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 Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 4:47 am
Nerissa gazed at her nest of three eggs, hoping she'd done it right. They were half-buried and well concealed with dead leaves and bark - she'd be guarding it jealously until they hatched, as Kirin mothers should.
The mare lay down, exhausted, and wondered what she had gotten herself into. She was feeling frisky when she encountered the handsome, shiny stallion, and they had pretty much taken to each other on first sight.
After that, everything went downhill. Her belly swelled; she was endlessly tired and hungry; she was irritable and snapped at Nova over the silliest things. Neither of them could figure out what was wrong with her. Yesterday when the sun went down, there was this terrible pain - and then the cause of all her troubles was revealed (there were exactly three of them, to be precise). Reproduction. Why hadn't she guessed that she was pregnant? Though to be fair, she'd never actually seen two creatures going at it, or she would have realised earlier.
"Nova?" She asked, in a very small voice. "Are you still there?"
While laying the eggs she had been in such terrible pain, she had cursed her mate with the worst things she could think of, blaming him for everything (as usual). Maybe she'd run him off for good, which was not particularly beneficial to either herself or their children.
Nerissa fervently hoped that wasn't the case.
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 5:31 am
Novas picture
Nova wasn’t having to good of time, the mare he had been with; Nerissa, was always angry at him for such strange things. He had tried to deal with it and just let her to be angry at him; but last night was the worst and so he walked off for awhile to allow her to rant in peace. This is what happens when you spend too much time with a mare he guessed, fickle things they are yet something told him to stay despite the verbal beating he was getting. As chance would have it he stumbled upon Niji; he had found him as a foal wandering around, strange fellow and still was for when Nova greeted him he simply looked up at him before snorting softly.
Together they grazed until Nova thought it was enough time for Nerissa to cool off from whatever her problem was; he started back aware Niji followed him lazily. As he got closer to wear he had left Nerissa he heard her ask if he was there in a strange voice. Confused and weary Nova walked closer until he stepped into the line of sight of Nerissa, not yet seeing eggs.”Are we done yelling at me for today,” he asked, looking Nerissa over with bright yellow eyes. “I rather not have come back just to be yelled at more.” He set his ears back when Niji gave his flank a hard n**, stomping his back leg in agitation toward the strange behavior of his friend and traveling mate.
Niji picture
Niji had scented on the wind something strange and off, so he had slowly grazed his way toward the source. Ear craning he had heard Nova approach before the other stallion had even thought to scent the air for company, that one was to proud of his fighting ability to have any sense in him. Soon he was spotted and Nova did greet him, but he was busy trying to puzzle out why he was draw here. Soon Nova stopped and started walking off, having nothing better to do Niji followed until they stopped before a mare, Niji had heard her call out; was she afraid of something? Unlike his slow friend, Niji spotted the eggs, his nose quivered as he smelled the air that was full of pain and stress. Nova ever the bull headed stallion didn’t see them; instead he plowed ahead and insulted her.
Angered at him Niji nipped his side, after he gave a soft smile to the mare; unsure of her name he gave a soft bow instead of a word of greeting.
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 5:50 am
Nerissa snorted at Nova's reply, and clambered to her feet with a grunt.
"Yes, I'm feeling much better now. Thanks so much for asking," she said, with a wry smile. Nerissa figured that she'd punish Nova by deliberately not mentioning that they were expecting. That would teach him to be callous towards her! Quickly, she changed the subject.
"Who have you brought with you? An old friend?"
She gave a nod of approval as the new stallion bowed to her, though she couldn't tell if he was doing this out of respect for her, or doing it because of Nova. Maybe he was an old rival, defeated by her mate and now inferior to him. Her shiny mate was certainly be the type to demand subservience from those he fought and emerged victorious over.
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 6:17 am
Nova frowned at Nerissa’s answer, why did she stress so much; what had he done now? “Well then that’s very nice to hear.” He nodded to himself, really she was acting odd but then she was just screaming at him and cursing him even being alive pretty much. The question made him snap his attention forward, recalling again Niji was there. “Uh, yes I found him wandering around alone as a foal; I took care of him for awhile.” He saw Niji bow and was confused, this fellow was quiet strange. “I didn’t really bring him, he just followed; despite having such bright coloring I think he’s off.” Nova spoke as if Niji wasn’t even there, but it was all in good game for he teased the other stallion quiet often.
Niji gave a soft smile to Nova as he was made fun of, a slight revenge for the bite he was sure. “Nova, you know where those purple flowers are right, can you get some; I would get lost.” It was to try and get the other Stallion away for just a minute, he was brave and quiet kind hearted, but he was slow and sometimes clueless. He watched Nova nod before going off, mumbling about adult children; but once he was far enough Niji turned back to the mare and gave her a more open smile. “Tell me, why didn’t you point out the eggs to him?” Niji made a motion toward the three with his head; they were so small and brightly colored just as Nova would have wanted.
“I might be slow to others, but that’s just because I don’t feel the need to talk to them, Nova is slow on realizing things however.” He did not step closer, he knew any mare would attack him if they felt threatened, he was not fool enough to think just because he was calm and knew himself that he would not harm eggs or foals, did not mean others did. He had heard harder and more wild stallions would kill eggs to take a mare.
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 6:36 am
Nerissa tensed up as Niji revealed he knew of her nest. So, he wasn't as slow as her mate thought him to be! Nova had obviously underestimated this rainbow stally. Then again, if Niji dared harm her eggs... he'd have her to deal with, and she knew many ways of killing from all her years of hunting, oh yes.
You didn't have to even start a fight, if you wanted someone to die. Death had many exits.
"Spite," she answered with a casual shrug, sidling over to put herself between Niji and her nest. "And maybe a sense of... possessiveness."
The mare gazed longingly at her three unhatched children, a lump in her throat. "It's strange, but I want them to be closer to me than to him. Maybe if he doesn't know about them until the last minute, he'll be so startled by their appearance that I'll get more time with them while he goes off and... I don't know, defends his territory. Whatever.
Will you tell him?" She queried, fixing him with a yellow-eyed stare.
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 8:38 am
Niji noticed her tensing, his own body tensed in preparation to run; he truly disliked fighting, he would if he had to but flight was ore on his side for the sliminess of his body. Spite, he watched her move, backing up and almost prancing in place as he grew nervous of her actions. “All negative feelings that would be good to forget,” Niji spoke as if scolding a foal who knew no better. Watching her look to the nest he could understand in a sense of wanting to keep her children to herself. What she said next surprised him, did she reject Nova? “You have had children with someone who you are rejecting?” He looked to the eggs again, only one had its fathers coloring and none of its mother; one was a mix between the two and the other looked like a copy of its mom.
Looking back to the mare Niji stared at her while he puzzled out his answer. “No, I will not tell him and if you say nothing he will soon wonder off away from you. I expect a stallion somehow wants to stay near a mare carrying, but after that he may go off.” It was only a guess, Niji did not know for he did not have much time with others; they did not always like his thinking since he seemed so detached from any feelings for what he saw. “So you will chase him off then, Nova might be slow but it doesn’t mean he won’t stumble across the eggs while you have left to eat, you cannot plan to stay with them and starve.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:20 am
Nerissa shook her head. Niji had it all wrong - she didn't want Nova to leave completely, not while she and her children stood to gain from his presence. A strong male was needed to make sure they had good feeding ground and grew up unbothered by predators.
"No, I'm not rejecting Nova or chasing him away. I need him around to make sure nothing happens to me or the eggs. I just want the children to feel closer to me, than to him. He strikes me as a fickle one, who will easily take up with another, prettier mare when he meets her. I don't want to be left all alone by myself when that happens."
She headed over to her nest and carefully arranged more dead leaves over her eggs, slightly worried that they wouldn't be warm enough.
"What's the point of showing him eggs, anyway?" she murmured. "Eggs mean nothing until they've hatched into foals. Between now and the hatching, anything can happen. A storm can fell a branch that smashes them, or a hungry raptor could find them, or maybe they're duds in the first place."
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 3:52 am
Niji listened to her, everything she said made sense he guessed; Nova was not one to stay a single place for long no more than he was, but unlike Nova Niji found himself quiet able to stay in a place where he is needed. “I think he may leave, even if he see’s eggs his mind will realize why he was feeling the need to stick close; and he will leave.” It was strange, to say that about his mentor out loud, but truth was just that and he would not change it. “Do you not have a herd, a family who could help you?” He tried to think of a way to help, if he went to fetch her family then perhaps things would smooth over.
He watched her, the nest was well tended to and Niji thought back to his own mother; he had not seen her since he was a small foal, then he had gotten lost and wondered off. “There are three adult Kirin, two of which are stallions, I doubt a Raptor is foolish enough to step even a gallop close to them.” At another noise Niji looked over his shoulder, nostrils quivering to smells which one held the faint scent of blood but it was far off. “I cannot tell you what to do; you chance to lose both ways for Nova truly is a free spirit and not one to settle down without a fight.” He recalled with a slight frown, how when he had been found Nova had to almost drag him because he would get so tired of running or walking.
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 8:08 pm
"In other words... it doesn't matter whether he sees his eggs or not?" Asked Nerissa, puzzled by Niji's evaluation. She was somewhat comforted by his statement about raptors, though.
"And no, I have no family."
With a stretch and a yawn, she headed all the way back to her nest and settled down.
"You know what, egg-laying's a tiring business - kept me up all night. I'm going to have a nice lay-down... right... here..."
Eyelids fluttered, and then sealed her in the land of dreams.
((I don't really see where this RP is going... ^^" Feel free to have Nova discover the eggs Nerissa's lying on top of. ))
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 6:02 am
(No worries, and sorry in advance for the long and strange post)
“No, I do not suppose it would,” Niji said in a monotone voice as he said something he knew might hurt Nerissa. The fact she didn’t have family was a strange one, he did not dare ask why; that would hurt her far too much he was sure. The yawn caught his attention, purple eyes flicked back to attention. “Good sleep; have fair dreams even if in wake it is hard.” The crunch of leaves behind Niji only earned a small huff like sound from him, nothing was dangerous and he could smell who it was. As Nova walked to stand beside him any could then see Niji was quiet smaller then the bright blue colored male who stood staring with a look of shock toward the sleeping mare.
“She was pregnant,” Nova asked as he stared wide eyed at Nerissa as she slept over what must have been a nest."Yes," a simple and easy reply and Niji looked toward his mentor with his eyes half lidded. “I didn’t even notice, how could I not notice that?” Nova was mostly thinking out loud as he kept steady eyes on Nerissa and his eggs, he was going to be a dad. Shifting closer to both eggs and mare Nova smelled them, four scents together but three smelled faintly of him, his smell and his family. “How long were you listening Nova?” Niji watched as the large male behaved almost as if any touch from him would shatter Nerissa and the eggs, it was almost funny. Nova blinked, as if coming out of a trance; but when he looked at Niji he glared at the other stallion heatedly. “You, how could you not tell her and persuade her to tell me of this,” he hissed out between his teeth as he rounded on Niji, watching the smaller stallion with sharp eyes; but Nova only grew angrier as Niji seemed to not even notice his anger.
“It wasn’t, and isn’t my place to watch over your life.” As Nova took on a threatening stance Niji just watched him; it was not as if he didn’t feel danger from his mentor, but the fact he trusted him completely had him remain still. “You are slow Nova; you are lucky she does not reject you as a protector and chase you off.” Niji knew they way he spoke confused many, he logically thought out everything and found answers too many behaviors that way, but Nova was one of the few who were use to his way and accepted it with a small grain of salt. Nova bared his teeth toward Niji as he listened to the younger male explain his reasons. “You fickle and soft fool of a stallion, you act as if you are a tree watching the world rather than being in it!” Nova stamped his hoof in agitation, forgetting Nerissa was sleeping just by them. Suddenly Nova snorted and lowered his horn before he shot off toward Niji, he felt himself connect with flesh and his blank mind made some connection of a cry of pain.
Niji felt a tightening in his chest at what Nova said, but still trusting his mentor he had stood his ground; but his trust had gone to long and Nova charged forward but Niji did not move; instead he felt Nova’s horn hit full force on his chest and push up his neck to hit his bottom jaw before it bounced off. Coughing Niji smelt his own blood, watching the red blood fall and splatter against leaves and small rocks. He stood there in shock, looking down to see a gash on his chest, not shallow but not deep enough to be life threatening; yet still the pain was fierce and all he could do was look up to see Nova watching him.
Nova stared toward the white bodied stallion; a small part of him could not believe what he had done but that part was pushed back by anger. “Leave, just go,” he huffed, his sides moving quick with deep breaths. Niji flicked his tail once before rearing back and taking off in a dead bolt, he knew already that he would not go far; both because he had promised in a way that he would help Nerissa with watching for anything that would harm her eggs, and another reason was running would now put his life in danger as blood pulled down him; though it would soon stop it would be better for him to lay down and rest; so as not to risk keeping the wound open. Nova looked back to his family, only then when a drop of red fell from his horn to the ground, did he feel a sudden crash of regret for what he had done. However he ignored it again quickly as a warmth for his soon to be hatched foals filled him.
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