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Description

Warning: Mentions of Birthing

    Dark eyes surveyed the naked forest beyond the snow heavy boughs of the pines, watching, waiting, hoping for some sign of movement. The silver haired stallion stood at the edge of the sheltering grove, ears on a pivot as he strained to hear over the howling winds of the snowstorm. Bentley’s concern for their missing members grew with every passing minute, and he regretted letting the two heavily pregnant mares go looking for Fletcher on their own. Trying to argue with either Camilla or Ziva alone was pointless even on a good day.

    The brush of a warm body on his side finally made Bentley turn away from his vigil, a smile forming on his face as his mate leaned into him. “How is your leg, dear?” He asked, concerned after the tumble she’d taken earlier.

    Chloe flexing her back right leg experimentally, flinching at the action. “Achy, especially in this cold. I’m going to rest for a while and see how it feels later.” She explained, sighing and creating a visible puff of air that was quickly blown away. She watched it for a second, before turning back to her partner, asking “I noticed that Ziva and Cam aren’t around. Where did they go? I know they made it to the grove.”

    Bentley heaved a sigh, explaining what he’d been told by Munira, “Ziva wanted to go find Fletcher as he was lagging behind, Camilla tried to convince her not to but you know what your sister is like. So they both went.”

    The paint mare’s ears flicked back at the mention of their so-called lead stallion, hissing agitatedly, “Bah, they should have just left him. Some time out in the cold will do some good for that hot head of his.”

    “Be that as it may, we still need him to protect us, my dear. Especially with so many that, like you, will be foaling in the spring.” Bentley reminded her quietly, reaching over the shorter mare’s back to nuzzle her swollen side. A smile crept onto his face as he felt their foal kick at the touch, drawing a chuckle from him.

    This seemed to cool some of the fire in the mare, soothed by her love’s actions and the reminder of the precious cargo she was carrying. She understood why her mother loved being a mother, there was just something so aweing about growing a life inside you that is the combination of yourself and the one you love. Though it hadn’t gone the way she’d wanted it to, she was getting the family she wanted to have with Bentley. “Yeah, I guess you are right. I think I’m just worried about them, especially Ziva. You know she doesn’t always think straight when it comes to Fletcher.” Chloe explained with a sigh, cuddling into the large, dark dun stallion.

    Bentley was about to reassure her more when he heard voices approaching. He turned to look, drawing Chloe’s attention in the process, and they could just barely see the mares returning through the heavy snow.

    “I can’t believe him, how can he run off after some mare in this foul weather?!” Camilla snarled, the mare looking livid. Her light coat blended in with the snow, in fact the only reason they saw her was because she was walking in front of Ziva’s red body.

    “I think we scared her, he’s probably trying to catch up to her and let her know she’s okay.” Ziva argued back, but it sounded somewhat weak even to their ears.

    “Ah, yes, because chasing after someone you’ve scared is definitely going to make them trust you.” Was the creamy mare’s snarky reply. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be back before long to lick his pride after she rejects him. Or he’ll freeze. Either way it's win-win.” Camilla commented, sounding like she was in one of her moods again. The older mare had been having a rough time with her pregnancy and it had been making her crankier than usual.

    “Wait, what’s going on?” Chloe stepped forward, only to stumble a bit as she forgot about her sore leg. Bentley was quick to support her, which she greatly appreciated.

    “Fletcher and I ran into a mare out there, but she ran before we could say anything. He decided to follow after her and told me to go back to the herd.” Ziva explained, her normally fierce eyes looking rather troubled. “I’m worried about him, the sun was on its way down when the storm hit so it's gonna be night before we know it. What if he’s lost out there all night? What if he accidentally walks out into the pond, or into a predator? What if-”

    “Ziva! Stop it! You’ll worry yourself sick thinking like that.” Chloe gently chided her sister as she limped up to her. “Fletcher is an adult, he can handle himself out there.” His name left a bad taste in her mouth, and it was hard to find the right thing to say that wouldn’t sound too forced. She wanted to reassure her sister, but she wasn’t one to lie.

    “She’s right. Fletcher is also familiar with this area, so he shouldn’t have too much trouble finding shelter if he can’t make it back before dark.” Bentley chimed in with, making more good points.

    Ziva seemed to listen to what they had to say, and slowly the tension seemed to ease in her body. After another moment, she finally relented, “Yeah, I guess you guys are right. Fletcher is tough and smart, he’ll be fine out there. He wouldn’t just rush out there without thinking it through!” The mare had cheered up significantly, letting the others breathe a sigh of relief.

    Camilla just rolled her eyes and threw her head up in defeat, shaking the snow off her back in the process. She moved past the three young horses, looking like she was going to go join the others that were hiding in the dense stand of trees, when she paused. “Since Fletcher is… preoccupied, it looks like you’re on guard duty again. Sorry, Ben.” The lead mare gave him a half-hearted smile. With that, she headed off to get some rest.

    “Yes ma’am” Bentley replied, even as she disappeared among the throng of horses in the trees.



  “How is everyone? Feeling warmer?” Bentley asked as he poked his head under the boughs of one of the bigger pines. A trio of heads turned to him as the foals realized they had company.

    “Yes! So much better than out there!” Quincy announced loudly.

    “Ouch, Quincy! You just yelled in my ear!” Zinnia squawked, scrunching her face up and rubbing her ear on her leg.

    “Hush you two, both of you need to settle down.” Munira chided as she walked under the tree to join them, something that was a bit tricky with her pregnant belly. She looked a little awkward as she had to shove the branches out of the way enough to fully get underneath, but eventually she squeezed through. “Save your energy, we don’t know when this storm will blow over and it may get worse before then.” She explained, looking at each of the foals.

    “But I didn’t even say anything…” Myron whined softly.

    “That’s true, I was mostly talking to Quincy and Zinnia since they were yelling.” The paint mare explained softly, ruffling up the colt’s forelock affectionately. He snorted softly, but enjoyed the attention.

    “Sorry that I got them all excited, I just heard voices and wanted to see who was hiding under here” Bentley said, looking a bit sheepish for having caused problems. Munira put a lot of time into looking after the herd’s foals, trying to teach them to be respectful and to follow the rules.

    “No it's not your fault, they are just getting bored having to stay in one place so early. Normally they are still out running and playing and tiring themselves out at this time of day, but obviously the weather had other ideas.” If she was bothered about it, she didn’t say anything. “Anyways, I know you’re busy, so we’ll let you get back to your rounds.” She smiled at him sweetly as she settled into a more comfortable position on the ground. “I’ll try to keep these rascals out of your hair” Munira said with a chuckle, which turned into a laugh at the protest from the foals over being called rascals.

    Bentley left them with a quick goodbye, moving on to check on anyone else he hadn’t seen yet. He found Gypsy, Rollin and Maisie resting not far away under a similarly large pine, seeing that the foals were sleeping he only nodded to the mare and moved along. She smiled at him, returning his nod before she yawned. Clearly the foals weren’t the only sleepy ones.

    That meant there was one mare left to find, and as usual she was the hardest. Despite her dark red coat, Ambrosia had a tendency to linger on the fringes of the herd. She’d been with them longer than he had, yet she always seemed so distant. He knew she and Fletcher had met in a strange way, but knew little else about the mare. She had this stoicness to her, and she always seemed composed and regal, yet also sad. Whatever her history may be, it was none of his business. Right now, he just needed to assure she was safe and well.

    It took a while, and he had to ask around some, but finally he spotted the extremely pregnant mare as she rested against a tree. As he got closer, he realized she had been sleeping, but her eyes opened at his approach. He felt sorry for her, she looked utterly uncomfortable with how swollen her sides were. Bentley was grateful that Chloe was not dealing with that level of pregnancy, and he hoped she never would. Shaking his thoughts away, Bentley moved to greet the mare, “Hello, Ambrosia. Sorry if I woke you, I wanted to check on you as it was quite a harrowing day. How are you doing?”

    The dark red mare turned her head to look at him, giving him a proper but tired smile, “Hello Bentley, I am doing fine, just tired from the running. I’ll be fine after some rest.” Ambrosia hadn’t bothered to stand up straighter as she usually would when addressing someone, instead she stayed leaned against the tree, telling of just how tired she was.

    “Good, good. Well… if you need anything, let me know. I’ll be going on a bit of a patrol soon now that everyone is accounted for.” He said, a bit awkward and not sure how to end the conversation.

    The mare perked up at this, “Oh? Has Fletcher returned then?”

    “Ah, no, sorry if I misspoke. The rest of the herd is here, Fletcher is still missing.” Bentley quickly walked back his words. “I wouldn’t worry too much about him, though, he’ll be back before we know it.” He said, trying to reassure her.

    “I am not worried, just curious. Thank you for checking on me and keeping me informed. I doubt I’ll need to call of you, but if I do you’ll hear from me.” She dipped her head at him, sending him off.

    Bentley looked a bit sheepish, but nodded and took his leave. He did one last pass through the herd, checking in on Chloe to find that she was laying with Munira and the yearlings, before he left the sheltering pines to patrol. He shuddered at the wind as it bit into his coat, chilling him and blowing snow into his eyes. Bentley forced himself forward, squinting against the wind as he tried to keep a lookout.

    There really wasn’t much to look at, as most animals had found their own shelter from the weather. Aside from a rabbit who was sharing the pine grove with them, it was just the horses. There had been a herd of deer, but Fletcher had made it a point to drive them off, claiming they were stealing ‘their’ food. Bentley felt bad for the deer, they’d always been polite and given the horses plenty of space and certainly didn’t try to push them off grazing areas. Bentley shook himself off, scattering the snow that was gathering on him, sighing as he thought, It is what it is, I guess.

    Just then a flash of movement caught his eye and he jerked his head up, snorting harshly. His eyes and ears flicked around, trying to locate the source. From out of the blizzard a dark figure began to appear, setting the horse on edge. As it grew closer though, the figure became more recognizable and Bentley soon realized it was one of the deer. It stopped, staring at him like it was waiting for the horse to do something.

    Bentley nodded to it, acknowledging it, but to his surprise it turned and began to move off. He thought that maybe it assumed he was going to chase it off, but the deer seemed to pause and look at him again. It repeated the actions, and Bentley clued in that it seemed to be wanting him to follow. Bentley looked back at the barely visible pines, wondering if it was alright for him to leave them, but finally shook those thoughts away. He wouldn’t be gone long, nor would he go far. He would just see what the deer wanted and return to the herd.

    Not far from the pine grove, a unique mare with a patchwork coat found herself in a desperate situation. Another wave of pain rippled through her body, threatening to send her to her knees. She muffled a cry, not wanting to draw a predator to her in this predicament. As the pain waned, the mare gasped for breath as she tried to calm herself but her anxiety was only rising more. Please, no, it's too soon! It won't make it if it's born now! Not in this storm! A scared whinny ripped out of her as her own thoughts made her panic more.

    How had things gone so wrong? Wasn’t her life supposed to be better outside the dark forest? That’s what the small stallion had promised her when he convinced her to leave with him. Then she’d met the father of her child, falling for his charm and good looks. It was her first taste of love, not just the twisted, forced kind that the Bloody Bachelor had pushed on his mares. Alas, it wasn’t to last as, in the end, the stallion chose his bachelor friends over her. She tried to return to her herd with a broken heart, but the stallion that had promised her the world no longer wanted her. She didn’t understand why and he wouldn’t explain it either. Was it bad that she was carrying the other stallion’s child instead of his? Apparently, she had a lot to learn about life, but now she had to do it alone.

    As the contractions hit again, the mare looked around desperately for some shelter. Through the snow, she thought she spotted a thicket. The evergreen bushes had been pushed down by the heavy snow, but it still offered some protection. It would have to do, as she wouldn’t be able to find anything better in her condition. She just had to make it over there now. During the pains, she couldn’t move, so she had to wait until it was over. It was agony, but slowly she made it to the thicket. The contractions were coming faster now, and she knew she would have to push soon. She relented, dropping to the ground with a groan and listening to what her body and instincts were screaming at her to do.

    Where in the world is it leading me? I don’t want to go much further from the herd but it clearly wants me to follow. Bentley thought to himself as he trotted after the barely visible form of the deer, glancing back on occasion to assure the stallion was still following it. He was still trying to figure out what it might need him for, and how he could be of help to it. Given how Fletcher had treated the deer, there was a slight worry that this might be retaliation - yet Bentley just knew it wasn’t.

    A blast of wind hit him, momentarily blinding him. He shook his head free of the snow, but when he looked back up the figure he’d been following for so long was gone. He stood there for a moment in case they came back, but it soon became clear that they weren’t coming back. Snorting, now slightly irritated, Bentley went to where he had last seen them to look for tracks. There wasn’t any, though whether that was because of the blowing snow filling them in or them not existing in the first place was unclear.

    Just as the stallion was beginning to question his sanity, he heard a sound that sent a different kind of chill through him. A shrill, pained whinny was carried on the wind, but not from the direction of the herd. Someone else was out here, in trouble it seemed, but where? How could he find them through this blizzard? He started moving in the direction the sound had come from, both hoping and not hoping to hear the cry again.

    Another cry, this time closer, had Bentley picking up the pace. He tried to see through the dense snowfall, looking for any sign or place to go. Instead, it was his nose that led him there. Blood. Fresh blood. The smell seemed to be concentrated around a dense cluster of bushes and trees. Bentley swallowed hard, trying to mentally prepare himself for what lay beyond them. With his nerves steeled, the stallion cautiously approached, ready to leap away if he saw a predator.

    What he was not expecting, not ready for, was the sight of a mare clearly in the middle of labor. She must have heard him gasp, because her head snapped up and she regarded him with bright, fearful eyes. Just as she looked to be trying to struggle to her hooves, Bentley snapped out of his shock and quickly took some steps back. “I’m so sorry ma’am! I didn't mean to disrupt you, please do not fear, I mean no harm.” The words flew out of his mouth quickly.

    The mare seemed to pause at this, still appearing frightened, but no longer trying to rise. She gasped again, rolling onto her side as the contractions hit again. Seeing this, Bentley moved away more, putting the bushes between them to give her some amount of privacy while he figured out what to do.

    He’d always been told to leave birthing mares alone, as unless you are invited your presence would stress them. Yet, this was clearly not a normal situation. To be giving birth this far out of season meant she either conceived in the wrong season or the foal was coming early. Given the panic he felt from the mare, he feared it was the latter. Please, please let it be alright. He sent the silent wish to the heavens, hoping fate would be favourably to the mother and her newborn. The stallion stood with his back to them, trying to tune out the mare’s pained noises and focus instead on watching for predators that might be attracted.

    After what felt like ages, Bentley heard the mare make a relieved noise and thought he could hear little nickers. He chanced a peek and saw the mare looking at her newborn, the tiny, wet foal looking around at the frozen world with big blue eyes. As he went to look away, his eyes met the mares. He gave her a little nod, and she returned it, her bright green eyes still nervous but not fearful like earlier. Looking away as he saw her getting up, Bentley gave the mare and her newborn as much privacy as he could.

    The mare worked quickly to clean the newborn as the afterbirth began to freeze to the cold ground. The poor little foal was quivering as it struggled to get any purchase on the icy ground beneath it. It’s hard enough for a foal to take its first steps, but this one was forced to work even harder. Bentley glanced away from where he’d been peeking at the scene as movement ahead of him drew his attention. He stood a bit taller, ready to face whatever it was if it tried to harm the mother and child.

    Instead, he found himself looking at his own mate. He’d realized it from her smell and slight limp, even before she was fully visible through the blizzard. Before he can say anything, she speaks up.

    “Bentley, what are you doing? You said you were on patrol but you never came back. Instead I find you standing out here?” Chloe questioned sharply, looking both irritated and concerned.

    “Shush, my dear. I’ll expl-” He started, but she cut him off.

    “Don’t shush me! I was worried about -” Chloe snapped, but stopped when she saw an unfamiliar face pop up from behind the bushes. The two mares stared at each other in surprise, both curious and cautious. Chloe had never seen a mare that looked like her, half of her face a dark gold, the other dark grey.

    “He… watched over me while I gave birth.” The odd mare said, looking away as she felt the other mare’s eyes on her.

    Chloe blinked, looking at Bentley for confirmation before she peeked over the bushes. Her expression softened as she looked at the tiny, cold foal, the poor thing struggling to stand and shivering intensely. Chloe looked back to the mare, asking sweetly, “Would you like some help warming them up? I’m sure you must be exhausted.”

    The mare looked up at her in surprise, clearly not expecting the offer of help. She glanced down at her foal, before looking back to the young mare and nodding, “I would.”

    Bentley smiled as he watched his mate help clean and warm the foal, even assisting the tiny being in getting up so it could nurse. It was clear that the foal was premature, as it really struggled to stand and figure out how to nurse. Worry for the foal filled his chest and he knew that it would need the safety of the herd if it was to survive. Yet, he feared what would happen if he did convince her to come back. Would Fletcher harm the weak foal, would he force himself on the mother, would he reject them both and leave them to fend for themselves in this terrible season?

    “You should come with us to our herd, I know at least one of our mares has experience with early foals and others are experienced mothers - unlike me.” Chloe offered the mare, though at the unsure look the mare made she added, “you don’t have to, of course, but you and your baby are welcome.”

    “I… I appreciate it, I’m just worried…” The mare said softly, cuddling her filly close to her. “Things just seem to go wrong around me, and many don’t accept me for my… appearance.” She admitted sadly.

    “Then they are blind fools.” Chloe said with a snort. “I apologize if I stared earlier, I was absolutely taken with your unique looks. I certainly wouldn’t call you ugly, in fact you are very much the opposite.” The young mare flushed a bit, embarrassed by her own words.

    The other mare too looked a bit bashful afterwards, but it did seem to sway her, “Well, so long as you two are there… I… I think I can trust you both.”

    “We will be, though you should know that I am not the lead stallion. Fletcher is our lead, so in the end it will be his decision whether you stay.” Bentley interjected, saying what he knew needed to be mentioned.

    The mare went quiet as she seemed to think about something for a moment, nodding in acceptance as she said, “I think that will be okay… if he chooses not to let me stay then I won't blame him.”

    “It’s settled then - Oh, I just realized I never asked your name!” Chloe said suddenly as the realization hit her.

    “Ah… well I… everyone calls me Frankie.” Frankie looked a bit conflicted, though it wasn’t clear to them why. She looked down at her newborn as the filly huddled close, still shivering. “I think I will call my daughter Cinderella. Perhaps Cinder for short, as it may be a bit of a mouthful at her age.” Frankie said, giving her baby another nuzzle.

    “It's nice to properly meet you, I’m Chloe, and this is my partner, Bentley.” Chloe greeted, smiling again.

    “It's starting to get dark, we need to get back to the grove now while we still have light. Do you think Cinder can travel yet?” Bentley asked with worry.

    “So long as we take it slow. It isn’t far from here, right?” Frankie looked nervously at the sky, then back at the pair.

    “It’s not too far, and I am recovering from a leg injury so I can promise that we won't go fast.” Chloe assured.

    “Alright then, come on, Cinder. Follow mommy, dear.” Frankie said as she started to walk forward, encouraging the wobbly foal to follow. It took a moment, but she seemed to get the idea and soon the little group was off.

Stallion: Fletcher (#82-2)
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In response to: A rabbit takes refuge with the herd while Bentley braves the winter winds to follow a strange deer. (Easter Bunny, E-Rudolph, Windy Day)

Art features(3): Frankenstein , Cinderella , Bentley ,
Story features(14): Camilla , Ambrosia , Munira , Chloe , Ziva , Bentley , Zinnia , Quincy , Myron , Gyspy , Rollin , Maisie , Frankenstein , Cinderella
Word Count: 4273

Aging: Cinderella 1/3
Healing: Chloe 1/2

Items Used: Peanutwood
Companion Animals:
Caring – Vader the Western Fence Lizard
Helping – Josie the Marten
Protecting – Aluna the Ocelot

Rolls: Normal

Other notes:
PPJ: Camilla, Tansy, Iris, Chloe, Munira, Gypsy, Frankie, Delilah, Artemis, Bridgette, Mihr, Ceres, Saoirse (None Available)

Artist Notes:
Had the sketch sitting around for almost 6 months now, finally finished it and threw a background on it. Not happy with the background but at least Frankie and her baby are cute. I enjoyed drawing Frankie more than I expected, I was worried I wouldn't care for her markings but I found a way to make her otherside look that captured the 'patchwork' look I wanted.

This story went way longer than I anticipated and I actually cut it off. I'll be posting the rest of it later after season change over.

Refs: Link
Art (c) DaSassy

Description

Warning: Mentions of Birthing

    Dark eyes surveyed the naked forest beyond the snow heavy boughs of the pines, watching, waiting, hoping for some sign of movement. The silver haired stallion stood at the edge of the sheltering grove, ears on a pivot as he strained to hear over the howling winds of the snowstorm. Bentley’s concern for their missing members grew with every passing minute, and he regretted letting the two heavily pregnant mares go looking for Fletcher on their own. Trying to argue with either Camilla or Ziva alone was pointless even on a good day.

    The brush of a warm body on his side finally made Bentley turn away from his vigil, a smile forming on his face as his mate leaned into him. “How is your leg, dear?” He asked, concerned after the tumble she’d taken earlier.

    Chloe flexing her back right leg experimentally, flinching at the action. “Achy, especially in this cold. I’m going to rest for a while and see how it feels later.” She explained, sighing and creating a visible puff of air that was quickly blown away. She watched it for a second, before turning back to her partner, asking “I noticed that Ziva and Cam aren’t around. Where did they go? I know they made it to the grove.”

    Bentley heaved a sigh, explaining what he’d been told by Munira, “Ziva wanted to go find Fletcher as he was lagging behind, Camilla tried to convince her not to but you know what your sister is like. So they both went.”

    The paint mare’s ears flicked back at the mention of their so-called lead stallion, hissing agitatedly, “Bah, they should have just left him. Some time out in the cold will do some good for that hot head of his.”

    “Be that as it may, we still need him to protect us, my dear. Especially with so many that, like you, will be foaling in the spring.” Bentley reminded her quietly, reaching over the shorter mare’s back to nuzzle her swollen side. A smile crept onto his face as he felt their foal kick at the touch, drawing a chuckle from him.

    This seemed to cool some of the fire in the mare, soothed by her love’s actions and the reminder of the precious cargo she was carrying. She understood why her mother loved being a mother, there was just something so aweing about growing a life inside you that is the combination of yourself and the one you love. Though it hadn’t gone the way she’d wanted it to, she was getting the family she wanted to have with Bentley. “Yeah, I guess you are right. I think I’m just worried about them, especially Ziva. You know she doesn’t always think straight when it comes to Fletcher.” Chloe explained with a sigh, cuddling into the large, dark dun stallion.

    Bentley was about to reassure her more when he heard voices approaching. He turned to look, drawing Chloe’s attention in the process, and they could just barely see the mares returning through the heavy snow.

    “I can’t believe him, how can he run off after some mare in this foul weather?!” Camilla snarled, the mare looking livid. Her light coat blended in with the snow, in fact the only reason they saw her was because she was walking in front of Ziva’s red body.

    “I think we scared her, he’s probably trying to catch up to her and let her know she’s okay.” Ziva argued back, but it sounded somewhat weak even to their ears.

    “Ah, yes, because chasing after someone you’ve scared is definitely going to make them trust you.” Was the creamy mare’s snarky reply. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be back before long to lick his pride after she rejects him. Or he’ll freeze. Either way it's win-win.” Camilla commented, sounding like she was in one of her moods again. The older mare had been having a rough time with her pregnancy and it had been making her crankier than usual.

    “Wait, what’s going on?” Chloe stepped forward, only to stumble a bit as she forgot about her sore leg. Bentley was quick to support her, which she greatly appreciated.

    “Fletcher and I ran into a mare out there, but she ran before we could say anything. He decided to follow after her and told me to go back to the herd.” Ziva explained, her normally fierce eyes looking rather troubled. “I’m worried about him, the sun was on its way down when the storm hit so it's gonna be night before we know it. What if he’s lost out there all night? What if he accidentally walks out into the pond, or into a predator? What if-”

    “Ziva! Stop it! You’ll worry yourself sick thinking like that.” Chloe gently chided her sister as she limped up to her. “Fletcher is an adult, he can handle himself out there.” His name left a bad taste in her mouth, and it was hard to find the right thing to say that wouldn’t sound too forced. She wanted to reassure her sister, but she wasn’t one to lie.

    “She’s right. Fletcher is also familiar with this area, so he shouldn’t have too much trouble finding shelter if he can’t make it back before dark.” Bentley chimed in with, making more good points.

    Ziva seemed to listen to what they had to say, and slowly the tension seemed to ease in her body. After another moment, she finally relented, “Yeah, I guess you guys are right. Fletcher is tough and smart, he’ll be fine out there. He wouldn’t just rush out there without thinking it through!” The mare had cheered up significantly, letting the others breathe a sigh of relief.

    Camilla just rolled her eyes and threw her head up in defeat, shaking the snow off her back in the process. She moved past the three young horses, looking like she was going to go join the others that were hiding in the dense stand of trees, when she paused. “Since Fletcher is… preoccupied, it looks like you’re on guard duty again. Sorry, Ben.” The lead mare gave him a half-hearted smile. With that, she headed off to get some rest.

    “Yes ma’am” Bentley replied, even as she disappeared among the throng of horses in the trees.



  “How is everyone? Feeling warmer?” Bentley asked as he poked his head under the boughs of one of the bigger pines. A trio of heads turned to him as the foals realized they had company.

    “Yes! So much better than out there!” Quincy announced loudly.

    “Ouch, Quincy! You just yelled in my ear!” Zinnia squawked, scrunching her face up and rubbing her ear on her leg.

    “Hush you two, both of you need to settle down.” Munira chided as she walked under the tree to join them, something that was a bit tricky with her pregnant belly. She looked a little awkward as she had to shove the branches out of the way enough to fully get underneath, but eventually she squeezed through. “Save your energy, we don’t know when this storm will blow over and it may get worse before then.” She explained, looking at each of the foals.

    “But I didn’t even say anything…” Myron whined softly.

    “That’s true, I was mostly talking to Quincy and Zinnia since they were yelling.” The paint mare explained softly, ruffling up the colt’s forelock affectionately. He snorted softly, but enjoyed the attention.

    “Sorry that I got them all excited, I just heard voices and wanted to see who was hiding under here” Bentley said, looking a bit sheepish for having caused problems. Munira put a lot of time into looking after the herd’s foals, trying to teach them to be respectful and to follow the rules.

    “No it's not your fault, they are just getting bored having to stay in one place so early. Normally they are still out running and playing and tiring themselves out at this time of day, but obviously the weather had other ideas.” If she was bothered about it, she didn’t say anything. “Anyways, I know you’re busy, so we’ll let you get back to your rounds.” She smiled at him sweetly as she settled into a more comfortable position on the ground. “I’ll try to keep these rascals out of your hair” Munira said with a chuckle, which turned into a laugh at the protest from the foals over being called rascals.

    Bentley left them with a quick goodbye, moving on to check on anyone else he hadn’t seen yet. He found Gypsy, Rollin and Maisie resting not far away under a similarly large pine, seeing that the foals were sleeping he only nodded to the mare and moved along. She smiled at him, returning his nod before she yawned. Clearly the foals weren’t the only sleepy ones.

    That meant there was one mare left to find, and as usual she was the hardest. Despite her dark red coat, Ambrosia had a tendency to linger on the fringes of the herd. She’d been with them longer than he had, yet she always seemed so distant. He knew she and Fletcher had met in a strange way, but knew little else about the mare. She had this stoicness to her, and she always seemed composed and regal, yet also sad. Whatever her history may be, it was none of his business. Right now, he just needed to assure she was safe and well.

    It took a while, and he had to ask around some, but finally he spotted the extremely pregnant mare as she rested against a tree. As he got closer, he realized she had been sleeping, but her eyes opened at his approach. He felt sorry for her, she looked utterly uncomfortable with how swollen her sides were. Bentley was grateful that Chloe was not dealing with that level of pregnancy, and he hoped she never would. Shaking his thoughts away, Bentley moved to greet the mare, “Hello, Ambrosia. Sorry if I woke you, I wanted to check on you as it was quite a harrowing day. How are you doing?”

    The dark red mare turned her head to look at him, giving him a proper but tired smile, “Hello Bentley, I am doing fine, just tired from the running. I’ll be fine after some rest.” Ambrosia hadn’t bothered to stand up straighter as she usually would when addressing someone, instead she stayed leaned against the tree, telling of just how tired she was.

    “Good, good. Well… if you need anything, let me know. I’ll be going on a bit of a patrol soon now that everyone is accounted for.” He said, a bit awkward and not sure how to end the conversation.

    The mare perked up at this, “Oh? Has Fletcher returned then?”

    “Ah, no, sorry if I misspoke. The rest of the herd is here, Fletcher is still missing.” Bentley quickly walked back his words. “I wouldn’t worry too much about him, though, he’ll be back before we know it.” He said, trying to reassure her.

    “I am not worried, just curious. Thank you for checking on me and keeping me informed. I doubt I’ll need to call of you, but if I do you’ll hear from me.” She dipped her head at him, sending him off.

    Bentley looked a bit sheepish, but nodded and took his leave. He did one last pass through the herd, checking in on Chloe to find that she was laying with Munira and the yearlings, before he left the sheltering pines to patrol. He shuddered at the wind as it bit into his coat, chilling him and blowing snow into his eyes. Bentley forced himself forward, squinting against the wind as he tried to keep a lookout.

    There really wasn’t much to look at, as most animals had found their own shelter from the weather. Aside from a rabbit who was sharing the pine grove with them, it was just the horses. There had been a herd of deer, but Fletcher had made it a point to drive them off, claiming they were stealing ‘their’ food. Bentley felt bad for the deer, they’d always been polite and given the horses plenty of space and certainly didn’t try to push them off grazing areas. Bentley shook himself off, scattering the snow that was gathering on him, sighing as he thought, It is what it is, I guess.

    Just then a flash of movement caught his eye and he jerked his head up, snorting harshly. His eyes and ears flicked around, trying to locate the source. From out of the blizzard a dark figure began to appear, setting the horse on edge. As it grew closer though, the figure became more recognizable and Bentley soon realized it was one of the deer. It stopped, staring at him like it was waiting for the horse to do something.

    Bentley nodded to it, acknowledging it, but to his surprise it turned and began to move off. He thought that maybe it assumed he was going to chase it off, but the deer seemed to pause and look at him again. It repeated the actions, and Bentley clued in that it seemed to be wanting him to follow. Bentley looked back at the barely visible pines, wondering if it was alright for him to leave them, but finally shook those thoughts away. He wouldn’t be gone long, nor would he go far. He would just see what the deer wanted and return to the herd.

    Not far from the pine grove, a unique mare with a patchwork coat found herself in a desperate situation. Another wave of pain rippled through her body, threatening to send her to her knees. She muffled a cry, not wanting to draw a predator to her in this predicament. As the pain waned, the mare gasped for breath as she tried to calm herself but her anxiety was only rising more. Please, no, it's too soon! It won't make it if it's born now! Not in this storm! A scared whinny ripped out of her as her own thoughts made her panic more.

    How had things gone so wrong? Wasn’t her life supposed to be better outside the dark forest? That’s what the small stallion had promised her when he convinced her to leave with him. Then she’d met the father of her child, falling for his charm and good looks. It was her first taste of love, not just the twisted, forced kind that the Bloody Bachelor had pushed on his mares. Alas, it wasn’t to last as, in the end, the stallion chose his bachelor friends over her. She tried to return to her herd with a broken heart, but the stallion that had promised her the world no longer wanted her. She didn’t understand why and he wouldn’t explain it either. Was it bad that she was carrying the other stallion’s child instead of his? Apparently, she had a lot to learn about life, but now she had to do it alone.

    As the contractions hit again, the mare looked around desperately for some shelter. Through the snow, she thought she spotted a thicket. The evergreen bushes had been pushed down by the heavy snow, but it still offered some protection. It would have to do, as she wouldn’t be able to find anything better in her condition. She just had to make it over there now. During the pains, she couldn’t move, so she had to wait until it was over. It was agony, but slowly she made it to the thicket. The contractions were coming faster now, and she knew she would have to push soon. She relented, dropping to the ground with a groan and listening to what her body and instincts were screaming at her to do.

    Where in the world is it leading me? I don’t want to go much further from the herd but it clearly wants me to follow. Bentley thought to himself as he trotted after the barely visible form of the deer, glancing back on occasion to assure the stallion was still following it. He was still trying to figure out what it might need him for, and how he could be of help to it. Given how Fletcher had treated the deer, there was a slight worry that this might be retaliation - yet Bentley just knew it wasn’t.

    A blast of wind hit him, momentarily blinding him. He shook his head free of the snow, but when he looked back up the figure he’d been following for so long was gone. He stood there for a moment in case they came back, but it soon became clear that they weren’t coming back. Snorting, now slightly irritated, Bentley went to where he had last seen them to look for tracks. There wasn’t any, though whether that was because of the blowing snow filling them in or them not existing in the first place was unclear.

    Just as the stallion was beginning to question his sanity, he heard a sound that sent a different kind of chill through him. A shrill, pained whinny was carried on the wind, but not from the direction of the herd. Someone else was out here, in trouble it seemed, but where? How could he find them through this blizzard? He started moving in the direction the sound had come from, both hoping and not hoping to hear the cry again.

    Another cry, this time closer, had Bentley picking up the pace. He tried to see through the dense snowfall, looking for any sign or place to go. Instead, it was his nose that led him there. Blood. Fresh blood. The smell seemed to be concentrated around a dense cluster of bushes and trees. Bentley swallowed hard, trying to mentally prepare himself for what lay beyond them. With his nerves steeled, the stallion cautiously approached, ready to leap away if he saw a predator.

    What he was not expecting, not ready for, was the sight of a mare clearly in the middle of labor. She must have heard him gasp, because her head snapped up and she regarded him with bright, fearful eyes. Just as she looked to be trying to struggle to her hooves, Bentley snapped out of his shock and quickly took some steps back. “I’m so sorry ma’am! I didn't mean to disrupt you, please do not fear, I mean no harm.” The words flew out of his mouth quickly.

    The mare seemed to pause at this, still appearing frightened, but no longer trying to rise. She gasped again, rolling onto her side as the contractions hit again. Seeing this, Bentley moved away more, putting the bushes between them to give her some amount of privacy while he figured out what to do.

    He’d always been told to leave birthing mares alone, as unless you are invited your presence would stress them. Yet, this was clearly not a normal situation. To be giving birth this far out of season meant she either conceived in the wrong season or the foal was coming early. Given the panic he felt from the mare, he feared it was the latter. Please, please let it be alright. He sent the silent wish to the heavens, hoping fate would be favourably to the mother and her newborn. The stallion stood with his back to them, trying to tune out the mare’s pained noises and focus instead on watching for predators that might be attracted.

    After what felt like ages, Bentley heard the mare make a relieved noise and thought he could hear little nickers. He chanced a peek and saw the mare looking at her newborn, the tiny, wet foal looking around at the frozen world with big blue eyes. As he went to look away, his eyes met the mares. He gave her a little nod, and she returned it, her bright green eyes still nervous but not fearful like earlier. Looking away as he saw her getting up, Bentley gave the mare and her newborn as much privacy as he could.

    The mare worked quickly to clean the newborn as the afterbirth began to freeze to the cold ground. The poor little foal was quivering as it struggled to get any purchase on the icy ground beneath it. It’s hard enough for a foal to take its first steps, but this one was forced to work even harder. Bentley glanced away from where he’d been peeking at the scene as movement ahead of him drew his attention. He stood a bit taller, ready to face whatever it was if it tried to harm the mother and child.

    Instead, he found himself looking at his own mate. He’d realized it from her smell and slight limp, even before she was fully visible through the blizzard. Before he can say anything, she speaks up.

    “Bentley, what are you doing? You said you were on patrol but you never came back. Instead I find you standing out here?” Chloe questioned sharply, looking both irritated and concerned.

    “Shush, my dear. I’ll expl-” He started, but she cut him off.

    “Don’t shush me! I was worried about -” Chloe snapped, but stopped when she saw an unfamiliar face pop up from behind the bushes. The two mares stared at each other in surprise, both curious and cautious. Chloe had never seen a mare that looked like her, half of her face a dark gold, the other dark grey.

    “He… watched over me while I gave birth.” The odd mare said, looking away as she felt the other mare’s eyes on her.

    Chloe blinked, looking at Bentley for confirmation before she peeked over the bushes. Her expression softened as she looked at the tiny, cold foal, the poor thing struggling to stand and shivering intensely. Chloe looked back to the mare, asking sweetly, “Would you like some help warming them up? I’m sure you must be exhausted.”

    The mare looked up at her in surprise, clearly not expecting the offer of help. She glanced down at her foal, before looking back to the young mare and nodding, “I would.”

    Bentley smiled as he watched his mate help clean and warm the foal, even assisting the tiny being in getting up so it could nurse. It was clear that the foal was premature, as it really struggled to stand and figure out how to nurse. Worry for the foal filled his chest and he knew that it would need the safety of the herd if it was to survive. Yet, he feared what would happen if he did convince her to come back. Would Fletcher harm the weak foal, would he force himself on the mother, would he reject them both and leave them to fend for themselves in this terrible season?

    “You should come with us to our herd, I know at least one of our mares has experience with early foals and others are experienced mothers - unlike me.” Chloe offered the mare, though at the unsure look the mare made she added, “you don’t have to, of course, but you and your baby are welcome.”

    “I… I appreciate it, I’m just worried…” The mare said softly, cuddling her filly close to her. “Things just seem to go wrong around me, and many don’t accept me for my… appearance.” She admitted sadly.

    “Then they are blind fools.” Chloe said with a snort. “I apologize if I stared earlier, I was absolutely taken with your unique looks. I certainly wouldn’t call you ugly, in fact you are very much the opposite.” The young mare flushed a bit, embarrassed by her own words.

    The other mare too looked a bit bashful afterwards, but it did seem to sway her, “Well, so long as you two are there… I… I think I can trust you both.”

    “We will be, though you should know that I am not the lead stallion. Fletcher is our lead, so in the end it will be his decision whether you stay.” Bentley interjected, saying what he knew needed to be mentioned.

    The mare went quiet as she seemed to think about something for a moment, nodding in acceptance as she said, “I think that will be okay… if he chooses not to let me stay then I won't blame him.”

    “It’s settled then - Oh, I just realized I never asked your name!” Chloe said suddenly as the realization hit her.

    “Ah… well I… everyone calls me Frankie.” Frankie looked a bit conflicted, though it wasn’t clear to them why. She looked down at her newborn as the filly huddled close, still shivering. “I think I will call my daughter Cinderella. Perhaps Cinder for short, as it may be a bit of a mouthful at her age.” Frankie said, giving her baby another nuzzle.

    “It's nice to properly meet you, I’m Chloe, and this is my partner, Bentley.” Chloe greeted, smiling again.

    “It's starting to get dark, we need to get back to the grove now while we still have light. Do you think Cinder can travel yet?” Bentley asked with worry.

    “So long as we take it slow. It isn’t far from here, right?” Frankie looked nervously at the sky, then back at the pair.

    “It’s not too far, and I am recovering from a leg injury so I can promise that we won't go fast.” Chloe assured.

    “Alright then, come on, Cinder. Follow mommy, dear.” Frankie said as she started to walk forward, encouraging the wobbly foal to follow. It took a moment, but she seemed to get the idea and soon the little group was off.

Stallion: Fletcher (#82-2)
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In response to: A rabbit takes refuge with the herd while Bentley braves the winter winds to follow a strange deer. (Easter Bunny, E-Rudolph, Windy Day)

Art features(3): Frankenstein , Cinderella , Bentley ,
Story features(14): Camilla , Ambrosia , Munira , Chloe , Ziva , Bentley , Zinnia , Quincy , Myron , Gyspy , Rollin , Maisie , Frankenstein , Cinderella
Word Count: 4273

Aging: Cinderella 1/3
Healing: Chloe 1/2

Items Used: Peanutwood
Companion Animals:
Caring – Vader the Western Fence Lizard
Helping – Josie the Marten
Protecting – Aluna the Ocelot

Rolls: Normal

Other notes:
PPJ: Camilla, Tansy, Iris, Chloe, Munira, Gypsy, Frankie, Delilah, Artemis, Bridgette, Mihr, Ceres, Saoirse (None Available)

Artist Notes:
Had the sketch sitting around for almost 6 months now, finally finished it and threw a background on it. Not happy with the background but at least Frankie and her baby are cute. I enjoyed drawing Frankie more than I expected, I was worried I wouldn't care for her markings but I found a way to make her otherside look that captured the 'patchwork' look I wanted.

This story went way longer than I anticipated and I actually cut it off. I'll be posting the rest of it later after season change over.

Refs: Link
Art (c) DaSassy