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 Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 6:51 pm
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For days, Kayla had only the company of Mazi and her young foal. The fear of Cuauhcoatl and his mate chasing after her to take back the basket plagued her like no nightmare had before; she jumped at every shadow that passed over her, froze at every snapping twig. She traveled from dawn until dusk, when her legs could no longer carry her and the weight of her young one -- hoping and praying that Cuauhcoatl and Ikinya would not catch up with her, should the pair decide to give chase. But they never came. Had they decided to allow her to get away with stealing the basket? Or had they lost her trail through the storm the night she had made her decision? Wearily, Kayla walked over to a small lake, lowering her head for a drink. Her eyes were half closed as she struggled to keep awake and alert; she couldn't fall asleep, not yet -- not until she and Mazi found a safe place to settle for the night.
Her cheetah companion lay curled up around the warmth of the basket, tail swishing lazily as he watched Kayla refresh herself by the river. He stretched his paws out and opened his mouth into a wide yawn. He had giving up days ago arguing that she had reacted rashly; that the soquili they had fled from were good, and likely would have understood had she talked to them instead of... well. Instead of stealing off with one of the foals Kayla had promised to only play surrogate mother to. But what was done was done, and now they could only move forward. A deep purr rumbled in the feline's chest as Kayla returned to where he lay.
"We should find a safe place to rest for the night," she said, leaning down to nuzzle the basket, gazing down at the bundle lovingly. Mazi nodded in agreement, flicking an ear to brush away a fly that had been buzzing around his head. "Do you want to go back, then?" he suggested, quickly continuing to clarify that he didn't mean to return to the herd -- the look on Kayla's face said enough that she was about to argue. "To the alcove in the bushes we passed earlier, I mean. It's well hidden enough, and can protect us against the weather..." |
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Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:14 pm
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Noises -- there were noises coming from somewhere beyond the darkness that enveloped her. She shifted around in the small space, her nose pushing against the soft walls surrounding her. The young filly pushed out with her legs, and as the lid of the basket began to tear and light suddenly streamed in, she let out a startled whinny and retreated back in to the dark safety of the bottom of the basket. She stared with fascination at the dim light shining through the cracks, and she stretched out her neck to sniff at the opening. Feeling a little braver now, she pushed up at the lid again, causing more light to stream inside -- the filly shut her eyes tightly and with one more hard push, the top of the basket burst open and she tumbled out onto the grass, her wings outstretched in an attempt to keep her balance -- and failing as she fell.
She blinked her wide, blue eyes as she stared around at this new world before her; a sea of green expanded for as far as she could see, and above was an orange and blue sky as the sun set in the distance. But she was alone! Where had the noises come from? She nickered as she looked from left to right, catching sight of larger creatures out of the corner of her eye, and as she turned her head to look behind her she rolled over onto her side. |
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 2:17 pm
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Kayla watched with wide-eyed fascination as the basket holding her foal began to break open, a black-tipped nose poking out through the lid, nose flaring as the foal breathed in the new scents around her. She began to worry when her foal seemed to retreat back in, but just as Kayla stepped forward to help, the foal was at it again, and out tumbled a tan, blue, and purple coloured filly, dark mane falling in her eyes -- but what made Kayla inhale sharply in surprise were the large wings gracing the filly's back. She had hoped... but no, the wings would serve a constant reminder of what she had done. A reminder of the angeni stallion who fathered her children.
Oh...
She wondered what the other two foals looked like. Did they have wings, too? Did they have her eyes? Were they boys or girls? Would see ever see them again? What would Cuauhcoatl and Ikinya tell them about her? Would they even know she exists..? Her ears pressed back against her head in sorrow, but a noise from the filly brought her back from her thoughts of the foals she may never know. The little one was looking up at her with pale, curious blue eyes -- her father's eyes...
"What are you going to name her?"
Mazi's question pulled Kayla from her thoughts, and she blinked in surprise -- she hadn't considered any names. She had been so busy thinking about how to get away, it hadn't occurred of her to think of any... and now, before she knew it, her daughter was here. She was a mother.
Kayla approached the young filly, bending her head down to nuzzle her daughter with affection, grooming the filly's dark mane with gentle caresses. What would she name her? Gazing at the winged filly, Kayla felt her heart swell with love, happiness overcoming her, and she smiled with unrestrained adoration at her foal. "She is my joy... my Ekundayo." |
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 2:22 pm
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Ekundayo wriggled excitedly as her mother drew near, and she nipped and nuzzled at her mother's face once it was close enough, nickering with excitement once again. She tried to stand up again, wings spread wide at her sides to keep balance on unsteady hooves, and this time her mother aided her, and when Ekundayo took a few successful steps forward she looked up at Kayla for approval. Encouraged, she took another step, and then another -- and as the filly sped up her legs began to move faster than she could keep up with, tumbling to the ground again.
Before she could begin to grow upset over scraped knees, Mazi was purring at her side, rubbing his body against hers and licking her ears. Ekundayo wasn't quite sure what to make of the cheetah -- he looked very different from her mother, but Kayla seemed to openly welcome his presence, so the filly took her queues from her mother -- if she wasn't afraid, then she wouldn't be either. Ekundayo pushed herself up onto her hooves again, and this time she took her steps slowly and carefully. |
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