The prayer had been a success. Though there was no way to know right away, of course. The herd had returned to it's normal activities, but some weeks later, Phasianidae found out she was carrying foals. The herd had been thrilled to know that the prayer had been answered and they got busy preparing things for the newest members. All had gone well and soon the foals came and were tucked into baskets to keep them safe until they were ready to move about the world.
The day that the baskets had finally opened was a thrilling, and albeit shocking, event. Looking at the baskets, no one would have guessed that the foals inside would turn out to be so...strange. Even Phasianidae was taken aback by their appearance. As strange as their appearance was, Ereshkigal with her blackened head and smoky eyes, Derdekea with that odd mouth on her chest with the tentacles protruding from it, it was in fact Puwe'odara who had shocked Phasianidae the most. Her appearance in general wasn't as shocking as her sisters, yet her color was so different than what the basket had shown. What this meant, she was not certain. But the foals were quickly accepted as they were, for it was clear that the Oneiroi had wanted the foals to look as they did and the herd accepted that. Of course Phasianidae did wonder if there was some other purpose to her daughters odd appearance. Was this to be another test? A sign of something to come? Or did the Oneiroi simply feel like making them different because they could? Only time would tell. Regardless, Phasianidae loved her children and could not be happier.
Though they still had their duties to tend to, Phasianidae, along with Ramiel, made sure to set plenty of time aside to spend with their children - and that included Freyr, who acted an an older brother to the three girls. In the time since their emergence from the baskets, the girls had grown strong, both in body and mind and were well on their way to becoming good members of the herd. They did well in their training and lessons so far, but still possessed that foalhood curiosity that led to them getting distracted from time to time.
Right now they were simply exploring the lands that they called home. It was good for the girls to know what areas were used for what and what resourced could be found there. In a way, this family bonding time was like extended lessons, for there was always something new to learn.
Ereshkigal followed her mother as they moved through the herd lands. The smoky wisps from her eyes trailing behind her, creating this strange dissipating ribbon of white as she took in her surroundings. Of course this also distorted her vision, causing everything to have a slightly blurred and sometimes flickering quantity to it. When something did catch her eye, Ereshkigal had to focus on it for quite some time to truly see what she was looking at. Some may consider this a set back, but for Ereshkigal, it meant she simply got to investigate things longer, more thoroughly before moving on. It made her appreciate everything she saw just a little more. All she knew was, that the Oneiroi had made her this way, so whatever the purpose behind her altered vision, she would find out eventually and embrace it as the gift it was surely meant to be.
Freyr was so happy to have other foals to play and learn with. While he was older, they all got along well. He took his role of older brother seriously, making sure that the girls didn't make any mistake that he might have made earlier. Though, he had to admit, he did feel a little outnumbered now that he had three younger sisters to contend with. It seemed that the herd was definitely female heavy at the moment. So while he certainly enjoyed spending time together as a family, he truly treasured the time he spent with Ramiel one on one - and sometimes Bruadair would join them as well, and that was extra special.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 10:22 am
Quite frankly Ramiel had been more then a little bit surprised at how quickly things had gone after the Prayer ceremony - sure there had been time in between then and finding out that Phasianidae was expecting and then there had been the time between that and when she had actually given birth..and then they had had to wait for the baskets to open..but despite all of that waiting things still seemed to have moved a rather blazing pace. And now he found himself the father of not just one foal..but four of them.
And three of them were not entirely what he had expected. Oh he wouldn't trade them for the world, they were different but they were how the gods made them and so despite the concern in the back of his mind about what it could all mean he accepted and loved them. But still..surely their differences meant something yes? Were the Oneiroi using them to convey some sort of message? Ereshkigal with her shadowy head and blazing eyes, Derdekea with what seemed like and entirely separate creature living in her chest..her chest! And then there was Puwe'odara who, at first glance seemed rather innocent looking in comparison..despite her strange fins and lengthy ears and yet upon further inspection seemed just a touch off, her eyes being shaped differently, her nostrils being shaped differently and the way she came out so much paler then they had expected given the shade of her basket. Ramiel had been concerned the pale coloring was a sign of ill health but the herd shaman had assured him she was fine and healthy.
The Oracles were still praying for answers about the foals looks and the messages such looks could be trying to portray. As the days had gone on however and nothing terrible had befallen the herd the members had settled down somewhat and begun to enjoy having foals about and so was Ramiel. The stallion was quite enjoying getting to know the foals emerging personalities and he couldn't be prouder of Freyr for the way the colt had taken to the three fillies.
"Come on you two, don't get left behind" He called out to the two lagging a bit, no doubt they had stopped to investigate something or another but in the herds thick mists it would be easy for foals to get lost and Ramiel wasn't about to let that happen.
"I'm coming father!" Derdekea called out as he ushered them along and she was coming...just as soon as she could convince one of her tentacles to let go of the branch it had grabbed onto.
"Come on let gooo!" She fussed at the offending appendage, leaning back with all her foal strength to try and make it, the tentacle was stubborn however and no matter how hard she pulled or how hard she concentrated on trying to make it release the branch mentally the wretched thing just wasn't listening. Clearly there was going to be a learning process here. Finally wit a great snap the branch itself broke and Derdekea fell backwards onto her haunches with an ooomph. Shaking her head she stood up and frowned at the tentacle , still grasping the broken branch.
"Oh well" she sighed, turning to follow her family in the tour of the herd lands, trying not to trip on the branch her tentacle was dragging along with them.
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 12:52 pm
There was a soft giggle from somewhere behind Ramiel before the stallion would note the brushing of hair and feathers along the underside of his chest as his eldest daughter sidled up underneath to poke her head out from between his front legs; it took a moment, but those long ears of hers popped forwards and out from beneath his body, as well. Wide, curious eyes a pale shade of vermilion peered up, crinkled at the edges with her amusement.
Puwe'odara was still slight enough she could manage it, but considering her back brushed up against her father's chest, soon one of her favourite little displays would be no more.
She giggled again and stretched her nose up, attempting to catch the edge of Ramiel's feather between her lips. Successful or not, she would skitter forwards on clawed feet (letting go of the feather if she was, indeed, successful) and capered around on spindly legs with her feathers wagging behind her.
She made her way around, back to Derdekea to make sure she was alright.
"Silly suckers, that's a branch." She cooed, then looked at her sister. "You're okay?"
Phasianidae turned at her daughters slight outcry. Since coming out of her basket Derdekea had had some issues with those tentacles. Though she was certain that with time the filly would gain control over them, it was hard to see her struggle with them. Part of her wanted to rush to her side, like her siblings often did, to try to sort things out. Yet as the Luminary knew that things like this, gifts from the Oneiroi, had purpose specifically for those it was given to, and as such intervening too often may result in negative effects. But of course, as the mother, Phasianidae wanted to do everything she could to protect her children and keep them happy. Balancing these two sides was more difficult than she had expected. Still, it did make her wonder of the tentacles ultimate reason for being there. Perhaps the Oracles would have an answer soon through their prayers. In the mean time, she had to simply help as much as she could, without getting in the way of the Oneiroi's blessing.
Still for all the trouble those tentacles seemed to cause at times, Derdekea was handling it quite well. Her ears perked at Puwe'odara's laugh. That sound always made her smile. Their pale daughter seemed so full of life, and her laugh always brought joy to Phasianidae and any other herd member that was around. She stepped closer to Ramiel as the foals came together - minus Ereshkigal, who seemed to be hanging back a short distant away from her siblings. "Shall we stop here for a while." She asked Ramiel, wondering if perhaps Derdekea's tentacles had acted out for a reason, that they were to find something here, to learn something. Of course it could have just been simple misbehaving on her daughters extra appendages. Sometimes the hints from the Oneiroi were not easy to see or interpret.
A commotion from behind caught Ereshkigal's attention and she spun around to see what was happening. In doing so, here smoky eyes trails spiraled around her head, causing her vision to blur even more. Shaking her head to clear the excess smoke only made the problem worse and she couldn't help but sigh. Hearing Puwe, Ereshkigal pieces together what was happening as her vision slowly cleared - or became as clear as it normally was.
Slowly she turned her head towards her parents, not wanting her already compromised vision to blur any more and then her gaze moved to her siblings. Their forms shifted uneasily in her unsteady vision and even when she squinted, it didn't help to form a clear image. Taking a few steps closer Ereshkigal stopped, not sure what she could do to help since she couldn't exactly see the branch her sister's tentacle had apparently picked up. Her elongated mouth opened, as if she meant to say something and then closed. Her opinion on the situation kept to herself.
Oh dear his sisters tentacles were at it a again. What were the Oneiroi thinking giving her such an impeding thing? No, he dare not think like that. The Oneiroi hadn't given them to Derdekea as punishment, they were a gift, it just happened that none of them had figured out the how or why of said gift just yet. Hurrying to his sister's side, Freyr gave her a reassuring smile.
"Perhaps it believes you will need that stick for something." He told Derdekea. He reached out a gave her a small nuzzle. "Or perhaps it is curious about it. Maybe it is the Oneiroi telling us we should inspect the plant." Though the exact reason of why they would need to inspect it was unknown to him. His gaze moved to Puwe'odara and he smiled at the pale filly, happy to see that she too had come to her sisters rescue. Though what exactly they were going to do was still a mystery. Hearing Phasianidae speak, the colt looked up. Stopping might be a good idea, but he turned his attention to Ramiel to see if his father would agree. It didn't matter where they went to the colt, as long as they spent time together, he was happy.
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 2:22 pm
Ramiel glanced down with a warm look on his face as Puwe made her appearance , it was an amusing sight to see those large ears of her's pop out like that and one the stallion thought he would rather miss once the filly was too big to play such silly games, lowering his head he made a fake n** at said ears as she danced off with one of his feathers in her mouth, although the first time she had latched on in such a manner had alarmed Ramiel she, thankfully, always seemed to remember to let go before actually plucking it. Which was good..Ramiel had gotten feathers caught in things before and pulled them out, it was never pleasant.
"This seems like a good place, the mist has cleared a bit and the foals can play among the trees without getting lost" Eventually they would know the herd lands inside and out but for now, caution was better taken in the fog.
Turning to check on Derdekea, Ramiel found what he expected, the filly was alright (really that slight cry hadn't been enough to make him worry) but he could tell her patience was fraying at her strange appendages. It seemed all of their children would have their challenges to overcome.
Derdekea pawed at the branch hoping that the tentacle would drop it but sadly all that did was make it grab it tighter. "It's just being a pain in the.." And then she let her voice trail off, glancing at her parents standing close by before continuing on with a much sounder train of though "you know what." She told her brother and pale sister
"I'm okay" She assured her sisters, noting that though Ereshkigal didn't say anything she had still come back to check on her, it was the thought that mattered.
"Anyways, lets go play in the trees, maybe it will let go with all the running around." She suggested..or it keep hanging on and she would trip over it, who knew.
Ears perked and flicking, she listened with a very intent look as her sister acknowledged she was okay. The pale filly giggled a little at the undertone of a naughty word that Derdekea smoothed over. She returned the smile Freyr gave her, eyes glinting with joy. She flicked her tail as one ear cocked backwards, catching the conversation between their father and mother. Stopping?
Yes, stopping was good!
Her ear swept forwards at the continued speech, as though she couldn't decide what she wanted to listen to more. But her eyes quickly lit up and she bounced, hopping to the side with a small toss of her head.
"Yeah~! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
Caught up in her own excitement, she wheeled away from her siblings..! And proceeded to dart into the trees! ...the thickest part, of course, because that was closest.
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 3:22 pm
Phasianidae couldn't help but feel relief when she heard Derdekea announce that she was okay. Oh course that was instantly forgotten as Puwe'odara dashed off into the thickest part of the trees. Her muscles tensed as she went to chase after the foal, but fought back to need to run after her daughter. While protecting the foals was important, especially given their mist filled world, she knew they also needed to learn to move about on their own, to learn what was safe and what wasn't. Still, it was hard on the mare to see her children so independent already - even if it was a good sign, for it was bound to be a sign of their adult ways.
"She will be fine." She said looking at Ramiel, though Pha had said it more to reassure herself than the stallion. Sure, he worried about their children as well, but nothing could top a mothers worry when it came down to it.
And just like that all was well in the world. Derdekea was okay, they were stopping for a while and Puwe'odara was...taking off with out them! "Puwe wait!" He cried out and began to chase after his sister. He was excited to play, but knew more than she did about the dangers than lurked within the mist. Just because their parents were around didn't mean they were completely safe. Nightmares could be lurking among the trees.
Looking at his other two sisters the colt shook with excitement. "Let's see what we can find." What wondrous things would they see today? What gifts might the Oneiroi reveal to them in their search? Would Deredekea's tentacles let go of that silly stick? Too many questions swam about in his mind and he raced after his pale sister to see what was out there and to keep track of her.
While her siblings were racing off to play, Ereshkigal stood quietly, staring out into the mist. She could hear Freyr and Puwe running off, the sound of their claws scratching the earth getting quieter as they entered the trees. Her mother spoke, a hint of worry in her voice. Her head cocked, Ereshkigal tried to focus her vision. She thought she saw something, though it was hard to tell if there was truly something there or if it was the way the smoke from her eyes twisted about her face. After a few moments of watching, staring at the unknown, the filly looked towards her parents, though their forms never came into true focus, she knew they were there.
"They dance, unseen and unheard. Today, they are filled with joy." Not waiting to stay and explain her words, the filly turned and hurried after her siblings, though her pace was slower then their, for she had to be careful among the trees with her uneven vision.
Her ears perked forward at her daughters words. It was not the first time Ereshkigal had spoken in such a way but it did not make it any easier to understand what the filly was talking about. Phasianidae turned to look in the direction her daughter had been looking, though she saw nothing, especially no dancing creatures. "What do you suppose she means by that?" She questioned Ramiel.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 3:41 pm
Watching the children run off into the woods Ramiel wasn't too worried, for one Freyr was with them and the colt, though young, had spent a great deal of time walking about with him in the herd lands, he knew his way around pretty well and for another, he had had his Champions patrolling on an even more frequent basis since the foals had arrived, the herd was as safe now as they had ever been.
"Yes she will." Ramiel assured Phasianidae with a slight chuckle although Ereshkigal's words gave him pause. "I..have no idea. But..at least 'they' are happy today?" Which was surely better then anything else.
"I have been thinking however, perhaps she should spend some time with Nebula, given her sight issues - surely she could help her learn to navigate our world with less then perfect sight?" It still bothered Ramiel slightly that one of his children had been born with such problems, how would she learn to defend herself if she couldn't properly see? But the stallion had faith in his gods and if they had given her such a challenge then surely there must be a reason for it.
Ears pricked Derdekea dashed off after her siblings, nipping Ereshkigal on the rump as she passed, her foal like hijinks however were quickly put in their place when the stick she was dragging along got caught in a root, thankfully after a brief jolt the tentacle finally let go and the filly was free to dart off again - mindfully avoiding getting to close to the trees less the bratty tentacles decided to act up again.
"Hurry up Eresh!" She called back to her sister before calling a head "Puwe! Freyr! Lets play hide and seek! " She suggested, calling out to them through the mists. Hide and seek was always a fun game..but then again so was just exploring and she didn't think any of them had ever been to this part of the herd lands before - well except maybe Freyr "Or we can just explore!" She added as an afterthought.
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 4:12 pm
There was no stopping for Puwe!
Don't stop, never ever stop!
She giggled and laughed breathlessly as she forged on through the trees despite Freyr's shout to stop. It was like she hadn't heard him. While not always utterly steady on her clawed feet, she capered through the underbrush on steady yet spindly legs for now. Her ears perked and swivelled, but it was only at Derde's shouts that she finally seemed to slow, only to dart around an impressively large tree to see if they could catch up...and if she could scare them.
She giggled again and then shushed herself, shifting restlessly as the wind and echoes seemed to whisper past her ears.
"I suppose that is true. Still...I wonder if it is the Oneiroi who are showing her visions that only she can see due to her eyes." It was a possibility, yet they would likely not know for some time if ever. If it was visions sent by the Oneiroi, then only Ereshkigal was privy to them, unless she shared them with others. Well, whatever their daughter had seen, it was at least a happy thing and so she didn't worry. Well, she worried, but for a multitude of other reasons. She had not expected parenthood to be so...draining - yet it was a good thing as well. Her children were the light of her life, much like how she was a light of the herd.
Ramiels suggest for Ereshkigal to spend time with Nebula was a good one. She had thought about it on occasion, but had wanted to wait a bit, to see if her daughter would better adjust to how her eyes worked. She did not want the filly to think her smoky vision was a negative thing. It was indeed a blessing from the Oneiroi, as that is what the Gods wished of her daughter, yet it was hard to watch Ereshkigal struggle to navigate their world or see things as quickly and clearly as her siblings did. "That would be a good idea." She told the stallion, watching their children disappear among the trees. Even now she wanted to follow them, to ensure their safety among the trees. But Phasianidae stood her ground, the foals needed time by themselves as well, plus they had each other. No nightmares had entered through the pass and with guards posted there, none would either. They would be safe.
" I'm coming." Ereshkigal's voice held just a bit too much frustration in it. She wasn't actually mad at her sister for telling her to hurry, but sometimes her words and actions came off as such. They did not struggle to see things like she did...and they also didn't seem to see all the extra things that she did. Like that vision she had caught sight of in the mist before chasing after her siblings. Of course her steps faltered slightly when Derdekea suggested hide and seek. Her siblings would have an unfair advantage over her if they played that. She would play it if needed, but she wouldn't enjoy it as much as they would.
At the suggestion of exploring, Eresh hurried to catch up. "Exploring!" She called out. While her vision would also affect this in a way, she could at least more fairly participate. Her ears swiveled as she listened to the direction her siblings had gone. They were a bit spread out, but not too much. She honed in on the closest sound, which happened to be Derdekea and moved as quickly as she could in the tangle of trees.
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 9:45 am
"It is hard to say" Ramiel stated "Perhaps it will become more clear as she grows older." With the Oneiroi it was impossible to predict, sometimes the messages they sent the herd were clear and easy to interpret..other times they were clouded and difficult to understand. With his children the messages still seemed quite unclear.
"In any case, now that they are getting older it will soon be time for them to spend more time with the Shepherds and Oracles, start to figure out what path they feel inclined to follow in life." Surely with such learning they would all start to figure things out. Seeing that Phasianidae was still concerned for the foals safety Ramiel pricked his ears and listened through the trees. They hadn't gone all that far away and though they were swallowed by the mists he could still hear them, Foals tended to play rather loudly. "They are fine. Playing, having fun" He assured her
Derdekea slowed down slightly, her eyes straining hard ot see through the mists and her ears swiveling in all direction. she could have sworn that Puwe had come this way, why she had heard her bouncing through the woods just a few moments ago!
But everything was silent now and the filly turned about looking every which way for clues of her sisters Whereabouts. She knew Eresh was was coming, she could hear her slower hoof falls moving towards her but Puwe seemed to have disappeared. Snorting slightly Derde backed up, putting her rump up next to a rather large tree and trying to keep her eyes out for some sort of trick - knowing Puwe there would be a trick.
"I know your hiding out here Puwe!" She called out and then warned her sister "Puwe's playing tricks Eresh, be careful!" Not this time! No way was her sister going to get the better of her this time!
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