BABIES... and battle.

[Illu]

Oh God, how could that white creature still be kicking? Feeling the bite relax off his withers was like a Godsend, but he predicted the strange lack of pain from the rest of him had to do with the freezing cold of the snow numbing it. There was no fighting back now however, Garrong was exhausted. Spent.

Defeated.

Grasping in air was the only function he had left aside from edging away as Nevada moved him, and gasp he did like he had just been drowning. His last look wasn't at Dilali, Kinta or any of his foals, it was at Baramay. As Nevada gave another little kick Garrong doubled his pace, soon gone amongst the trees.

He had to get back to Kinta.

[Valatone]

(Kinta fallow Garrong or Kinta go with Nevvy? =P)

[tingara]

Dilali and Baramay watched the fight with wide eyes. Every now and then the brown and white mare would utter small whinnies of fear as Nevada or Garrong was hit. She held her breath as the fight came to a close. Nevada had won and she and the small liver chestnut were once again his.

Both mares were torn but for different reasons. To Dilali Garrong was the father the son that stuck closely to her side. To Baramay both Garrong and Nevada were stallions, the very thought sent her mind racing with fear, but she still had trust for Nevada. It wasn’t much but it was there. Dilali made up her mind and dutifully trotted to Nevada but not before she gave a small look of appreciation to the defeated black stallion. He had protected her for so many months and had gifted her with a son the spitting image of Garrong. She turned when she noticed Yeranda was no longer with her, he was looking up into his father’s eyes. It felt like Dilali had received a blow to the chest. She whinnied to him and then waited patiently for the colt to say goodbye.

It was when Garrong looked to her and no one else when Baramay made up her mind. Heavily pregnant and head held high she waddled to Nevada. She showed strength that she had never shown before even though on the inside she quaked with fear. Finally Baramay reached Nevada after what seemed like hours of walking, she was breathless and sweating but now she was with the grey who had looked after her before this nightmare.

[Valatone]

Now Kinta was lost. It had all happened so fast- the kicking, the roaring, the anger in the air. And now it just disappeared, like a fog finally drawing away.The mare pinned her ears back in fear. She didn't want to go with the grey. No, she was already Garrongs. She had Pirilah to prove- wait, where was Pirilah? For once, Kinta forgot herself and felt fear for her small family. She sadly called out for her daughter, and after a minute or two of waiting, her daughter came out from the trees. The fight must of scared her.

Garrong was gone, and the only other horse here that wasn't Nevada or his herd was a small filly. Despair closed around Kinta like a cloak. Where had her black mate gone? She looked once over at Nevada, with glistening eyes of fear, then quickly galloped as fast as she could with her little foal. Into the trees she went, her ears now pricked up for any sounds. But to no evail. Kinta could not see, smell or hear Garrong anywhere.

[Tiggs]

Picking up his tired feet, Nevada jogged toward Dilali and Baramay. Glad to see in passing that Garrong only other apparent mare was leaving after him, Nevada could put all of his attention on his newly reclaimed mares. Taking another would only cause Garrong more reason to come back again for revenge.

Baramay was approaching as fast as her abdomen would allow, so Nevada closed the gap between them and greeted her with exuberant nuzzles and whinnies. "It's good to have you back." He said. Aside from the obvious fact of her pregnancy - that had nothing to do with him - something was different about her. It made her seem more fragile despite her show of strength. Nibbling at her mane, Nevada rubbed his chin along the dark pelt over her spine. The presence of a foal inside her that was not sired by Nevada bothered him somewhat, though his anger was directed at the black stallion and not his beloved Baramay. At least the foal would have a decent role-model from the start.

Now acquainted with Baramay, Nevada turned to Dilali. He was glad to see that she was not pregnant, but then he caught sight of the black colt trotting over. Snorting, he left Baramay's side to join Dilali, intentionally blocking the way for the colt as he greeted his prized mare. Blowing warm air into Dilali's mane, Nevada was glad to have his mares back, despite the new additions. The black colt worried him most, being a small replica of his father. The grey stallion felt the urge to chase the little aberration away to join his father, but Dilali ha lost one foal to man he wasn't about to deprive her of this one no matter how much he wished it gone.

Sighing heavily, Nevada corralled the two together and narrowly missing the colt with his hooves as he urged them into a closer group. His muscles were beginning to ache from the fight, and he'd like to be away from the Black's country before he stiffened too badly. Not that the Black was in any state to fight him for a while. "Let's go home." He said with a tired smile. There would be time to talk later. For now, he wanted his two mares safe and sound.