|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:58 pm
Iris couldn't help laughing when Enfys nosed her; he always knew where her tickly spots were, and she was in a mood to giggle at anything and everything. She wasn't so completely absorbed in her own joy that she didn't notice Tuyet at the side, apparently expressing disapproval. The rainbow mare righted herself and struggled to her feet, prepared to get back on the move and seek out this ideal "place". She'd rested long enough out of the sun.
"Mm, a patch of grazing ground would be nice. " She looked at the ground and chewed her tongue for a moment, then decided to check what was bothering the snowy stallion.
"What's wrong, Tuyet...? Oh wait, you don't really have to say. I guess I shouldn't flop about so much or I might damage the eggs. Silly me."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:48 pm
Abhyagni listed to Lakshmi with half a mind. Pregnant. Eggs. Babies...
"High ground," he muttered under his breath, "we need high ground." He trotted back to the others, not quite looking where he was going, his mind torn between his desire to keep running and the knowledge that Iris was vulnerable and her eggs would be more so. They would have to be kept in one place... and the foals would be slow moving... they'd all have to stay in one place, there was no choice. And then his bad luck would strike.
But they could be prepared. His family had lived in a valley, near a river, warm and lush but that only made them vulnerable... and there was a storm, so they never saw the Kirkani coming. Bad luck, that. Abhyagni himself had only survived by getting washed away in the stream, forgotten by his parents as they tried so hard to protect him. But before he was swept away, he saw enough. He saw his parents die, the kirkani start to walk towards him... he never saw the crumbling bank behind him as he took a few steps back, fell...
Rivers were dangerous. But necessary, they had water. And this particular river had saved him, even though it had nearly drowned him. Why had he done that, tried so hard to live, to fight the river's will and crawl up on a sandbank, far downstream? The world would be better without him. Selfish. Selfish and cursed... it had to be a curse, why else would bad things keep on happening? The world was a rotten place, as was he.
He stopped just behind the others and listened to them talk. Not really paying any mind. Just staring, unnoticed. "High ground," he repeated hoarsely. "We need to find high ground. Somewhere we can see others coming. But they can't see us. And escape... can't forget. We'll need to escape when the bad things come. High ground and a plan."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 7:52 pm
Enfys heard a nervous note in Abhyagni's voice and words. "Abhyagni, I think we'll be safe here. There is a stream nearby, so I don't think floods will be a problem." He smiled. "This is a nice place to stay for a bit, until the foals' legs get strong. We'll move on once they can keep up with the rest of us." He had also noticed Tuyet's unease and turned to his snowy friend. "Is anything else the matter that I should know about?" he asked quietly. "This is, after all, the first time foals will be born into the herd, and none of us really have that much experience with raising foals, except possibly you."
Lakshmi followed Abhyagni back to the others but stepped past him to nuzzle Iris. "I'm so happy for you!" she said cheerfully. "Excited? If you need help, definitely feel free to ask me, I'll always help a friend." Lakshmi was incredibly happy for Iris, and hoped very much indeed that her own brand of good fortune would help Iris and her foals through any trying times ahead...as long as she and Abhyagni stayed with the herd. Not that there were going to be any. Her fortune should prevent any misfortune that might befall the herd, and should serve as adequate protection for everyone.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 10:56 pm
Wrong? The older male looked contemplative for a moment. Were his thoughts so easily read in his expression? Shutting his eyes, he smiled a bit. "Yes, please be careful," he muttered to Iris. "But you shouldn't have to worry too much. As long as you don't try to sprint across a clearing or something similar you should be fine. And you should still exercise. It's best not to get too lazy." She would have to find a happy medium between the exercise her body needed and her stamina could handle.
Before he could continue with his thoughts, he caught Abhyagni's words. Ears slid back and he frowned. There was something uncomfortable about the way he was acting. And Tuyet couldn't be the only one to notice. "We should be very thoughtful about how much searching we must do." He stated solemnly, glancing around. "I think it will be difficult to find a high ground with not only a water source, but a clear view and hiding places at this point." Why, he wondered, was the younger so concerned about finding a high ground? Turning back to the pregnant mother, his lips pressed into a line. "We're running out of time for moving, so have you decided fully on staying here, Enfys?"
Lifting his head, he eyed the leader thoughtfully for a moment. "Please take into consideration that we will have to be prepared..." If nothing else, he couldn't deny the usefulness of a plan. "There will always have to be a guard to alert the herd of changes." There were always guards for the herds he watched... "It will be hard to move once settled."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:24 pm
Iris nodded once to acknowledge Tuyet's advice, then turned her attention to Lakshmi. Let the boys decide where to go and what to do. If they wanted to move, she'd move, if not, she'd stay.
"Definitely! And I'm glad I won't be going through this alone... I don't know what I'd do if I was the only girly here. There are some things we face the stallies are just better off not knowing about." She gave the other mare a nudge and a wink.
Despite all the other talk around her, Iris wasn't too worried. Enfys was strong, Tuyet was experienced, Abhy was cautious... maybe more than cautious. Between the three of them and Lakshmi's luck, what evil could possibly befall the herd and its next generation?
She looked around her at the only family she had ever known, strangely happy that everyone was working together even though some of the things said were grim.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 7:02 am
Enfys was a little surprised about the guards. He hadn't remembered guards in his herd as a child, but they'd been kirkani.... He skittered away from the thought of his past to focus on the future and present. "I like it here," he said quietly. "I think we can arrange to always have one of the three of us, you, myself, and Abhyagni, always keeping an eye out for other kirin, but I don't quite see why it would be necessary," he admitted.
Lakshmi smiled happily and giggled at the nudge and the wink. "There definitely are things stallions were not meant to know...and you're the first one to find out," she said with a sly grin. "As for if you were the only girl here...it would be lonely. And not nearly as much fun as having another girl around, like me."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:13 pm
Abhyagni listened carefully to what the others were saying. Tuyet had some good points... and high ground was vulnerable to lightning. He lifted his head and scented the air. Nothing. But that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous.
"It's necessary," Abhyagni told Enfys firmly. "And if we're staying here, I'm going to explore the surroundings. Make sure it's safe." He nodded respectfully to the others, especially Iris, the young mother-to-be, and trotted off. He needed some alone time to get used to the thought of foals, but he also genuinely wanted to check the area. Thoroughly. Other kirin tracks, potential escape routes, any sign of previous floods, where the good food was... places they might be vulnerable to attack, to somebody sneaking in.
He'd kill them. He'd kill anyone that dared touch Iris or the eggs.
Abhyagni shook his head to clear it of bad thoughts. Kill? He was no fighter. And there were enough bad things in the world without death. No, simple common sense would be enough. Best to prevent the bad things from happening in the first place so that there was no need to fight.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:35 pm
Tuyet thought to speak further, ears twitching a bit in their tight position. However, the sound of the Abhyagni's voice caught his attention again and he halted in his thoughts, turning to face the younger male. "Wander safely," he was quick to get out at the retreating form, staying turned to watch until he could be seen no more. Letting out a soft breath, he turned back to Enfys, his expression softening considerably. "There are threats to eggs besides Kirindae." he said, though the smile showed he obviously wasn't as worried as Abhy. And yet... "I don't believe we should get our tails in a knot, but we should still remain thoughtful of our surroundings. Because we are always on the move, we may not be used to the things that can happen when settled."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 10:02 pm
"Mmhm! Even though you're usually off with Abhy, and I'm with Enfys. With foals on the way, all we need for this herd to be complete is Tuyet to hook up with another wandering soul." Iris chuckled softly at the thought of matchmaking Tuyet with some other mare, and idly wondered why he hadn't found a mate yet. Maybe he just hadn't run into one.
"Speaking of Abhyagni... he's going off again," she commented, drawing Lakshmi's attention to the stallion's retreating back. "You should follow, he needs your luck."
The rainbow mare heaved herself off the ground and trotted gaily over to Tuyet and Enfys, fully expecting Lakshmi to follow her beau. A lonely Abhyagni was a gloomy Abhyagni.
"Something tells me the biggest problem we'll face is boredom," she mused aloud, tail twitching.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:04 am
(Lulz, Abhy, if the shop didn't have you, the world would be a less fun place. xd Which is why it's going to be entertaining to watch kit march you up to being an elder. And it's only because you're so gloomy that kit and I saddled you with Little Miss Happy Good Luck, Lakshmi.)
Lakshmi grinned. "That would be one entertaining day, the day Tuyet brought a girl back to the herd." She nodded gratefully to Iris and dashed off after Abhyagni. "Wait up! I'm coming with you!" she called out as her small hooves carried her closer to him.
Enfys nodded, an expression of understanding crossing his face. "Be careful, Abhyagni! Think of how poor Lakshmi would feel if something happened to you!" He turned back to Tuyet. "I'd forgotten that other animals preyed on younger kirin." Better omit the fact that there was no chance that anything would have been stupid enough to prey on his herd as a foal, so he'd only heard of foal predations as he got older. He grinned at Iris. "I'm sure we'll find entertainment while we stay here for a while. We'll just explore the area until the foals are ready to keep up."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 5:40 pm
Abhyagni sighed. So he was going to be followed. Still, he couldn't be all mad...
"Stay behind me and be careful where you step," he murmured. He paused and lifted his head, scenting the air. This was his element, this was what he was good at. No kirin, no predators... he lowered his head and took a few steps forward, studying the forest floor for tracks and disturbed leaves. Broken branches, grazing patterns. Listened to the birds, their querulous songs, kept his ears open for any alarm calls. So far the area appeared to be safe, there were no flood marks. He wouldn't be satisfied until he'd done two or three complete passes, though, each further from the center. And they'd need a constant guard, of course. Night watch, day watch. And they'd have to keep it up, even once the foals were strong enough and they were on the move again. Larger groups attracted more attention, and foals were vulnerable. They'd never be safe until the foals were old enough to defend themselves and even then...
It's better to hide than fight. Nothing will ever be the same.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 7:11 pm
Pain shot through Iris's belly, causing the mare to wince. A worried frown creased her brow - maybe something bad had happened to her eggs?
"Enfys -- "
That was all she managed to say before another wave of pain hit, this one lasting longer and causing her to cry out loud enough for even Lakshmi to hear.
Well, this is probably because you tried to roll over just now. For shame! Said the small, rational part of her that was dwarfed by the pain and surprise, as the rainbow mare shuffled painfully back towards the base of the tree.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 12:37 pm
Lakshmi nodded and stepped delicately behind him, eager to be with him, no matter what. She didn't mind his fatalism, and the thought of getting hurt by being beside him did not cross her mind. She had plenty of luck for the two of them, enough to balance any misfortune Abhyagni might have. So she followed him, not realizing and not hearing that behind her lay someone who could probably use someone with Lakshmi's luck around her right now....
"Iris! What's wrong?" Enfys cried out in surprise and worry. What was wrong? Why did pain keep crossing her face like that? He hurried over to her side and walked with her, trying to look into her eyes, wishing he could understand right now what was wrong. Was something going wrong with the eggs? Would Iris be all right? Would the eggs be all right? All these questions and thousands more shot through his mind like fiery arrows of fear and worry. For the first time since his herd had been killed in retribution, he felt true fear, and it showed in every muscle, in his eyes, and in his scent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 6:38 pm
For what seemed like a long moment, Tuyet stood still, looking a bit unsure. There was a little nagging something in the back of his mind. He had never experienced this exact thing before, but he had a feeling. And regardless, he had to stay cool. It would do them no good to have everyone struck with great surprise. "It's all right," he muttered, stepping closer to the chosen tree. "It's all right, stay calm." Stopping, he left what he believed to be an acceptable distance between himself and the couple. Even in a time like this, he felt obliged to. They would call him closer if it came down to it. Smiling weakly, he bowed his head. "I think it may be time."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
