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 Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:24 am
It had been an amazing moment. Tal had been curled around the basket, sleeping soundly. The moon had been shining directly down on them when something awoke her. Something fuzzy and warm kept brushing her neck and cheek. Groggily she awoke, rubbing her eyes and shifting around her basket, which also shifted with her. That stopped her dead and she sat up abruptly. Two things happened at that point. Firstly, Talencia realized the basket was empty, foal-less. Secondly, something standing directly next to her squealed in fright at her sudden movement and bolted.
Two eyeblinks later, she realized what had just happened, and she scrambled up to hurry to reassure the newly emerged foal. However, the staggering, stumbling baby kept running! She followed it into the forest, dodging trees and tripping over low growing bushes, barely able to keep sight of the shadow-shaded foal. This was not what she had wanted! She fretted as she ran, upset over this rocky and unhappy start to her friendship with this very special horse.
Finally they broke out of the trees. She was nearly caught up with the fast little foal. As the babe topped a hill, Tal managed to wrap her arms about the foal. Exhausted and trembling, the foal simply collapsed. The both of them ended up in a jumbled heap on the ground, Tal under, foal atop.
"Oh darling, why did you have to run so? I am not your enemy! I already love you with all my heart!" Tal panted, voice full of agony. Why had it happened this way? Why had it happened so that her foal's first memory of her was of fear? Her heart broke, cradling the trembling filly and murmuring into her furred ear sweet somethings... deep emotions and love she felt for her.
As the moon set, the filly had stopped trembling and lay against her, sleeping heavily, head rested against her forearm. Relieved and worn out, Tal finally took stock of their surroundings. They sat on a hilltop, overlooking a shining bend of river, now falling dark as the moon neared the horizon. Behind them loomed the dark of the forest, beyond which the village slumbered. But a secondary source of light drew Tal's eyes. It glowed like the moon, but was much closer.
Not ten feet away was a teepee. It glowed like the moon, as if reflecting the moonlight from within. The flap was propped open and the inside was completely empty. No belongings nestled there comfortably, nor was there any sign that it had laid open to the elements for any amount of time. It was apparently neatly swept clean, as if ready for someone to claim it.
Astonished, Tal just stared for a moment. The teepee seemed to beckon her in, and it wasn't long before Talencia gave in to the summons. She gathered the sleeping foal up and the two of them entered Sparrow Moon, their new home.
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Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:26 am
The next morning was not the heart-warming renewal of love and trust that Talencia was hoping for either.
The foal awoke with a start. Tal was drowsing nearby, one hand draped on the filly's neck. With a squeal of alarm, she was up on her hooves and flailing about, trying to find a way out. Thus Tal was awakened the very first morning of her relationship with her Soquili. THe filly was tripping over blankets (how had those gotten there in the night?) and knocking over baskets, spilling the contents of breads and other edibles on the floor of the teepee. (Where had those baskets come from?) Where was the way out? She was trapped! Her little heart pounded in fright as she plunged back and forth in the limited space of her prison.
Talencia awoke to the chaos in a total befuddlement. "What? Where? Huh?" It all came back to her with a start, and after only a moment's confused wondering about the teepee having something in it other than them, she turned her full attention on the filly. Her eyes were rolling white in terror, and she was making a pitiful squealing. Knowing if she kept this up, she could hurt herself, nevermind Tal too, she lunged for the foal and managed to wrap her arms about her. Right about then, one of the blankets that had been tripping the filly up tangled her legs just right... and down they both went. Again. Tal groaned a breath.
This time the filly was not as exhausted as the night before, though. She struggled still, legs thrashing. After some exertion and maneuvering, she managed to have one arm wrapped around the foal's chest, and the other around her belly, staving off the worst of the kicks and struggles.
Finding herself held so, without apparent chance of breaking free, the filly stilled her fight, trembling and sweating up a froth. What was she doing here? Who was this stranger? Why was she being held so? Still terrified but with few options left, she lay in this stranger's arms, listening to her murmur.
"Easy girl.... easy Delphia... it's okay. I won't hurt you. I never would wish harm on you. Easy... easy darling. Quiet now, little one. You are safe... easy now."
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Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:27 am
It took days of showing Delphia that she only had her best interests at heart before the filly quit waking in terror at being confined. Every morning it was a struggle to calm her and reassure her that today would be just like the last.
Those days consisted of a reliable routine. After she had calmed, Tal would give her a breakfast of warm oat mash. While she ate, she had to stand still and allow Talencia to run her hands all over her body. This caused a fight at first, of course. But slowly the filly came to understand nothing bad ever happened when Tal's gentle hands ran over her.
Then came what been most dangerous early on. She slipped a soft rope around the filly's neck and opened the tent flap. It was a power struggle the very first time, ending with them both laying in the dust again, entangled and heaving for breath. But as time progressed, Delphia learned not to bolt. To her clear pleasure, she discovered that when she walked placidly, Tal simply followed her wherever she wanted to go. Because of this, they wandered further and further each day, with Delphia returning with Talencia uncertainly. But always, upon returning, Talencia would give her some tasty treat. Sometimes it was apples, other times sweet carrots. Once it had even been a palmful of sugar cubes! Good things happened when Delphia returned to the teepee. And so soon this part of the day no longer was difficult for either of them.
After their mutual wander, and the delectable snack, it was time for play. At first Talencia only released her into a stout corral and sat at the edges to watch as the filly would charge around and around and around, looking for a way out. Then this changed to bucks and kicks and squeals and rearing with flashing forehooves. These displays had been angry, occasionally aimed at Tal, who would just back out of reach and continue to stay close, watching, listening, murmuring.
Eventually, though, as Delphia settled into the routine, this time became pleasant as well. It gave the filly time to stretch her legs and actually play. Talencia was thrilled the day the filly had strolled over to her casually, then playfully lipped her shirt before dashing away, neighing back at her over her shoulder. Delphia wanted her to play with her! That was a happy day, with the rest of the afternoon spent chasing each other round and round the corral.
Evenings were quiet. Talencia fed Delphia and would run a brush over her shining coat, pulling loose the fading baby fuzz. She enjoyed marveling at the unusual markings the filly bore... a mask, rings around her tail, and other such raccoonish marks. Delphia, meanwhile, came to love the evening brushes. She would sigh and lean into Talencia's strokes, grunting occasionally when an itchy spot was given particular attention.
So it was that the days of Delphia's foalhood fled, and their bond grew. One day Talencia awoke to a very large Delphia sleeping beside her. "She's grown into a mare! Already!" thought Talencia in amazement. "And yet she hasn't met any other of her own kind!" It was that very morning that Talencia led Delphia outside after breakfast... with no lead. "Go on girl, go explore. But come back to me, when you are ready." She slid her hand down her neck, across her withers and back, and then let her hand slide off her haunches.
After a moment of standing stock still in shock, the mare had neighed happily and cantered off over the hill, back towards the village. Tal watched her go, heart fluttering. But every night, Delphia returned. Their bond, forged with sweat and tears, would never now be broken.
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