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 Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 11:47 am
It had been some time since Taraxippus's encounter with the strange Kalona, Izusa. However, thoughts on the shadowy stallion's mind often drifted towards her. He praised himself at currying favor with the mare, and at managing to part ways with her on good terms despite the standoffish nature of the demoness. On one hoof, Taraxippus had been less... productive than he had hoped to have been by now. He had returned to his small herd after the encounter, the smug smile on his face raising querying looks from Arcana - to which he dismissed sardonically much to the frivolous little mare's indignation. Anju never was much one for questions, and Megaera was never the sharpest tool. So he kept his conquest to himself, although if anything, it only served to boost the stallion's already healthy ego.
He returned to his role of assisting Megaera - especially after she became pregnant by some "bug soquili" by her description, continuing to earn the trust (and dependency) of his "little sister". She was growing fast, too fast judging by her indiscretion before she even really knew what she was doing. And as the young soquili were growing older and more independant, Anju was taking longer and longer strolls away from the herd. But he always returned.
Taraxippus dithered on whether or not he should return to the bramble-fortress of the metallic mare. When was it too soon that he might be seen as dependent? When was too long that he might slip into the dangerous territory of renewed indifference or even hostility? He did not want Izusa to forget him, that was for certain. Perhaps, just perhaps, she thought on him as well. Perhaps if he was careful, he could reinforce the connection that they had shared - work his way into being seen as an ally. While his herd was small, he saw a lot of potential in it that even the rest were oblivious to. To earn the trust of a kalona like her... well... it would certainly be a windfall.
Eventually, when the chilling snows were just begining to soften, Taraxippus set out again, retracing the steps that he had taken to find the silvery mare.... remembering his first encounter with her... the hunt for the boar.... and there - the cluster of thorny branches...
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:18 pm
Izusa was hungry again, her stomach and the small lives within her all craving fresh, bloodied meat. Her nostrils flared as she sought out some sort of prey, something that her heavier form could easily catch without her or the foals coming to harm.
'Him..' she stopped, something familiar drawing her up short as she came into range of her old shelter, the scent on the air. The Kalona had not gone back to the thorny bolt hole since that day, figuring that if he knew its whereabouts he could always find her if he wished it, and she would not be easily found by anyone anymore.
Words. She supposed she could inform him about the fruits of their union. A sly smile spread as her belly groused once more, positively demanding food. Hunting was getting to be tiring, and with the now tenuous tie they had, she would use him for her own means.
She stopped, angling her head and listening, letting out a short, sharp neigh and called his name out loud.
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 7:25 pm
Taraxippus flicked an ear back and snorted as he backed out of the briar hut, discovering that Izusa was not home. He had tapped at its walls first, and gotten no answer, and then waited before poking inside. It didn't look lived in for quite some time. It had none of the residual heat or scent of the mare. There was no trace of fresh kills brought back there to eat. He was annoyed as he looked around the small clearing that the blind strategically looked out on. However, he did not have long to ponder on where she might be when he heard his name called out sharply.
His ears pricked and he turned quickly. Speak of the devil! "Izusa?" He called out, following the origin of the voice, a swish to his tail.
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 6:43 am
Izusa tilted her head, ears flickering as she caught the sound of Taraxippus calling her name in kind. She lifted a hoof to move forward and winced at the kicking that started up. She paused, waiting for them to subside, actually giving one side of her belly curve a little tip with a wing to try and still the little devils before she moved on, the bump swaying again as she did so.
'Here..' she said, after travelling a few paces towards the general area that she thought the stallion was approaching from. She halted again, her tail swishing in slight irritation at the thought of having to even show herself in her condition, as she could be considered to be weak.
She was far from it, hormones had flooded her body once more, and if he tried anything he would be nothing more than a smoky remnant.
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:11 am
Well, at least the trip was not fruitless as he had been worried when he found the fortress entry and any signs of the mare long stale. Perhaps it was a fortunate stroke of luck. Although, Taraxippus did not like having to rely on such an immaterial, uncontrollable force like that. He liked to control his own destiny.
Perhaps he should not have waited as long to try to contact her. But then again, if he had come sooner, perhaps he would not have encountered her.
He followed her voice, genuinely pleased. However, when he broke through the line of trees and saw her, his eyes widened in surprise. This, he had not expected. Her sides were obviously swollen - she was very pregnant. Taraxippus had been very familiar with the signs thanks to his step-sister Megaera's recent pregnancy and foaling. This was no mere gut thanks to a particularly large meal. His mind immediately went back to their coupling and, perhaps surprisingly, Taraxippus found himself enthused. Proud. Was this due to him? Was he going to be a father? Pass along his exotic blood? Maybe he should not have dismissed the value of luck. Despite all of his planning and calculating, this possibility he had not thought of. But what better way was there to form a more permanent bond with the mare? Than to be the father of their foals?
"Izusa..." He finally breathed, barely above a whisper. "You're pregnant." He stated the obvious. He briefly tried to figure out how to move next, this moment was vital. The last thing that he wanted to do was risk the anger of a pregnant, tempermental mare. "I'm surprised that you did not come to find me... It.... is because of me, is it not?" He made sure that there was a friendly tone in his voice. let her know that he was there for her. More than willing to be supportive. He also knew from Megaera that especially in the later stages of pregnancy that mares often needed support. Hunting or even moving became difficult. Admittedly, Megaera was young and very inexperienced, but still. He had very much secured the big brother bond to Megaera by helping her, making her feel even more dependent on him. He had certainly been ensuring that Megaera felt very indebted towards him.
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:27 am
When Taraxippus finally appeared from between a line of trees her eyes flashed with..something. She wasn't above seeing him again, definately not now that he would actually serve her a purpose, but there was something. Else. She refused to probe the feeling further, especially as she was aware that being pregnant led one to have irrational feelings.
She let out a snort at his quiet exclamation, she'd just caught the words and her tail gave an irritated flick.
'Aren't you the observant one?' her tone slightly caustic. If he was going to gush, turn into a ridiculously over-proud father then she might just have to do the whole thing on her own.
'I'm not a first time mother,' she carried on, eyes narrowing as she regarded him sharply for any signs of over-sentimentality.
'Running into you was a mere coincedence, I was hunting, I caught your scent, and it was as convenient a time as ever to myself to let you know.'
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:49 am
Taraxippus studied her. She was a poised cauldron of energy. She hadn't sought him out, and she had said she had had foals before. This mare was all about her independence... unfortunately. And she had no care for sentimentality - their hasty parting of ways after he had performed the act was testament to that. Was she happy, though? Upset? Or just tolerant?
"Well. I am not one to ignore the bison in the clearing." He responded, letting a bit of a sarcastic snort in his voice. He stopped then, recollecting himself.
But she had said 'convenient'. That was a good sign. She was quite heavy with foal - flying was probably not an option for her, and hunting was probably difficult. But he musn't imply that directly, or she would take offense - as would most in her condition, let alone a kalona.
"Well, fortune being what it is... perhaps it is good for the both of us. You are hunting for more than one. And it is certainly partially my fault. Allow me to... contribute? Perhaps I can assist in the task."
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:01 am
Izusa let out a low rumbling noise, a growl at his words.
'I'm not above inflicting pain my dear.' she said icily, for one of the things she most hated about being pregnant was the weight it inflicted on her usually slender form. She liked being small, it belied her ferocity.
'Oh you want to assist now? You've finished sending jibes to the mother of your children, and you want to be friendly?' she was feeling nettled, by the circumstances, the condition she had not thought she would ever be in again, and by the fact that she was feeling out of control. The hormone surge was something akin to when she had been less than sane, and it was an uncomfortable, familiar feeling.
'Find something for me..' she spoke again, firing her words at him in a commanding tone. If they were to do this, she had to feel that she was calling the shots.
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 12:46 pm
Taraxippus lowered his head with a bitter smile. "I merely meant that while I was stating the obvious regarding your condition, I was not going to ignore it. No offense was intended." An ear flicked back. Of course she had taken the saying in offense. He should have thought more before speaking. Now she had him at more of a disadvantage.
A second ear joined the first after her demand. Perfect. Not only had she taken offense, but now she was taking the reins so to say. Taraxippus did NOT like this tone. If he were to consent to her demands then she would be wielding the power, and she would not view it as a favor so much as her inherent right to demand whatever she wished from him.
But she had confirmed one thing - that they were indeed his offspring that grew in her belly. He was to be a father.
"I will help you." He reiterated firmly with a lingering glance towards her swollen sides. "I will find meat. Nourishment for you, for I, and for our growing children." His tail swished again as he stressed the last on the list most firmly.
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 11:15 am
'You certainly sounded like you wanted to offend,' Izusa groused under her breath, her wing spikes rattling, her tail flicking like that of an infuriated feline.
She didnt much care if he didn't like the tone of her request..demands, he'd contributed to her condition and had to take the consequences. Never mind that she'd instigated their coupling, he'd had to have known it was at least a possibility.
'I'm more important,' she said pointedly, moving to a hollow against a tree, tramping down the ground in a circling motion and lowering herself down in a careful manner.
'Ever seen a Kalona in a proper killing mood? Because I will be if I don't eat soon.' she wasnt entirely sure quite why she was so ravenous this time around. Possibly because of the difference in fathers. She fanned her sides with her wings, giving a gnaw at her lower lip as she looked at Taraxippus. If she had to, she would put on a show of more compliant pretense to get her way, but for now it seemed like ordering him around was working.
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:39 am
Taraxippus just tightened his lips and gave an almost imperceptible bow of his head at her grousing.
Admittedly, right now, her wellfare was most important. It was her that the growing foals depended on. It was the food she ate that would give them nourishment. If Taraxippus wanted fine, healthy children, than seeing to her wellbeing was tantamount. But he hated taking a subservient role. On the other hand, he suffered no illusions that even in her condition, Izusa likely had the power to harm him, and testing out his resilience and extremes of his insubstantially was not something he particularly wanted to do today. Because at worst, she would hurt him AND he'd never see her or his children again.
As she slowly lay down and made herself comfortable, however, he felt a bit more at ease. Even if she was maintaining her authorative demeanor, her posturing was less aggressive.
"I cannot say that I've ever had that dubious privilege." Taraxippus said with an ironic smile as he stood over her. "Although there will be no need for that today. Save your strength in the event that there is a real threat to you or our foals. I shall see to the food."
With another nod, Taraxippus turned and stole quietly into the woods, looking for traces of game in the soft snow.
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:55 pm
Izusa held herself stiffly until Taraxippus left, then sagged, letting herself sink heavily into the ground, allowing her body to be tired. She refused to let herself seem weak in front of the stallion; possibly foolhardy and ridiculously stubborn but she had detested how she had acted around Guilian and did not want that to happen again.
She shifted after a while of waiting, humming a tune of no real meaning as she tried to take her mind off the hunger that she felt. The foals were doing little to help, every so often one would move and start a brief drumming on her insides until she was forced to give her belly a tap with a wing. Taking a mouthful of snow, she let it melt in her mouth, swallowing cold liquid.
'Where is he?' she muttered under her breath. She twisted where she lay, trying to see if she could see or even scent his return.
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:30 pm
It was probably fourty minutes or so until Taraxippus returned, carrying the corpse of a deer barely out of fawn-hood. There was a deep puncture wound through the jugular, and it was still dripping, steaming as the hot blood hit the cold air. A red path led backwards into the woods.
With a significant look, Taraxippus dropped the deer by the resting mare. To the stallion's merit, aside from the puncture that traveled through its throat, several spots of impact, and where the shadowy unicorn had been carrying it, the body was in tact and he had not partaken of any of the flesh himself.
"Hopefully this will be to you liking." He said with a curt nod. His tail lashed behind him, the only indication of Taraxippus's pride for finding what he presumed would be plenty of food.
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Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:51 am
Izusa nicked the skin on her lip with the tip of one of her fangs, the coppery tang of her own blood soothing her a little as she waited. Her nostrils flared as the scent suddenly became heavier, and Taraxippus came into view. Her eyes flicked straight to the deer he had brought her and she pulled herself up, one wing scraping against the tree as she got back onto her hooves.
'Wonderful..' she murmured, her eyes going to the stallion for a moment before latching back onto the carcass at her feet. She leant, lapping at the blood that was oozing from where Taraxippus had killed the deer before tearing into the flesh, a hoof pressed firmly on the side of the animal to stop it from moving around on the ground.
After a time there was little left but a few scraps of flesh on bone and piles of skinned fur. She licked her mouth thoroughly, moving from the remains and drifted towards the stallion, brushing against his smoky form. She would have to give him something, and now she had food within her she was slightly more disposed to being a little more pleasant than she had been.
'Good hunter,' she said, looking at him with half-lidded eyes.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:46 am
Well, Taraxippus thought to himself, at least her demeanor seemed to change drastically once her hunger was sated. Granted, he had seen first hand the moodiness of pregnant mares, and this was a fullblooded Kalona to boot. Perhaps he could deal with the command she had issued. She certainly seemed more placating now. Appreciative of his assistance, as she should be.
He couldn't help but let a confident smile cross his muzzle as she caressed him and praised him.
He obstained from picking over the bare remains of the feast - there was hardly any meat left on it anyway, and he could find something else for himself later without having to lower himself to eating the dregs that was suitable only for scavengers.
"How soon are the foals due?" He asked quietly, looking at how swollen her sides were. "I know a place that I can acquire baskets from if it is soon." He offered.
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