These Little Moments

[Swede]

Kahuna walked through his territory with the air of a stallion who was truly wild, one of those who represented the fantasies of men. Head hold low, with crest seeming only a continuation of his back, tail fluttering, he took long smooth strides among the gnarled apple trees. Leaves were falling to the ground, but most still remained in the canopy, decorating the land with a blanket of color.

A whinny from his left made him look up, and he nickered in answer as dear Serena trotted forward in her copper glory. ''Is it not good to see the land like this?'' she asked, gazing about in reverence of the beauty.

He nodded absently. ''Mm. For now, it is. Winter will be less pleasant. But you and I, we are strong stock and will weather it as we always have. Faust is lightly built, but there is a strength in her that does not show at first I think. But the greater joy than autumn is to see her back with us. And her foal will come in the spring, I hope, and liven up this place a bit.''

With that, he lapsed into thought again. He had seen only peace here in the land of the river, nothing like the warring stallions of his homeland. He rather missed the old order, but supposed it was better this way. And yet, rumors of fresh shadows had reached his ear, and a storm was gathering. If any dared cross his land in aggression, they would learn that his ferocity was not diminished; a slumbering dragon is still a dragon nonetheless.

[Dusty's Girl]

As if magic had called her name, Faust came prancing in from her romp at the Mare's Lake. Her hooves were still lifting high though her midsection was finally starting to round out and show the signs of the lively foal growing in there. Her dark bay coat gleamed in the light as she trotted, her head upright and her tail flying. A true wild horse, the most ancient of breeds flowed in her veins. Though not pure Ahkal- Teke, it seemed to control every aspect of her being. She was something to behold, that was for sure.

She trotted into the browning terra, her hooves lifted high as she set forth a whinny towards her stallion and her friend. She was glad to be back home and ready to settle down the best that she could. Of course when the little one came, life would be something hectic to behold, that was for sure. "Autumn has come to this place." Her voice was soft and gentle, full of mischievious hints. Her tail flashed behind her as she tossed her head playfully.

[Swede]

Kahuna greeted her with a rumblig nicker. ''Indeed it has,'' he replied lightly, scuffing at the leaves that had already fallen to the dying grass. ''I've always believed the reds and golds of the leaves in this season is to make up for the dying light of the sun. Winter will follow, but this is a safe land and snow will not fall thickly under the trees. The grass shouldn't be too hard to dig out, then.'' The roan shook his mane, gentle breeze wafting through the strands.

Serena would not foal this spring, by a silent agreement between herself and Kahuna. It had not ever come to discussion, but something held them back. It was difficult to explain why; but she felt that in times past, it was the two of them, and if he had ever gained more mares in fights she would still be his love and his lead. But times had changed with her false death, and he had struggled so hard to forget that things were different somehow. Life was no longer just for their own. She was the newcomer now. And even so, they loved each others presence too much to bring their own foal into the middle. Perhaps in later years; perhaps not. But she was looking forward to Faust's birth, and knew that Kahuna was counting the days. The stallion's mood had brightened considerably since Faust's return. His love for Serena had not lessened; it was the size of his heart that had grown. He adored them both, and the copper mare held no grudge for it. It was difficult not to love Faust, and she was fond of the energetic mare herself. ''And after winter, we will see spring. And the growth of the herd, thanks to Faust. These days cannot be short enough.'' She smiled warmly, proud and majestic, and content in this family.

Kahuna raised his head, ears pricked. Something was up; he coudn't quite smell it, or hear it, but he had a feeling, a sense. It didn't feel like a threat; more like a pull. His instincts were giving him a command, a command he could not understand. What was it that made him feel like this, like something important was going on? Or was he just going crazy?

[Dusty's Girl]

Light dew settled around Faust's hooves as she stood still in one spot for once. Her head lifted towards the sky as she let a call fly from her muzzle. She was home. Her stallion was a lovely roan and her friend stood by her side. The breeze lifted her black mane as she let her tail fly behind her. A short but thick winter coat was starting to make its way through her hide, her long guard hairs finally growing out.

Her sides were growing rounder by the day with the new life that grew within her stomach. She would foal this spring, a lovely new addition to this small herd. Hopefully some lively entertainment as well would happen when the foal was running and playing. It would be good for Kahuna to have a foal to run with.

[Swede]

Kahuna shook his head and smiled. He touched Faust's muzzle lightly with his own. Yes, winter would be tough on this little family, but they would survive like they always did. And he would watch Faust like a hawk- there was no point in losing her or the foal because he was careless. By bringing her into the herd, he accepted the fact that her safety was up to him, and he wouldn't forget it. Looking up briefly again, he twitched his tail irritably. He really should not leave the two mares now- but it couldn't be helped. He would be kept up all night wondering what on earth was bothering him, and he might as well just find out and get it over with, then come back. Eyes settling on Faust and Serena again, he said, ''I will leave you two for a moment, I want to check up on something. I'll be back soon, I promise.'' And with that, he turned and loped through the trees.

[Dusty's Girl]

She raised her head for a moment, actually pausing her hyper stepping to look towards where Kahuna had went through the trees, "Where is he going?" She snorted softly, tossing her head slightly. It was hard for her to stand still, but she could do it on an occassion. Her thin tail lashed behind her as she took a slight step to the left, her ears upright and almost touching in the middle.

Her breed, though ancient, was still a rare breed. Though designed quite like arabians, they were far from the arrogant arabian breed. The Ahkal- Teke is a hardy breed, designed to endure through the toughest of any situation and to perform to its highest. The conformation of the breed is also radically different from the stocky quarter horses and the arabian as well. Built on slender legs, its body is thin and quite greyhound like. Ears are alert and upright most of the time while its eyes are extremely intelligent. And legends of their athletic ability have been handed down for millenia.

Yet here stood a cross breed of this hardy breed. All of her signs pointed towards the purest of the Tekes and none of the mustang in her. The luck of the draw it seemed. It only went to prove what the foal would look like from a stocky mustang and a lean Teke mix. But it would surely be different.

[Swede]

Serena stared after Kahuna, then shrugged. ''Who knows with stallions,'' she answered musingly. ''They think differently than we do. More instinct, I think, and less thought, if you know what I mean. Not stupid, just act on their gut feelings.'' Serena had never met a gelding, or perhaps she could have elaborated on this theory. Geldings were perhaps the most thoughtful of all, even more so than mares. ''But he will come back. He keeps his promises.'' She shrugged again, and changed the subject. ''I cannot say I long for winter, but spring on the other hand is what I really would like. Will this be your first little one?'' she said warmly.

[Dusty's Girl]

Faust quieted down for a moment, thinking about what Serena had just said. Yes, stallions were different than mares. That was quiet obvious back in her birth herd. She shook her head slightly as she stared after where he had disappeared, then let her eyes swivel over to Serena, "Yes, my friend, this is my first foal and I am quite nervous. I do not know what to do or if I can even take care of a little one. I am not sure how it is all done." She was confiding in this mare on a personal level, something the strong hearted mare hardly ever did.

Yet, she was truly nervous about the coming spring. Would the little one survive? Would it be sickly or die before a step is taken? Or what about herself? What if only the little one survived? Would it be a colt or a filly? Would Kahuna still love her if she gave him a filly and not a colt? These questions floated through her already nervous mind.

[Swede]

Serena watched Faust thoughtfully. She knew what it was like, to be in the mare's position; when she was pregnant with Kaino, she had fretted on a constant basis. She had been in a foreign environment then, barely recovered from a near-fatal illness and separated from Kahuna. ''I'm not going to tell you not to worry- you'll end up doing it anyway. It's a natural thing. But trust me on this point- when time comes you need the info, nature will give it to you. You'll find that you will know exactly what to do. Nature gave us mares motherly instinct; you are not the first, nor the last, and you will be fine. And Kahuna will love you no matter what happens.'' It was the best she could say, in the spirit of friendship. But it was the truth, too- a lie, even well meaning, was still a lie, and would do more harm than good.

[Dusty's Girl]

Faust snorted softly, lifting her head towards the sky, then back down to look at Serena. "You are right, I should at least try to calm down. He will return when he returns and I have you here with me for now." Her right hind leg rested behind her on the tip of the toe as she sank her weight down onto that side. Her belly was rounded just enough to start showing most of the signs of being in foal as well as her voracious appetite.

Her head lowered to graze on the grasses beneath her hooves as she sighed softly, at least Serena could help her through this for now. At least she was not alone as of yet. Her ears flicked back and forth as she chewed on the grass slowly, feeling the foal starting to move within in her stomach. Spring would be here before she knew it and she was still not sure if she was ready for any of this.