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The older mare was running as fquickly as she could and Korrine was not far behind. They both took off the moment they heard from a rabbit that Ezriel was wounded nearby. The little creature wasn't even sure if the stallion was alive, too scared to go any closer than he had. She loved Ezriel as if he were her own grandchild, having been there to watch him grow. She knew that whatever she was feeling, it would only be magnified by what Korrine was. The mare might be older than most but she kept her body in top notch condition. She swerved and jumped with an elegance and grace about her, despite the speed she was carrying.

She had to find him.

Please be alive, Please be alive, Please be alive. She chanted the phrase over and over again in her head. She hated not knowing but not knowing gave her hope. He could be alive. He would be alive. There was no way her baby would die. She did not survive to bring them into this world for them to be taken from her. Such cruelty should not exist! He would be alive, she told herself. He might be in bad shape but Glamrock will be there for him. Since her eldership and closeness to her deity, her healing was even stronger than it had been when she was in need of it. Ezriel will be fine. He has to.

She knew she was getting close for the smell of blood wafted towards her with a gust of wind. "We are close, Korrine," she called back and began to slow down so she could get a better look of the area.

Call it luck or a mother's instinct, but Korrine was the first to spot her son laying down on the ground a few yards off. He was unmoving, so still that she was scared to step close. Her body was rigid and tried to remain still though the legs pushed her forward. "Glamrock," she called, her voice just above a whisper and shaking. She wasn't sure if the name was even recognizable. "Oh.. Ezriel," she whispered and began to cry, her body shaking visible as she lowered herself to the ground beside her son. He was covered in blood. There was so much of it.

She wasn't sure what had scared her more. Was it the body she saw near Korrine or the voice of the ebony mare. It sounded so scared and devoid of hope. The unicorn made her way over and tried to control her own tears. She had her suspicions on who had attacked him based on the wounds. They were so similar to those she had seen one dark night when she had first stumbled upon Lady Korrine. She didn't dare speak her suspicions out loud. Didn't want to worry Korrine any more than she already was.

The unicorn lowered hself to her knees beside Korrine and lowered her head so that her horn nestled on Ezriel's body near his head. While Korrine whispered words of love to her son, begging him to hold on, reassuring him that all would be well, Glamrock pride silently to her god. She willed the wounds to heal with all of her heart and soul and the magic began to heal the wounds. Most of the wounds healed fairly quickly but it took about ten minutes for the deep wound to close up. It would still be sore and need at least one or two more healings for it to go away and not leave a scar but she would have to give it time before applying another wave of healing to it.

Korrine was worried that he had lost too much blood. The wounds were healing nicely, bless Glamrock's soul, but the blood.. it was everywhere. She wanted so badly to get her son to the river and wash it off. His body felt too warm to the touch too. Was he getting a fever or was it just her imagination? "Ezriel, sweetie, you're going to be okay. I promise. I'll take care of you. Everything is going to be fine." She laid her head near his and kissed his nose. She refused to leave his side until he was able to walk with her.

"Ezriel", she whispered the response as if she was trying to reassure herself that he had really spoke. She knew Glamrock would do her best but a part of her was afraid that they might have gotten there too late. "You have nothing to be sorry for," she continued, "everything is going to be just fine."

As with Glamrock, she too had an idea of what had happened to her son. That what she had feared had come to pass. What Glamrock and others failed to know was that she was not as sensitive or weak as might be first suspected. She had prepared for this possible day long ago. She knew it wouldn't be far off when she had heard confirmation from Dante that Ezriel had been contacted by Reaper. Really, it was only a matter of time.

Of course, there was a slight chance that a Kalona or Skinwalker did this. There were no real guarantees though the wounds were similar to those she once suffered from.

"Rest son, and when you're ready, we'll get you cleaned up and back with the herd to stay for a day or two. When you're rested up, perhaps you could tell me what happened? But let's put that off for a bit. Your health is more important."

While Korrine was speaking to her son, Glamrock stood back and and started looking around. Her first thought was to make sure that Reaper had not followed Ezriel. The safety of her heard and family was very important to her and if a battle was to take place, she would like to be prepared for it.

She caught no sign of tracks nor could she catch Reaper's scent in the air. It seemed like whatever had taken place between them and stopped for now. Perhaps Ezriel had left his father wounded? Dare Glamrock hope that Reaper was dead? She had seen the beast cause nothing but pain for those she has come to love. She knew it was wrong wishing ill on another creature, but surely if anyone deserved it, it was him? She had see no good come from that one. No good at all.

Korrine was nearly killed. Meera came close too and surely would have died if others had not stepped in to save her. Now Ezriel. The only one left was Dante. Surely their luck would not hold out if Reaper decided to turn his attention towards Dante? He did not come equipped to defend himself like Ezriel. He was also a more gentler soul. It seemed that as long as Reaper would live, she would have no peace. Those she have come to love as family would have no peace. When would it stop?

"Would you like to rest here for awhile longer before trying to move, Ezriel?" Korrine asked. She would lay with her son as long as needed, though if he chose to stay for awhile, she would have to leave soon to gather something to eat for him. He really needed to get his strength back.

Korrine could tell that her son was in so much pain and it hurt her to see him in such a state. She wanted her little ones to experience only the good things that life had to offer, like any mother would, but it really seemed like fate brought her sons and daughter more hardships than most.

"The lake is too far off for you to reach in the condition you are in, but there's a stream nearby that has some deeper parts in it that will do the trick. Follow me, my son."

She turned and went deeper into the woods, keeping her pace slow and steady. She avoided areas that required small jumps to get over bushes, or large steps to get over branches. She wanted to keep this trek as simple and painless as possible for her son. Of course, in the long run, it made the journey a little longer but she believed it to be the best decision.

"Dante came to visit me not long ago, he had a lot on his mind and I think he's off trying to make sense of it. Meera is with the herd. I'm sure when Glamrock gets back to them, she will let Meera know that you are fine and she will come to visit you. She was quite worried too. She can speak now, you know. I'm still getting used to it myself. Glamrock says that the trauma of facing your father was what brought her voice forth. I think it's been there all along and she just had no reason to speak. It's hard to say with that one. She keeps so much to herself." She didn't mean to ramble on about Meera but his question gave her a reason to try to lighten the mood. Get their mind off what happened, though it wasn't really possible.

"I wasn't going to ask this until later," she started, "but I need to know. Was it your father that did this?"

Glamrock had watched them head off towards the stream before she turned to head back to her herd. They would be anxious to hear the news, especially Meera. Though she had shied away from her older brother most of her life as it had been exceedingly obvious when they were foals, she saw genuine concern behind those dark eyes. It seems the young mare had become much wiser since her own run in with their father. Though she hated Reaper with all her being, she had to be thankful for the lessens he had taught his own children. They were stronger, wiser, and more determined than they were before.

She would prefer it to not come at such a high price though. She did not like the idea of their lives being dangled as if on a web of a giant spider.

"Meera was always a timid little thing, afraid of anything that stood out to her or appeared the least bit intimidating, but she's matured a lot a lot since her own run-in with your father." Korrine always knew there was some spunk to Meera, but it had taken a long time for it to make an appearance.

"Sometimes creatures do bad things but they doesn't mean they are completely bad." Though she never talked of her past with her children for it brought up a lot of pain, she had been in love once with Lord Soth. They had a son together but those days were gone. Believing their son to have his curse, he had killed them. It was a pain she would never get over. It's why she would love her children unconditionally, no matter how they were or what they looked like. It's why she was able to survive the physical attacks from Reaper. They couldn't do the damage she had already suffered. But Lord Soth wasn't always evil. He used to love her once, and they had fun. Sometimes, a naturally good creature could turn bad because of situations they faced.

She wasn't sure if that was the case with Reaper. She knew nothing about him. But she knew enough that a basket couldn't always be judged by its cover. You never knew what was inside.

"I am over it, Ezriel," she stated. "What's done is done. I do not wish to have anything to do with your father, but I have never thought you or your brother and sister should avoid him unless he was a threat. I admit, I was worried he would be, and I still am. Look at what he did to you!" She sighed softly before continuing, "However, I trust you to make the decisions in your own life. You have to set your own path and if you believe there is good to your father, I support any decision you make. Please, just don't get yourself killed. I couldn't stand that." I don't want to lose another son, she silently added.

"I do agree that if he wanted to kill you, he would have. You'd not be left in a condition to walk. I don't know what his motives or plans are. I don't mean to look at him in such a negative light but while the past may not bother me, it still set my opinion of him and it's not a good one. Who is Nimue and why did you lose her? How?" He lost a female to Reaper? It looked as if her son was crying. Is this what caused the fight? A battle over a mare?

They finally approached the stream and Korrine found a place that wasn't too deep. Ezriel might have to kneel to get most of the blood off but at least there was no possibility of his drowning. She wasn't sure he would have the strength to fight the water if it was too deep.

"Let's get you cleaned up, son. Then you can tell me about this Nimue and how you came to lose her."

Her sons were growing up if both of them had a female in their lives in some way. Was it only a matter of time before Meera started gushing about some handsome stallion?

Korrine could see his pain. She could do nothing but silently watch and listen as he cried and began to sing. "Shhh, Ezriel," she whispered and nuzzled him. She didn't want to open up any more memories than she already had. It was hurting him. "Let's save this story for another day, shall we?"

She wanted to get him back to the herd. Let him rest and move on with his life. Whatever happened was causing him so much pain that he needed to get away from it, even if just for awhile. When he was able to come to grips with his experience.. that would be the best time to talk about them. That's what worked for her in the past, hadn't it? Letting the pain heal so that you could talk about it without wounds reopening? What had she been thinking to try to thrust this upon him now?

"Let's get you back for now. You need more rest and you need to eat something. We need to get your strength back. Then we can talk, son, but only if you want to."

((Figured this would be a good stopping point for now. So that it could be tied into his resting, meeting Eponine, having foals and then meeting Nimue, etc. Sorry for the late response, it's hard to concentrate on roleplays on Gaia when I'm so busy irl.))