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 Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:04 pm
Knowing Hienna, one would likely think that the unicorn would be running around frantic with worry and likely battling the demon that was her mother. Surprisingly enough, the mare was instead sitting calmly by the pond in the center of their area, staring into the water with a slightly distant look upon her face.
The first few hours, she'd allowed her son to placate her - but she'd sent him off hours ago and had sat, brooding quietly, since. He'd come home, wouldn't he? He couldn't hate her, right? So many thoughts were pounding into her, now, though, that her eyes had to slip shut.
Please come home.
The thought was almost desperate. In all their time together, Hienna had never made Zaphiro leave. It scared her.
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:17 pm
With strong, steady wingbeats, Zaphiro raced through the air like a great blue falcon. Though time had seemed immaterial on his outward flight, now he was keenly aware of each passing minute, each passing second. It was taking forever to get home, and he did NOT appreciate that fact.
Still, if nothing else the time spent in flight was time for thought. So much had happened in the course of one short day, Zaphiro almost didn't know where to begin. He did, however, know exactly what did NOT need to be dwelt upon; his daughter's suitor. Regardless of Leon's parentage, he had shown himself to be a young stallion of character, one that Zaphiro would be proud to call his son-in-law.
And yet he'd unknowlingly been the source of so much strife in their family...
Perhaps, Zaphiro found himself musing, it was all for the best. Too much contentment could lead to taking things for granted, and once things were taken for granted, they could so easily be lost.
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:31 pm
As the minutes passed, inwardly Hienna was growing more and more antsy. The mare was now exhibiting small signs of discontentment in the flicker of her tail every few seconds and the shifting of her body. However, besides this, there was not much sign of her uncomfortable state. He'd come home soon enough, right? Yes, Hienna had to believe that.
Even though Leon had caused so much upset, she knew that it was worth it. She couldn't lose her mate (She was sure of it, darn it!) and her only daughter had found her own - and a lovely one at that! No, Hienna would do it the same if she had to all over again.
Because her daughter had asked her to.
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:00 pm
After what felt like a very long time and far too many unpleasant thoughts, Zaphiro found himself flying over familiar territory, albeit familiar territory without any familiar people. Then again, he strongly doubted Hienna would have gone wandering the hills...or at least he hoped she hadn't. If she'd been upset enough to go roaming, well...
No, he was not going to dwell on potential negatives; Hienna was undoubtably still at the clearing, possibly still with Raphael; and they would have a proper conversation and things would smooth over. After all, it wasn't every day that two parents got to rejoice over such news as theirs!
Still, in spite of his best efforts to quiet it, he couldn't quite ignore that nagging voice in the back of his mind. He felt guilty about leaving, guilty about the look of shock he'd seen in that brief moment before he'd taken off, guilty about taking so personally something that was perhaps deserved. And guilt had a funny way of eating at a person....
Though all that anxiety began to melt away as he swooped down over the clearing and spied a familiar purple form. She was there...thank goodness.
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:33 am
Silence continued to reign until she heard the sound of landing against the earth, head lifting upward to cast her gaze toward the blue stallion who had made his appearance after too long of being away. It was the only thing to have broken the silence, as Hienna simply looked and made no move to greet him, nor speak.
It was as though the mare had to make sure he was real and it was not just her seeing things. Slowly, she pushed herself up into a standing position and canted her head to the side, letting the silence hold until three simple words were spoken: "You came home."
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 6:34 pm
Three small words, spoken in a very matter-of-fact way. Zaphiro wasn't sure what he was expecting, or if he'd expected anything, either on the part of his mate OR himself; consequently, those three small words weren't nearly as unsettling as they might have been in other circumstances. In fact, they weren't unsettling at ALL.
Giving Hienna a moment to compose herself had been a nice thought on his part, but now that it was over, he didn't want to waste any time. Closing the distance between the two of them with a purposeful stride, Zaphiro gave his mate a smile that shone with deep affection. "Of course I did, Hie; how could I ever stay away from you, especially when there are things we need to speak of?"
Easing into the subject was one idea, but at the moment not one Zaph thought that highly of. After all, this was their daughter's future they needed to discuss...
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:04 pm
"I don't know," the unicorn murmured, "You've never run off before." It was said as matter-of-fact as the previous statement, "I was afraid." The admittance wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but somehow she did find the courage to say it. However, she took one look at that smile on her mate's face and seemed to relax - if only a little bit.
"What is it that we need to discuss?" The careful way of speaking when he'd first met her had once more returned. This was not something that had ever happened since they had become mates so long ago. However, with Zaphiro leaving as he had without a word and her foundation shaking the way it did, it was to be expected. Hienna had come a long way but still had a long way to go.
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:19 pm
"Well, you've never obliquely accused me of being irrational and judgemental before, either, so I'd say that this has been a day of new experiences for both of us, Love." Smiling a bit wryly, Zaphiro glanced away from Hienna for a brief moment, not wanting her to see the slight twinge of pain that flashed across his expression at his words. After all, it was all a bit recent to discuss without SOME feeling...but Hienna didn't need to see that.
A moment was all it took to pass, though, and then he was looking back at Hienna, his eyes showing a different sort of pain at her altered speech. It had been so long since she'd been guarded around him, and to hear that now? Some things just never lost their sting.
But they would overcome, as they had back when things were so much worse. Patting her cheek with a wing, Zaphiro replied softly, "We need to discuss our daughter and that fine young stallion that loves her, of course. You and I, together, as mates and parents who only want her to be happy. THAT is what we need to discuss."
Pulling back his wings, Zaphiro took a few steps away, looking out over the pond and their clearing with distant eyes. "I've talked to Leon."
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:40 pm
"No," she answered, tilting her head to the side to look at her mate carefully and looked like she was about to say something else but decided against it. It could be discussed later, if she truly felt the need, but for the moment it wasn't something that needed to be continued. Hie did notice Zaphiro moving his head away from her, though, and she pursed her lips slightly.
When the wing was offered, the mare leaned herself into the feathers, "Did you, then?" Hienna answered at the mention of Leon, "I hope that he made a good impression on you? You got along, right?" There was an undertone of anxiousness in the words that was only to be expected under the circumstances.
However, she did frown when the wing was pulled back and he took steps away, her head lowering slightly. She made no move toward him again, allowing him his space.
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:59 pm
"Yes, he did; but I believe that we'd already met him previously and liked him then, Hie." Turning back to look at Hienna, Zaphiro couldn't help the slightly censuring tone of his words or mask the hurt that showed on his face. However, mixed in with that hurt was a question, a question vocalized in a very soft voice as he continued. "Hienna, did you and Gemma truly believe that I'd turn on him if I learned the truth?"
He didn't have to elaborate any further than that; there could only be one truth that he was referring to, that of Leon's parentage. Perhaps it would have been easier to bypass the subject, but if there was one thing this experience had taught him, it was the importance of communication. Otherwise, there was nothing to prevent bitterness and unhappiness from growing and festering, and there was already too much of that in the world.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:16 pm
The censure in his tone bruised more than she expected, and inwardly the mare winced. However, there was no response, as she didn't have anything that could truly counter it.
"I..." Hienna started, knowing so many ways to answer that question. Perhaps she truly should go back to her way of carefully speaking rather than the comfortability she'd fallen into since taking Zaphiro as her mate. There was a small silence before the unicorn sighed, "No, not...really. There was a safer than sorry thought, I suppose. I know how much you dislike Leon's father and with something so important I suppose being a mother overtook being a mate."
Her voice was soft and slow as she spoke, and there was a hint of shame in her expression, "I didn't mean to hurt you, Zaphiro. I can't really say Gemma's reasoning, only that she didn't want to disappoint you or upset you with who she chose as a mate because she looks up to you so much and your approval means so much to her."
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:01 pm
Zaphiro said nothing, having nothing to say anymore. What was there that he COULD say, when even Hienna had no real explanation for either her own or their daughter's behavior? He didn't understand, and from the sound of it he probably never would, thereby leaving him with two choices: deal with it and move past it, or not.
So after a long, dragging silence, he finally went with the only really safe option: changing the subject. "I thought Raphael would still be here. Has he been gone long?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:03 pm
"No, he hasn't," Hienna murmured, wisely letting her mate change the subject. There was nothing that she could really say to make anything better, and it killed her to see Zaphiro hurt because of her actions. She had it right, thinking things through completely before speaking or acting, even if it made her look slow. "I believe he left this morning. He should be coming to see us again soon."
Hienna was quiet, then. There was an awkwardness that hadn't been there in a long time, or ever, and she didn't like the feeling of it. "I love you, Zaphiro," the mare said softly, eyes downcast. If she was feeling like this, she couldn't even begin to know how hurt her mate was.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:54 pm
"Ah. Well, I suppose that he was off doing things before all of this, so I can't say I'm surprised that he took himself off again. Our eldest is nothing if not a prudent stallion." Keeping his tone mild, Zaphiro walked slowly around the edge of the pond, still staring moodily out into the water. Yes, they had addressed the issue and moved on, but nothing had really been changed; nor, at the moment, could anything really BE changed.
At Hienna's quiet declaration, Zaphiro looked up slightly, looking over at his mate and giving her a small, slight half-smile that couldn't quite reach all the way through his eyes. "I love you too, Hienna." He felt like there was something more that really ought to be said at the moment, but for some reason, for the first time in their mated lives, he didn't know what to say. He felt ill.
Passing a wing through his curls, he sighed and glanced over at Hienna again before quietly commenting, "I think I'm going to go to bed. Good night." With that, he walked over to Hienna, giving her the briefest of nuzzles before heading over to the cave. He need to sleep on this, if nothing else; maybe tomorrow, the awkwardness would be gone.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:13 pm
"That he is," Hienna agreed, "All our children are amazing." Safe topic. Their children. Aedelstan wasn't seen often, which wasn't the happiest of things, but she loved all three of them exactly the same amount in different ways. They were her blessings after their first two.
"I...All right." Hienna returned the nuzzle, as brief as it was, and watched him move to the cave to go sleep. She stood watching him for some time before making her way to the pond and laying down in the soft grass. She would give him his time and space for as long as he needed.
They would work it out. They had to.
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