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 Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:09 am
This was her tree and she was damned if she'd let any lower-bloods get close enough to have designs on it. Of course things would be easier when the sire arrived, which she was confident he soon would.
Eventually the paint mare came back to the point where she had started her patrol. Turning back to looked at the healthy pair of saplings she couldn't help a soft smile. Such a mother she would be, such things she had to teach and such a father her children would have.
The royal advisor.
She couldn't have done better if she'd tried.
Still smiling, the tactician paced back to the rapidly growing things and settled herself down to watch and wait. Xla'lanan would arrive soon and then she wouldn't have to leave the tree in order to find food. She would be here always and anything, anything that thought it might take a nibble at her offspring would have one of her dainty tactician hooves relocated where the sun did not shine.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:22 am
After Yi and Ka, he wouldn't want anymore, and he was determined not to have them end up like either. Perhaps more like their mother, sensible and kind, yet with a firey punch.
They'd probably be fighting hungry war heroes, he thought with a chuckle. It would be just his luck with such matters. It seemed that his luck came where he least wanted it, and his downfall where luck was most needed.
So when Undine was already there waiting for him, with not a mark on the two growing saplings, the male was overjoyed at the sight. He let out a deep nicker of greeting to let her know he was coming and broke into a canter to greet her.
"They're coming well," he said softly, glancing from her to the growing foliage. To be truthful, he really didn't know for certain. The only ones that had been permitted near the queen's tree were Mordre, Savit and her mate. Even the guards were sent packing until the children were of age.
But there were new foals coming to the Katilenuck now, and he was proud to announce that four of these would be his own.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:35 am
Undine smiled up at the red and white stallion, returning his nicker of greeting. He certainly was a sight for weary eyes. The foals certainly would inherit good things from him, the mare considered with a glow of satisfaction as the brindled stallion cantered over to her.
"They are, aren't they?" the paint smiled, turning her head to inspect the pair of young trees beside her. In truth she had no more idea about that than the advisor but they'd grown noticeably in the time she'd been here already and looked healthy to her eyes. Perhaps she ought to have asked her mother more on this score. Oh well, she hadn’t and now she’d have to figure it out for herself and goodness knew if the low-bloods could manage she could.
"It's good to see you Xla'lanan," she added with a smile. "I knew you'd arrive soon but seeing is believing, isn't it?" The three days she'd spent here alone had been somewhat stressful and she was glad to be able to share the burden of responsibility now. The times that she had forced herself to leave and eat had been awful and, despite knowing that the saplings were probably fine, she'd scarce been able to swallow for worry. Those were maternal instincts for you, she supposed.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:11 am
He nodded his agreement, watching them so intenetly, as though they might grow fourty feet and then vanish if he looked away. Maternal instincts weren't just for females anymore.
"It is at that," Xla'Lanan said with a wince. He hadn't seen Undine in days, weeks even. It was partially his dread at seeing her, but mostly it was work. Who new?
"Are you hungry?" he asked her, avoiding the subject of his absence. He could imagine her, eating alone and something happening to the trees. But nothing had, he reminded himself with a sigh.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 12:59 pm
The mare smiled slightly at his question and nodded. "Yes; I haven't eaten a lot these last few days; couldn't bear to leave here for more than and hour or so at a time to graze. Everything seems peaceful when I patrol in the mornings but I know well enough what some would do to a brindled fruit given half a chance."
Sometimes, especially at night, she thought she saw eyes watching her and the saplings. Whenever she got up to investigate however she would always find exactly nothing. It was probably just paranoia which, with luck, would diminish now. Most things in the world these days ought to know that taking on the Katilenuck in numbers greater than one was a poor idea and not conducive to a long and peaceful life.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:07 am
Xla'Lanan looked pained at the thought of any Reya getting into their brood. Hell, he'd beat the living crap out of them if they tried - or die trying. He was glad he wasn't held up any longer than he already had been. What if something had happened to Undine? His heart fluttered for a moment and he shook his head.
"I'll go get you something," he said in a hoarse whisper, wanting for a moment to get away from the throughts and images that went flashing before his mind.
- - -
He slipped off into the daytime, wondering just what to take her. Grass seemed like a poor excuse for his absence. What Xla'Lanan needed was something unique and delicious. Something that said 'sorry' without seeming desperate.
An idea came to him and he broke into a run towards Yisi, his hooves barely slowly when the sweet grass grew from crystal pools. There he snagged some of the tallest and sweetest reeds he could locate, and hauled what he could back.
- - -
"Here," he set the reeds onto the earth near her feet a soft smile on his face.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 3:56 pm
As the reeds were set before her, a smile spread over the brindled mare's face. She hadn't tasted these since she was a young filly and her own father had rushed about finding treats for her mother and herself. "Thank you Xla'lanan," she said after a moment, dipping her head to the red and white stallion gratefully before setting about devouring the nutritious food.
From the moment she had known of this tree she had expected the advisor to look after her well but going so far as to traipse to the crystal lands... Well it was good to be surprised and to be fair she hadn't had any real basis for forming opinions on the blue-eyed stallion until now; before her encounter with the black Reya she'd only seen him and heard of him, never spoken to him.
Finishing a mouthful, the paint mare raised her head again and gave the other Katilenuck a warm smile. "I can't wait for them to hatch," she said with a brief glance over at the tree. "I suppose we'll have to think of names soon, humm?" Now there was something different to ponder. Not the placement of troops, not politics; the names of foals. It was probably just motherhood talking but, somehow, the yellow-eyed Jala felt that this consideration was far more important than anything she had ever done as a tactician.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:36 am
Xla'Lanan, however, didn't hear her 'thanks', he was already entranced with the tree, his eyes bright with wonder. What would hatch out of them? Of course, he'd only thought this a million times, and his mind was probably already tired of this repetitive nature.
He jerked his head back when she commented, and nodde slightly.
Oh s**t - names! He hadn't even put any thought into it. As brave as he was, the prospect of picking what another would be called for the rest of their lives was horrifying. With his luck one would get an awful name, get teased, and then hate him for it for the rest of his life as a father.
Well, damn.
"Uh. . . " he had nothing. He hadn't even remotely ventured over the subject of names, maybe he'd just let Undine pick all of them.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:46 am
Well at least it seemed as though she wasn't the only one who hadn't though this through yet. "I'm sure we can come up with something," the mare said with a smile at the growing tree. "I mean even idiots manage to name their children, we ought to have no trouble, right?"
At least she had a vague idea of what not to call them. She'd heard some of the names non-herd Jala gave their foals and she didn't intend to come up with anything daft like Petal or Blossom or Pepper or whatever. Proud names all around sounded like a good idea to her; names worthy of a fine breed, a fine herd and fine blood.
Finishing another mouthful of the sweet reeds, Undine raised her head with a smile as a thought occurred to her. "I never expected to wish I'd played pretend families as a filly but perhaps if I had I might've come up with a few name ideas. Still, as I say I'm sure we'll think of something." How hard could it possibly be?
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:19 am
Xla'Lanan nodded, they did manage to name their children, though rather horrendous things. He frowned at this prospect. It was an insult to their race, to Jala herself. And god forbid they name any of their children after the gods. He'd heard of it done, as if they could amount to anything that great!
Xla'Lanan chuckled at her final statement. He'd never done such a thing, either. He'd never really had a chance to play in fact. His life had rather been a blur from one phase of crazy to another. Now he was a father. Just like that.
"We will, and they'll be beautiful," he wasn't sure at all, but best to comfort Undine. That's what he was supposed to do. Whether or not he was succeeding was a different question.
"You should get some rest," he said suddenly realizing she probably hadn't slept in a good while. "I'll take watch."
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:32 am
Undine finished her reeds and raised her head to smile at the blue-eyed stallion. "Yes," she replied, her confidence boosted by the other Jala's ascertain. "They're going to be wonderful." Probably more wonderful if she kept herself healthy by getting some sleep.
"Yes, sleep sounds appealing," the paint mare said after a moment, pacing closer to the tree and steeling herself comfortably beside it. Giving a contented, wearied sigh the Katilenuck allowed her eyes to drift closed. "Thank you Xla'lanan," she murmured softly, a smile playing briefly across her lips as long denied sleep settled over her.
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