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 Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:20 pm
 It had been some time since the gray and ebon' winged mare had been in the company of anyone but her son- and even with him, she distanced herself so much that it was like she was hardly even there. It was so difficult to be around Kureno... she did love him, as any mother would love her son... but it was such a painful reminder of her brother... every time she looked into his eyes, she saw him, that day when he had begged her to kill him... and she had done it. The two were so alike, it hurt like a physical wound.
She had refused his help after returning from the battle with a kalona, turned him away as usual... sometimes, she hated herself for the things she did, but it could not be helped. She had never wanted to be a mother... perhaps once, when she was young and naive, but certainly no longer. She didn't deserve love and kindness when all that she dealt to others was pain and suffering.
There was a visible limp to her gait as Sukari continued down along the worn dirt path, ignoring the shine of moonlight upon her head as a heavy sigh preceded her abrupt halt. Looking back at the small trail of crimson lifeblood that had followed her down the path, she grunted in annoyance, turning to limp towards a nearby river. Wounds like this were dangerous when not treated, and as much as she would have liked to ignore them, she wasn't ready to die yet.
A part of her cursed herself for her cowardice. She should have accepted Kureno's help when he offered it, just dealt with the pain of seeing her brother in him, instead of turning him away and shunning him once more.
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:43 pm
 As fate would have it, Sorai was wandering along the opposite bank of that same stream - having found that she was thirsty and going off in search of water. Dele was chattering on about something close to her ear, but the mare wasn't really listening too hard to the the little mouse, just enough to nod her head slightly at appropriate points.
It wasn't until she was very nearly at the water itself that she looked up, almost lazily, and stopped, blinking. It seemed there was someone else coming too ... and the other mare looked as if she was hurt. Sorai didn't say anything, though, just tilted head slightly and watched ... waiting to see what the other would do. From this angle, she couldn't yet see the marking on the newcomer's flank that was quite similar to that on her own.
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:50 pm
Sighing again as she reached the water's edge, the injured mare lowered her head to drink from the river's cool waters... and abruptly froze as she caught sight of a reflection that looked so much like her own. Cursing herself for her carelessness, she jerked her head up and levelled a glare at the stranger... only to freeze in her tracks as her eyes widened into saucers.
It was like looking into a mirror.
Confusion flooded her mind for a moment before her mind connected the dots with the small, subtle variations in this new mare's appearance... she wasn't looking at herself... but it was a very real possibility that they were related. Sukari almost choked as she remembered her second basket- how could she have forgotten that? It made perfect sense... the torn flutter wings upon her back were reminiscent of Troilus...
Clearing her throat uncertainly, sounding almost nervous as she spoke- something completely uncharacteristic of the normally ill-tempered mare. "You there, mare... who... was your father?" Of course, it occurred to her that she might not know who her mother was- she doubted Troilus ever spoke of her, since she'd only known him for a short time.
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:10 pm
Sorai just watched the other mare, not seeming to be concerned, or alarmed or ... anything, really. Even though maybe the words, at least, should have upset her. Dele made an indignant sort of noise at hearing his friend addressed in such a rude manner, but she shook her head slightly to quiet him.
"Well ..." she said after a long moment or two. "Though I have to admit, that really isn't the best way to ask ... his name is Troilus." A little pause. "I think that was it ... wasn't it?" To be honest, her father hadn't paid all that much attention to her while she was growing up and so she didn't even really know him that well. Dele was the one she knew best ... and he was a mouse. How strange things could turn out, sometimes.
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 12:33 am
Her injuries were abruptly forgotten as her mind was cast into a whirlwind of emotions, shock and confusion hovering in the foremost part of her mind.
If she had been unsure a moment ago, there was little doubt now. This mare that she had run into on complete coincidence... was the long-lost daughter she'd never even known she had.
Swallowing a sudden bout of nervousness, Sukari shifted her weight uneasily from one hoof to another, trying to think of some rational way to approach this situation. Should she tell her? She was sure that if their positions had been reversed, she would want to know... but on some level, even if she would die before admitting it... Sukari was afraid.
Would her offspring come to hate her as much as she had despised her father? Even her own mother, who had shunned her after the death of her younger brother? She was certain that she deserved no amount of happiness for her past transgressions... but were her children to pay for her mistakes as well? She didn't like to think so.
Clearing her throat and offering the flutter mare somewhat of a shaky, uncharacteristic smile, Sukari spoke softly. "What is your name, young mare?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:42 pm
Sorai tilted her head just slightly to one side - noticing easily how uncomfortable the other mare sudden looked. She wasn't the type to ask questions, though, so she said nothing on that score. She was starting to wonder just who the other was, though ... this entire meeting was very strange.
"I'm called Sorai," she answered after a moment or two. "And the mouse is Dele," she added when said mouse patted her neck with a tiny paw as if to remind her of his existence.
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Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 7:22 pm
A bittersweet smile adorned the older mare's maw as she nodded. Sorai... it seemed fitting, and surprisingly similar to her own name, as if their appearances weren't alike enough. "It's... nice to meet you, Sorai... and Dele... my name is Sukari."
A lengthy silence followed her introduction, and she shifted uncomfortably, trying to find some way to broach the subject with this mare... her daughter... who had never known her. How would she react? Would she hate her, for being absent all her life? She couldn't imagine anything positive would come out of this, but at the very least, she deserved to know...
Clearing her throat nervously once again, she opened her mouth to speak once again, finding her throat dry as she struggled to find the right words. "Sorai... did... your father ever mention... anything about your mother?" It wasn't the best way to start on her confession, but she supposed her choice could have been worse on the matter.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 11:46 am
"Not really," Sorai answered after a moment or two of thinking. Of course she had known that her mother was probably out there somewhere, but the little flutter mare wasn't really the type to think about such things overmuch. Blinking slightly, she eyed Sukari, thinking.
And made the connection. "Are you my mother, by chance?" she asked then, calmly, almost idly flicking her tail.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 12:34 pm
She blinked, startled. However she'd expected the younger mare to react, this was most certainly not it. She seemed almost... indifferent to the situation. Reminding herself that she was not well versed in showing an abundance of emotion herself, Sukari offered a hesitant smile, giving a nod to the flutter's question.
She opened her mouth to speak again, but then thought better of it, shutting it to watch for her reaction. The lack of feeling from Sorai was not a surprise, considering her heritage... but the older mare couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of disappointment- although she was sure she had no right to.
What had she expected, really? She barely even spoke to the child she'd raised herself, and now she expected the daughter she'd never known to simply embrace her, despite the fact that she'd been absent most of her life? Sukari's selfishness disgusted her.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 2:55 pm
Sorai wasn't completely oblivious to emotion, though ... just, usually she didn't care enough to display any sort of strong emotion. And it wasn't all that hard to figure out that for some reason Sukari was upset. Because of her ... ? Maybe...
"Is something wrong?" she asked, taking a little step forward, hoof splashing softly in the water.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:47 pm
A tremulous smile was offered to the younger mare as Sukari shook her head, ebon' tendrils floating about her face. "No, not at all. It's just... it's nice to finally meet you," she offered lamely. "I never knew I had a daughter... I'd imagined you'd harbor some ill will towards me for not being a part of your life. It's not something I'm proud of."
She thought of her own mother, whom she'd loved as a foal, and had disowned her after the incident with her younger brother's death. She'd never wanted her children to experience that kind of abandonment... but her aloofness towards Kureno had certainly not helped in that matter. She hoped with this child it could be different.
"I'd... like to get to know you... if it's not too forward of me to ask. I'm not the ideal mother, but it was never my intention to simply abandon my foals." Another hesitant smile here, unused to displaying the kindness she was showing. "Perhaps you'd like to meet your brother sometime... I'm fairly sure he'd like you."
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 8:39 am
Sorai paused there, listening, head titled just a bit to one side. "Why would I do something like that?" she asked softly, in response to the first thing her mother said. It didn't make a lot of sense to her that she wouldn't like someone she had never even met ... it didn't matter so much that her mother had never been around. Her father hadn't really been either.
At the next words, Sorai flicked her tail and smiled slightly. "That sounds nice ... and I would like to meet my brother as well sometime."
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 10:16 am
"It's... probably what I would have done, had I been in your place," she admitted, tail flicking absently about behind her. "My familial ties were broken a long time ago, but I didn't wish to repeat that with my own children... I apologize, for not being a part of your life."
A hesitant smile adorned her onyx maw as icy azure hues met oceanic, gratitude shining in their depths. This meeting had gone infinitely better than she had hoped- she was grateful that her offspring had proved to be more kind than she ever was in her youth.
"So... how did you come across your little friend, there?" she motioned to the mouse that had nestled itself in her mane, smiling a bit as she recalled her own furry friend, who she hadn't seen for some time.
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Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 1:22 pm
Sorai blinked at that and then craned her head around to look at Dele, who was peeking out of her mane and eyeing the other mare. "Oh, Dele..? He kind of just found me one day," she replied, smiling slightly. In fact, she had accidentally stepped on him when she wasn't paying attention to where she was going ... but the smaller delicate-winged mare had a tendency to understate things like that.
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:10 am
She nodded her own understanding- Tsuri had found her much the same way after being wounded by her fight with Nanaki, and insisted on helping her recover. Annoying as she was, Sukari didn't have the strength or energy to push her away, so she resigned herself to accepting the wolf's help. They had been together ever since... not that the silvery mare didn't voice her objections to this every once in a while.
Shaking her head to clear it of the sudden nostalgia, she offered a hesitant smile at the little mouse and her daughter. "Your father had all sorts of little creatures living in his mane and tail..." she snorted lightly, although it was uncertain if it was from disgust or reluctant fondness of his memory. "I suppose it makes sense that he'd leave you one to follow in his footsteps... just try not to become a walking disaster like him, hm?" She smiled a bit teasingly.
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