Drani's final word count: 844
Kea's final word count: 857
Huddling in their shelter, Andre looked at the snow beyond the entryway with not only distrust but deep displeasure. "I don't like snow..." He tucked his wings close, then burrowed more into Hector's side. "It's been here forever! Like... A thousand years!"
Hector chuckled, nuzzling the colt. "It doesn't stick around forever, firefly. It'll go away in a couple changes of the moon." He could understand the displeasure, though, snow wasn't just wet but cold, as well, seeping into the bones as it soaked the coat. "Just think, soon enough we'll be seeing new green grass, bright leaves poking out, and fresh flowers will bloom, ready for us to nibble on!"
Azrael couldn't help but chuckle fondly as he listened to little Andre's complaints. "Little one, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is just the first snowfall of the year. We likely have several more to come." He ignored Hector's cross look to teasingly nose the young colt whose basket they had found abandoned by the river several moons ago. He was a saucy little thing, with a snappy attitude and bullheadedness, but Azrael adored him.
"Don't worry though, your papi and I will keep you safe." Moving closer, he settled his larger frame between the cave opening and his little family using his bulk to block most of the wind.
Huffing just a little at his mate, Hector nuzzled Andre again. "Like I said, the snow will melt, and we'll see all the fresh things spring offers!"
Between them, Andre only groused, his wings shifting. For a brief moment, he wondered for not the first time why he had wings and horns, and such a different tail, when his parents did not. But then he remembered Hector reassuring him the first time he'd voiced his worries about it, how he was a blessing from the spirits gifted to them when they'd so wanted a foal of their own. It reassured him how wanted he was, how loved. But it did nothing for the horrid thing that was snow! "Why does it even have to be here? Why can't it just be somewhere ELSE? Where does it even come from!?"
Az gave his mate a cheeky grin, one that he knew made Hector want to either n** him or nuzzle him, depending on the day. At Andre's plaintive question, he rumbled softly nuzzling the young colt. "Well let me ask you a question little one. When you are exhausted and just can't keep your eyes open anymore you have to rest right? Get some sleep so that you have the energy to go on. Winter is that nap for the Earth."
Looking out into the thick blanket of white, he tossed his head some to send his long mane over the small colt, adding warmth to their little huddle. "During the winter, the plants, animals, even the ground itself gets a chance to rest so that when the weather turns warm again there is energy for new life to grow from. Winter and this snow marks the end of the previous year and the start of the new year to come."
Andre grumped some more, burrowing into the long dark mane. It wasn't cold in their little den, but it was still unpleasant. "Still don't like it."
Leaning just a bit, Hector nipped at Az. Cheeky! Then he nuzzled Andre through Az's hair, gently huffing into the colt's own mane. "Think of the things waiting on the other side of winter besides the new things! There'll be tasty apples and berries to find, so many fruits you won't know what to do with them all! And if we visit the right places, we can find carrots! And once it's not so cold, we can visit the rivers and lakes and see creatures like us that live in water."
That last one got Andre's attention. "Creatures like us that live in the water? You're making that up!"
The n** just got another chuckle from the bigger stallion along with a flirty little smile. It always outraged Hector when Az would flirt so openly in front of Andre, but Az figured the boy should see what a healthy relationship looked like! Besides he would never take it too far.
"Oh? Do you doubt your papí?" He arched a brow amused as he looked down at the fiery little one. "There are many things you have never seen before mijo, including horses and ponies that live in the sea. Some are big like us, with only two front legs and strong powerful tails. Some are very small with long delicate tail fins that fan out like flowers. Some have four legs but instead of a tail with hair, they have a long limb-like tail with fins that aids them in swimming. Some come to the surface to interact with two-leggers as well as our kind while some never leave the depths."
Az couldn't help but laugh aloud at Andre's dumbfounded look. "Oh mijo, there is so much to this world that you have yet to see."
Hector grinned at Andre. Oh, the disbelief of youth! He'd once been like that, not believing such things could exist. He had, himself, grown up in a herd of nothing but land- and air-based individuals. He hadn't believed, until they'd taken their own trip to the greater waters that could support them, that water-based individuals existed. He recalled one he'd found in a tide pool by the sea, adorable little thing with feathered wings in spite of living in the water... "You know, the particularly small ones... It's the males who carry the foals, not the ladies."
That gave Andre pause, looking up at Hector with big wide eyes. "How does that work?!"
Thinking, Hector tried to remember how that tiny water pony had explained it. "I believe... The males have a pouch, and the little ones grow in there until they need to go into a clam shell, instead of a basket. It seems to work on the same magic as baskets."
That had even Azrael blinking at his beloved a few times dumbfounded. He tried to imagine himself carrying a foal, then Hector. That was beyond odd! Shaking his head when Andre looked at him, Az gave a little huff, "Don't look at me kiddo. I certainly never asked them about their breeding practices! As far as I knew they had little ones the same as us, either by a mamí or by the gods gifting them to those, like us, who prayed for a child." Lowering his head, he nuzzled the colt with a soft loving rumble.
That was a little white lie, as while they had often prayed for a child of their own, Andre's basket had been found abandoned. Neither stallion could imagine leaving the basket behind and so their prayers had been answered in a roundabout way with their fierce, snarky little snapdragon.
"Tell you what mijo, come spring your papí and I will take you to the coast so you may see for yourself the great waters as well as hopefully meet some that dwell there."
Oh, Andre wasn't quite done with the questions yet! "But how do the foals get IN the pouch?"
Hector chuckled and nibbled the colt's mane, right between his budding little horns. "That is a question you'll have to ask one of the tiny water dwellers. There's many who are friendly enough to talk about it, though some not so much."
The colt huffed, ears folding back for a moment, then he blinked some. "What about the bigger water dwellers? Do the males get pregnant, too?"
"Another question to save, mijo. For now, I think we should rest." Looking outside, Hector noted some flakes beginning to drift down again. He couldn't tell yet if it would be a blizzard, or if it was just going to be a light dusting on top of the existing snow. "[cololor=darkgoldenrod]Perhaps next winter, we can spend it in the south, AWAY from the snow." He couldn't help the smile at the indignant sound Andre made at the prospect there was somewhere without snow. Hector simply nuzzled him, whuffing gently into their son's blue and gold mane. "Sleep, mijo, we'll find something good in the morning. Perhaps even make a fire so we're warmer."
Between them, between their warm bodies, Andre grumbled, then wiggled as he got his wings tucked in around himself. Even as the offending snow drifted down outside, his eyes drooped and he tucked his head in under a wing and drifted along, himself, into the embrace of sleep in this little space of comfort and warmth within the wintery landscape. If he dreamed of weird fish-ponies, that was his own business.
"So many questions tonight my little snapdragon!" Az smiled amused as the colt snuggled in closer between them, his gaze fond as he watched his mate and son interact. When Hector suggested spending next winter down in the South, a look of longing came across the eyes of the large stallion.
"Yes...I would like that very much. We shall go South next year, we would have this year but it is a long journey and you must build up your strength for such travels. Still, we will go to the homeland of your papí and I. With some luck and the god's blessings maybe we can even find our families once again." It had been so long since he had seen any of his siblings, having left his home herd when he was a young stallion to seek a life outside the family herd.
That would have to wait however as yawns were catching, leading Az to echo Andre's yawns with more and more frequency. Grumbling good-naturedly when Hector chided them to rest, Az laid his head across Andre's back to keep the colt tucked close to him. One day he would be able to introduce his own mamí and papí to their grandchild, but for now, his little family was safe and warm.
