the foal kicked selenia awake. uttering a low groan, she unfolded her legs and hoisted herself upward with great effort.
too tired to remain standing the night before, the mare had lain down near a cluster of cows and answered her exhaustion. but selenia was determined not to be weak among the bison, who chewed their cuds in the early morning and pointedly ignored her.
the mare relieved herself on a tussock of stubborn grass not far from the resting herd. the dark mahogany of her eyes turned toward the horizon over which she had come, searching not only for wolves but for a flicker of mane, a whinney which might announce that she had been found by her band.
behind selenia, a cow stretched her stiff legs as she watched the mare in curiosity. she was perhaps the first among her herd not to be annoyed by the horse's presence, though she knew her calf from this year had already heckled the mare, he and his agemates.
but to be tested was the bison's way. each day was a competition. many of their number had fallen to the unnatural gathering of wolves. the cow, known by a sound which no non-bison could parse, would be called umini by selenia in the days to come. for now, she was only a stranger which paced up to watch the dawn rise beside her new, odd herdmate.
"Ahhhh, colt's teeth!"
The sorrel snorted as the two equines moved into a series of valleys, one after another wedged not only between mountains, rivers and lakes- but wolf packs as well. Nostrils flared, she eyed the horizons, where the earth lifted and dipped in rolling hills, for any sign of the predators that she could smell heavily in the area.
"There are just as many wolves here as there were in Winterburl," She muttered, canting an ear toward
@Maplesmoke. There was no scorn or criticism in her remark that was directed at the stallion, what she had uttered had been a mere observation of something she was sure the dark bay was already well aware of. Fancy had a penchant for being the first to state the obvious.
It was just as they rounded the top of a small knoll when Fancy stopped, ears flicking forward and head lifted. For a moment, she just stared, motionless. A herd of bison roamed in the valley below, grazing on whatever grass they could paw out of the snow. A muscle twitched in her withers, as if a nerve was telling her to turn and bolt, but she knew the grumpy, obstinate bovines could be a safe harbour for a pair of travelling horses. Her ears flicked back, pulling the skin tight across her forehead, making her eyes bulge lightly.
"Bison? I hate bison more than-"
And then she saw it- like a pearl amongst stones, a horse. Her ears swiveled forward again, and her expression softened. She turned her head slightly so she could eye the horse from a distance, noting the telltale bulge of her sides. She exhaled softly. She felt jealousy, and pity simultaneously. She flicked an ear toward Maplesmoke, to gauge the stud's opinion.
the stallion blew hot air from his snout and watched the breath wreath his throat, eyeing the woman. she certainly enjoyed the sound of her own voice. complaints did not fare well around maplesmoke. they are many but we are faster and smarter,
he would point out—unclear if he meat wolf or bison, or likely both.
what had drawn him away from winterburl was the chance of exploration, discovery, and a new beginning away from blood ties. threats existed everywhere regardless. maplesmoke looked to the bison herd next, clicking his teeth thoughtfully, and then his eye was drawn to where fancy was watching, so he too saw the potbellied woman.
he stamped the frosted plain, catching the eye of fancy in a glance, and then began to pick his way along to seek the herd without fear of it or the wolves beyond.
the bison coats steamed in the cold air, and through their collective fog, selenia's sharp ears heard a snort that was decidedly not one of their sounds. at her side, the cow licked her flat nose. your-kind, she snorted.
the mare grew agitated through her curiosity as the foal kicked. meeting strangers was never without its tension, but now she had the responsibility of minding the one who grew within.
the cow did not bat an eye, rumbling a sound which imitated poorly a whicker. thus was the name umini born, and selenia relaxed.
her ears swept forward as from the tall golden grasses there stepped a mare! strongly built, her confidence was all that selenia did not have, and she fought the urge to whinney out toward the other, unsure of how she might be received by —
the dark chestnut eyes widened to see a stallion accompanying the mare.
stallions were unpredictable, and selenia trembled again. the protection of she and her foal rested on a lead mare and a band stallion, and she knew this as instinctively as there was earth beneath her hooves.
but she was too exhausted by fear to do more than watch them with apprehensive anticipation, wondering if the male would cut her from the herd if she did not approach.
She flicked an ear, as if to say obviously, we're smarter, but thought better of making the comment out loud. She knew stallions could be proud, and while she felt confident in her own role, she didn't want the punishment of a nip or to see him snake his head in irritation. For now, his attention seemed to be fixed on the other mare, and when he moved forward, she followed.
She eyed the roundness of the buckskin's belly again, and her ears flicked back thoughtfully. Odd, she mused, for a pregnant mare to be on her own. She should have a stallion somewhere, but if she was choosing to graze alongside the bison, she must have been desperate for protection; seldom would a stallion leave a mare unattended, especially if she carried his bloodline.
She eyed the bison, and again her expression grew grim. She didn't like approaching a herd of them, even if they did seem to tolerate the buckskin well enough. She blew out a breath, as if in a warning, catching the warm, doleful gaze of a grazing bison who didn't deign her presence worthy of anything more than a glance. She followed along behind Maplesmoke, her gaze shifting from the stud to the mare, whose withers shivered as she watched them approach.
She had reason to be nervous, though Fancy felt she would have little to actually fear. The sorrel pinned her ears once, and jerked her chin into the air with a short, near-silent squeal. A whip of her tail made a dull slap against the thick fuzz of her own hindquarters, and she pivoted to close their approach with a sideways prance, poll lifted and ears cupped forward. She halted and stomped one hoof against the ground, turning her head to watch as she allowed Maplesmoke to have the first direct interaction, as she believed was his right. She, meanwhile, stood stiff; if he collected her from the herd of bison, she would be quick to step in and establish what she hoped would be their heirarchy.
fancy danced. as she postured maplesmoke kept his head turned so he could watch the many bison bodies while also keeping the buckskin woman in the corner of his vision for a short time. he could have cut her from the bison herd if he were interested enough to do so; he thought himself brave enough to try, but there were a great many of them, and tendrils of wolf, of blood in the air.
when his mare friend ended her display with silence it was maplesmoke who whinnied, lifting his head up so his mane could fly, and then reaching towards the pregnant stranger to imply she should come out of her hiding place. one of the bison squared their shoulders to him and he flared his nostrils, ears forward, watching.
when he moved inward a step, the bison did the same and then stood as a bulwark, perhaps misunderstanding what was going on between the horses and finding offense, but maplesmoke thought it too dense for such a complication. he stamped the dirt and stood tall, watching.
the mare's strident call, an order if selenia knew one, pierced the air. they were closing on her, the stallion and his female companion.
umini backed against the buckskin's forelegs, her curled mane a strange and soothing texture as she rumbled for selenia's ears: go or stay?
the bison were beginning to gather around the pregnant mare, distaste sweeping through the herd for the loud display of the taller creatures. but this was extended also to her. several of the bulls grunted that she should join her kind, and many cows beside.
umini was alone in her casual support.
selenia did not want to see the kind bison shunned by her own her for strange company, or worse, to slow her if the wolves should return.
and so she pinned her ears but stepped forward cautiously, enough to signal the bison away back to their grazing, her demeanour wary as she slowly approached the stallion and the mare, for which she had far more inquiry and far less fear.
To Maplesmoke’s whinney, she gave a flaring of her nostrils. The mare seemed to consider them for a moment, before separating herself from the herd. Now, with an unobscured view she could see the mare’s belly, and approximated by her girth that she would foal in the early Spring months.
Her first steps were met with a curious whicker, akin to one she might offer a foal. She moved forward so she might linger at Maplesmoke’s flank, eager to share breaths with the woman so they might know one another.
she hides among these beasts?
maplesmoke has turned his head to speak to fancy, his voice full of disdain and skepticism. was it worth it to gather this woman? what was wrong with her that she was driven from her herd and left with these behemoths?
fancy wants her, that much is clear by the calling and the urging. the man shakes his neck as he turns back to watching the bison, sensing that they are withdrawing from the situation even though they have not moved. it is their lack of involvement now that maplesmoke is keen to witness.
he is ready to lunge and to run, depending on how things play out. his ears are constantly shifting to listen as the beasts murmur and shift, like some unstable earth ready to split.
the skin along the twofeather's flanks shimmered again with her anxiety. but selenia found herself more at ease as the mare uttered a soft motherly sound toward her, one she was eager to echo.
muzzle sidelong; she took in the proud arch of the stallion's neck as he watched she and the other mare with a winsome, observant eye. selenia was not in a state to admire his handsomeness, but his strength was still too tangible not to ignore.
exhaling, she gave a long flick of her tail and a whicker, reaching in good faith for the warm breath of the other, for the tones of green that would tell how far the mare had traveled. in turn she gave her fear, her vulnerability, eyeing the male again even as she submitted to the providence of finding her own kind.
"will they be safe?" were the first words she spoke in weeks, and it was for her foal, murmured where she hoped the sorrel only could hear. they did not belong to the stallion, but then he had not brought a proper band with its usual suspicion. still, selenia must ask, flank twitching as a hind hoof lifted in unsurety.
She shared his disdain, but she saw something that gave her the excuse. ”She’s with foal.” Fancy had dropped three foals in her life- and each time she had had a full herd to protect her. She couldn’t imagine trying to find sanctuary among bovines, but she could understand why the mare had chosen to do so.
She reached forward, breathing long, soft breaths into the air. She smelled good health, heather, dried grass on the mare’s breath. She saw a kindness in her eye, and heard a timidity in her voice as she spoke. She would likely be a compliant herdmate, so long as she had reason to contribute, for the protection of her unborn foal. She knew the words were for her, and she felt a pang of jealousy. Her own attempt to conceive the year prior had failed; she would have no foal to nurse in the Spring. But it wasn’t the buckskin’s fault.
She gave a barely perceptible nod. It was Maplesmoke’s say, of course- but Fancy believed that there would be no harm in bringing her into their band. With no stallion to fight, and the likely opportunity to breed again in the Spring, she doubted very much the stud would turn her away-
But it was his call to make; as was his right.
the stallion had not left his herd because of a power struggle, but because of breeding rights he did not care for. to be suddenly given power in this way by these women, to make this decision, was not unwelcome nor was it surprising, but it wasn't what he wanted.
still, they looked to him for this, and he saw no reason to turn the buckskin away. it was embarrassing to see one of their people hiding among bovines. he bobbed his head and tucked his chin nearly to chest, and then turned away from this milling herd, to welcome the woman and also be away from the beasts. in this way the decision was made.
maplesmoke trotted in a crescent, out in to the plain and back around, so there was space and he watched for dangers as the pregnant woman made her way. his impatience showed in the whisk of his tail.
the stallion made no move to herd or nip selenia, which earned him a level and open look before she proceeded, keeping her stride long to indicate her compliance.
keeping close to the warm flank of the older mare, selenia glanced back once at the bison.
umini watched, her cud unchewed and her liquid eyes some mixture of sadness and interest. selenia offered a soft squeal but thereafter she was silent, lashing dried mud from her heels and wincing at the foal's sharp elbows and hocks inside her distended belly.
she was ready to be off the plains; she kept her ears attuned to the movements of the others, snatching a suddenly hungry mouthful of grass.
Occasionally, she would turn one ear back toward Selenia as they moved away from the herd of bison, but her primary focus was similar to Maplesmoke's- to put distance between themselves and the smelly creatures with great, humped shoulders, so that there would be no concerns of them giving chase. He held watch as the two mares ambled along, and she patiently feigned interest in a patch of grass here or there so that the buckskin could grab a mouthful. Had their situation been more urgent, she would have herded the woman along- but on a day like this, they had no reason to exhaust energy that way.
Once they put a reasonable distance behind them, Fancy slowed so she could walk side by side with the mare. "I'm Fancy, by the way; lead mare," She said. The arching of her eye frame asked of there would be any objections. She had been lead mare before- and even while travelling with Maplesmoke, she still kept up her responsibilities, in spite of having no other mares to lead. "That's Maplesmoke. What do we call you?" She asked, casting her glance toward the buckskin. She had a coat like cornsilk, and raven-black in her mane and tail. Good conformation, and as far as Fancy could tell, the only thing noticeable about her gait was the gentle roll of her belly from side to side as she moved.
fancy. maplesmoke. they knew one another, the traditional start of a band. privately selenia wondered why the lead-mare did not carry a foal, but it was none of her business.
among their kind, these things could be quickly discovered.
her lashes fluttered. "selenia twofeather," the buckskin said, happy enough to surrender the role to fancy. she was clearly better suited for it. "how long have you traveled together?" she asked politely, stealing another glance toward maplesmoke as they walked.
"Two months or so, I'd say," She said, thinking to the midwinter disturbance which had led to Maplesmoke's expulsion from the band; it had simply been time, she figured. "I've known him his whole life though," She added, smirking quietly when she thought of him as a colt; with a short mane and fluffy tail, racing about with the other young ones.
"His sire claimed the herd when I was a yearling. Sired three colts of mine; Maplesmoke was born alongside my..." She paused to think, trying to figure out "Antic, my second." She said, with another quirk of her lips. She chuckled softly; that pregnancy had been hell, and the colt had been no easier to handle, though he was still quite tame in comparison to her third colt.
She glanced to Selenia. "Is this your first?"
fancy gave freely of information regarding the herd from which she and maplesmoke had come. the stallion's father had given the lead-mare three colts. it seemed she regarded the band-male as a younger brother, perhaps even a son given the difference in their ages.
this settled something in selenia, who nipped at an itch along her flank before she answered. "yes. my first."
there was a mournful tone in her voice. "stormcloud was their sire. he — died. it's part of i ended up here."
selenia had been robbed of the time it took to develop a bond of affection with a stallion; he had been close and kind to her one day, gone the next. it was jarring, and her lashes suddenly beaded with tired tears. "he didn't get to know this foal."
Her first pregnancy- and without the guidance of her mother and sisters to help her. Fancy pitied the buckskin, and when she spoke of a deceased herd stallion, her breath hitched. With the stallion dead, the herd was left without a stallion's heels. She sighed heavily and reached over to scrub the mare's withers with side-to-side motions of her upper lip. "He runs with the Herd of One Hundred and Five now," She said; little condolence in the wake of loss, but it was all a horse could hope to accomplish if they had lived a good life.
She considered mentioning how little time some stallions spent with their foals- but it didn't seem appropriate to do so. It might also make her worry about how her foal might be treated by a stallion who wasn't the foal's sire- and worry wouldn't do her any good at this point. The amount of stress she carried on her shoulders was already dangerous for one at this term.
She breathed a warm breath along the buckskin's spine, glancing down her sides. "It'll be a filly," She stated, then. "Don't ask me how I know- I'm just good at these things. Could've been a Dreamspeaker in another life," She said.
herd of one hundred and five. selenia didn't know what that was, but could tell by fancy's tone that it must be a place like the afterlife. she whickered softly to feel the reassuring touch of the mare she was quickly adopting as a sort of older relative, plucking a burr or two from the edge of fancy's mane.
"a filly." selenia closed her eyes, smiling a little to think of how many sisters she'd been born alongside, how many older ones had helped to raise and watch and guide them. "that's good." colts were lovable, but they were all ready to be stallions far too early. a filly would stay with her forever, selenia hoped.
"It is," She said. Her lip quirked; she had given birth to only colts herself, but had hopes that the following year she might break her record. She knew her time would come soon when she would be receptive once more, and knew that Maplesmoke would either have a few mares to tend to, or find himself facing challenges. Spring was a time of birth- but also a time for change.
Regardless, for Selenia's sake, she hoped that the mare did indeed give birth to a filly.
"You can come to me if you have any concerns." She said. "But most births go absolutely fine. You'll be fine, too, I've seen enough births to know." She said, as if she could know the future. She could sense that the sadness of losing her herd stallion lingered in her mind still- and that Selenia might want a little extra reassurance that no more hardship would befall her.
can fade here! <3
selenia trusted fancy almost implicitly in this regard, deferring instinctively to her expertise and her age. she nodded, lashes fluttering. the mare was exhausted from the fright, the surprise, and now the readjustment, and prepared to follow fancy wherever she guided.
some restful grazing and proper rest would brighten her, and by the next afternoon fancy would catch the first of what aimed to be many genuine smiles.