Welcome to Gaia! ::

"I'm glad," Punk replied softly back. Nudging her gently, he spoke again. "Why don't we head to my home? Then you can put that leaf down without it flying away."

(( True. Though if Melda sticks around long enough, Punk's son might have a mother figure at least part-time. :]
But it would still be interesting to see how Erumara would react to her daughter being friends with a southern Azrien--and how Punk's son would react to her reaction. ))

Punk draped a wing over her back and began walking towards his northernmost home. He didn't mind the quiet stroll; just Melda being there--especially with her agreement to stay the winter--made him feel elated. "Aaand here we are." The alcove that Punk had taken into frequenting while traveling the evil-neutral border wasn't anything fancy, but it was safe and the cliffs above protected it from the mountains' winter storms.

(( I've already got that part figured out. 3nodding Pretty much Punk's relationship with Calypso didn't work out, and he didn't know he had foals until Calypso gave him the one(s) she couldn't take care of. Actually, now that I think about it, Melda can meet Ca Thu Thi too. Quite frankly, I'm still trying to figure out where this RP is in relationship to the others, but Ca was adopted before Punk receives his spawn with Calypso. So Calypso's kids might come after Melda's initial winter stay. Still working out the time frame. ))

(( Works for me. ))

"Hold on a minute, Mel." Punk gently stopped her before she got too far into the alcove. "C'mon out, Ca, it's me! I brought someone with me, so be nice, 'k?"

Ca Thu Thi wiggled out from behind a rock, not making a sound. Then she went still, waiting for Punk C.A.B. to come to her.

"Melda, this is Ca Thu Thi, my adopted daughter." Punk trotted over and gently nuzzled the blanket. "Her herd didn't want her, so I brought her home with me. She's a bit of an ankle-biter, but she's fine after she warms up to you."

Punk smiled. "You think so?"

Ca nipped lightly at Melda's ankle, but then lifted her head to touch her nose to the mare's. She let out a satisfied huff, then laid her head down again and shuffled closer to Punk.

"I think she likes you." Punk smiled down at the foal curled up at his hooves. "Ca's very quiet. I think she might be mute. Or it could just be that she doesn't have a lot to say." Grinning at Melda, he added, "But she loves music." That much he'd figured out.

"Yeah... it just worries me sometimes. She can't call out if she needs me." Punk frowned ever so slightly at the last comment. "I want to be... a lot better than her real father."

Ca sniffed the leaf, but then quickly retreated within her blanket. She sneezed, then wiggled her nose out from underneath again. She looked around, then clamped her little teeth around her blanket, lifting it up a bit in an attempt to offer it to the Melda.

Punk couldn't help chuckling at the sight. They were both just downright precious! Ca--at least around Melda--had traces of the same adorably sweet behavior that the mare did, though according to Melda she looked like him. It was almost as if they were a real family: father, mother, and child. He hoped that he could eventually make that fantasy a reality. It would take time, he knew; right now he and Melda weren't more than a budding romance. Punk had to make sure he was matching her rhythm--not going too fast or too slow for the mare's tastes--to make the most of this relationship that was forming between them. Ca was apparently a very good helper that way; she and Melda were already getting attached to one another. Maybe, eventually... he could convince her to stay longer than the winter.

Punk smiled. "That's a good idea." Maybe he could have Melda tell him where some of hers were; that way, if she did convince him to go north with her--or he decided to go looking for her--there would be a safe place for him to stay. He was a southern Azrien, after all. The stallion smiled when Melda called him Ca's father. "Yeah..."

Ca Thu Thi nestled herself into Melda's side, sighing contently. The mare was warm. Ca liked warmth.

Punk's smile widened. He laid down beside Melda, extending his wing over her and Ca. He lightly rested his head across her neck. "I guess... while you're here, that would make you Ca's mother, right?" With the amount of mutual love going on, he doubted she'd say no; especially with Punk being Ca's father figure, there was no reason to think that his future lover wouldn't be thought of as her mother. Even if only for the winter, they could be like a real family.

"Well," Punk said simply, "I don't have experience being a father, and Ca doesn't have experience having family around her." He smiled down at the little bundle that was barely visible underneath his wing. "So I guess we're a family of first-timers." He nuzzled Melda affectionately. "Don't worry about it; you'll get all the help you need. There's bound to be some trial-and-error, but I'm sure we'll be fine." He'd gotten this far in raising Ca on his own; then again, Ca was an unusual case. In some ways it made him that much more relieved that Melda had agreed. His adopted daughter could use all of the love and attention she could get.

When her named was said, Ca Thu Thi stuck her head out from underneath Punk's wing to look at them. Pumpkin-colored eyes peered out to inspect the pair that were her new parents. She nipped lightly at Melda again before settling down again and letting out a satisfied sigh. She was warm, and the voices near her were gentle and kind. That was enough for her.

Punk smiled, glad his reassurance was sufficient to ease the mare's worries. He instinctively moved to close the gap between him and Melda when she moved closer to Ca. He inhaled the pleasant scent of flowers around her as he rested his head across her neck again. As the sunlight grew dimmer outside, the cold began nipping at his wings. "We should move further in," he murmured. "It gets cold here at night." Melda was warm, but even that wouldn't protect him if they stayed just within the entrance.