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 Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:00 pm
Helaku was on babysitting duty.
Again.
Of course, this was a given. With so few in the herd, and Halloween not often around, and a very protective alpha mare for a mother...Helaku didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Leave the basket to do his own thing, and Princess would have his hide for a teepee flap.
But damn...he wanted to see Olathe. He wanted to be with his mate.
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:07 pm
Helaku was fortunate that day he decided to play basket-sitter where he did.
Olathe was out and about, doing her usual routine and today definately included seeing Helaku and making sure everything was ok. She was feeling a little strange lately, what with all the foaling going on, and had a vague feeling of being inadequate. Part of her felt like it was -her- fault, but it wasn't the case. It just wasn't her time yet.
She slowed her trot into a walk, having scented him on the wind. Strangely enough, she also smelt something else soquiili, but not of her mate. Olathe kept moving, ears flicking to and fro as she searched for her mate.
"Helaku?" she called out, her voice strong in the still air.
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:15 pm
Helaku, formerly with his head down as he pawed at the ground in boredom, jerked his head up with ears pricked. "Olathe?" he called out, taking a couple of steps towards his mate's voice before halting as he remembered his charge. "Olathe, I'm over here," he repeated, though she might have been able to find him by his voice. "My herd leader has me on basket watch, or I'd come right to you right now!" And oh, how he wanted to. But he had a responsibility, and well...at least it was practice for when he had baskets of his own to watch.
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:18 pm
Olathe paused her walk, head twisting around as her ears cranked the other way as she pinpointed where his voice was coming from. He sounded ever so slightly strained. Hm. She fell back into a graceful trot and found him soon enough, shooting him a smile. Her gaze fell momentarily on the basket in the grass as she approached, but soon enough it rose to meet her mate's own eyes.
"Basket-sitting, love? Who's is it?"
She gave him a nuzzle and a light shoulder n** in greeting once she was close enough,
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:28 pm
He returned her nuzzle affectionately, shaking his head with a slight chuckle at the n**. "Princess and Waya's, one of them. She's guarding one or both of the others, no doubt, but you can't have too many protecting the precious ones." He made a bit of a face. "Not that I minded...at first...but I didn't think I'd get nabbed for basket duty almost every day."
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:34 pm
Olathe peered speculatively down at the basket, which did smell of two soquili she couldn't quite place. The parents, no doubt, but unfamiliar all the same.
"Baskets need constant watch," she said teasingly as she bent down to examine it more closely. "I got nabbed for foal-sitting when Lia had her baskets, so it's only right you get a round for yourself! At least the little one's not out and running. That's much harder to deal with, I assure you."
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:53 pm
Helaku laughed lightly and tugged at one of her braids. "That is true, and that means we both have practice for foals of our own someday, yes?" He nodded, eyeing the basket as it rustled faintly. It did that sometimes, and each time he wondered if it was going to come out and get him killed for not calling Princess so she could be there when it opened.
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:09 pm
"Whenver that is," she said with a slight frown, nudging the basket lid carefully, not wanting to jar it open. "Sounds like the little one's strong anyway. Lots of running for you to do when he comes out."
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:22 pm
"Yeah..." Helaku agreed neutrally, golden eyes fixed on Olathe's face with concern. He'd noticed the little frown, but didn't know what it meant. Perhaps she didn't like how much time he was spending away, watching the basket? But that didn't make sense...she'd just told him baskets needed lots of watching. So what was it, then? He nuzzed her cheek, brow furrowed. "What...what's the matter love?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:27 pm
"Hmm?" she murred distractedly, looking away from the basket, unaware her subconcious feelings were drifting into her visible gestures. "Nothing's -wrong- persay..."
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:36 pm
"Something isn't right, that's plain to tell," Helaku stated with increasing confidence. He was protective of his mate, and if something was bothering her, the fact that she was bothered was going to be on his mind until he found out what was up. "Look at me, love... You're bothered by something, I just want to know what it is." He pouted, trying to bring levity to the situation by looking cute. "Please?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 11:16 am
She twitched and lifted her muzzle up and away from the basket to settle and allowed herself to look at him as he asked and couldn't help but smile some. Dammit, why must he give her 'the face'...
"Do you think there's something wrong with me?" she asked, purposefully keeping the question vague. This wasn't usually how she acted at all; if anything, she liked to be direct and to the point.
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 11:33 am
"Wrong..." Helaku repeated the word, face puzzled. "Why would you think something was wrong with you, my mate, my love?" He nuzzled her neck. "Nobody's perfect, but you're a lot closer than most Soquili I know. Why would you think this?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:45 pm
"I don't know," she sighed, sounding almost exasperated at his answer. She'd been mulling this whole 'problem' over and over and over until it seemed like a never-ending circle. She didn't even know if there was something wrong with her. "I mean..."
Olathe pawed uneasily at the ground, feeling the grasses tear slightly underneath her sharp hoof.
"Are you disappointed that we've not had foals yet?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:57 pm
"No!" Helaku shook his head, mane rippling about his shoulders in a silken wave. "You have never been a mere broodmare to me, never just a breeder. How could I love you the less for something as simple and uncontrollable as not having foals?" He strode up to his mate, laying his neck across her own and pulling her close in a strong and reassuring equine embrace. "I will stay, no matter what. If we continue to have no foals of our own and you feel the need to mother one, we can adopt one, but never will I blame you."
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