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 Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:16 pm
It was midday and sweltering. Iris had kept up with her fellow nomads for several miles now, just she had for many a suncircle after meeting Enfys. Their relationship had progressed to a level higher than she had known with any other stally, now. Everything was going just peachy keen... except for the past week. She'd been feeling kind of queasy, and it seemed to take more and more effort to run; also, she was eating more. Iris usually feasted during autumn and lost the weight again during winter, but gorging now, at the very beginning of summer? This was ridiculous. What was wrong with her? Slowly, the mare began to drop back behind the other four, panting heavily. " Guys? Uhh... guys... Could we.... can we please... take another break?" Even as she said the word "another", Iris felt ashamed. They were proud nomads, and here she was interrupting their sojourn once every few hours; but her body could truly take no more for this lap. She needed to rest. (("The other four" mentioned are Enfys, Abhyghani, Tuyet, Lakshmi))
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:32 pm
Abhyagni snorted and pulled off among the trees, well away from Iris. It was happening again, just like he knew it would. Iris was getting sick. His fault. Bad things... they just happened. But it was strange, all the same. Up until now staying on the move had kept the bad things away, and all was well. Maybe it wasn't his fault this time. Maybe. She's going to die, he thought dispassionately. Enfys will be upset. Keep an eye on her. If she gets sicker, go. Maybe the others won't die too.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:46 pm
 Enfys halted and walked back to her. She looked so tired, and...were his eyes deceiving him, or did she seem to be picking up an extra pound or two? Better not mention that. Maybe he was just good at finding rich grazing lands, and it wouldn't be polite to mention it, at any rate. Concern shone in his golden eyes for the mare. "Are you OK?" he asked gently. "We can stay here for the night, if that would be easier for you."
He noticed Abhyagni going off into the trees, but now was not the time to go after the young stallion. Iris might need him, and something seemed wrong, though he didn't know what, and insofar as he knew, no one else knew what was wrong, either. He had come to genuinely care about Iris, to love her very much since she had joined them, and he didn't want to push her too far. Lakshmi, however, *did* go after Abhyagni. She didn't really see why he insisted that every little thing that went wrong was his fault, that he was so cursed that those around him had grave misfortunes befall them. That was nonsense. Besides, Lakshmi had plenty of luck to spread about the little herd to counterbalance any misfortune from Abhyagni. Besides, this depression wasn't healthy for him.
"You know, Abhyagni, this isn't your fault. In fact, I think I've been seeing a couple other mares around lately who have her problem, and they seem pretty relaxed about it, I think one was actually really happy, so whatever's wrong right now can't really be that bad in the long run. You really shouldn't blame yourself. What if something good happens to Iris and Enfys in the future? I'm sure Iris' discomfort won't last forever, and I seriously doubt it's anything terminal." She looked at him critically. "You really should take better care of yourself. You're going to get thin from worrying and being depressed all the time."
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:51 pm
Regardless, it took a moment for the older male to snap to attention, lifting his head and stopping as he turned back to Iris. There was a strain in her voice that he didn't like. And yet, it wasn't completely unfamiliar. He had been around for a while, watched many herds from the sidelines, and seen many things. The ones that had grown to trust his presence enough to let him stay around at times when a herd member grew weak... those were the ones that came to mind.
Stepping closer, he eyed the two heading off into the trees, but knew it was probably best to let them alone. Lakshmi knew what she was doing. "Enfys..." he spoke quietly, willing the other stallion back to him for a just a bit. "May I speak with Iris for a moment?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 6:12 pm
Enfys nodded quietly. "Is there something I don't know about that I should know about?" he asked softly. "I want to be able to take care of the herd right, so what are Iris and I not realizing about her?" It sounded like Tuyet would know what he was talking about, but Enfys also felt he had to hear whatever was going to be said to Iris, so he could lead the herd well and responsibly, and so he wouldn't push poor Iris too hard anymore.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 6:27 pm
"Nobody said it's my fault," Abhyagni growled. "What makes you think it is? Or isn't. But nobody says I'm blaming myself."
He digested the information about the other mares. A plague. But they were relaxed... maybe the happy one was suicidal. Or they were all in denial. Yes. That must be it.
"I'm not worried," he said, "or depressed. At all." He stripped a nearby bush of it's leaves to prove his point, although he had lost his appetite. It was also a good excuse to take a few steps away from Lakshmi. The plague might be contagious.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 6:54 pm
Weeeeeaaaaak. Weak weak weak. She hated being weak. Iris felt bad, watching Abhyghani and Lakshmi go - Ab was moody all the time, sure, but she didn't have to keep giving him excuses for wandering off. He probably thought it was his fault again.
This was turning out another lousy day.
"Tuyet... if there's anything you want to say to me, I'm fine with Enfys listening in as well." She tossed her head irritably, strangely curt for a usually chatty mare. "There are no secrets between him and me, and I'm not going to start now."
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 7:11 pm
Canting his head, he looked thoughtful for a moment. He didn't want to be wrong, especially if it was suddenly his place to help the leader become a better one. Still, he was pretty sure. The mares would get ill and the stallions restless. They would allow him around for a while and then chase him off, no matter the strange trust that had grown between them. He still wasn't part of the herd. Of course, when he wandered his curious way back later... It didn't take forever for him to put two and two together.
"That is your decision," he assured, not caring either way if both of them wanted to listen. If his assumption was correct, it would end up influencing both of them anyway. Heck, it was an influence on the entire herd, you know, when they all stuck together. Soft teal eyes narrowed. "I know you both are close, so..." That wasn't really the direction he wanted to go. "I've seen these symptoms before in the herds I used to watch. When he knew I was there, the stallion would always ask me to go before hand, but... When I returned the mares always had very tiny foals with them." Even as eloquent as he was, there was something difficult about coming out and saying, "Iris, I think you might be pregnant."
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:49 am
"Hold on just a minute," said Iris, ambling towards a tree and settling heavily at the base. That was better. After hours in the sun the shade was a wonderful, and she rather hoped Enfys would join her instead of getting burned out there.
"Right. Um. What does pregnant mean, and why would the herd have to chase you off? Do we have to chase you off? I'd rather not split everyone up on my account..." She frowned and looked towards the source of Abhyghani and Lakshmi's voices.
"Not that I haven't already done that," she continued, her words tainted with misery.
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:29 am
Enfys nuzzled Iris gently. He wasn't about to tell her the one secret he was keeping from her. He didn't want to scare her, now that he'd found her. "It's not your fault, Iris. Abhyagni is depressed as usual, and Lakshmi's just trying to help him see that everything's fine." He turned to Tuyet. "When I was very small, I think I heard about this pregnant-thing. Doesn't that mean Iris is going to have foals soon?"
Lakshmi took a deep, careful breath. "Nobody said it's your fault, not verbally, anyway, and no one said aloud that you're blaming yourself, except me, and you look like I've got good reason to say it." she smiled and started browsing the leaves. "You know, I saw one or two of those mares later. They were perfectly fine later and had little ones tagging at their heels. What if Iris is expecting foals, too?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:40 pm
Abhyagni silently digested the fact that everybody was blaming him, but nobody dared say anything.
Pregnancy? Foals? No, he couldn't be the cause of that. But there was something wrong with Iris, and he couldn't see what it had to do with foals. Foals just showed up, right? But they came from mothers and fathers and - Abhyagni's mind skittered away from those thoughts. Enfys must be the father. He'd been getting awfully friendly with Iris, and Aerithe had probably seen the two of them together and decided to bless them with foals and -
That didn't make sense. Why would a good thing like foals make Iris sick? And where did foals come from? Eggs, but -
Eggs just show up. Don't think about it.
"You're wrong," he said in a harsh whisper too soft to carry to Iris. "A good thing like having babies shouldn't make you ill." He lifted his head and perked his ears towards the trio. He could just hear them, and maybe they'd have more light to shed on the situation. Maybe Tuyet knew, he'd been around a bit. And if it was illness, maybe he knew how to cure it. Maybe.
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:50 am
A laugh left the male's throat before he could quell it. He was secretly glad that she didn't want to chase him off, that she didn't want to split up the herd. For once, that meant he belonged somewhere, even if he wasn't quite used to life following a group yet. Enfys had assured him that he had free reign to come and go and for that he was grateful. He couldn't imagine trying to convince the herd to following him all the way to the snowy peeks of the mountains everytime he felt a pang of nostalgia.
Regardless, he shook his head. "No, you wouldn't have to chase me off," he assured. "Because in the early years, I was not a part of those herds I watched. Not like I am now." Lifting his gaze to follow the female's, he sighed a bit, but was happy with Enfys's explaination of it. He was hopeful that the two would return in due time and Lakshmi would be successful.
Turning back to them and momentarily catching the other male's eyes, he smiled. "Yes, that is what pregnant means." Glancing sideways, he caught sight of her belly. She didn't look full term yet, but the unusual roundness did sort of... give it away. "I believe that Iris is carrying foals. Or rather, eggs." His shoulders rose a bit.
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:27 pm
"Well. Um. Hm." Iris frowned at her belly, thoughtful. "That would explain the extra weight."
The rainbow mare wasn't exactly quick-witted, and the idea of having little foals running around who looked like a mixture of her and Enfys took a while to digest. When it did hit, though...
"Enfys!" She squealed. "We're going to make babies! And they're going to be crazy like me, and clever and calm like you, and, and...
Wait, those traits don't really go together in one Kirin, do they?"
Gleeeee~. She tried to roll on her back and kick her legs up in the air, like she normally did when she was ridiculously happy; however, she only managed as far as flopping on her side and found herself unable to move any further, concluding her dialogue with an "Ooof" and a giggle.
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:19 am
Enfys laughed happily and nuzzled Iris. "No, they don't exactly go together in one foal, dear, but they go together in more than one." When she flopped onto her side, he laughed a little and then began delicately nuzzling her face and her belly, a smile on his pale face. Foals. They were going to have foals of their own. The knowledge of this made him so happy. Foals that they were making together, a family of their own, when neither of them had ever really had a family for long. This was a family they could keep and love, and this made him even happier.
Lakshmi smiled at Abhyagni. "Maybe the fact that Iris is carrying the eggs in her belly is why she's having so much difficulty moving these days." She glanced up at the sun. "You know, I think I'll tell Enfys that we probably shouldn't move too far too fast until she's laid her eggs, and we should probably stay near enough to water so that she can cool off and get enough to eat and drink. Don't you think so?" she asked, trying as usual to get Abhyagni out of his misery and self-blame, if even for a moment.
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Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 1:36 pm
Quiet and contemplative now, Tuyet watched the couple with a raised brow. He was surely happy for them, yes. And the future of their little group suddenly seemed well-established, what with a new generation soon to come. Still, as he took a step back to give them more room, he couldn't help but shake his head a bit. Now wasn't the time to spoil their fun with warnings of hardships and extra guard shifts, though he would have to remember to bring it up later.
"We should find a place to settle," he finally interrupted, thinking along the same lines as the young Lakshmi. Still, he remained silent after that, thinking a bit more. It was very strange, he solemnly decided. Having met Enfys when he was a colt... it was strange to see him now, all grown up with a lovely girl and the aura of their unborn children. He was all but certain he would never would get used to feeling so old.
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