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 Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 11:34 am
 Risti moved carefully around the edge of the clearing, her knife drawn and her body crouched among the bushes. She had heard something heavy break a twig in the distance. Belle was out hunting, Sangria had gone along with her. The foals had been put in the care of Risti, who had no idea how to babysit a leaf, let alone three fairly new foals. She checked the perimeter of the field and then, feeling that it was safe, tied her knife back into her beads. The woods around them came back to life when the suspense was lifted. Birds twittered and frogs gurgled in the distance where she knew there was a small pond. She let out a breath, her skin cracking from the stress of the moment.
She moved towards the center of the clearing to check on the foals. They were all fine, sound asleep and careless to the world. Risti took another deep breath. It wasn't just that the lives of three foals scared her, it was the thought of losing her new family that was terrifying. She hoped Belle would return soon. What if the foals woke up and wanted to explore? She had been quite the wanderer when she was their age, and she shuddered to think of how her mother had felt each time Risti was missing. She had a new appreciation for parents now.
Calming herself, she moved away from them to give them space, humming a lullaby to keep them asleep and to calm herself.
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Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 12:56 pm
 The moment her big cousin was a safe distance away, one long lashed crimson eye popped open, swiveling back and forth to make sure the coast was clear before wriggling out from the fuzzy tangle of legs that was her napping siblings and tumbling to the ground. She sat in a heap on the soft grass for a few moments before standing on her wobbly legs and wandering off towards the tree line, her steps were halting at first but before long she was capering about with carefree abandon.
The world was so big and bright, the sights and smells so intense and lovely. She stretched out the bright appendages on her back, 'wings' her mommy had said, just like daddy's. Claudette was unsure what they were for but her brother and her sister had them too, although her mother and Risti did not. Their parents said they would show them later, when they were old enough. Whatever that meant. As she stretched the pink corners danced at the edges of her vision and she turned to try and see them, walking in a circle a few times in hopes of a better view.
A few minutes later, Claudette came upon the biggest body of water she had ever seen. Ears perked up in interest, she minced closer and leaned over to gaze into the placid surface of the pond, her eyes widening as they wandered over the tiny horn, brown blaze, and the shock of raven hair framing intense cherry colored pupils. It was the first time Claudette had seen her reflection, she tipped her head this way and that and watched as the mirror image followed her movements exactly, she turned to the side and was finally able to examine the colorful appendages on her back. So absorbed was she, the filly was entirely unaware of what went on in the forest around her.
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 1:08 pm
Her heart dropped immediately. One...two....where was the third? Where was she? Where was the one Belle had named Claudette? Risti closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that once she opened them the little one would be there again. But of course, this did not happen. Risti began to panic, her flesh crumbling at an excessive rate. She could see Sangria's disapproving face already and Belle's depressing tears. She had to find her, and soon.
A flash of white among the trees caught her eye, and she jumped hopefully. That had to be her, yes it was. She let out a breath and planned her next move. If she ran after Claudette, there was a chance the others would awaken and start to roam as well. If she stayed here, there was a chance that Claudette would be lost. She was stuck. All the while, one of the foals Belle had trusted her with was moving further and further away from her grasps. She would just have to risk it...
With one last hopeful look at the others, she took off after the young filly who, terrifyingly, reminded her of herself. She stayed quiet, keeping the white pelt and baby pink wings in sight. Who was she to interrupt an adventure? Though it scared her that Claudette was wandering and had given her the slip so easily, it would be against Risti's own nature to drag her back home so soon. She would let her explore a little. Besides, she had sneakily earned the right to do so. Let her think for a while that she was being rebellious and let her think that Risti was panicking back in the clearing. That was all Risti had wanted when she was young. But when she constantly returned home and found her family relatively unchanged it was always a downfall to her.
After a while, their journey came to a pause. Risti watched Claudette examine herself in the water, edging closer to make sure she didn't fall in. She didn't want to call her back now, it would frighten her and she might slip. She seemed so intent upon her reflection that Risti thought it would not be a good idea to scare her. The moment seemed personal to the foal and Risti remembered first seeing her reflection as well. So, with a casual step forward, Risti bent to drink from the water as if Claudette was not there, hoping her presence would be accepted.
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 11:43 am
Claudette leaned down to bump her velvety soft nose against the foal in the pond, giggling as glistening droplets splashed up to coat her cheeks and eyelashes. She watched the ripples spread out across the surface from the point of disturbance for a few moments before the bright pink and yellow smudge coalesced into familiar features and she realized that there was another face reflected in the water next to hers.
She turned and grinned up at the mare, her ears perked and her eyes mischievous. She leaned into her cousin's leg and butted her head gently against the colorful fur. "Risti!" she exclaimed in her piping voice, "You found me!" Her hindquarters wiggled in the air as she stalked Ri's feline tail like the mini huntress she was, pouncing at it playfully to try and n** the end.
Claudette wasn't quite sure where her mother went off to so often, but she knew she missed her when she was gone. She adored Ri fiercely but even a beloved cousin couldn't make up for her mother's time away and her father's consistent absence. The little filly found herself acting out a little now and then, she enjoyed slipping off and evading her guardians to explore the world outside the safety of her families small homestead. Even a little stroll to the pond felt like a grand adventure and helped to distract her small mind from the confusing tension she sensed between her parents when they were together. "Is papa lost, Risti?" She asked sadly, Laertes had shown up a few days earlier to spend time with children and to drop off Desdemona with Belle, her sister had begun to spend more and more time with their father away from the rest of the family. Her mother had seemed terribly upset when she left this time, and Claudette had the feeling something was about to change. Unbeknownst to the other foals, Desdemona was to leave and live with Laertes next time he returned, they would visit occasionally but the three siblings would grow up separately. "Mama was sad when she left, is she out looking for papa?" her wide crimson eyes peered up at her big cousin penetratingly. She was young but she knew something was wrong and wondered if Risti would trust her with the truth or reassure her with a comforting lie.
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 10:22 am
Her tail came to a standstill as the play stopped and conversation began. At the foal's question she half wished the silence between them had stayed. But she couldn't just leave Claudette in the dark. Once again, Risti was surprised by how intelligent the little filly was. She knew something was wrong. Although Belle's attempts to protect her foals was admirable, they would know soon enough. "Lost?" Risti repeated, thinking about it a little bit. She thought back to the first time she had met her grandmother, Ves'tacha, and tried to remember what she had said about family to Risti. But she hadn't said anything about what happens when parents split apart. "No one is ever really lost...not as long as they have family," Risti said, satisfied with the answer, "As long as your mother and father have you, Claudette, they'll always have a family and they will never be lost...But...sometimes adults think they know certain things, and then those things turn out to be wrong."
She hoped very much that this was making sense, and also hoped that she was not giving Claudette the go-ahead to be even more rebellious. "Mama is talking with papa, they both want what is best for you and for your brother and sister," she said, nibbling at Claudette's mane reassuringly. She wished she could tell her it would all be ok, but she wasn't sure what was going to happen between Laertes and Belle. It would be an injustice to give that kind of lie, no matter how small it would be. "You know, you're too smart for your own good," she said playfully with a giggle, popping Claudette lightly on the behind with her tail.
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Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 9:06 am
Claudette pondered her cousin's initial answer for a while, turning it over in her little head as she considered the implications. She thought she understood what Risti meant, as long as she had her family, she always knew where to find home. The thought was comforting. The thought that her parents could make mistakes was something that was a little more difficult for the filly to process. As young as she was, her parents were still the foremost people in her life, her superheroes. If they could make mistakes, then anyone could. She put these thoughts away for another time when could analyze their meaning in private.
But at least her father wasn't lost, he and mama would come home again later and hopefully the uneasy energy she sensed between them would be gone for good. She leaned into Ri's affection readily, nuzzling her, she was happy to have her big cousin around to watch over them while their parents talked. She trilled with indignation when Risti bopped her with her tail, but inside felt pleased that the mare thought she was smart, even if it qas too much for her own good. Claudette traced one of the many cracks that traced their way up her cousin's neat figure, they had always been there although their sizes varied. She had no idea that most Soquili didn't crack and fragment thew ay her cousin did, it was simply another physical characteristic, like eye or haircolor. But they did arouse her curiosity, "Will I get crackles when I get older too, Ri?" she piped, rather hoping that she would share such a distinguishing characteristic with her favorite cousin.
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Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2013 10:48 am
The warm smile faded from her face to form a confused one. Did her cousin actually want her skin to crack? Risti couldn't help but giggle inwardly. The thing she had constantly wished to be rid of when she was Claudette's age, was something that the filly aspired towards instead of feared. Although she was beginning to accept the gifts the twisted tunnel had given her, she would never forget the terrified feeling that she would crumble and blow away in the wind. She knew it wasn't possible now, but as a foal it had been a constant reminder of how weak she was. For Claudette's sake, she truly hoped she would not acquire the "crackles". Growing up was hard enough, growing into a breaking body was even harder.
She looked down at her cousin, still wearing a smile. "No, I don't think you will Claudette," recognizing that the little filly only wanted to relate to her somehow she added, "but maybe you'll get a knife like me." Her voice was not excited or encouraging. The fact that many family members had knives or weapons of some sort was both a good thing and a bad thing. On the one hand, they made for good protection, but some family members did not use them just for that. She did not want to encourage Claudette to become like some others of the family. If she ever took that path Risti would still love her, but it was a dark and difficult path to follow. She wanted the best for her cousins.
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Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 10:51 am
Her small face fell but she perked up again after only a moment, her emotions were transient and a flitted along with her thoughts, generally as long as she had something interesting to occupy her she didn't dwell on negative thoughts for very long. "Thats sad," her large crimson eyes were very serious and sincere as she peered up at Risti, "I think your crackles are beautiful! But I suppose they are your special thing, when I grow up, maybe I can find my own."
The thought that she might get a knife like her mama and other family members cheered her considerably. She didn't really know what they were for, but they looked nice, and Claudette had firmly decided almost right off that she liked anything her mother liked, at least for the time being.
She lowered her eyelashes artfully and gazed up at her cousin with her most appealing expression, "Could I play with your knife, Ri? For practice?"
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