Snow Drifts

[yaruka]

Early in the morning of one of the finest days of this year's spring it was quiet, nothing moved save for a flitting creamy colt, trotting elegantly through the softly swaying snowgums. He moved so swiftly, so lithely, that one may have thought him to be a figment of their imagination in spite of the clear, sunny morning. The likes of Kareela had not been seen in the High Country for some time, for though relatives of Thowra's seemed to abound lately, most, if not all of the others, were mares or fillies. Kareela had not once come across another silver colt like he. The splendid creamy colt had spent the remainder of the winter frolicking and playing with his distant cousins, Wilgee and Illoura, but now it was spring, and it was time he got serious about forming his own herd. But first there was one thing he had to do. He was on his way to bid goodbye to his sire and dam, for though most colts quickly forgot their parents, Kareela had always been unusually attached to them, particularly Barina, his sweet mother. Perhaps it was because he had grown up with only them as company, or perhaps it was the inherent nature of cream horses to stick together. Nevertheless, the colt knew his mother would be concerned about him, and he wished to tell her goodbye before he left for good. Finally he came upon them, where he knew they would be, grazing in the meadow soft and springy with snowgrass. With a joyous cry the colt called out to his dam and sire, bounding forward to greet the two.

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A young creamy mare grazed besides a steel grey stallion, long, silken forelock covering her eyes as she moved peaceably along the valley. Still, the mare was waiting for something, her sharply pricked ears and constantly searching eyes evidence of this fact. Her son, the colt Kareela, had left them before, but never for this long at one time. Barina knew it was about the time for him to leave them for good but she couldn't believe he would leave without saying one last goodbye. Anxious about her son's safety, it seemed to the creamy mare that the ringing call that could only be Kareela's was a trick of her imagination until the wind blew softly and his scent filled her nostrils. Light footfalls in her direction finally caused the mare to look up, daring to hope that this was her son come home at last. And there he was, looking all the more glorious in his new spring coat, muscles rippling as he bounded towards them. Barina called joyously to the colt and lept to his side, snuffling him anxiously. With a gentle nip the colt moved away, and mother and son danced a familiar and graceful dance. Finally Kareela stopped, and looking Barina straight in the eye, spoke. "I have returned, dear mother, but not for long." he said "I have seen two springs now, and it is time I start a life of my own." Barina's chocolate brown eyes looked sadly but understandingly at her young son. "Yes, it is time." she said "But let's not speak of that now. You must greet your father, and stay for a day at least."

[tingara]

The spring sun was warm, bright and shinning wonderfully on Maluka’s back. His dark coat took in almost all of the heat, so much so he was actually beginning to feel hot but it was still pleasant none the less. The grey stallion cropped contentedly at the grass, his pale mate by his side. No longer was he the restless and angry stallion he’d been a year to two ago, he was a vast contrast to that. Now he was getting older he would rather be spending time grazing beside Barina than chasing his black half-brother throughout the High Country, the old wounds he’d been dealt could just be seen through his dark fur. He was disappointed that together they had only produced one foal but he supposed that could not be helped, nature’s way was not to be questioned.

That being said, having only one foal, Maluka had been quite protective of Kareela and now that the colt was practically out on his own, the dark grey couldn’t help but miss and worry about him. He often fretted about his one and only son as any father should. Overhead the gang-gangs flew and gossiped about a fight that had been. It seemed the black King had fought his rival and won. Maluka snorted in distaste at the birds as they screeched at the half-brother of the King. After being hailed with a shower of gumnuts, the steel grey stallion returned to grazing.

Happily Maluka wandered over to a thicket of Bacon and Egg bushes and crunched the sweet pods between his teeth. A soft breeze blew through the candlebarks, making the ancient trees bend and sway gently. It was on this breeze a familiar scent was carried to Maluka’s nostrils. Kareela was about. Ears pricked excitedly, the grey stallion scanned the darkness of the trees for his son. At last he appeared and Maluka trumpeted a greeting, overjoyed at seeing his familiar shape again. Proudly he strode to Barina and Kareela, nuzzling his son softly. It still amazed him at how much his foal had grown.

[yaruka]

As the creamies stood side by side, mare and son, it was clear for the whole of the High Country to see just how much Kareela looked like his dam. Though a bit coarser than Barina, the same blood ran through his veins, plain to see in his elegant head, chocolate eyes and neat, strong legs, all lifted directly from his dam's conformation. The colt looked like his sire too, sharing the same powerful hindquarters and proud neck. All in all, Kareela had grown into a fine specimen of a horse.

At Maluka's trumpeting greeting Kareela rose on his hindlegs, saluting his sire proudly, as a stallion now, not a colt. Coming down he dipped his head respectfully to his father before returning Maluka's nuzzles with his own. "How are you father?" he asked "I am glad to find you and mother looking well." Kareela's intelligent gaze glittered with excitement at his remembered past few months, the fun he had had racing across the snowy landscape. How exciting it had been to discover long lost cousins! Illoura and Wilgee had become almost like surrogate sisters to he, who had never had a sibling. He wondered at the fact that Barina once again did not have a foal at foot. He thought he remembered vaguely that his own birth had been difficult, most of what he associated with his earliest days was a haze and blood, lots of blood. He felt a stab of guilt at the thought of the pain he must have caused her inadvertently.

But he also remembered Barina's warmth, her soft manner of caring for him. She had been a good mother to him, the best. And he wished now that she could have another foal, for he knew his parents would be sad to see him go. They would not be lonely, they had each other and were close, Kareela knew that. But such caring parents deserved another foal to look after.

[tingara]

Maluka beamed at his son as he reared up onto his hind legs in an answering greeting. For a moment he stood back and looked at Kareela next to Barina, how alike they were. They were both so beautiful, their coats shone like water in the midday sun. His herd may have been small but he had the most beautiful mare in all the High Country, the one that had once saved his life at the risk of her own.

The grey stallion greeted Kareela with his own soft muzzle, running it up and over his nose. Maluka breathed warm air out through his nostrils and into Kareela’s in a full and affectionate greeting. ”I have been well my son. Tell me, how have you been on your wanderings? Do you have any mares to show off yet?” Maluka laughed and chattered happily. He was curious to hear what Kareela had been up to. He could not see any mares hiding in the tree line but that didn’t mean that the colt didn’t have any.

He looked lovingly at Barina, he wanted desperately another foal as glorious as Kareela but he would wait patiently for it. He could not control whether one would be conceived or not and Kareela, from what Barina had told him, had been a difficult birth. If it was that she would never have another foal again Maluka would not care. With his mate he had produced the most handsome colt of all the High Country and that would be enough for him.

[yaruka]

Kareela returned his father's affectionate greeting, breathing out through his own pink nostrils into his sire's steel grey ones.
”I have been well my son. Tell me, how have you been on your wanderings? Do you have any mares to show off yet?” inquired the grey stallion and Kareela shook his head, though his eyes still glimmered with happiness and the wild joy of living.

"I do not have any mares as of yet," he replied "I have not been so ambitious just yet. But I did spend the winter running two fillies that were surely long lost relatives of mine, and yours mother." he said with a nod to Barina. "But now that it is spring will seek to form my own herd. One day you will see me as a proud leader of a fine band of mares. And I will come show them to you, for I will not forget my parents as is nomral of young colts. But what of you both? What have you been up to?" the silver colt asked.
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Barina listened attentively to Kareela, watching him with loving eyes. She was so proud of him, her only son. She too, wished for another foal, but knew that it may never be Nature's way to give her one. She was lucky to have survived Kareela's birth really, but she didn't regret it for one moment.

Barina was interested to hear that Kareela had run into other silver brumbies. What would that mean for the High Country? Because the mountains and bush could only contain so many before danger descended on them all. She trembled to think of Kareela out there alone, perhaps hunted by men and horse alike. But her proud son was not foolish, he was wise in the ways of the bush, she had made sure of that. And his creamy hide bore no battle marks, evidently he had managed to spend a full month and a bit with two other creamies and not get hurt. As Kareela continued to speak the silver mare moved closer to her mate, resting her shapely head on his neck in a gesture of affection. She knew he wanted another foal also, and she wished that she could give him one. For Barina loved Kareela and Maluka more than anything else in the world.

[tingara]

Standing idly next to his one foal was a feeling the steely dappled stallion had missed. Yes he had his mate for company but nothing was like the bond between sire and son, especially when the son was the first and even the last. Maluka nibbled Kareela’s light mane affectionately, both his dark ears turned attentively to catch what the colt was saying. The mention of no mares made Maluka’s eyes darken slightly; his face betrayed his troubled thoughts. No mares meant no foals and no foals meant no continuation of his bloodline.

”I think instead of troubling yourself with your old parents you should be out on the hunt for mares and the adventures they bring,” the grey stallion laughed lightly, motioning his head to the mountains that surrounded them. A flock of gang-gangs in a nearby ti-tree thicket chattered in agreement. Adventures were good, with them came gossip for them to spread. Maluka snorted irritably at the red-crested annoyances, on more than one occasion they had asked him when he was going to go after Tingara again. The last time was all they had twittered about for months.

In return the birds took off out of the scrub showering the small mob of horses with snow, gumnuts and seed pods as they flew overhead. ”Stupid birds,” Maluka sighed, shaking the bark and sleet out of his dark mane. He turned to Barina and began to groom the burs out of her coat, suddenly deep in thought. His eyes regarded Kareela as he worked; the colt so like his mother.

[yaruka]

At Maluka's words the young colt snorted lightly "Surely father you can not think that I intend to pass up all those adventures. No, I will be off soon enough, for it is only right that I should leave and start a herd of my own." Bodly, the silver colt reached forwards to nip at his sire's neck, before prancing backwards and tossing his head. "And perhaps now is the time. I think my time here has been outlasted." He quieted, and walked slowly over to his mother, nuzzled her once gently. "Goodbye good mother," he said "Do not be upset, for I will return someday, to visit you and father, and make you proud with my herd of mares that follow me." And then the beautiful colt turned, and sprang away, galloping for pure joy up the hill of spring snow grass. He looked back once, at the top, and called his ringing neigh to his parents, before he disappeared over the crest and onto a new life.

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Barina's eyes darkened slightly with worry at the expression on Maluka's face when the young colt revealed he had no mares of yet. It was understandable, Kareela wasn't yet three years of age, but the angst of Maluka's face at his words had her concerned. Sometimes the grey would get like this, brooding and dark, thinkning Barina did not notice, but she did. But because she loved him, she mentioned nothing, trying to ignore the odd passion in his eyes.

The young creamy mare was sure Maluka wanted another foal. And she was desperately sorry that she could not give one to him. She knew she should just be thankful for what she had, a strong stallion and a beautiful and healthy colt. And she was young still, would have many more years to try and produce a foal, but she could tell Maluka was anxious. She would love to care for a new baby as well of course but she was content to wait.Maluka's urgency was something else altogether.

As Kareela said his goodbyes she nuzzled her colt affectionately, trying not to let him see the sadness in her eyes. It was only natural that her son should have a life of his own, though she knew deep down she would never forget him as other mares did their own foals. A sudden shower of bark and burrs made her jump slightly, but she was soothed by Maluka's touch as he groomed her. Well, almost soothed. Her stallion's angry response to the birds was unnecessary, and she worried that he still longed for another foal, the one thing it seemed she could not give him. Oh how Barina longed for those happy, simpler days. With Kareela as a colt and a happy Maluka by her side, dancing along with her, free as the wind while her spirits soared. Barina hadn't danced just for the joy of it for some time now.


OOC: I thought I should probably wrap this thread up, as we're two seasons behind "real" time. Also, I was thinking as I missed the breeding season this year, I'd have Barina miscarry (poor Barina ) and then see about her finally having another foal next year? For Maluka's sake, lol.