Pangs of Parenthood

[Illu]

||OoC| Due to having absolutely no idea what Kessa’s doing, I left her out of this post. If she's here, I'll just pretend he's been dragging her all over the place, probabaly while she tries to keep him sane I suspect. XD ||

Well, finding Corowa missing one afternoon was a rather nasty shock for poor old Rezar. I mean, a mare slipping out of a larger herd to foal was sort of expected, but then again his herd could hardly be called large now could it? Either Corowa was sneakier than he gave her credit for, or his senses still sucked. Funny, he was sure he’d become more alert in the few months, it was a little ego-damaging when his first mare as well as everyone else was able to see and hear things much faster than he could, even if he was slowly improving.

Although Rezar suspected she’d be back sooner or later, he had to restrain himself from just going over to see what was taking so long, and pushing thoughts from his mind like ‘what if another stallions got her?’, ‘what if the baby was stillborn and she’s mourning?’, ‘what if she got lost?’, ‘what if she can’t give birth to the foal?’, ‘what if?’, ‘what if?’, ‘what if?’. Naturally, it just happened to be after the storm hit right when he was going through one of his more paranoid phases. He snapped, went out all night to search, but thanks to Corowa’s notoriety for finding good hiding places and the rain washing their tracks away, no such luck.

Once the realised she would probably return to where she had left him, he rushed back to where they had been grazing, but still no sign. The night was only starting to lift, and a very pale light was starting to filter into the very wet world. Now that there were a whole new set of ‘what ifs?’ flying through his head (Corowa and the foal being washed away, dying of the cold or being struck by lightning to name a few), it was no wonder he hadn’t slept a wink. Being anxious of the birth over a first foal was to be expected, but seriously, could things be going any more wrong?

Now, he was just left shifting his weight from one side to another, pacing irregularly, taking a bite of grass and being unable to swallow it, and neighing loudly for her at regular intervals. That was it, if she didn’t come back soon he was going hunting again, even if he couldn’t track worth a damn.

[Corowa]

It was the bronze cuckoo that told of the grey mare and her silver foal. Amidst the mottled trunks of the snow gums, the mare and foal drowsed. Corowa had given birth in the night, and caught up in the winds of the blizzard, Karuah had almost been lost forever. Stirring uneasily, Corowa lowered her head and nosed the pale bundle at her feet. Giving a high-pitched squeal, Karuah woke at once. Like all foals the filly took comfort in her mother's milk, nursing until she was full, and her stomach taut and fat. Corowa snorted, watching as her daughter reared up and struck out, glistening silver in the light reflected off the snow.

"Come," she said. In the trees above, a mopoke called once to its mate, echoing the pull that drew Corowa northwards. This hollow with its grass and slender ribbon gums had sheltered them from the storm. Now that Karuah was strong enough, it was time to return to her bimble, to the grazing grounds of Yarraman sire of Thowra, where once a grey brumby mare had danced for a stallion of the sun.

Nervous of men, and other brumbies alike, Corowa tried to hide her tracks. A silver foal was something to be hunted, something to be feared, and the mare knew she would have to teach Karuah the secrets of the bush. Yet Corowa was neither like Wirramirra nor even Tiarri, descendents of the whirlwind himself. She had no cunning, no skill at hiding. And so mare and foal wandered the bush, pale wraiths against the rain and snow.

Yet the stallion did not await them at Yarraman's valley. The ground was torn up with the tracks of travelling brumbies, the snow showing signs of a fight though there was no trace of Rezar to be found. For a moment Corowa wondered whether she had imagined him, and still there was this silver foal at her side that told her such could not be true. Northwards, the wind seemed to whisper, and Corowa followed its call.

The mare heard the roar of the water. The river had become a raging torrent, swollen and furious. Karuah shied from the flood, the filly remembering the cold, cold winds of the blizzard and the darkness that had enclosed her. For the rest of the afternoon the pair sheltered beside the river. Here there were seed pods and grass enough for a hungry mare. At night Corowa slept deeply. But Karuah cried out, caught up in a dream, and disturbed by the rustling of a possum in the trees above. In the morning Corowa picked up the scent of Rezar. Following it, the mare hurried. Then she could make out the shadow of a stallion in the trees ahead. Tossing up her head, Corowa paused, her nostrils quivering with excitement as she trembled with the queerest of feelings.

A shaft of sunlight broke through the uppermost branches of the candlebarks, and the light seemed concentrated on the tiny silver filly. Unable to contain herself, Corowa whinnied joyously. Sensing her mothers' strange mood, Karuah broke into a trot, sticking close to the side of the grey mare. "This is our daughter. She is named Karuah," the mare said proudly, pushing the foal forwards until she stood shaking before the great golden stallion that was her father. "She is ours," said Corowa, coming forward to touch noses with Rezar.

ooc: the first four paragraphs of the post describe after the birth etc. and the fourth picks up when corowa meets rezar for the first time after having karuah :] sorry for the boring starter bit.

[Tiggs]

He looked stressed. She wanted to go to him and comfort him. It seemed his mare had disappeared, perhaps to foal. Kessa watched over Rezar, torn between keeping out of it and trying to appease the oddly coloured stallion by showing concern over his feelings. She did care, a little, but she was still in awe over his appearance. He was a palomino like herself but his mane was oddly coloured, as if half of him were buckskin and the other palomino.

He was not a natural when it came to instincts. She had made quite a few little noises hoping to catch his attention but he hadn't heard one and if he had, he didn't realise it was another brumby. She was about to step out and show herself when the dappled mare returned. Her heart sunk a little. The dapple didn't like her, and now with a creamy foal in tow, Kessa doubted she'd be any more welcome. Why couldn't the grey learn to share? Rezar was a stallion to be proud of, and any mare worth her salt knew she shouldn't let him get away. Rezar would have to collect more mares, so the grey would learn sooner or later.

Kessa mentally kicked herself for rejecting Rezar when the grey wasn't in the picture. She could have him all to herself in the beginning, and she would be the one with a beautiful filly of their blood by her side. It was too late to beget a foal this year. Perhaps next. If Rezar would forgive her for her harsh rejection. How was she to know the men had cast him out? That he was in fact now the least likely stallion to be chased?

Huffing, Kessa became even more annoyed at herself. Maybe she'd ruined her chances of attracting Rezar, but she wasn't going to give him up without a fight. Stepping out of the bush, she announced herself with a soft nicker. She kept back from the grey, calling Rezar over. She'd show him what he was missing, she was a good mare after all, Rezar would be lucky to have her.

[Illu]

If anyone had ever been more relived to see Corowa in their lives, it was Rezar just then. At the sight of the grey it suddenly felt like he was able to breathe again, and his greeting was a little over the top. He reared up in greeting then cantered the exceptionally short distance over to Corowa and was insistent on snuffing her all over first to make sure she was all right. At least you couldn’t say he didn’t care.

Rezar was halfway through his determined check over when what she was saying managed to actually get past the layer of campfire smoke between his ears and his brain, and suddenly, he spotted Karuah. And she was beautiful. Okay, granted, he could barely even remember what a foal looked like as he hadn’t seen one since he was a foal himself. But, from his limited understanding she was a decent size, had a very pretty head and most curiously, she was silver instead of his yellow gold. He had been a stockhorse, but despite never being on a brumby hunt himself, he knew the importance that colour used to have, or still did, among both horses and men. This little girl was special.

”She’s gorgeous. I’m so glad to have you back,” he responded sincerely, and was just finishing affectionately returning Corowa’s nose rub when yet another silver figure began to materialise for the umpteenth time.

Rather than relief or happiness to see her again, his first instinct was worry; worry at what Corowa was going to do next. She’d been getting much more independent as the birth of her foal drew near, and she had made her stance on Kessa known before, so hopefully Corowa wouldn’t take the creamy mare interloping after the birth of their foal too badly.

That didn’t mean he was going to pass up another shot at finally adding her to his herd though. Trouble was, he couldn’t run over to meet her, leaving the grey and the foal and risk incurring Corowa’s wrath. So, he neighed to invite Kessa to come to them instead, which he hoped would work just as well and nibbled Corowa’s ears for good measure. Maybe if she fussed about Karuah Corowa might be satiated enough to not, err, try to drive her off or something. Kessa didn’t like to be ignored either though, so Rezar once again found himself having that familiar sensation of balancing on a tightrope. Just when his stress had disappeared, there it was again!

[Corowa]

corowa returned rezar's gentle nuzzlings with an enquiring nicker, resting her head on his withers for the briefest of moments. it was then the pale wraith of a filly, that elusive silver brumby, moved from out of the cover of the snowgums, calling to the stallion, as beside rezar, corowa trembled. uncertain of whether the filly meant harm, the mare stood between karuah and the creamy. the foal was overwhelmed and bewildered, and at once thrust her head under and nursed. resting a hind leg, corowa craned her neck around, her nostrils vibrating with an unspoken question. do you mean to take him?

the mare looked over at the stallion, seeking reassurance, wondering whether he would leave with this creamy mare who was as a ghost in the darkness, who blended into the snow, and knew the secrets of the bush. who had perhaps come to claim the stallion as her own. for though corowa loved rezar dearly, she could not leave karuah who stirred within her such a queer feeling.

in the belt of sallee and alpine ash, a mopoke was awakened, its head swiveling around as those large yellow eyes saw the brumbies, the three creamies and the grey, and saw indeed those whose fates were somehow intertwined. perhaps there would be mystery here, though such stories of silver brumbies, of thowra and bel bel, of baring and kalina were but whispers now. though perhaps with the birth of this silver filly the bush would soon be alive with legends long since forgotten.

"hello o' silver one," corowa said softly, turning to the creamy filly who seemed fascinated by rezar as much as she was herself.

ooc: i know this post was so overdue but i had work and i kept putting it off and putting it off. i don't know why i do that. it's so much easier to just post than to build it up and make it seem so daunting. anyways apologies :]

[Tiggs]

Rezar seemed to want her to approach, but how sincere was his grey mare? Her beautiful silver foal glowed in the darkness, lighter in colour than herself and Rezar. Would the grey mar make a move to drive her away if she came closer? Or had the delivery of her foal calmed her? Kessa walked forward slowly, taking the wide route around the grey. She nickered again to Rezar, holding out her nose in a tentative greeting gesture.

"Rezar," She said with a slight smile, "I know that apologising will never take back the hurt I caused you when I fled from our first meeting, but I am sorry. And I have rethought mine and yours situation, and I want to run with you in your herd. I want you to claim me." Kessa was never exactly subtle.

[Illu]

Okay, wow, much easier than he was expecting. Corowa wasn’t committing mareicide and Kessa wasn’t making any ambiguity about anything. A new baby and a new mare; was it a sign of good times to come or a sign of oncoming disaster a la Murphy’s Law? Ha! Who cares? ”Hmm, well, after everything, it’d be a bit foolish to say no now wouldn’t it?” Rezar replied, sounding audibly relieved and returning her greeting warmly.

It was a pity breeding season was so far gone; Karuah was going to suffer from the lack of interaction with other foals sooner or later. For some reason that made him feel incredibly guilty. He didn’t have any allied herds to join up with any more, not since Sola disappeared, so his precious silver daughter was doomed to be lonely right from the offset.

Once he was certain he’d given Kessa a proper welcome he turned his head to stare northwards, wondering where to move. Naturally, the King had snatched up Yarramans Valley, with had the best grazing and was normally left alone by men. They couldn’t stay here, as the Cascade Creek was brumby-scouting hotspot, which wasn’t exactly brilliant as Kessa and Karuah where glittering little targets with PICK ME flags stapled to them. The Bogong might be good for the food which Corowa was going to need, but it seemed a little too open for his liking, but the only other option was the Ramshead Range where good grass was only found in little pockets. Kessa and himself would do fine there, but he wasn’t sure just how much food mares with foals needed.

”What do you like best?” he asked them both after a while, decideding to shelve his leadership pride for a moment. After all, it was the mares he was making the choice for; a stallion that worried about his own interests wasn’t worth his salt. ”Ramshead or the Bogong? We can’t exactly hang around here much longer.”

[Corowa]

corowa stood, taut with nervous tension as she watched as that silver will-o'-the-wisp went to the stallion. and for a moment it was as though the two horses were reflections of each other, and all the old legends almost seemed real. indeed, perhaps the spirit of thowra was stirred in those cold south winds, he whose blood still ran swift in the veins of brumbies. as it was in this mare, as it was within her, and as it was within the filly that cowered down beside her, confused and frightened by the strangeness of it all.

“i do not know,” corowa said, starting fearfully. she realised that this mare and her own karuah would be sought by men much as thowra himself had; for every stockmen who had ever traipsed these mountains had heard of the legend of the silver brumbies. and every man longed to be the one to capture one for his own. yet even though corowa felt a pull of longing for the south ramshead, the mare knew it was rough country. but still, it was home and there at least there would be shelter and protection. “we should follow the way of the winds. we should go to the ramshead mountains, for men will seek to hunt them. both karuah and this silver mare of yours.”

with a gentle nicker, corowa lowered her head and nuzzled her daughter. karuah gave a little sigh and then as was the way with foals, collapsed into a heap at her mother’s feet. for now at least, the brumbies would stay here. soon enough the filly would be strong enough to follow them. but for now, corowa would graze while the filly rested. the snow grass here was soft and springy underfoot, and the mare was filled with that same frantic hunger that every mare who has ever borne a foal has felt.

[yaruka]

OOC: hey do you guys mind if I join your thread? I've been looking for an opening for Wyuna's entrance into one of the storylines and nothings come up so hopefully you guys don't mind me joining this one?

BIC:

Wyuna galloped frantically alongside the creek, her legs pumping and her nostrils flared wide with fright. After having escaped the men that lived nearby her old home, she had just passed a man on horseback in this new territory and the encounter had filled her with fear. Thankfully, the man hadn't appeared to see her but she was greatly unnerved. Pounding along the bank she finally forced herself to slow down into a rough, jagged trot. She should be safe now. Silently, she chastised herself for getting so freaked out, but she never wanted to be in man's hands again. An involuntarily shudder ran down the length of her spine as she recalled the harsh hands and brutal spurs of the men who had attempted to train her. Sides heaving, she eventually slowed into a walk, and continued to follow the winding creek listlessly. What should she do now? She was miles and miles away from the place where she had been born, not that she really wanted to return there but it had been her home for most of her life. She needed a herd, but she hadn't seen any promising groups of horses in these parts yet. She continued on in her sombre mood, her head low to the ground and the sweat drying on her back in uncomfortable clumps. She refused to roll and loosen it though, she didn't feel like doing anything at the moment. Suddenly, her head swung up and she stopped. She could hear other horses! It sounded like a small herd. Her ears flicking back and forth to catch their sounds, she moved slowly downwind so that they would be unable to scent her. She thought she could make out the scents of stallion, a foal and a couple mares, but she wasn't sure, there could be more. Excitedly she wondered if she could join them. Now that her breathing was slowing returning to normal she could feel that she was beginning to get hungry and the security of a herd would be really nice. At least until she recovered some energy. Silently, she stepped over to the creek and took a drink of water, pondering what to do. Finally she decided she would go see them, and rolling quickly in the wet sand so that she did not look so exhausted she shook out the dust in her coat and approached the glade where they must be grazing. Peering through the trees she saw she had been right. There was a foal and a stallion and a couple of mares. She was surprised to see that the foal and the two mares were extremely pale paliminos, silver brumbies! She wondered if they were common in these parts, after all three altogether was a fairly rare sight. Shrugging, she reflected what did matter? Colour was colour, that was all there was to it. She certaintly was not going treat them like royalty just because they could be throwbacks to Thowra. She noted that they were all much bigger than she herself was, but she was used to being on the short side of the horses she met. Having made her decision to introduce herself, she stepped out of the shady treeline and began to walk towards the stallion, her overall body position friendly but not altogther submissive. She was not one to be bossed around or intimidated by anyone, just ask those stockmen.

[Tiggs]

OOC: Just a note, Kessa is more golden than silver =) Like Rezar's coat in his pic.
IC:

Kessa looked between Corowa and Rezar. The Bogong or the Ramshead? The Ramshead was certainly spectacular and no man risked his horse chasing brumbies up there. But the Bogong had such sweet grass! Kessa flared her nostrils, flicking her ears as she thought. She wanted to agree with Corowa and get on her good side but the Bogong was a good place to go. The grass on the Ramshead was wind-beaten and coarse, but it was safer...

Sighing hot breath through her nostrils, Kessa looked to Rezar. "The Bogong will have better grazing. I..." She looked now to Corowa, "The grass will make your milk plentiful." To try and convince her further by suggesting her foal might struggle to climb the Ramshead would be pushing her luck. She was yet to notice the mare watching them, facing away from her as she was.