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    “She’s beautiful, Izzy!” Jessabelle gasped as she stood nearby, gazing warmly upon the newborn.

    Isabelle painfully rolled up, her breath still coming out in huffs from labor. It was an awful experience that she told herself she would only repeat for the right reasons. She was grateful it was over and was eager to see her gorgeous child - a filly according to her sister. It might not be the child she wanted, but she was sure once Finn saw…

    Isabelle’s thoughts suddenly left her as she gazed upon her filly. The newborn was shaking its head, clearing the fluids from its airways as it adjusted to life outside the womb. She was pale, nearly as pale as Isabelle herself. Her daughter turned to look at her with wide green eyes, almost half her face covered in white with little dun stripes on her forehead. Even more stripes crossed the filly’s thin legs, others spread from the line down her back as they met her shoulder. There was no doubt that the foal was Ajax’s, but…

    Anger flashed in Isabelle, How is this possible?! How could I make such a… a… drab foal?! Where is the rest of her white? She doesn’t have my spotted rump nor the white patches! Jessa’s foal is super flashy! How can this one be so plain?! She tried hard not to show her emotions, but she had to take a moment to look away from her filly. Isabelle distracted herself with getting to her feet, something that was a lot harder to do than she expected. She was sore and so exhausted that her knees shook and nearly gave out. It was enough to take her mind off her angry thoughts and let her think more clearly.

    The new mother watched her child as they looked around, the newborn looking at the world around her with awe. Isabelle didn’t notice the small smile that formed on her lips, but she did feel the warmth that spread through her chest as she looked at her baby. There was something so serene and angelic about her filly, her soft colours only emphasising this look. Isabelle sighed softly and leaned down to finally touch her child, her anger finally ebbing. Instinct drove her to clean her foal, and she did so while rethinking her original plan.

    She might not be the flashiest foal in the herd, but I’ll be damned if she won't be the perfect little angel! That’s what I’ll do, I’ll teach her to be a proper little lady. I’ll show Finn that I am the best mother for his foals, far better than those other mares. Now that his father is out of the way, it should be a lot easier. So long as Damon doesn’t interfere, that is. Isabelle smiled as she stepped back from her daughter, watching as the foal attempted to stand. “She’s a perfect little angel. I think that’s what I’ll name her, or wait… how does Evangelina sound?” Isabelle asked as she looked at her sister finally.

    Jessabelle let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, smiling brightly at her sister, “That’s so cute! Little Eva, or would you rather Angel for short?” Izzy’s silence and almost angry expression had concerned Jessa. For a moment, she thought her sister might reject the foal, so when she began to clean and tend to her child she was absolutely relieved.

    “Hmm, either is fine I guess. Eva is easier to say, but for me she’ll be my little Angel. Won't you, Angel?” Isabelle replied. She nudged her foal, encouraging her to try to stand again after she fell. With a few more attempts, the filly was on her feet and with some guidance she was nursing. Isabelle discovered that she wasn’t the biggest fan of the nursing part, but she put up with it as it was necessary. She made a mental note that as soon as she safely could she’d wean the filly.

    “Are you sure you’re ready to introduce her to the herd? It’s okay if you want to stay away a couple more days to get mentally prepared.” Jessabelle asked, looking at her sister with a fair bit of concern. She felt like her sister was rushing the process, like she wasn’t giving enough time for her to bond with the foal. Though, she recognised that her feelings might be a bit biased as she herself ended up giving birth in the middle of the herd and never really had that alone time with her son.

    “You’re worrying too much, Jessa. My little Angel is following me just fine and she’s walking well. I already gave it a day, you did fine with less.” Isabelle snorted, rolling her eyes at her older sister’s fretting. At the unconvinced look Jessa gave her, Izzy added, “Besides, I’d feel safer having more horses around to watch out for trouble.”

    “Mhm, you sure it’s not because you just want to show her off?” Jessa teased. She wasn’t entirely joking though, as she knew her sister was a bit vain.

    “Wouldn’t you? Look at how sweet she looks? She’s a soft little angel!” Izzy grinned, looking at the foal walking along beside her.

    Jessa finally seemed to relax, smiling back, “That’s true. I’m excited for her to meet her big brother! It’s gonna be great having our foals grow up together, just like we did - but they are the same age so they’ll get to be together even longer!” The amber mare seemed happy to ramble on, her spirits lifting as talked. Time away from the herd had done her well, though she wished she could have gotten a bit more of a break. She could only hope that some of the tension in the herd had alleviated in their absence.

    Isabelle listened passively, enjoying her sister’s chatter. She had noticed that Jessa had been down lately, so it was nice to see her looking happy again. “Yeah, I’m sure they’ll be great friends. Though, Benji will have to be really careful when playing with her. He’s much bigger than her, I worry he might hurt my Angel.” Isabelle said honestly. “Those boys are always running around and playing so rough. Even Estraya kept Cinna away from them for a while.” She added afterward, her face scrunching up. She knew one thing for sure, her little angel wouldn’t be playing such games and getting all dirty and scratched up like the other foals.

    Jessa flinched a little at her sister’s words, feeling like it was a bit of a slight against her son. “Benji is a gentle boy, he doesn’t roughhouse as much as the other two do. But I do understand what you are saying, and I agree that Eva will have to wait a while before she can join the other foals in playing. They are so fragile at this age, but trust me Izzy they grow up fast!” She smiled encouragingly, hoping she could convince her sister to ease up a bit.

    A distant whinny rang out, the mares’ heads turning and their ears alert as they paused. Eva looked around confused, before looking up at her mother for answers as to why they had stopped. The mares were tense, worried to be caught out alone by a bachelor while they had a new foal. Thankfully, the familiar spotted form of Damon crested a distant hill, the stallion calling out to them again. Both mares echoed his call, turning his way and guiding the filly forward. They continued to talk as they walked, the stallion waiting at the top of the hill for them.

    “They must have moved the herd. How nice of him to wait and watch for our return.” Jessa remarked.

    “I’m glad, I think I might have panicked a bit if we went all that way and they weren’t there. What a good guy. I really hope the others pull their heads out of the as-butts and see that Damon is a great lead.” Isabelle said, catching herself before she swore in front of her foal. She didn’t want her daughter to pick up on her bad language, so she’d have to be mindful of what she was saying.

    The amber mare nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I hope so, too.” Jessa sighed, “It's been nearly a year, they gotta move on at some point. Estraya hasn’t said much, but I hope she makes a call soon. I think the others will listen if she says it.”

    “Maybe, I don’t know. There are some real die hard believers in the herd. They might riot if Damon tries to take over.” Isabelle pointed out, adding more quietly, “I also worry that Damon might kick Finn out.”

    “I don’t think he will. I think he looks at Finn like a little brother. He said he was there when Finn was born, so I think they have a pretty close relationship. Hell, he saved him, so surely he’d have no problem letting him stay on as lieutenant!” Jessa reassured her sister. She didn’t fully understand Izzy’s obsession with the other stallion, but she decided not to kick that hornet’s nest right then.

    “I hope you’re right…” Isabelle said softly.

    Soon, the mares and foal were climbing the hill toward the stallion. Isabelle was a bit tense, her instincts telling her to keep the stallion away from her foal. Damon was not her baby’s father, so there was no promise that he wouldn’t harm it. She placed herself firmly between him and Eva, nodding her head respectfully at him but watching him cautiously. There was always a chance that he came to meet them alone for a bad reason, but she tried to keep those worries at bay for the moment.

    “Welcome back, ladies. I see things went well, congratulations, Isabelle!” Damon greeted them warmly, reaching out a nose politely. The three greeted, though Isabelle kept Eva from him and the stallion respectfully didn’t push the issue. “I’m surprised you’re back so soon. I’m glad that I decided to watch out for you today. The mares told me you likely wouldn’t be back for a few more days but I figured I’d wait for you just in case.”

    “Thank you for waiting.” Jessa replied with a smile.

    “Yeah, thanks. Did the herd move?” Isabelle asked, looking beyond the stallion but not seeing the herd.

    “Yes, come, I’ll lead you.” He said firmly as he turned and started the trek back. As they moved, he explained what had happened. “A lone, pale coated stallion came around, smelling the mares. He was decent enough to move along when we asked him to. We weren’t gonna leave because of one stallion, but just to be safe I did some looking around. I’m sure glad that I did as I found some fresh wolf tracks near that metal tree with the fence around it. We quickly moved the herd to the far end of the plains and once y’all we’re back we were going to be leaving this area for good.”

     “That’s why I was so worried about you two - ah, three.” He chuckled as he corrected himself. He glanced at the filly, only catching glimpses of her as she was on the far side of her mother. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that Isabelle was cautious with him, and he had an inkling that it was more than just her being a nervous new mother. Does she really think I’d harm her foal just because it's Ajax’s? He pondered, sighing internally as he realized he still had a long way to go to prove that he was leader material.

    “Oh no! I’m so glad you caught that. We have so many foals, they’d be easy pickings for a pack of wolves!” Jessa said worriedly. She moved a bit closer, smiling at Damon. “Thanks again for waiting for us, I’m glad you didn’t end up waiting too long! I know you probably worry about the herd when you aren’t with it.”

    Damon smiled, noticing the mare’s actions and tone, “It was no problem, honestly! My number one priority is making sure everyone is safe. I trust that Finn, Estraya and Naomi could handle the herd, and they knew where I was if something happened.” If he didn’t know any better, he would think that Jessa was flirting with him. It wasn’t unwelcome, but he certainly didn’t expect it. Though, a glance at her sister’s now glaring face suggested that now was not the time to be returning any such flirtations.

     “Anyways, I’m sure everyone will be delighted to see you all back and to meet your foal. She’s quite the cute thing, isn’t she? Have you decided on a name?” He changed the subject, hoping to ease the tension.

     “Thank you, she’s a sweet thing, isn’t she? Already so well behaved, I’m so glad!” Isabelle said cheerfully, happy to no longer have to see her sister flirting. It was so weird! She also didn’t see what she liked in the stallion, he was so chunky looking. Finn was nice and lean, his sharper angles and baby blue eyes far more appealing. Each to their own, I guess, she thought. “I’ve named her Evangelina, since she’s such an angel.” Isabelle said proudly, holding her head high.

     “A wonderful name, I’m sure she’ll be a lucky catch for some stallion some day.” He said knowing that he was feeding the mare’s ego. Some mares were just so vain and self centered, but it made them easy to manipulate so it worked in his favor.

     Isabelle had been back with the herd for just a couple hours and already she was regretting coming back so soon. There was some fuss about a new mare and foal that had joined up with the herd, which put a bit of a damper on her daughter’s introduction as she wasn’t the only ‘new baby’. On top of that was the lack of respect for personal space around her and her foal, as well as the thick tension they belle sisters returned to. Isabelle wished she had listened to her sister and stayed away an extra couple of days. She was grateful for her sister, as she helped keep the other mares and foals at bay. All except for one, her son, Benji.

     Isabelle normally didn’t mind the colt much. Benji usually didn’t make too much of a pest of himself, but right now she just wasn’t comfortable with him so close to her newborn daughter. Eva’s sense of balance and control of her legs was still a work in progress, so if he even just bumped her she might topple over and get hurt. As the colt got more nosey and touchy with Eva, it caused the filly to let out little squeals as the two played a bit. It was this that triggered Isabelle to step in.

     Turning away from where she’d been talking with Jessa, the pale mare stomped towards the foals, lowering her head and flattening her ears. She snorted loudly to catch Benji’s attention, the colt looking at her in surprise before shrinking at her aggressive approach. He didn’t know why his aunt was angry with him, but when he felt her teeth meet his rump he didn’t ask any questions. The colt wheeled around and moved away quickly, ears back in fear as apologies spilled from his lips.

     Jessa watched this from where Isabelle had left her, shocked at her sister’s actions. She waited for Izzy to return, her daughter in tow, before she questioned her. “Izzy, why did you do that?” She tried not to sound accusing, as maybe her sister had seen something she hadn’t.

     Isabelle snorted, “I told you, I don’t trust the older foals around my little angel. He was starting to get rough, so I told him to leave.”

     Jessa’s eyes narrowed, “He wasn’t being rough, they were playing quite nicely!”

     “He was making her squeal! How is that not rough?” Izzy hissed.

     “She was just excited, those weren’t pained squeals, Izzy. Look, I know this is all new to you and it’s scary but -”

     “You’re just making excuses for your son!”

     “You’re being ridiculously overprotective!”

     The little filly shrunk down as her mother and aunt’s voices continued to rise, tears welling up in her eyes as the fight continued. She was scared, her mother was upset, and she didn’t understand what was happening. The young foal didn’t know all the words that the adults used, but she could tell that the close, happy family she thought she had was not as happy as it seemed.

Stallion: Ajax (#82)
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In response to: While Isabelle is busy having a baby, a curious stallion comes to investigate the herd. Damon sends him on his way and goes to check out a metal tree surrounded by a fence. Things get heated when the new mother returns and causes a scene (HM: 81 + E-Fences + E-Cell Tower)

Art features: Isabelle , Benji , Evangelina
Story features(8): Finn , Damon , Estraya , Naomi , Jessabelle , Isabelle , Benji , Cinna , Evangelina
Word Count: 2774

Aging: Evangelina 1/3

Items Used: Peanutwood + Maplewood
Companion Animals:
Caring – Theodore the Cat (Healthy Foals) N/A
Helping – Pudge the Cat (Extra Feathers)
Healing – Monster the Cat (Heals Injuries) NOT USING
Protecting – Sassy the Dog (Reduces Injuries) NOT USING
Nursing – Angel the Dove (Heals Sickness) NOT USING
Foaling – Jeremy the Stork (Bonus From Foaling) N/A

Members That Own Outside Horses: Durango (Canis-Infernalis , #81)

Rolls: Normal

Other notes:
PPJ:
Ajax: Estraya, Fancy, Isabelle, Jessabelle, Juniper, Cheyenne, Yuki, Trissa, Bianka (only Dyta, Meadow currently available)
Finn: Everyone
HERD CAPPED (No Mare Rolls)

Artist Notes:
Its been so long since I've drawn Izzy, I really love how she came out here. I'm actually really happy with the horses overall, I feel like I was able to capture the emotions fairly well. Izzy is a grumpy momma, no one will get near her little angel!

Sorry that I didn't do more with the herd mixup! I'm trying to push along my story to get to some bigger plot points and knocking out as many events as I can along the way. Meadow is a very dedicated mother with a young foal to care for already, so I didn't feel like she'd be having an affair with a passing stallion – especially with the current issues going on in the herd.

Refs: link
Art (c) DaSassy

Description

    “She’s beautiful, Izzy!” Jessabelle gasped as she stood nearby, gazing warmly upon the newborn.

    Isabelle painfully rolled up, her breath still coming out in huffs from labor. It was an awful experience that she told herself she would only repeat for the right reasons. She was grateful it was over and was eager to see her gorgeous child - a filly according to her sister. It might not be the child she wanted, but she was sure once Finn saw…

    Isabelle’s thoughts suddenly left her as she gazed upon her filly. The newborn was shaking its head, clearing the fluids from its airways as it adjusted to life outside the womb. She was pale, nearly as pale as Isabelle herself. Her daughter turned to look at her with wide green eyes, almost half her face covered in white with little dun stripes on her forehead. Even more stripes crossed the filly’s thin legs, others spread from the line down her back as they met her shoulder. There was no doubt that the foal was Ajax’s, but…

    Anger flashed in Isabelle, How is this possible?! How could I make such a… a… drab foal?! Where is the rest of her white? She doesn’t have my spotted rump nor the white patches! Jessa’s foal is super flashy! How can this one be so plain?! She tried hard not to show her emotions, but she had to take a moment to look away from her filly. Isabelle distracted herself with getting to her feet, something that was a lot harder to do than she expected. She was sore and so exhausted that her knees shook and nearly gave out. It was enough to take her mind off her angry thoughts and let her think more clearly.

    The new mother watched her child as they looked around, the newborn looking at the world around her with awe. Isabelle didn’t notice the small smile that formed on her lips, but she did feel the warmth that spread through her chest as she looked at her baby. There was something so serene and angelic about her filly, her soft colours only emphasising this look. Isabelle sighed softly and leaned down to finally touch her child, her anger finally ebbing. Instinct drove her to clean her foal, and she did so while rethinking her original plan.

    She might not be the flashiest foal in the herd, but I’ll be damned if she won't be the perfect little angel! That’s what I’ll do, I’ll teach her to be a proper little lady. I’ll show Finn that I am the best mother for his foals, far better than those other mares. Now that his father is out of the way, it should be a lot easier. So long as Damon doesn’t interfere, that is. Isabelle smiled as she stepped back from her daughter, watching as the foal attempted to stand. “She’s a perfect little angel. I think that’s what I’ll name her, or wait… how does Evangelina sound?” Isabelle asked as she looked at her sister finally.

    Jessabelle let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, smiling brightly at her sister, “That’s so cute! Little Eva, or would you rather Angel for short?” Izzy’s silence and almost angry expression had concerned Jessa. For a moment, she thought her sister might reject the foal, so when she began to clean and tend to her child she was absolutely relieved.

    “Hmm, either is fine I guess. Eva is easier to say, but for me she’ll be my little Angel. Won't you, Angel?” Isabelle replied. She nudged her foal, encouraging her to try to stand again after she fell. With a few more attempts, the filly was on her feet and with some guidance she was nursing. Isabelle discovered that she wasn’t the biggest fan of the nursing part, but she put up with it as it was necessary. She made a mental note that as soon as she safely could she’d wean the filly.

    “Are you sure you’re ready to introduce her to the herd? It’s okay if you want to stay away a couple more days to get mentally prepared.” Jessabelle asked, looking at her sister with a fair bit of concern. She felt like her sister was rushing the process, like she wasn’t giving enough time for her to bond with the foal. Though, she recognised that her feelings might be a bit biased as she herself ended up giving birth in the middle of the herd and never really had that alone time with her son.

    “You’re worrying too much, Jessa. My little Angel is following me just fine and she’s walking well. I already gave it a day, you did fine with less.” Isabelle snorted, rolling her eyes at her older sister’s fretting. At the unconvinced look Jessa gave her, Izzy added, “Besides, I’d feel safer having more horses around to watch out for trouble.”

    “Mhm, you sure it’s not because you just want to show her off?” Jessa teased. She wasn’t entirely joking though, as she knew her sister was a bit vain.

    “Wouldn’t you? Look at how sweet she looks? She’s a soft little angel!” Izzy grinned, looking at the foal walking along beside her.

    Jessa finally seemed to relax, smiling back, “That’s true. I’m excited for her to meet her big brother! It’s gonna be great having our foals grow up together, just like we did - but they are the same age so they’ll get to be together even longer!” The amber mare seemed happy to ramble on, her spirits lifting as talked. Time away from the herd had done her well, though she wished she could have gotten a bit more of a break. She could only hope that some of the tension in the herd had alleviated in their absence.

    Isabelle listened passively, enjoying her sister’s chatter. She had noticed that Jessa had been down lately, so it was nice to see her looking happy again. “Yeah, I’m sure they’ll be great friends. Though, Benji will have to be really careful when playing with her. He’s much bigger than her, I worry he might hurt my Angel.” Isabelle said honestly. “Those boys are always running around and playing so rough. Even Estraya kept Cinna away from them for a while.” She added afterward, her face scrunching up. She knew one thing for sure, her little angel wouldn’t be playing such games and getting all dirty and scratched up like the other foals.

    Jessa flinched a little at her sister’s words, feeling like it was a bit of a slight against her son. “Benji is a gentle boy, he doesn’t roughhouse as much as the other two do. But I do understand what you are saying, and I agree that Eva will have to wait a while before she can join the other foals in playing. They are so fragile at this age, but trust me Izzy they grow up fast!” She smiled encouragingly, hoping she could convince her sister to ease up a bit.

    A distant whinny rang out, the mares’ heads turning and their ears alert as they paused. Eva looked around confused, before looking up at her mother for answers as to why they had stopped. The mares were tense, worried to be caught out alone by a bachelor while they had a new foal. Thankfully, the familiar spotted form of Damon crested a distant hill, the stallion calling out to them again. Both mares echoed his call, turning his way and guiding the filly forward. They continued to talk as they walked, the stallion waiting at the top of the hill for them.

    “They must have moved the herd. How nice of him to wait and watch for our return.” Jessa remarked.

    “I’m glad, I think I might have panicked a bit if we went all that way and they weren’t there. What a good guy. I really hope the others pull their heads out of the as-butts and see that Damon is a great lead.” Isabelle said, catching herself before she swore in front of her foal. She didn’t want her daughter to pick up on her bad language, so she’d have to be mindful of what she was saying.

    The amber mare nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I hope so, too.” Jessa sighed, “It's been nearly a year, they gotta move on at some point. Estraya hasn’t said much, but I hope she makes a call soon. I think the others will listen if she says it.”

    “Maybe, I don’t know. There are some real die hard believers in the herd. They might riot if Damon tries to take over.” Isabelle pointed out, adding more quietly, “I also worry that Damon might kick Finn out.”

    “I don’t think he will. I think he looks at Finn like a little brother. He said he was there when Finn was born, so I think they have a pretty close relationship. Hell, he saved him, so surely he’d have no problem letting him stay on as lieutenant!” Jessa reassured her sister. She didn’t fully understand Izzy’s obsession with the other stallion, but she decided not to kick that hornet’s nest right then.

    “I hope you’re right…” Isabelle said softly.

    Soon, the mares and foal were climbing the hill toward the stallion. Isabelle was a bit tense, her instincts telling her to keep the stallion away from her foal. Damon was not her baby’s father, so there was no promise that he wouldn’t harm it. She placed herself firmly between him and Eva, nodding her head respectfully at him but watching him cautiously. There was always a chance that he came to meet them alone for a bad reason, but she tried to keep those worries at bay for the moment.

    “Welcome back, ladies. I see things went well, congratulations, Isabelle!” Damon greeted them warmly, reaching out a nose politely. The three greeted, though Isabelle kept Eva from him and the stallion respectfully didn’t push the issue. “I’m surprised you’re back so soon. I’m glad that I decided to watch out for you today. The mares told me you likely wouldn’t be back for a few more days but I figured I’d wait for you just in case.”

    “Thank you for waiting.” Jessa replied with a smile.

    “Yeah, thanks. Did the herd move?” Isabelle asked, looking beyond the stallion but not seeing the herd.

    “Yes, come, I’ll lead you.” He said firmly as he turned and started the trek back. As they moved, he explained what had happened. “A lone, pale coated stallion came around, smelling the mares. He was decent enough to move along when we asked him to. We weren’t gonna leave because of one stallion, but just to be safe I did some looking around. I’m sure glad that I did as I found some fresh wolf tracks near that metal tree with the fence around it. We quickly moved the herd to the far end of the plains and once y’all we’re back we were going to be leaving this area for good.”

     “That’s why I was so worried about you two - ah, three.” He chuckled as he corrected himself. He glanced at the filly, only catching glimpses of her as she was on the far side of her mother. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that Isabelle was cautious with him, and he had an inkling that it was more than just her being a nervous new mother. Does she really think I’d harm her foal just because it's Ajax’s? He pondered, sighing internally as he realized he still had a long way to go to prove that he was leader material.

    “Oh no! I’m so glad you caught that. We have so many foals, they’d be easy pickings for a pack of wolves!” Jessa said worriedly. She moved a bit closer, smiling at Damon. “Thanks again for waiting for us, I’m glad you didn’t end up waiting too long! I know you probably worry about the herd when you aren’t with it.”

    Damon smiled, noticing the mare’s actions and tone, “It was no problem, honestly! My number one priority is making sure everyone is safe. I trust that Finn, Estraya and Naomi could handle the herd, and they knew where I was if something happened.” If he didn’t know any better, he would think that Jessa was flirting with him. It wasn’t unwelcome, but he certainly didn’t expect it. Though, a glance at her sister’s now glaring face suggested that now was not the time to be returning any such flirtations.

     “Anyways, I’m sure everyone will be delighted to see you all back and to meet your foal. She’s quite the cute thing, isn’t she? Have you decided on a name?” He changed the subject, hoping to ease the tension.

     “Thank you, she’s a sweet thing, isn’t she? Already so well behaved, I’m so glad!” Isabelle said cheerfully, happy to no longer have to see her sister flirting. It was so weird! She also didn’t see what she liked in the stallion, he was so chunky looking. Finn was nice and lean, his sharper angles and baby blue eyes far more appealing. Each to their own, I guess, she thought. “I’ve named her Evangelina, since she’s such an angel.” Isabelle said proudly, holding her head high.

     “A wonderful name, I’m sure she’ll be a lucky catch for some stallion some day.” He said knowing that he was feeding the mare’s ego. Some mares were just so vain and self centered, but it made them easy to manipulate so it worked in his favor.

     Isabelle had been back with the herd for just a couple hours and already she was regretting coming back so soon. There was some fuss about a new mare and foal that had joined up with the herd, which put a bit of a damper on her daughter’s introduction as she wasn’t the only ‘new baby’. On top of that was the lack of respect for personal space around her and her foal, as well as the thick tension they belle sisters returned to. Isabelle wished she had listened to her sister and stayed away an extra couple of days. She was grateful for her sister, as she helped keep the other mares and foals at bay. All except for one, her son, Benji.

     Isabelle normally didn’t mind the colt much. Benji usually didn’t make too much of a pest of himself, but right now she just wasn’t comfortable with him so close to her newborn daughter. Eva’s sense of balance and control of her legs was still a work in progress, so if he even just bumped her she might topple over and get hurt. As the colt got more nosey and touchy with Eva, it caused the filly to let out little squeals as the two played a bit. It was this that triggered Isabelle to step in.

     Turning away from where she’d been talking with Jessa, the pale mare stomped towards the foals, lowering her head and flattening her ears. She snorted loudly to catch Benji’s attention, the colt looking at her in surprise before shrinking at her aggressive approach. He didn’t know why his aunt was angry with him, but when he felt her teeth meet his rump he didn’t ask any questions. The colt wheeled around and moved away quickly, ears back in fear as apologies spilled from his lips.

     Jessa watched this from where Isabelle had left her, shocked at her sister’s actions. She waited for Izzy to return, her daughter in tow, before she questioned her. “Izzy, why did you do that?” She tried not to sound accusing, as maybe her sister had seen something she hadn’t.

     Isabelle snorted, “I told you, I don’t trust the older foals around my little angel. He was starting to get rough, so I told him to leave.”

     Jessa’s eyes narrowed, “He wasn’t being rough, they were playing quite nicely!”

     “He was making her squeal! How is that not rough?” Izzy hissed.

     “She was just excited, those weren’t pained squeals, Izzy. Look, I know this is all new to you and it’s scary but -”

     “You’re just making excuses for your son!”

     “You’re being ridiculously overprotective!”

     The little filly shrunk down as her mother and aunt’s voices continued to rise, tears welling up in her eyes as the fight continued. She was scared, her mother was upset, and she didn’t understand what was happening. The young foal didn’t know all the words that the adults used, but she could tell that the close, happy family she thought she had was not as happy as it seemed.

Stallion: Ajax (#82)
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In response to: While Isabelle is busy having a baby, a curious stallion comes to investigate the herd. Damon sends him on his way and goes to check out a metal tree surrounded by a fence. Things get heated when the new mother returns and causes a scene (HM: 81 + E-Fences + E-Cell Tower)

Art features: Isabelle , Benji , Evangelina
Story features(8): Finn , Damon , Estraya , Naomi , Jessabelle , Isabelle , Benji , Cinna , Evangelina
Word Count: 2774

Aging: Evangelina 1/3

Items Used: Peanutwood + Maplewood
Companion Animals:
Caring – Theodore the Cat (Healthy Foals) N/A
Helping – Pudge the Cat (Extra Feathers)
Healing – Monster the Cat (Heals Injuries) NOT USING
Protecting – Sassy the Dog (Reduces Injuries) NOT USING
Nursing – Angel the Dove (Heals Sickness) NOT USING
Foaling – Jeremy the Stork (Bonus From Foaling) N/A

Members That Own Outside Horses: Durango (Canis-Infernalis , #81)

Rolls: Normal

Other notes:
PPJ:
Ajax: Estraya, Fancy, Isabelle, Jessabelle, Juniper, Cheyenne, Yuki, Trissa, Bianka (only Dyta, Meadow currently available)
Finn: Everyone
HERD CAPPED (No Mare Rolls)

Artist Notes:
Its been so long since I've drawn Izzy, I really love how she came out here. I'm actually really happy with the horses overall, I feel like I was able to capture the emotions fairly well. Izzy is a grumpy momma, no one will get near her little angel!

Sorry that I didn't do more with the herd mixup! I'm trying to push along my story to get to some bigger plot points and knocking out as many events as I can along the way. Meadow is a very dedicated mother with a young foal to care for already, so I didn't feel like she'd be having an affair with a passing stallion – especially with the current issues going on in the herd.

Refs: link
Art (c) DaSassy