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 Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 9:51 pm
 The night sky was quiet tonight. The pale-faced doe kept her gaze turned skyward in silence, before her golden eyes slowly slipped closed. It was useless to keep looking; the Map would not speak to her tonight. She hoped that it was merely considering her situation, and not refusing her guidance because it was angry with her. It had not been her fault. Guardians did not have control of their emotions and what happened because of them. Resulting from the emotional connection between her and another, she knew that three new souls had been brought to life. She could feel them, even if she had never carried them.
Normally, this would not have been such a bad thing. It was to be expected of a fully-grown doe to at one point find someone to love, and it would not be a surprise to see some familiar-looking faces pop up. But this, this breeding, was special. Not only were her sons destined to join the Children, they were born of the herd itself. Her accidental partner was one of her faithful Prophets, Orpheus. He was perhaps the most devoted of the three, but she would never doubt Phobos or Deimos. But she could not help but to see the possible scandal that would erupt because of her indiscretions. Certainly it was only to be expected when a pair were close, yes? The trust between them, between the four of them, was immense. It could have just as easily have happened with any combination of them. But it had happened nonetheless.
Alcyone folded her legs beneath her body for warmth, trying to brace herself against the frigid night air. Winter was coming, if it was not already here, and she sensed that it would be particularly harsh this year.
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:13 pm
 The days and nights had passed slowly for Orpheus. He'd avoided the herd, and most importantly, their Mother. Orpheus had languished in indecision and upset during his time alone. He'd stared at the trees often and the sky more often still. Neither place offered him any comfort though, for his mind kept lingering on thoughts of Alcyone. He respected her as the herd Mother of course, as the leader of their clan and the wisest of them all. However, new emotions had begun to bloom and now deep affection mingled with his regard for Alycone.
For the millionth time, Orpheus gazed at the stars and moon before sighing in a burst of cold breath. No, definitely no help from the Map tonight. All was silent and he'd been let alone to wallow in his thoughts. He desperately wanted to see Alcyone though, to apologize...anything. Orpheus felt the weight of responsibility of the three new births crushing him. He reasoned that it was somehow his fault and his alone. After all, wasn't there deer Mother above such desires? Ashamed, Orpheus hung his head for a moment before he straightened and took a deep breath. He could fix this.
It wasn't hard to find where Alcyone lay. The small clearing was one she seemed to frequent often. Taking another deep breath, Orpheus emerged from the trees, looking regal and proud, his white coat seeming to glow even more under the soft light of the moon.
"Alcyone," Orpheus greeted, though made no move to come closer to the female.
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 12:16 pm
Alcyone had been sitting in silence for a few moments, eyes closed as she basked in the starlight that managed to peek through the dark clouds. Perhaps that was a reason the stars were silent tonight? She didn't know. All she did know was that it was irritating; this was one of the times in her life that she needed the most help, and it was one of few times the Map had ignored her. She let out another huff of fog and folded her ears back.
The sudden voice from the edge of the clearing made her perk up, ears standing up tall and golden eyes opening as she spun her head around. There, at the edge of the treeline, was Orpheus. Despite the conflict going on inside her at the moment, she couldn't help but to be a bit relieved to see him. She relaxed again, raising herself up onto her hooves to greet him. "Ah, Orpheus. Good evening," she murmured, offering a soft smile to the buck. She could let herself out of that refined, somewhat reserved Herd Mother role when she was around him, and she rather liked that about their relationship. She could be herself. Mind you, she wasn't excessively different, but she was certainly much more easygoing than she usually came off as. After all, if the more headstrong members of the Children began to see her as a doormat, the hierarchy had a chance of being upset.
When she realized that he was really here, really here in this clearing with her, Alcyone had to hold herself back from running to him and voicing her concerns. She was very upset about the lack of advice from the Map, and was very frsutrated. How could they abandon her in a time like this? Where they judging her? She didn't know what to do with herself. She would never ignore her sons, of course, but what did the Map expect her to do?
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 6:57 pm
For a long moment, Orpheus stayed in the shadow of the trees. His stance was rigid and one hoof was raised in a poised manner as if he were about to take a step. Obviously he was hesitating as he watched Alcyone, unsure of what kind of reaction his presence would bring. It was only when the doe offered him a small smile did Orpheus finally move. His steps were still tentative as he entered Alcyone's clearing, but whatever he'd seen in the doe's face had eased him somewhat.
"Greeting," Orpheus replied in kind when he finally reached Alcyone's side. "I was unsure if you would be here tonight." Anxiously, Orpheus' fur twitched and he had to keep himself from pawing at the ground with his hoof. Now that he was here, he had no idea what to say or do. His first instinct was to nuzzle Alcyone and begin talk of their children, but he was afraid such affections would be taken badly, especially in the light of their current situation. Orpheus had no idea how Alycone felt or how she wanted to handle things. Would she want to raise their children together, with him? Or would she bring them into the fold of the herd as simply new members?
The latter thought had Orpheus chuffing, his hoof finally toeing into the soft, frosted grass. "We need to speak, I think, about what is to happen between us, if anything." He felt like an idiot and this was as close as he was going to get to confessing to the doe. It was not the kind of adoration a Prophet felt for the Mother, but something that wholly had to do with how Orpheus felt about Alcyone herself, herd business aside.
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Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 12:40 am
As Orpheus drew nearer, Alcyone began to notice the waves of anxiety practically rolling off of the buck. Her ears folded back slightly as she regarded him, still smiling in an attempt to ease his mind. She almost wondered what was troubling him, but she had a pretty good idea of what it was, now that she thought about it. Was he worried about their dalliances, as well? Her heart went out to him, despite her mind telling her to reign it in. She was his Herd Mother, and he her Prophet. What would the Map think of their strange relationship?
She didn't care right now. Alcyone averted her gaze and took a few steps to press her nose softly against his, rubbing the side of her muzzle against his in an affectionate (perhaps too much so) manner. "I believe you're right, Orpheus. This is something that needs to be discussed," she murmured, letting out a long, soft sigh. She moved again to walk a few feet away, before turning and looking at the pale buck again. "If I may ask... What do you wish...to happen between us?" She asked, looking at him carefully out of the corner of her eye. Her pale ears were still twisted back slightly, and she could feel herself getting nervous. Was Orpheus done with her? After this indiscretion, would he want to leave the herd? The very thought had her twitching as well, but she disguised it as a full-body ruffle to warm herself up. She sent a silent prayer to the Map, hoping that that was not the case.
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