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 Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 1:16 pm
Thanos was making his way back to the little spot near the river than Regret had turned into her home. He liked it having her this close to the herd, he no longer had to go searching for her every time he wanted to see her. Instead he just headed to the stream and sure enough she was there. Rowan had been doing a good job of bringing her food. They had kept the news of the foals a secret until it was quite obvious. Couldn't hide something like that forever apparently. But even then Rowan had continued to do his duty of fetching food, perhaps even putting in a bit more effort into it. This pleased Thanos greatly. Perhaps the palomino would prove to be a useful asset to the herd after all...at least he showed more potential than the others."Must we go see her again? We should be out there killing others not checking on Regret!" War complained. She was tired of Thanos spending most of his time with Regret. "She will have the foals soon, so he needs to be around more." Peace pointed out.Thanos' ears flicked out at that. Yes Regret would have the foals soon. She had gotten quite fat now and he could only imagine that that meant the foals would arrive soon. Though he still didn't quite understand why the foals grew in Regrets stomach he was at least impressed that she made sure she ate and drank every day. She was looking much less thin and ragged than when he first met her...which was a bit disappointing. Thanos liked her the way she had been and he could only hope that after the foals came she would go back to her old ways and looks.
Coming up to the spot where Regret stayed he called out to her. "Regret!" He was still paranoid about her wandering off and so now was checking on her more often than before. If needed he would have either himself or Rowan stay with her day and night until the foals came, just to make sure nothing happened to her.
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 1:39 pm
 "What?!" Regret answered crossly as Thanos shouted out at her - the black steed acted like she was going to wander off on him still, which would be quite impossible in her opinion - at least in her current condition, which made her even slower then before if that was possible. The mare had not been in the best of condition when she started this little escapade and though she ate and drank enough each day the need to stay in one spot had made her irritable despite her slightly better health, she hadn't been sleeping well and as with all mares in the end of their pregnancies she was highly uncomfortable. She was far past her prime for such things as foal rearing, still capable yes - but it would be a good bit harder to keep up with them.
If she bothered to that was, perhaps she would just leave them in the care of Rowan all the time, go back to her wandering uncaring ways. That would get rid of the flashbacks that troubled her at night. "sounds like a plan" she muttered to herself with a sigh as she shuffled out of the trees to find out what Thanos wanted.
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 1:52 pm
Thanos either didn't notice or didn't care that she snapped at him. He was used to her ways and nothing really seemed to phase him all that much. His eyes moved to her sides, tipped his head a bit he looked at her swollen stomach. Definitely fat, he thought to himself. "I wanted to see how you were." He told her plainly. Why else would he come here? "Has Rowan brought you food lately?" Rowan's life and possibly his position within the herd rested solely on his ability to prove Regret with what she needed. He wouldn't tell Regret this, though he was sure she knew this well.
"Holy crap look how fat she is!" War exclaimed. Regret was no longer the pathetically skinny horse they had first met.
"You just noticed that now? Haven't we been coming here everyday? How could you just notice that?"
"Oh shut up!"
"Quiet!" Thanos snapped at the rats. He was not in the mood to deal with their bickering today. He had other things on his mind and didn't want them distracting him from them. Turning his eyes back to Regrets they glowed a light red, typical of when he was near his mare. She had a habit of softening him a bit, which he hated, but yet he would not have it any other way. He would still wage war on this land and perhaps his spawn would help.
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 2:11 pm
Regret sighed slightly as the decaying stallion looked her over, of course he wanted to know how she was doing - for some strange reason she had yet to figure out the beast liked her...and for some equally strange reason she liked him back. Oh life's tangled webs. Anyways...the dappled mare brought her thoughts back to the present, she barely noticed the squeaking rats anymore, no matter how loud they got or what they did. It didn't seem to matter anyways - no matter how terrible their fights seemed to be their injuries never seemed to hurt them and she had no idea with the squeaks meant so it seemed somewhat pointless to pay any attention to them at all.
"I'm fine" She assured the black stallion. "Rowan visited earlier and left some supplies- no doubt he will return again shortly" The palomino was almost as reliable as the sun and Regret had found she could count the days passing by his visits. She was not foolish enough to think the roped stallion liked her - or his job in taking care of her - but either ambition or fear of Thanos seemed to be enough to keep him in line. "Shall I have him fetch you if there are signs of the foals arrival?" She asked after a few moments. Regret wasn't really sure ho Thanos would react to that situation he might throw a fit seeing her on the ground...or he could be fine. The black stallion was quite unpredictable when it came to such things.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:55 am
"Good, good." Thanos said though it was clear by his tone that he was a bit lost in his thoughts....no big shock there. Well it did seem that he had made the right choice in getting Rowan to do this task, for if Regret said he was doing the job than no doubt he was. Perhaps the stallion wasn't as useless as the others, this was good. He would need to whip the herd into shape soon and if that meant picking the strongest and most reliant of the herd and leaving the others behind then he would do so. Thanos knew he couldn't wait around forever to see if the other horses would show some gumption.
"Why don't you fetch him to kill your sorry a**!"
"Why don't you be nice for once."
Thanos' eye narrowed in anger. "Shut up now! I'm tired of your negative thoughts about her." Having War tell him to kill random horses they ran into was fine, but even suggesting to have Regret killed was just not right at all. After a few minutes of his sides heaving in anger he slowly calmed down, eyes focusing back on Regret. "Yes, if I am not around then you may tell him to do so."
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:40 am
Regret didn't think Thanos was fully paying attention to what she had said - not that this was anything new, she was used to it for the most part and honestly most of the time it didn't matter, if he forgot something you just had to jog his memory a little. No big deal. She did sometimes wonder at what thoughts crossed his mind during such times...did he just stand there blankly as she was prone to doing or did other random things scroll through his skull. It was impossible to know - Thanos was not prone to sharing such things even with her.
Despite her previous thoughts on ignoring the rats Regret couldn't help but give them a somewhat smug look as Thanos yelled at one of them - probably the irritable one though she couldn't tell them apart by looks alone. Not that she really cared what the rodents thought about her she told herself firmly before turning her attention back to Thanos. "Alright, I do not think it will be much longer..but I should know with enough time to send someone to fetch you" She told him with a brief nod of her head.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:57 am
Thanos was content with that, she would see that he was summoned should the foals be coming. Though honestly he didn't plan on going too far anymore. As for the rats...well he would have a good talk with War later. "Good, though I think I will be staying close by for now." He told her idly.
---
After few days later Thanos found himself wandering back to the spot that Regret stayed at. He had been pulled away earlier that morning by a herd member, whom he royal bitched out for doing...especially after he found out why they had done so. They had merely wanted to roam further to where the grasses were more delicious. Why of all the stupid excuses to wander from the herds area that one had to take the cake. Fuming with anger Thanos approached the spot where Regret now called home. He spotted a pile of leaves and grasses and a few very very old apples a sign that Rowan had been there earlier. Good, at least he was reliable still.
"Regret...Regret where are you?" He called out. Thanos knew she would probably snap at him, she had after all been very irritable the last few days, but that never really phased him any. He began to wonder how much longer it would be before the foals were born, Regret had said it wouldn't be much longer, but here it was a few days later and he still didn't see them around.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 9:08 am
Regret's ear twitched as she heard Thanos call out to her - for once however she did not snap at the black steed as he came poking around, yelling out for her when he could just as easily walk into the trees and see her. Stallions. This time however the timing was rather good on the black steeds part, Regret had been feeling a bit off this morning but felt she still had some time yet when Rowan had visited and so she hadn't alerted the Palomino or told him to fetch Thanos. It seemed she probably should have because shortly after Rowan left things had started to move a bit quicker and Regret had started to think Thanos would miss everything for sure. But fate seemed to want him here since here he was at just the right time.
Letting out a soft groan she lifted her head to look back at the black stallion, revealing herself as she lay in the deeper grass. "Here" She called out to him although her voice was slightly strained and her neck was slick with sweat. It was good she thought that the weather was warming but not yet heavy with summer heat. This would be uncomfortable enough without adding that to the mix.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 9:26 am
"Look there she is." Peace pointed out when the mare called out.
"Ha! She looks like she is dying." War said happily.
"Shut up!" Peace snapped at his sister and went on the attack, it was way out of character for him to do so.
Thanos head snapped up when he hear and then saw Regret laying on the ground. Immediately he thought that she might have been attacked by another horse or perhaps a wolf and hurried over to her. "Who did this to you?!" He asked frantically as he looked her over for any cuts or bite marks. But when he found none his mind raced to figure out what was wrong. Then his eyes settled upon Regrets swollen belly...could it be that. "Regret is it the...the..." Well this was the best time to forget what they were called! Finally ignoring his inability to think of the right word he motioned to her belly with his muzzle. "Is that it? What do I do?"
He had not expected at all to find her laying on the ground looking as though she would die. That made his mind race again...could she die from this? He started to pace back and forth a bit it worry, anticipation, excitement and thought.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 9:46 am
Regret let out a half strangled bark of laughter as Thanos rushed over and asked that particular question "You did you black ninny!" She told him with a bit of irritation to her voice. as she lay her head back down and tried to ignore Thanos as he struggled for words and then paced about her in a thoroughly distracting manner. The poor stallion was confused - but Regret wasn't about to spare him much pity right now, dratted beast had done this to her after all. "Nothing!" she finally gasped out when she grew tired of his wandering "Just...stand over there and be still!"
----
It was several hours later that the foals were born - Regret had not expected so many and the process had been wearying. She was dead exhausted and her mind was still reeling over the foals that lay upon the ground beside her, three of them were grotesque half dead looking creatures, the third looked normal - if you disregarded his strangely colored eyes. Three fillies and a colt as far as she could tell and she gave a heavy sigh, laying her head back down to rest some more. She ought to stand she knew - and urge the foals to do the same but frankly..she was tired and this had been nearly too much for her to deal with both physically and mentally and she just needed a bot more time.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:20 am
Thanos did as Regret ordered him to do as stood off to the side while she did...well whatever she was doing. Finally after some amount of time the ordeal was over with and Regret laid in the grass with their foals. He could smell the blood in the air and that excited him in an odd way. His eyes turned a very dark red as he moved in to take a closer look. First he stopped at Regret and nuzzled her with his body nose. She looked exhausted and he could only hope that she would be getting up soon, or else he would need to fetch Rowan to help.
Then his eyes moved to the foals. The first one he spotted was a perfect little corpse like filly missing a good chunk of her face. And where her eye should have been on the side with her exposed skull was a red glow much like his own eyes. The next was a pure black filly with a good chunk of her spine exposed. Eyes moved to the next. This one had Regrets coloring and yet Thanos' exposed ribs and neck. She was a good mix of both parents. They were all looking like they would be great herd members...as long as they could be shaped to hate and kill. "They all look perfect and...." He trailed off as his eyes fell on the last foal. This one was a colt, small and weak looking...and what was worse, he looked normal. Oh this would not do at all.War let out a shriek of terror when she spotted the normal looking colt. "Kill it now! It will do us no good." "It only looks normal. Who is to say how it will grow up..you should not pass judgment on something so small."Thanos took a few quick steps away from Regret towards the normal looking foal. Lowering his head he shoved the foal over, looking for any signs of decay on it. There was none. This made him mad, his eyes moved back to Regret. "This one is normal!" He snapped at her. Thanos loved Regret but it was clearly her fault that a normal foal had been born. With a shake of his head he went back to Regret, his eyes moved to the three decayed fillies. "We will need to name them."The small black colt let out a cry for help as the larger horse pushed him around. His still blurry eyes looked about with fear in them. Nearby there were three other small foals that looked much like this big one. And then his eyes settled on another larger horse, laying in the grass. This one was not as scary as the others. He let out another small whinny trying to get her attention, his body shook in fear and cold.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:41 am
As Thanos inspected the foals Regret found the energy to bring her head up again and roll up so that she was no longer just laying flat on the grass. She ignored the stallion as he strode over to the runt - a poor black colt, with four foals there was bound to be a runt she knew it was inevitable - but it might have been better for him if he'd looked either a little less normal or a little bit stronger. Regret had nothing against the colt however and her ears flattened slightly as Thanos snapped at her. What exactly had he expected? She was normal...there was bound to be normal offspring between them, she supposed it was lucky that three of them had been born different. "Normal like me you mean" She snapped back at the stallion, hardening herself against the colts frightened whinny - she felt for him she really did, but giving him attention in front of Thanos would probably just make the stallion angrier, and who knew what he would decide to do then. No it would be best just to ignore the poor creature for the moment and though she wouldn't admit it this pained her somewhat.
Snorting at Thanos she turned her eyes upon the grotesque beastly filly with half her face missing "That one looks like a complete ruin" She remarked after a few moments.  The buckskin filly lifted her head as one of the larger ones spoke at her, the other large one had finally stopped moving about - for which she was thankful as following him with her eyes had started to grow tiresome. Ignoring the big ones for a moment she turned her eyes upon her brother, snorting in disdain as he quivered and shook. He didn't look anything like the other two that lay with her.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:54 am
 It was cold and much too bright as the dappled filly was brought into the world. She heard voices around her and felt oddly connected to them. She lifted her heavy head, snorting gently as she tried to touch with the brim of her nostrils as her eyesight was still blurry from the birthing fluids that clung onto her body.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 11:10 am
"That is not what I meant at all." He told Regret in an irritated tone. Though truthfully he did mean it. At least Regret didn't look completely normal, she was shaggy and unkempt...just the way he liked her. Thanos took a step closer to the filly missing half of her face. Bending his head down he gave her a soft push, nothing like what he had done to her brother. As his nose bone touched against her skull it made a soft clink sound. "Ruin...that's what we will call her." He gave her another push, encouraging her to get up. The sooner the foals were on their feet the better. He raised his head and stepped to the filly that looked much like him, only with Regrets coloring. He looked at the hole in her side exposing her ribs...a normal horse would be in agony with those kind of injuries. No, they weren't injuries he corrected himself, that was decay. "This one shall be Agony." He said glancing back at Regret. Good she was starting to get up he thought.
"Good names! Let us hope they will serve us well. But we must deal with the weakling."
"He is not a weakling."
He looked over at the third filly, the one with the exposed spine. Currently she was sleeping. His head tipped to the side in thought, but no names came to mind for her at this moment. "We shall name her later when she wakes." He turned his attention back to Agony and gave her a small push like he had done with Ruin. They needed to get to their feet. To prove they were strong. He ignored the colt. There was no reason at all to try to encourage him, Thanos could see he was weak and scared and normal.
The small colt struggled to right himself after having previously been tossed about by one of the big ones. His little body flailed about for a few moments before finally rolling back onto his stomach. His eyes once again fell on the normal looking big one. Why did she ignore him like the other? She looked much like he did. Not like the scary ones that lay nearby. He let out another desperate call for her attention, curling his body into a tight ball in an attempt to get warm.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 11:31 am
Regret glared at Thanos for a few moments but he didn't seem to be paying any attention to her right now, his attention seemed solely focused on the foals, or at least the fillies. Ruin and Agony - seemed like fitting names to her she though to herself as she looked upon them. They were ugly beasts - nothing like the beautiful foals she'd...no she shook her head and though she was still tired struggled to her feet merely to keep her mind away from the train of thought it had been taking previously. These were the foals of her new life she reminded herself and while they weren't perfect neither was she anymore.
Taking a few steps she moved between the fillies,Thanos and the colt and while she didn't look at the colt she did hope her being closer would make him at least a little less frightened - perhaps if he showed some backbone Thanos would re-do his opinion of him. "Those names will be fine" she told Thanos as she looked upon the fillies - Thanos was urging two of them to stand while the third slept. The dappled filly she reflected looked much like her and well if she stood a certain way Regret could see a bit of beauty in her, she was dappled and well made - as long as you didn't see the exposed ribs. As for Ruin...well there wasn't much of anything that could make that one look normal...
Ruin jerked her head back slightly at the clinking sound, her one ear flicking in curiosity. Where had that noise come from? It was an interesting sound and while she butted her head against her sisters side for a few moments the sound didn't come again. It must be a sound from the big one she thought to herself, Noisy beast! His pressure to make her stand finally got her attention again however and after watching her mother stand Ruin attempted to copy her, stumbling foreward until she plowed under her mother's stomach and into her black brother. Irate that he was in her way she reach out and snapped at him.
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