A Departure From Our Childhood

[Swede]

The winter had passed relatively uneventfully, it would seem; Magpie had noticed the days growing longer lately, and today, his hopes were confirmed. The trees were not leaved yet, but little buds lined the high branches, and the snow was slushy and wet, and in some places only barely covered muddy patches. Tiny early spring flowers poked out of the thinner spreads of white, decorating the woods with little dots of color. Spring was most definitely here, and it was Magpie-approved. Lifting his head, he sniffed the air as part of a regular check for danger, but as was generally the case, there was nothing to worry about. The tobiano tossed his head and turned to head back to the others. Cam had muttered about going to look for Feldspar again, a crazy horse's mission but Magpie wasn't going to argue with him. He wasn't sure if the other stallion had left yet or not, but it was best not to leave the mares alone when they were so close to foaling, so Magpie quickly returned to the little group.

Breeze lifted her head a fraction as she spotted Magpie in the corner of her eye, before continuing to dig out the tiny and tender new blades of grass that were growing beneath the snow. She had developed a bit of a cold over the winter, and lost some weight during that time, so the appearance of fresher food only made her feel even hungrier. It was difficult to tell that she'd had any troubles earlier, though; her belly was quite round, and had been so for a while now, making it obvious that she had no issues with fertility.

[silverbolt]

Cam had not left yet actually but he had been busy, going off and comming back with things for breeze when he could find them, a last apple here, grass from somewhere else. he couldn't allways find much though and her weight loss worried him. Yes he wanted to save Feldspar but he wanted to make sure Breeze was well before he did, now he trotted over to the palomino patch with a small mouthful of fresh grass and some early clover

"Hey Breeze" Cam whispered as he stood next to her and dropped his gift "Sorry there isnt more love"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Slivermist nickered a greeting when Magpie returned to the group, the silver buckskin was allways the first to do so. She had fallen hard for her stallion and one of her first true friends, She had thankfully not caught the cold breeze had and retreated into the thicker part of the trees for the worst of the winter to try and find food easier among the trees. she too had seen the early buds and crocus blooms... spring would soon arrive, and so would their foal.

[Snappin' Turtle]

The flaxen chestnut arabian stood on the outskirts of the herd, next to the woodline. She snorted and dug her hoof into the snow, unearthing some new green grass. She lowered her head and nipped off a few bites before raising her head again, shifting on her hooves slightly. She watched Silvermist nicker when Magpie returned and Cam fretting over breeze. Her tail flicked slightly. Why had she thought going with these horses was a good idea? She should have known she would be stuck as the third wheel, not really fitting with anything. Deryn snorted as annoyance turned to a small flame of anger. She was carrying that mutt's foal and yet she wasnt getting the love and attention she deserved? He was always off, checking on something, though who knew what. Then he returned and Silvermist snatched him right up, not caring what she was making others feel like. Deryn turned and walked into the trees, looking around at the new buds and the few birds that perched on the branches.

The flaxen mare grunted slightly as the first contraction hit and she quickly laid herself down, her pretty face twisted with the pain. The arabian mare cried out as the pain came harder and more frequent, until finally it resulted in the foal that lay before her. She stood and licked off her son, helping him as he stood. "Condor." she said, nodding as she looked down at the black colt. She stood as her son looked under her for milk and looked around at the forest again. A few minutes later, her son laid down and yawned. Deryn knew she should be bringing her son to the rest of the herd but instead laid down beside him, pulling her close to him. Why should she give them the blessing of their presence when they wouldnt give her theirs?

[Swede]

Breeze lifted her head slightly as Cam close, quirking an eyebrow at his offering. "You are utterly hopeless, you," she said with a shake of her head, "Sweet, yeah, but hopeless." Still, she lipped at the little bits of greenery that he had brought her, before looking up at him again. "It's kind of you, but you don't need to worry so much, you'll just stress yourself out for no good reason. I'm fine, really I am." With each passing day, the grass grew longer, poking up past the wilted mess of last year and providing a delicious banquet for the herd to feast upon. Though she was a little nervous about her upcoming birthing, since it was her first, she certainly had no complaints about anything else in life right now; it was clear that winter had passed, and in its wake left warm sun and plenty of life's necessities. Life was pretty good, after all.

As Magpie approached the others, he did a quick mental head count; there was Silvermist, and Deryn a little ways off, and Breeze, and... oh, there was Cam over there. Good, then everyone was accounted for. The tobiano stallion answered Silvermist's greeting with a nicker of his own, before walking decisively towards Cam. He didn't really want to interrupt the other stallion's conversation with his mare, but Magpie didn't really have a reputation for being tactful, and thus saw no reason to try to uphold it either. "Hey Cam, can I talk to you for a second?" he said, and motioned him to the side. "I've checked around, and right now everything seems to be okay, no signs of predators or nothing. But if you're going to go try to get Feldspar again, now's probably the time to do it... once all the foals are born, we're going to be a lot more vulnerable, and summertime is when the bachelors get cheekiest. Also might help your chances a little, that big fellow might be more preoccupied with other things right now, and maybe even a bit weaker after winter, with them being stuck on that island the whole time..." Magpie doubted that Cam would be successful in getting Feldspar back, considering how badly their last attempt went, but he knew his friend wanted to at least try, so might as well get it over with before they were both needed to protect the herd.

"Don't worry, I can keep the girls safe until you get back. But try to be quick, alright? And don't get yourself beaten up too badly." When the foals were born, it might be a bit troublesome keeping an eye on the vulnerable little creatures who were such easy targets for predators, but Magpie had no doubts in his abilities to guard the mares right now. Just Breeze, Mist, and Deryn, no problem. Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder. "I swear she was here a second ago..." he muttered. Nodding once to Cam, Magpie walked towards Silvermist, giving her shoulder a nudge. "Hey, do you know where Deryn went?" The territory was safe enough for now, but still, it was best if nobody wandered off too far.

[silverbolt]

"She wandered off that way... I think she might be the first" Cam nodded off where he had last seen Deryn "Yeah i'll head off soon... hopefully be back before to long" Cam nuzzled Breeze

"Sorry to leave but like I said, I will be back... but we had a friend we lost a while back... I have to try to free her. I will allways come back to you love" the liver chestnut stallion turned and trotted away

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Slivermist watch Cam go and sighed and approached Breeze

"Don't worry Bree, He will be back"

[Swede]

Breeze shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course he will, why would I worry? Cam's not a total idiot, he can take care of himself," she said. She doubted he would do anything to put himself at risk of serious harm; then again, he was as sentimental as an old grandpa sometimes, so if he was trying to rescue a friend then he was probably liable to try to be noble instead of smart... especially since the old friend was apparently a 'she', and stallions always seemed to lose their senses when mares got involved.

Magpie nodded at Cam as the other stallion left, and then swung his head around with a thoughtful frown. He glanced swiftly among the gaps in the trees, but saw no Deryn. You should leave her alone, especially if it's time for you-know-what, she wouldn't want to be bothered by you, he thought to himself. Still, it was agitating to not know where a herd member was, or if she was okay. "Mist... do you think you could go check on Deryn? I'm probably just being stupid, but just in case. I think a mare might suit the situation better than a stallion barging in," he said sheepishly.

Leaving Magpie and Silvermist to talk amongst themselves, Breeze wandered a few steps away, nibbling casually at sprigs of grass. She was feeling increasingly uncomfortable without really knowing why; something was up, but beyond that, she wasn't quite sure. It took a while longer before she made the decision to wander farther into the trees by herself. It was a good thing she did, because then the pains started up in earnest. Breeze sweated in a combination of exertion and nervousness; this was her first foaling and she was not quite certain of what to do. Nature guided her however, as it has guided countless mothers before her.

Unfortunately, though Nature may provide aid, it may also provide less welcome things. When she at last caught her breath and lifted her head, Breeze turned to find a chestnut filly, with a star on her face and a sock on her foot, perfect in every way- except she was not breathing. The mare nudged her newborn tenderly, trying for a long time to get a reaction. But it was no use; Breeze had no choice but to accept the facts.

Standing quietly over the tiny lifeless body, she wondered how this could have happened. It was true, it had been a while since she last felt any kicks or movement, but... she hadn't thought anything of it. She had been ill earlier in the year, but it was nothing serious, surely nothing bad enough to cause this... unless the filly in her womb had taken the brunt of the infection, leaving her mother relatively unscathed. Heaving a sigh, Breeze gazed between the trees with a distant look in her eyes. She would have to return to the herd soon, but not yet; she wanted to be alone, just for a little while.

[Snappin' Turtle]

The flaxen arabian mare stood when she heard a sound in the forest around her, was it someone finally coming to talk to her? Deryn nudged Condor to his hooves but after their movement there wasnt anymore sound. Apparently they had decided to turn away or where hiding in the shadows, waiting to pounce. The young mare pulled her son closer after the thought but moved into the forest again at a slow walk to that her son could keep up. Deryn stopped when she saw Breeze and nickered to her before noticing the still form on the ground in front of the buckskin pinto mare. The flaxen mare gasped slightly, her heart breaking for Breeze. How would it have been if little Condor had died? The arabian shifted on her hooves, now suddenly awkward about intruding upon the mare's personal moment. "I-Im sorry." she mumbled, turning away.

[silverbolt]

Silvermist had seen the other two wander off and just decided to find and out of the way place in the forrest without going as far, she expected pain but there really wasnt any, nothing that she would overly complain about anyway and soon she was cleaning colt rough the color and fluffyness of a dandilion puff, which seemed to be enjoying the attention as it laid there to be groomed

"Come on little bird" Silvermist huffed softly "You can't be lazy on your first day... save it until your third at least" the silver bucksking began nudging the little colt incessantly until it climbed to its feet... or tried to... it took a few attempts.

[Swede]

It took a moment for her to notice the presence of the one who had joined her. Breeze blinked and glanced up, taking yet another moment to actually comprehend what Deryn had said. “Oh- don’t be,” she said bluntly, before quite processing her own words. “I mean, thank you- or-“ The palomino painted mare shook her head, returning her gaze to the lifeless newborn as she tried to gather her thoughts. For a few heartbeats, her attention remained utterly fixed upon the figure. Her daughter… it was supposed to be, at least. Now she didn’t know what it was. Taking a slow breath, she hesitantly spoke again, pacing out her words with care. “Deryn, could you- could you stay with me? Please?”

She couldn’t bring herself to look up and see if the other mare chose to remain or if she had already fled the tragic scene. It couldn’t be very enjoyable to have to get involved in such a situation; awkward at best, heartbreaking at worst. “She didn’t ever get to have a name,” she said, her voice hollow and empty and mournful as a flute, as she spoke out into the silence of the woods. “I was… I was afraid at first, but then I was looking forward to it, becoming a mother, being a parent, together with Cam, being a real mare to him... what am I going to tell him now? He has such a soft heart, he’ll be so upset, I can’t see him like that… My mother always told me, life gives and takes, and I know that, but it still hurts…” No tears were shed; that was not her way. But the grief, and above all the confusion, remained. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not to her.


Each of the mares had wandered off, and Magpie found himself rather lonely. He knew better than to go and disturb them; instinctually he was aware of the foolishness of intruding upon a mare’s personal space when she wanted to be alone, particularly in these times. He was at least vaguely aware of their general locations, and had a heightened sense of the territory’s status. No new scents mingled with the breeze, no sounds were out of place; if anyone, or anything, unwelcome were to come near, they would be discovered by the watchful stallion. But though he realized the best thing for him to do was be vigilant and ensure the mares’ minds could be at ease, he still felt a bit restless. Magpie wanted to know what was going on; the wait was killing him. He was not particularly known for being patient in most situations, and now in particular he was itching with the desire to go check up on them. Just wait, just wait… you’ll find out soon enough, they’ll kick your butt if you bother them when they don’t want you around, he reminded himself. Stallions may fancy themselves tough creatures, but few could withstand the fury of an annoyed mare, he knew that much.

[silverbolt]

Magpie could hear the clatter of two horses entering the territory from the the direction of the creek, before he can go check it out however Cam appears and nickers to his friend. The liver stallion's coat is practically black from the stomach down, obviosly he and his companion had been wading up through the creek up his return. He looked back over his shoulder and called to said companion

"Come on Felds, Just a little more and your going to be among friends for the rest of your life, you can do it" The colt then trotted over to Magpie and sighed quietly

"She's so changed... make sure to be really nice to her for awhile okay? Just .... I don't know how to fix her" He paused and looked around "The girls are gone? .... they must have gone off to birth, anyone idea who wil be the first back?"

[Snappin' Turtle]

The flaxen mare stopped her backward retreat and nodded, snorting as Condor started forward to Breeze. "No." she whispered, drawing her black son to her side. "Why thank me?" Deryn asked, shaking her head as she looked down at her son. The arabian mare hadnt done anything for her, and her own son lived while her's died. A strange feeling of guilt crept over her, as if it were her fault, but it couldnt be. Maybe it would have been better if Deryn had been the one with the winter cold, not Breeze. She'd never wish anything upon the sweet palomino mare, especially not a stillborn. "Of course." the flaxen mare replied softly, nodding and running her nose down Condor's back absentmindedly.

[Swede]

Breeze remained silent for a few minutes, her eyes slightly misted and not really paying attention to her surroundings; her mind was elsewhere, far far away. However, after a solid while, she shook her head almost imperceptibly and murmured, "I suppose she is with my father, now... him and all the others of our homeland." The palomino tobiano lowered her head, touching her muzzle to the lifeless filly's side. "Take care of her, dad," she whispered, closing her eyes for a short moment. Then she looked up again, expression still overwritten with sadness, but also a layer of resilience; she was not one to succumb to life's tribulations so easily. "I wonder where Mist has gone... "


Feldspar felt as if she were dead on her feet. Weak as she was, the journey from the island, crossing the lake and traveling to the aspens, had taken every last drop of her strength. Her baby belly, though still too round for her to deny its existence, did little to hide her pathetically thin appearance, while fresher wounds intermixed with old scars across her scabby coat. The little mare didn't listen too closely to Cam's words; it might seem selfish to ignore someone who is only trying to be kind, but Feldspar was feeling too tired and too miserable to waste energy on others, and she figured she deserved to feel a little selfish at the moment.

Magpie pricked his ears as Cam's familiar face appeared among the aspens, and he felt happy for his friend when he realized the mission had been a success. A half-second later, Feldspar's full predicament hit him, and he let out a low whistle, shaking his head slowly. "Geez...." He had to admit, he felt pretty guilty about not trying harder to get her out of that situation, not that he had been able to know about it before now. The idea of a stallion intentionally harming one of his mares was just so odd to him; a stallion's job was to protect mares, and this was the exact opposite. "Yeah, they all wandered off a while ago... I dunno who'll be back first, I'm not too eager to go interrupt if you know what I mean..."

[silverbolt]

"CAM!" Mist called happily as she saw the liver stallion upon her return and nickered at him while sidling up against Magpie, a small colt covered in silver fluff trying to stick to her other side and peer around her to look at the other grown ups. the Colts chocolate eyes widened at all the tall horses in disbelief.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Hi Mist" Cam returned the greeting to the silver buckskin and playfully winked at the colt "Wow.... glad he got your looks Mist.... I was kinda worried he'd take after his dad!" The liver stallion then looked around, Where was Breeze?

Cam was suddenly worried and let out a hesitant whinny while he scanned the pasture for his sweet heart mare.

[Snappin' Turtle]

She stayed quiet, her gaze averted to anywhere but the heartbreaking scene unfolding before her. What would she have done if Condor ahd been a stillborn, dead before his eyes even had a chance to open, his little hooves to touch the ground? Deryn sniffled slightly, a tear trailing down her regally dished face. The arabain mare's ears pricked at a far off call, it was Cam. "You should get back to them, Breeze, they'll be worried." the falxen chestnut said, bringing her eyes back to the palomino tobiano mare. They wouldnt worry over herself, she was just an outsider. Mist would certainly rejoive when she didnt materialize out from the aspen trees, she would be glad that Deryn was gone- she could finally have Magpie all to herself. Not that she was really sharing him already, no, that wasnt possible. "Come along, Condor." she murmered, nudging her little black son in front of her. His chocolate eyes were wide as he looked past her at the lone figure of Breeze before a gentle nip turned his attention back forward. The arabian mare didnt think about actually leaving, where would she go? Who would want her, especially with a young son?

[Swede]

Breeze nodded slowly. "They'll be worried about you too, and for all I know Cam could still be off on his quest, it won't matter if I'm away a little longer. You go on ahead, Deryn, I'm sure Magpie will be eager to see his new son. I'll be along in a moment... just a moment..." Her eyes flicked downwards to the stillborn foal once again, and she heaved a heavy sigh as Deryn left and she was alone once more. She was a tough mare, but an event such as this could break even the sturdiest of hearts; and how would Cam react? She had to reluctantly admit that half the reason she did not go back just yet was because she didn't want to see the look on his face when she told him the truth. He had been looking forward to this foal so much, and to have those hopes and dreams crushed... Shaking her head, Breeze carefully nudged the foal into the shadow of a nearby bush, kicking up a few leaves over it. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing; at least it would be difficult to find, if you didn't know where to look. She didn't want to stumble over a rotting corpse later, and definitely didn't want to subject Cam to that either.

Magpie blinked and glanced sideways as Mist suddenly returned. He blinked again when he spotted the tiny toothpick-legged creature beside her. "Mist... is that... I mean- I-" He stopped, took a deep breath to untie his tongue, and tried again. "He's... beautiful... what did you name him?" To think that he had helped create that tiny thing... to think that this was his son. Him, Magpie, a dad. Suddenly he understood why his own father had always been so excited to see the new foals, and so tender towards the little ones when he met them. He looked up at Cam's nervous whinny, and said calmly, "Relax, she'll show up when she shows up. Deryn's not back either, I'm sure they're just taking their time." But it was difficult to hide the impatient trembling in his knees; he was no good at waiting, and he was itching to see Deryn. Maybe she'd had her foal now... maybe Magpie had another son, or perhaps a daughter, by now! Unless something had gone wrong... "What do you think, Mist... you're a mare, you understand this stuff better than us, right? Should we go look for them, or just wait for them to come back on their own time?"

Feldspar lifted her gaze dully as some other mare showed up with a newborn in tow. She couldn't understand how anyone could be so excited over such a thing. But at least it provided some distraction; she recognized the sickening ache in her belly, and remembered the horror, the weakness, the shame. She did not want an audience for this. Turning away, she wordlessly stumbled away between the trees, hopefully unnoticed. Cam was nice enough but if he tried to follow her she would have to kick him in the face with whatever strength she had left. At last, she couldn't make it another step, and sank to her knees with a groan.

The little roan's mind was too fogged by pain and exhaustion to notice Breeze standing a dozen paces away; but Breeze noticed the wheezing intruder. Flicking her ears back slightly, she stepped towards the stranger, away from her lost foal's makeshift grave. "Who are you?" she said bluntly.

Feldspar lifted her head, flattening her ears immediately. "None of your frickin' business, that's who," she growled with labored breath.

"You can tell me who you are, or you can get out of my space," Breeze snapped back, unfazed by the smaller mare's harsh tone.

"My name's Feldspar, good enough? Sorry to tell you, but I'm not going anywhere, and I don't want you around either, so bugger off!" She groaned as another spasm racked her body, and dropped her muzzle to the ground, breathing heavily.

Breeze bristled at the intruder's words, but couldn't take her eyes off her. Feldspar? This was the one Cam had gone to find? She didn't look like much, and sounded like an unpleasant sort too; he had odd taste, that fellow did. "GO AWAY!" Breeze blinked out of her thoughts and very nearly yelled back at Feldspar, but then realized she might as well leave. It was obvious that Feldspar was physically unable to move, and Breeze had no reason to stay here. Heaving a sigh, she turned away from the battered mare, wandering slowly among the trees; towards the herd or away, she wasn't really sure, and didn't really care.

Some time passed, she didn't know how long. But suddenly, Breeze heard the snapping of twigs and a muffled crash not far away. Frowning, she slunk carefully in the direction of the sound, wary of any potential danger. To her surprise, it was that mare again... by the looks of it, she had managed to move, leaving ragged hoofprints in her wake and broken branches, before collapsing on her chest again in this spot. "You again!" she grumbled, but then paused, looking Feldspar over. If she'd looked bad before, she looked absolutely awful now. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," Feldspar mumbled, "I just... need to catch my breath, and then I'll be on my way, I promise."

Breeze frowned. "What do you mean? Didn't Cam bring you here? Why would you take off so fast?" She paused, and narrowed her eyes. "And where's your foal? You looked pretty close a few minutes ago..."

"Yeah but he won't want me around. Foal? I dunno... back there, somewhere."

"What? Was it stillborn?"

Feldspar closed her eyes, shrugging a shoulder helplessly. "I dunno, I don't think so? I didn't really check."

Breeze pinned her ears back again, and snapped, "You're abandoning it? Are you crazy?"

"You wouldn't understand!" Feldspar shot back, her eyes flashing angrily despite her exhaustion, "And neither will Cam, he's too soft. I never asked for this; I never asked for a little parasite to suck all my strength away from me, I never asked for some monster spawn to eat me from the inside out. But now it's finally gone, and I don't want it back. That's why I'm leaving, everyone expects me to be happy, to want to take care of the thing, and Cam will hate me if I don't. No point in staying then."

"You ungrateful idiot, you're the monster! Leaving an innocent helpless foal to die, and bailing on Cam when he's gone through so much to help you! I was so happy to be having a foal, Cam was too, but mine didn't survive and he'll be heartbroken, and you! You get a foal, and you just throw it away! I don't know why he bothered to find you, you're selfish and heartless and downright awful!" Breeze shouted.

"If you care so much about the stupid thing, then go take care of it yourself; I don't want anything to do with it." Lowering her head again, Feldspar closed her eyes and muttered, "I didn't ask to be rescued. Maybe Cam should've just left me on that stupid island to die, then everyone would be happy."

Breeze was tempted to bite the stupid horrible mare, but she couldn't quite bring herself to it; Feldspar might deserve a good thrashing, but by the looks of it, she'd already had plenty. Beaten, starved, forcebred... she was the most pathetic-looking thing Breeze had ever seen. She couldn't forgive Feldspar, but she could at least pity her. "Maybe he should have. But he didn't. Show some gratitude, you're a lot better off here than where you were before; obviously Cam cares about you, I have no clue why but you are not going to throw it back in his face. Not that you can leave anyway, I mean look at you, you can't even stand up... now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go do the right thing," Breeze said coldly. Feldspar didn't answer; whether from exhaustion or just pure stubbornness, who knew. Turning on her heel, Breeze marched off, following Feldspar's messy trail back to the little clearing. Ah, there it was... a little heap on the ground. Was it alive? She lowered her head, sniffing the newborn nervously. It was breathing; weak, but alive, and conscious, as it bleated pathetically at the mare's touch. "It's alright, little one," Breeze cooed softly, licking the foal dry. A little filly, with a dark roan coat by the looks of it. Cam would never for a second believe that this was Breeze's foal, and she wasn't going to lie about it either if he asked; but though it might not be of her own flesh and blood, this was hers now. "Don't worry, I'm your new mama. I'm going to take good care of you. Everything will be alright."

[silverbolt]

"I named him Kestral" Silvermist told Magpir as she nuzzled both her mate and her son it was great that Magpie clearly adored the colt and when Deryn brought hers around the foals could all play together, Mist wanted to do a happ-y prance right on the spot, and maybe all the mares could become better friends through helping each other with their foals! this might be just the thing to unite the herd. Then Magpie asked her what she thought about how long the others were taking and Mist had to pause and think about it

"I think if they arent back by sundown, then something is wrong. Mist advised at least give them that." Then she noticed Feldspar wander off.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Cam also noticed Feldspar moving and the Liver chestnut imeadiatly wanted to follow. Was she ill? injured? he had tried to be as gentle as possible but the trip had been chalenging.

Finally After a half hour he could wait no longer and began wandering off in the direction Feldspar had gone, not actively searching for either mare... but hovering... and quietly nickering first for Breeze then for Felds.

[Snappin' Turtle]

The arabian mare followed the trail she and her son had made before stumbling upon the distraught Breeze. A part of her mind worried over the palomino painted mare, but she knew that the other mare was strong and would power through- nothing could keep her down for long. Deryn stopped as her black son began to slow and looked around. It had been a while since she had given birth and both mother and son were tired, both mentally and physically; it had been a long day and it wasn't yet near sundown. The flaxen mare let a soft snort escape her muzzle and she nudged Condor forward- it couldn't be that much farther until the stream, then they could rest. Soon the burbling reached her ears and she strode up to the water, lowering her finely dished her to drink greedily as her son suckled. Her pristine tail flicked against her sides and she knew she'd have to get back, but why not take her time? Hadn't she earned it? And, she couldn't bear to show up with their son jsut to have Magpie beclaimed by Mist again. She could see it now: 'Oh, cool, Deryn, but Magpie, look at our little brat!, 'Nice son, Deryn, but lookit mine, Magpie!- all in her annoying voice. She just couldn't stand the mare. She knew she was an outsider, but that didn't mean she didn't have feelings, didn't mean that she didn't want attention, didn't mean that she didn't want anyone to care.

[Swede]

Magpie sighed deeply, willing himself to stop fidgeting. He couldn't help but worry about Deryn and Breeze, but he supposed Mist knew best in this sort of situation, and it would be wisest to heed her advice. They would come back soon, surely... "So, Kestral eh," he said, lowering his muzzle to sniff at the colt. "Well hey there kid. I'm your dad, did you know that? And this is our home. You'll get to meet the rest of the herd soon, and there will be other foals for you to play with, too."

Nudging the filly up to her feet, Breeze was soon able to get the newborn fed, and some of the foal's strength seemed to return. "See, you'll be alright," she smiled, nudging the baby gently. Lifting her head, she pricked her ears at the sound of Cam's distant nicker, and whinnied loudly in answer. Nudging the filly again, she added softly, "Come on, we're going to meet your new daddy... he's very nice, I promise." Technically Cam wasn't the father, but Breeze was certain that he would treat the foal like one of his own. The Cam she knew was far too gentle and kind to reject... er... what was this foal's name, anyway? Feldspar hadn't given her one, and since Breeze had stepped in as her new mother, she figured it was her right to name the filly. "Hm, I think I'll call you Hespera. Come now, take a step, that's it, one step at a time..."

For a while, Feldspar lay with her face in the dirt, too exhausted to move. She had practically forgotten what it felt like to be energetic; surely it was impossible to ever move again? But somehow, eventually, she managed to roll back up to her knees, and with a strained groan, heaved herself up onto shaky hooves. She could hear water nearby.... and while Feldspar was tired and would have liked to just sit and do nothing, her thirst was even greater. The little roan stumbled among the trees, looking for the source of the bubbling sound of a nearby creek. There! Exhaling in relief, she lowered her muzzle and drank deeply, reveling in the blissful sensation of the cool water soothing her parched throat. Lifting her head again to breathe, she paused and narrowed her eyes. There was someone nearby... she shifted her gaze upstream and spotted an unknown mare with a little colt. "Who are you?" she said bluntly; Feldspar was hardly known for her manners even in the best of moods, and today had not been altogether pleasant. "Another one of Cam's mares?"

[Snappin' Turtle]

The flaxen mare's ears flicked to the side and caught the sound of another equine. She lifted her head up and took a step in front of where her son was laying after having fed. Her ears flicked back at the mare's tone. Who did she think she was talking to? Was she in any sort of condition to get someone mad at her? A glance at the mare's gaunt face and prominent ribs made the answer clear. "No. I'm Magpie's mare, and my name is Deryn." the arabian replied, deciding that being rude back wouldn't get them anywhere. "And this is my son Condor." she added, nodding her head to where the black colt was peering out from behind her to look at the strange mare. "May I ask your name?" the flaxen mare asked, tilting her head to the side.

[Swede]

"Magpie, what a dolt," Feldspar said, pulling a face. He was the sort of horse she absolutely would have gotten along with well as a filly, when colts were still fun and hadn't yet transitioned from playing with her to trying to woo her. Nowadays though, he was exactly the sort of individual she just couldn't be bothered with, some idiot trying to settle down and lead a happy herd with happy mares. Boooring. He had tried flirting with her a little when they first met, but at least he'd knocked that off quickly enough after she kicked him in the face. At the time, Cam had seemed more interesting, he spent time with her without trying any funny moves; but he'd gone to so much effort to rescue her, and brought her here, and Feldspar couldn't help but wonder if he had some sort of ulterior motive behind it. Most stallions did, and grateful as she was for his help, she would never be anyone's pet. "I'm Feldspar," she answered, shrugging and then wincing as the motion pulled at the sensitive wounds on her hide.

The scruffy roan lowered her muzzle to drink a little more, before looking up at Deryn again. "So Mag and Cam share the place, and you live here too... and that's Magpie's kid, I guess? I already met that Breeze mare, real piece of work... anyone else I should know about?" If this was a lively pleasant territory full of complacent old mares and adorable foals, she just might have to leave before she puked on all the sweetness.


No, this was definitely starting to take too long for his liking; Silvermist had been back for a while, and even Cam had gone off to look for Breeze. Deryn had been gone for ages, and Magpie was getting seriously worried that something had gone wrong. "I, uh, I'll be back, just going to go check on things," he said, excusing himself from present company before heading off into the woods to begin searching for his other mare.

[Snappin' Turtle]

The scruffy mare seemed a bit rough around the edges, but nothing that the arabian hadn't dealt with before. Besides, they were both new here, right? Though, Feldspar had just arrived, but, they had to stick together. A shrug served as a response to her comment about Magpie being a dolt. He couldn't see what was thrust under his nose, could he? Deryn had been fought over many a time before, and now she chose a stallion only to have his affection stolen away by another? That was most certainly not fair. A bitter expression crossed over her face, and she lowered her dished head to drink again. "There's Silvermist and her foal somewhere. Probably hanging all over Magpie." she replied, letting out a snort. Condor would probably never get time with his dad with her around, and her little brat. That was probably why she hadn't gone back yet- didn't want to show up just to be compared to her, Condor to her kid.

[Swede]

Feldspar smirked slightly. "You sound bitter, one could almost imagine you aren't so fond of miss Silvermist," she commented, folding her legs beneath her to lay down on the soft leaf-strewn space above the streambank. "Life not so cozy here in the woods? Marish rivalry, perhaps?" It probably wasn't a good idea to be so nosy, particularly not in such a blunt and almost mocking fashion, but Feldspar lived on the reckless side. Besides, there was nothing she thought so foolish and annoying as squabbling among mares, particularly over the affections of some braindead stallion.

(ooc: do you want Magpie to pop in here or wait a bit?)

[Snappin' Turtle]

"I'm not." she replied simply, shrugging before taking another sip from the stream. Condor nudged his mother's shoulder and the arabian mare glanced over at him. "Mama, can I go explore.. pleease?" the colt asked, cocking his head to the side. "Yes, just don't go too far." Deryn replied, watching his retreating back before shifting on her hooves and looking over at the other mare. "None of your business." the flaxen mare mumbled before taking a bite of spring grass. Why did it matter to her? "You staying here?" she added curiously, raising her gaze to Feldspar once more.

(he can pop in)

[Swede]

Feldspar glanced at the little colt as he wandered off. Yuck, who would ever want foals... She belonged to herself, not anyone else. She didn't need anyone else, and she didn't want someone else tagging after her being dependent and annoying. Flicking her ear dismissively at the thought, she turned her attention back to Deryn as the arabian mare spoke. Touchy about the situation, was she? Funny, most mares usually seemed sooo happy for a chance to gossip and badmouth others in the herd they didn't like. Well, Feldspar couldn't say she was genuinely interested, either; mostly she was just trying to relearn her blunt and brash tendencies in a place where she wouldn't get beaten half to death for it.

She shrugged in response to the question. "Dunno. Probably not. No reason to stay." Well, apart from having someplace to hide in... if Hunter even noticed her absence, he'd be furious about it. Not because she had been valuable to him, but simply because he hated losing. "I've got a life to live, and it sure ain't caged up in a cutesy little forest with a handsome prince of a stallion and a bunch of foals. Sure, I'm grateful to Cam for helping me out, but he's done his hero schtick, impressed his girl, he doesn't need me around anymore and I don't need him. Things got a little screwed up for a while, but it wasn't really my fault, and I know how to look out for myself," she said offhandedly. In truth she was a little scared of running into Hunter again, or someone like him, but the odds were pretty low. It had only happened last time because Cam and Magpie had decided to be typical moronic stallions and try to steal a mare or two from someone who turned out to not only be stronger than them, but also a complete psycho. No, she was safer on her own, at least once she got her strength back.

(OOC: I dunno what to do with Magpie since he's in the other thread too, uuhhhhmm)