had to have been so small and frail so . . . . delicate! My but how time changed. Still, her amber gaze was bright as she lead the little colt back to their snowy abode, the willow trees reaching out as if to beckon the pair home.
For a moment she said nothing as Raphe's words decorated her ears, and she mulled over the thought of the noise. The world was seemingly quiet, except for a few birds and the stream. But why wouldn't either of those sounds - - - Hrm. A thought struck Bella, but she didn't know exactly how or what. His basket had been placed by the stream but . . . could that have. . . No. Whatever the reason, the young mother gave a small shake of her head before turning to push aside the long, weeping willow branches. She 'opened them' so to speak, glancing over at Raphe to see if he'd follow or if he preferred to stay out and about and play. She'd be able to rest and watch him through the grove, without too much concern. So long as he stayed close, Bella didn't mind what the young colt wanted to investigate and see.
Never would she stray far. . . . or let him, for that matter!
"Well, we are away from the stream and the birds now, my beautiful one. You needn't worry about that, especially when I'm near." Oooh, if she had her way he wouldn't have to be concerned about anything. She'd take care of him as best she could and make sure he had nothing but happiness in his life. That was her wish on him, nothing but joy.
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Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 6:14 pm
Raphe lingered a bit out in the snow before trotting back to his mother's side. He was definitely wearing out, it had been a lot of prancing and exploring for one so young. Snow was certainly an exhausting delight.
The little colt smiled as he walked past his mother and into the shelter of the willow, his woes mostly forgotten once again. After all, there was no time for brooding when he had his whole life to plan for. His first order of business would be a nap, a really, really short one, before going back out to see more of winter, maybe eating some more, and repeating the process until he had seen everything. Or at least as much of everything as he could, since his mother said he couldn't see it all himself.
Unfortunately he had one more puzzle awaiting him before he could curl up to nap.
"Mother..." He started, looking around before walking over to his basket. It seemed rather small after being out under the trees, but it was clean inside, and comfortable. After delicately pawing at it with one hoof he looked over at Bella. "Do I have to sleep in the basket still?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 6:34 pm
Bella drifted after her son, leaning down to graze on a few dead patches of snow. At his question though, she blinked and looked up, before chuckling. He looked a little concerned, and his expression had been absolutely priceless along with the question. Giving another shake of her head, she offered him a nuzzle before settling back down herself.
"You may sleep next to me if you wish, or within your basket if you find more comfort their. Anywhere you feel, darling, just so long as you're safe and warm." The mare wasn't sleepy, not yet, but she was sure come the end of the day she might very well be! Right now she was far too enraptured by the white unicorn foal before her; oh, how she adored him. . . .
Did he know how much he was loved? Did he know how quickly she had him tied around her hoof? Devotion, loyalty, everything had changed somehow because of Raphe. Even the scars upon her body, the pain from what Amaroq had done didn't hurt so much. . . . No, she was a mother now. A mother! And to the most wonderful, beautiful, most precious colt to have ever been born.
((Short! *flails* Sorry. D: ))
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Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 6:58 pm
Raphe's expression went from concern to indecision, and then he carefully stepped over the rim of his basket until all four hooves stood inside. Where his mother's thoughts were centered around him, his own skipped from idea to idea, mentally toying with each until he was satisfied with the thinking-over it was given. So although the basket was clean and comfortable, it wouldn't be as warm as it once was with the lid pulled right off, and it had been pretty awkward getting up out of the basket in the first place.
So, onto the next idea. He took similar care stepping back out of the basket, and scampered over to Bella's side before folding his legs and flopping down next to her with a tired little sigh. She was so much warmer already without the basket in between them, and Raphe couldn't help but smile for her. "It's better here than in my basket," he concluded with a slight yawn, and then laid his head down to sleep.
After a couple seconds he opened one eye to make sure Bella wasn't preparing to leave or anything, but his smile came right back when he saw for sure that she was going to stay there with him.
(It's okay, it matches my own average post length. XD)
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