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 Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:33 am
She had been gone for quite some time, he had almost thought she wasn't returning, that she'd had second thoughts about the herd. That had troubled him a lot more than he had felt happy about. She was just an annoying mare who teased him almost constantly, what did it matter whether she came or went? Why did he like her so much? Maybe because she was a change from most other people, she didn't try to get in his good books, she didn't seem to want any favours. Still, he was a big boy, and he'd been getting over her perfectly well when she'd waltzed back into his life.
He'd wanted to be angry with her, but her reasons were good. Her father had vanished just like his mother had - that seemed to long ago now - and apparently for the same reason. So now they were tied together by having seers for parents, as well as by... by... Whatever it was that was between them. Like a taught vine, thrumming with vitality. She made him so angry sometimes that he wanted to stove her head in, and yet other times all he'd wanted to do was... Well, that was what had led them here. Was it love? He didn't know, but it was something good and he was happy enough and sensible enough not to question it.
"Well Sekhmet," he said after some moments, turning to the striped mare with raised brows, "when a mare and a stallion-"
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:41 am
Was it too soon though? They'd sort of settled into a routine together, their days had a solid pattern. If they weren't already together at dawn they'd meet up and get some food before going up to Dahak's herb patch. There they would stay and chat until the first patient of the day arrived, whereupon she'd wander off and amuse herself until around the middle of the day when they'd meet again to graze. They day went on from there, meeting and parting, teasing and laughing and sometimes shouting and stamping and swearing they hated one another. Sometimes perhaps they did, but most of the time they laughed and that was enough, right?
"Well," Sekhmet sighed, hoping that it was, "at least we're not alone." Dahak's two slaves had come along with them, and they would be doing the bulk of the food-fetching while Dahak stayed with her. She was glad tehy had that luxery, being stuck here alone would probably have driven her nuts, and added to that with him around the tree would have more than one person to drain of energy, it wouldn't be so hard on her physically either. They'd be okay, she was sure. Somehow it would all work out just fine.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 4:57 am
It had all been working out just fine; Virgil and Orlaith had been coming and going with food for them, and they'd been taking the chance to get to know one another better. He did like her. A lot. He still wasn't sure if he loved her though, or if it was just infatuation with her manner and her looks. Would it last, or would it fade away...
For some time, these had been his concerns. Now he had other worries. Counting. Counting had never been an issue for him before, he was pretty good at it actually but for some reason the ability seemed to have left him.
"One, two, three, for, five, six... seven."
He ran his eyes over the buds that had become visible since last night once more, and counted again. Seven. Seven. It wasn't possible, it was unheard of... and yet there they all were. Seven little buds on the rapidly growing tree. Seven fruits... like the seven that had been marked by Jala's dying blood, the first Katilenuck.
"This is a blessing from Jala," he murmured, "that has to be it." He wasn't usually one to leap up saying 'it's a sign!' but there was no other explaination that he could think of. Trees bore up to six fruits, but here were seven... Seven. Oh dear.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 5:01 am
A blessing, he had said. A blessing. It certainly didn't feel that way now. The slaves had been bringing food as fast as they physically could, but it wasn't enough. Hunger was her constant companion, the tree didn't seem to be drawing much for Dahak at all. The b*****d. He was a little skinny, but nothing like her. She could count her ribs at a glance, she could see the bones of her hips. Her coat was dull, scruffy, and she was weak. She had reached the point now where she could barely stand, which was probably a good thing because those seven damned fruits were starting to look delicious. They were starting to look huge, too. They had to hatch soon, they had to or she'd either go mad or die. Damn Dahak. Damn her. Damn fruits. Damn the world. How had she got herself into this mess?
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