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 Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:41 pm
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Hienna didn't sleep very well that night, just like the previous nights. She'd grown used to sleeping at Zaphiro's side and there wasn't going to be a night that she'd sleep easy when he wasn't at her side. Thus, the mare had woken with the break of dawn and pushed herself up from her makeshift bed, shaking herself down.
Zaphiro would likely be getting up for his morning swim soon - how he could manage to deal with the cold water was beyond her - so she would have to move fast. Quietly she stole away to one of the nearby trees, rearing up and placing her hooves on the trunk while reaching up as far as she could to knock a low-hanging apple down with her horn. She repeated it several times before looking down at the few on the ground.
Wings would be useful. Shaking her mane, she bent down instead and took one in her mouth, carrying them one by one to the pond where she set them down by their favorite area for breakfast and stood, waiting for him to come out of the cave.
Considering Hienna usually slept in a bit later than Zaphiro, it would likely be a surprise to see her standing and alert - with breakfast, no less.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:01 pm
It hadn't been the best of nights for Zaphiro, either. For the two of them, the cave was the perfect size, small enough to be cozy without being crushing. By himself, it was almost echoingly empty, and he'd shifted positions so many times that night trying to fight that emptiness he'd lost track. He'd never once slept in there without Hienna, after all.
After countless hours of fidgeting and readjusting, he'd finally given up and fallen asleep, wings awkwardly tucked around his own body. Needless to say, it wasn't the best of sleeps, but he'd have to deal with that.
It was, consequently, with a fretful mind and an aching body that he woke up the next morning in the predawn, his internal clock reminding him that a brisk swim would cure all ails. Banking on that hope more out of desperation than anything else, he rose up and walked stiffly out of the cave...
Only to see Hienna standing there, awake and (seemingly) far more alert than he himself was. That was different. "You're up awfully early, Hienna." His tone was cautious, as though he wasn't sure what was going on; indeed, to be honest, he had no clue at all, not in light of the previous evening's awkwardness.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:18 pm
"I got breakfast," Hienna offered up, leaning down and nosing an apple toward him, "I thought you'd like some." It was a peace offering, that much was obvious, but not as much as her next concession, "I...also thought it would be nice to go for a swim with you."
Oh, wow, she had to be feeling guilty to offer and get into freezing cold water with her burning hate of it. However, it was all she could really think of and it was the only olive branch she had to offer.
"So eat breakfast so we can get it over with, hmm?" she said, a half smile coming to her face.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:35 pm
One dark brow arched, quickly followed by a second, as Zaphiro processed what Hienna was saying. The fact that she was even up this early was a shock to his system, but that she was up and voluntarily offering to join him for a swim, something she'd always fought against, was something unanticipated.
He wasn't a dense stallion, however. Sleep-addled or no, he knew a peace offering when he saw one and did his best to rise to the occassion.
Looking over the spread of apples, he smiled, then turned the smile on his mate. "It looks delightful, Hie, but I've always found it's best to eat after a swim; to much on the stomach can make the jolt a bit hard to handle. I would be delighted to have you join me, if you're sure that you want to, but it might be best to eat AFTER swimming."
Though his words were formal and his tone still slightly guarded, the smile on Zaphiro's face was genuine, one born of relief. When Hienna had failed to come in and join him, he'd imagined all sorts of scenarios and explanations, but none of them had served any purpose than making his night worse.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:53 pm
"Swim. Right." She even laughed a little bit, "And that's a fair idea. I wouldn't want to be sick." Hienna looked toward the pond, "Swimming then eating, then." Inwardly, she was hoping the sun would come up fast to heat her up again, or, even better, Zaphiro would nestle with her and warm her up. But that wasn't something she expected so soon. They did need to work things out, after all, and this was only a first step.
"...Zaphiro," Hienna started hesitantly, "Is it better to ease in or just jump in and get it over with?" The pond looked like some daunting obstacle, but she was determined to go through with it. Especially after seeing her mate actually smile, and not have it feel distant and fake.
She looked so silly there, prancing from foot to foot and watching the pond like a hawk.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:01 pm
Seeing Hienna's determination made Zaphiro feel much, much better; if she was honestly willing to take this step, then he could only hope that meant there was no upset or blame lingering on her part. Considering all that had happened, he didn't feel entitled to any more than that, but was willing to work with her 'just in case.' In fact, there WAS no 'just in case'; she was his mate, which meant that when they had problems, they overcame them and moved on even stronger!
"Well, easing in would merely prolong your pain, I'm afraid; I myself never wade in, but just dive in. It's a big shock to the system in some senses, but at least it's over and you're fully acclimated quickly. Here, I'll even go first."
With a reassuring smile at Hienna, Zaphiro strode over towards the pond, increasing his speed as he neared it until he was at a run, kicking off with strong legs at the egde and diving cleanly into the water. Brisk, indeed!
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:07 pm
Oh, dear. She would have thought easing in would get her body used to the cold. But if Zaphiro suggested just diving in, well, she'd suck it up and go for it. Taking a deep breath, the mare watched her mate jump into the water before shaking her head. Here goes nothing, she thought as she backed up and went toward a run, leaping into the water with a large splash.
Which was promptly followed by an extremely loud yelp and a multitude of curses that Zaphiro would probably never expect to hear from her. "COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD!" she whimpered after that particular tirade, treading water and not moving from the spot she popped up at.
"How can you do this!?" she cried, wet mane flopping over her face comically.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:23 pm
Shaking back his wet curls just in time to see Hienna's set expression as she took the plunge, it was all Zaphiro could do to keep himself from laughing. That resolve was absolutely shattered by her completely uncharacteristic (and colorful) reaction to the water; he was unable to stop the laughter that rolled forth in a merry tirade.
But after a few minutes, he'd managed to calm himself down enough to swim over to Hienna and gently tuck back her mane so that her faced was unobstructed, grinning at her in unabashed amusement all the while. "I do this because it wakes me up and gets the blood moving. I'd imagine it's having the same benefits for you, if that little tirade was any indication."
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:31 pm
"I'm wet." Hienna stated the obvious and giving her mate a soulful look as she attempted to keep herself up and maintain some kind of dignity. Unfortunately she was fairly certain that she'd lost all trace of that when she reacted to the water the way she had. "And cold. I'm wet and cold."
As he pushed away her mane she leaned up and nuzzled him affectionately, "I fully expect to get first choice of apples for this," she whispered, closing her eyes. Hopefully he wouldn't make her stay in the water for too long - she was certain she was going to be turned into a popsicle.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:45 pm
Once again schooling his features into a mask of blandness, Zaphiro managed to comment, "Well, water DOES have a tendency to be wet, and cold water has an equally great tendency to be cold. I'm sorry you weren't familiar with these facts PRIOR to jumping in the water, otherwise I could have told you that and spared you the torment."
That was about as far as he made it before he started to chuckle again, shaking his head at her and her behavior. "Even the kids were less silly than you, Love; and furthermore, isn't it bad form to offer a gift and then ask for the first choice of that gift?" He was only teasing, though, and his dancing eyes belied that. "But I suppose I can be generous. Go ahead and take your pick, as long as you don't leave me any wormy ones."
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:55 pm
Hienna gave him a very deadpan look, "Thank you so much for the lesson, Zaphiro." It wasn't long before she dissolved into her own giggles, though, and nipped at his nose, "I'll leave you the most bruised, worm infested apple of them all."
Hienna was glad for the lightness that seemed to take over for the time being, though. The tense atmosphere had just left her on edge and rather guilty and unhappy feeling. "The children were definitely more silly than me. Especially Gemma, though I suppose she was more worrisome than anything else..."
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:15 pm
Shaking a wing at Hienna in what what was supposed to be at least borderline intimidating, Zaphiro tsked at Hie as he said "you'd better leave some good ones for me, otherwise you'll be waiting a LONG time for any fresh raspberries or any other item out of easy walking distance." Feeling that that particular threat was enough to keep Hienna on the straight and narrow, Zaphiro backwinged, moving himself back through the water and creating a gentle stream of ripples.
"And I disagree; the children were never any sillier than their mother, and I would firmly argue that they were, in fact, LESS silly. But speaking of silliness..." Glancing over at his waterlogged mate, Zaphiro bit back a short laugh before commenting, "You can get out of the water if you really want to, you know."
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:23 pm
"I only like raspberries when I'm pregnant," Hienna said haughtily. "So that threat does absolutely nothing for me, I'll have you know." There was even a cute pout when the stallion shook his wing at her, spraying her with more water. God, she was wet enough!
"Thank you!" she yelped, quickly scurrying herself out of the water with a small but of struggle where, once on dry land, she shook to dislodge the clinging droplets as far away from her as possible. At least she was clean.
"Ugh," she muttered, "Freezing. So cold."
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:37 pm
Ignoring the retort, Zaphiro did a few more laps of the pond before climbing out himself, shaking violently from head head through his wings right down to his tail. Satisfied that he'd gotten rid of the majority of the water, he walked over to Hienna, giving her a once-over as well. "You know, it'd work a lot better if you'd just try a good shake, Hie; otherwise, the sun will be up before too much more time has passed, and you'll dry out then. It just takes a little patience."
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:40 pm
"Ha, I'm very patient...just cold." Hienna cracked a smile and went to his side, giving his mane a n** before trotting to the pile of apples and biting down into one of them. They were all rather nice apples, so it didn't truly matter which one she grabbed. Hie wasn't exactly picky.
"Mm." She couldn't go back to sleep now if she wanted to, but that was all right. Even exhausted from the lack of sleep she'd had the last few days, there was a small relief and contentment that things would be okay. She'd been worried that it wouldn't.
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