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Description

  As the valley began to cook under the glare of the summer sun, Delilah dutifully led the little herd from one water source to another, all while feeling the early signs of the new life growing inside her. Despite her earlier reservations, she felt a warmth whenever she thought about the little foal that would be arriving next year. It meant a new sibling for Daffodil, and another chance to be a mother - which she was discovering that she really enjoyed. Although, her current condition did add to her stress.

  It was an especially difficult time for Himalaya, who was grieving the loss of her adoptive mother and little sister. Delilah was comforting her and trying to be a supportive mother for her, as well as her own daughter, but it wasn’t easy. Cordelia had started teasing Himi for crying so much - at least until Delilah put a stop to it. Daffodil was also struggling to adjust to the new foals and having to share her mother, but slowly things were getting better for all of the foals.

    Thankfully, Glacier proved to be a capable mare herself. She was a little awkward around the foals at times, admitting that she’d never been a mother herself and hadn’t really thought much on having foals, yet. Still, Glacier did her best to entertain the foals and give Delilah a break from them. Something she especially enjoyed was teaching them about new things. The foals were always asking her questions, and the mare never let them down. Even Delilah herself learned a lot from the mare.

  “How do you know so much about…well about everything?” Delilah inquired, glancing at the grazing mare. The little herd had settled along a creek, the foals playing in the shallow water while the mares grazed along lush banks.

  Glacier flicked her gaze over to the other mare, raising a brow at her. Finishing her mouthful of grass, she lifted her head up to respond, “I don’t know that much, honestly. There are still infinite amounts of things I don’t understand or simply haven’t encountered in my life.”

  Delilah gave her a funny look, “Yeah… but you are what, two years older than me? Sure, I probably grew up a little sheltered, but you know so much about so many different things! Like, I never knew that rabbit dens were called warrens, and that baby rabbits were kits!”

  The grey mare hummed thoughtfully for a moment, remembering talking about the rabbits they had seen with foals earlier that day, “I guess that’s it then.”

  “What is?” Delilah questioned, confused by her reply.

  “Our upbringings were quite different, at least I suspect they were.” She explained, glancing at the foals as they squealed playfully. It looked like they had found some trash left by the two-leggeds, the object looking like a smaller version of the creatures. She suspected it was some kind of plaything, and doubted it would be any harm to the foals so she made no effort to stop them. Soon enough, the floppy material tore into two pieces as the foals fought over it. A small argument started between the foals, but it was forgotten in favour of investigating more two-legged junk.

  The pale mare grew a little frustrated by Glacier’s apparent distraction, wanting to know what she meant by her comment. Was she insulting her? It almost felt like a slight but she couldn’t tell and didn’t want to jump to conclusions. “What do you mean by that?” Her attempt to keep the bite out of her words failed, but the other mare didn’t seem phased.

  “I was the daughter of an older mare, in a herd of more elderly horses. I didn’t have other foals my age, in fact I was the first foal born in the herd in a few years. Something I suspect was partly the two-leggeds’ doing, as they regularly visited our herd and hit our members with the stinging thorns. After that happened, the mares would not go into their regular heats.” Glacier explained, starting to walk towards the water for a drink, waiting for Delilah to follow before she continued, “being the only foal, I didn’t really play much, so instead I talked and more so I listened. My herd passed all their knowledge onto me, and I devoured it hungrily. I wanted to know as much as I could before I was old enough to walk my own path.”

  Delilah listened on, intrigued by the story. Glacier was right, their lives had been very different. “Wow, I couldn’t imagine what that was like. My herd was full of foals, but we had never really been bothered by the two-leggeds... Until they rounded all of us up. Aside from myself.” She swallowed hard, pushing down the painful emotions that were associated with that time. It was still too raw of a wound, especially given recent events. “I guess that explains why you’re so smart. I wish my herd had taught us more, when I was alone, there was so much I had to figure out. Especially as a first time mother.” Delilah finally finished after calming herself down first.

  “Honestly, I admire you for that.” Glacier said casually, before bending down for a drink.

  Surprised by the compliment, Delilah stared at the other mare for a moment before saying something, “You do? Why?”

  Before Glacier could respond, a distressed whinny rang out. All of their heads shot up, ears perked and eyes alert. They whinnied again, the higher pitch cry of a foal echoing through the forest as well. Whoever it was wasn’t far away, deeper into the forest on the other side of the creek. By now, the foals had left the water and gathered next to the mares, looking equal parts worried and curious.

  Then, they heard it. The barking growls of wolves, followed by more whinnies from the other horses. A wolf pack was on the hunt.

  “We need to get out of here.” Delilah said quickly, already turning to usher the foals away. She paused a few steps after as she realized that Glacier wasn’t following. In fact, the grey mare was already crossing the creek, heading in the direction of the cacophony. “What are you doing?! You aren’t seriously going -”

  “They need help. It's okay if you don’t want to come, you have foals to protect, but I know I can help them.” Was all the mare said, before continuing. Time was of the essence and she didn’t want to stand around explaining to her reasonings.

  Delilah stared at Glacier’s disappearing form, stunned that the mare would risk her life like that for strangers. Movement next to her finally snapped her out of it, just in time to see Cordelia and Poinsettia crossing the stream to follow Glacier. “Stop! It's too dangerous!” She shouted as she raced after them.

  “We want to help too!” Poinsettia squealed as the mare got in front of her.

  “It's too dangerous, wolves eat foals like you. I won't all- Cordelia! Stop!” Delilah growled as the other filly slipped around her. As she chased after her, she saw Poinsettia running along. Looking behind, she saw Daffodil and Himalaya rushing to follow. Realizing it was a futile effort to stop them she just got ahead of them and called them to her. Once it was clear she wasn’t preventing them from going, the foals willingly followed, sticking close to her as the sounds of the wolves grew louder.

  Crashing in the undergrowth ahead of them made them slow, and soon the noise was followed by the yelp of a wolf and the angry squeal of a mare. They caught a flash of Glacier’s silvery coat as she chased off the canine, spurring them to follow her. She whirled around at the sound of their approach, only to relax when she saw them. “This way” She said, quickly leading them to a thicket. Even from a distance, they could smell the blood.

  An injured, dark coloured, paint mare stood in the opening of the thicket, facing off against one wolf while eying another that was looking like it was trying to find a way around her. They could just make out the form of a small foal collapsed behind her, clearly the target of the hunting wolves. Without wasting another moment, the small group sprung into action.

Rushing at the wolves, the two adults went on the attack, while the older foals stayed close together, squealing and kicking and generally trying to look as intimidating as they could. The pack scattered, caught off guard by the new horses. They tried to regroup, but the newcomers kept up the attack, and eventually the wolves decided to cut their losses. As the canines ran off, the mares and foals gathered up near the thicket to check on the strangers.

  “Are you okay, Ma’am?” Daffodil asked sweetly.

  The dark mare seemed to be taking in the scene, keeping her head turned as though she was watching her back. She seemed wary, albeit relieved that the threat was gone, at least for now. The wolves could return later, in fact they likely would once night fell. “Yes, thank you.” The mare’s voice was rough and pained sounding, and she had to clear her throat afterwards.

  “Are you sick?” Poinsettia asked curiously.

  “Dears, don’t pepper her with questions, she’s been through enough today.” Glacier lightly chided as she approached. She dipped her head politely to the mare, speaking gently, “Sorry about them, they are just concerned. How is your foal?”

  The mare didn’t move from where she was standing, and still watched them with one eye, “She’s okay, they didn’t get her.” Slowly, the mare seemed to be starting to relax in their presence. Surveying the group, she seemed confused before asking quietly, “Do you have a stallion?”

  “No, I lead this herd. My name is Delilah.” The pale mare said as she came closer, taking a good look at the mare’s condition. Not only was she pretty roughed up from the wolves, she smelled slightly sickly. Her sides were still quite swollen, judging by the size of the foal she likely only gave birth recently. “I see you foaled recently, are you still recovering? We can help get you some herbs if you need it or just help protect you so you can return to your herd.” Delilah offered with a smile.

“I don’t have a herd,” She replied shortly, looking away as she added quietly, “not anymore.” It was obviously something she didn’t want to talk about.

Delilah smiled softly, “You could join us if you’d like.”

  “Why?” The mare asked sharply, looking at her suspiciously.

  Delilah blinked, glancing at Glacier for help as she wasn’t expecting this reaction. The grey mare stepped in, explaining calmly, “We know how hard it is to raise a foal alone, and there is strength in numbers; Especially given your current condition.”

The mare stared her down, but Glacier didn’t flinch. Heaving a sigh, the mare turned her head more and finally revealed her other eye - along with a set of scars across it. One of the foals gasped at the sight of the mare’s milky eye. While she had a couple scars on her body, they were nothing compared to the one on her face. Even Delilah had to shift her gaze, realizing she was staring. Seeing this, the mare tensed up again, saying sharply, “Are you sure? You can’t even stand to look at me right now. Why should I trust you strangers?”

  “I am looking at you.” Glacier retorted, then asked, “What is your name?”

  The mare seemed a bit surprised, but calmed enough to say, “Bruni. You?”

“Glacier. It’s good to meet you.” She dipped her head politely. “Now that we aren’t strangers, do you feel a little more comfortable?”

It was clear that Bruni wasn’t sure how to respond to Glacier’s tactical responses. Looking back at her foal that was still on the ground, then back at the horses before her, she decided to make a judgment call. “For now.” With that, she turned her back to them and nudged her foal, encouraging them to stand.

Delilah watched curiously, wondering if she had underestimated just how young the foal was. It was hard, she could barely see them in the thick brush. Perhaps the foal was weakened by her mother’s sickly condition? The lead mare began to worry if it was a good idea to invite the sick mare into the herd, what if it was contagious?

The foal nickered as this mother nudged it, taking a few more tries to get it to stand. It seemed very unsteady on its feet, leaning against its mother for support. As Bruni moved around to better support her foal, it was suddenly very clear as to why the foal had trouble standing.

  Delilah gasped before she could stop herself, “Her leg…”

  Even Glacier sounded shocked, “I’ve only heard stories of such foals.”

  “If you are just going to judge myself and my foal, you can leave.” Bruni said gruffly, giving both mares the stink eye.

“I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to be so impolite, we were just surprised.” Glacier quickly apologized. “I understand now why you’ve been having a difficult time. I’m sure it must be hard to care for both yourself and your foal while you’ve been ill. I’d like to help, if you are okay with that.” She said sympathetically.

While Glacier spoke, Delilah struggled to wrap her mind around the situation. Was it wise to take in this mare and her foal? Sure, she felt bad for them, but they would be a magnet for predators. That much was already proven by today. It was only a matter of time before the filly got picked off or fell behind if the herd had to run. It was a risk that she wasn’t sure she wanted to take. Looking at Glacier, Delilah could already see that she was planning everything out in order to help the pair.

It was then that Delilah realized that she had to make a judgment call. Did she turn her back on the pair and likely damage her relationship with Glacier? Would Glacier even stay with her? They had only known each other a few weeks, it wouldn’t be that far fetched that she might decide to stay with Bruni and her foal. Delilah wasn’t sure if she could make it all alone again with two foals to care for. Besides, there was something about the quiet, scarred mare that told her she was not to be underestimated. Only time would tell if she was making the right choice.

“What’s your daughter’s name?” Delilah asked with a small smile.

  Bruni eyed her, then spoke, “Elsa.”

  “Well, Bruni, Elsa, we’d like you to join us. I’m sorry if we got off on the wrong hoof, but we really do want to help you both.” Delilah insisted, smiling a little brighter. She was nothing if not charming, even when she wasn’t being fully truthful.

Bruni looked at her for a long moment, before finally relaxing, saying sheepishly, “I guess I should thank you, all of you, for chasing off the wolves. Sorry for being so… defensive.”

  “No need to apologize, you have good reason to be suspicious of others.” The creamy mare replied, stepping closer to reach out and properly greet the new mare. They exchanged scents, Delilah relaxing some. She didn’t smell sickly, if she had to guess she probably was just recovering poorly from her recent foaling. Despite missing a limb, Elsa was a sizable foal and her mother was not all that big.

  “I’ll go grab some herbs, Cordelia, Poinsettia, you stay with Delilah. I mean it this time. The wolves could still be around, so I don’t want you two wandering around.” Glacier told the foals firmly, before turning and trotting off. The foals didn’t protest, this time at least. They seemed more interested in the new filly, who was nervously tucking herself against her mother.

“Momma, what happened to her leg?” Daffodil whispered, looking at her mother for an explanation.

  “She was born like that. It happens sometimes. She’s just a little different, kinda like the way you are different from Himi.” Delilah explained as she ushered the foals into the thicket, still nervous of the wolves.

  “Does she hop to get around? Like a rabbit?” Cordelia boldly asked Bruni.

Bruni looked a bit unsure how to answer the foal, slowly saying, “Um… not really. She just walks a little different from you and I. It would be the same as if you hurt your leg.”

The sooty filly scrunched her face up in though, before lifting one of her front legs and trying to walk like that for a few steps. She almost fell, looking at Elsa again. “Wow, that’s hard to do! You must get tired from walking like that” Cordelia said.

  “Cordelia… be nice.” Delilah warned, still annoyed with the filly after how she teased Himi.

  “I’m not being mean…” She mumbled, clacking a bit when Delilah snorted at her.

  “It’s okay. She’s just curious.” Bruni interjected. “Yes, Elsa does get tired easier. She’ll get stronger as she gets older.” She looked at her shy daughter, wondering if she should encourage her to socialize, but ultimately deciding that the filly had been through enough today.

  Soon enough, Glacier returned with a large mouthful of herbs, passing them over to Bruni. “These should help with the fever and pain. I would also go get yourself a drink, I’m sure you are dying of thirst. Elsa will be safe with us for a few minutes.” She encouraged the mare.

Bruni looked nervous as she chewed on the plants, glancing at the small filly who had laid down again, then at the grey mare. She trusted her more than the pale mare, but it was still a big ask. Then again, she was correct, she was horribly thirsty, the wolves having attacked shortly after she left the thicket to head to the creek. As she finished the mouthful of herbs, she made her decision, “Alright. I’ll be right back.” Passing by Delilah, she gave the mare a serious look, saying, “If anything happens to her, as the lead mare, I will hold you responsible.”

    Delilah swallowed hard, nodding curtly. There was something in the mare’s look that told her she would do more than place the blame on her. Doubts once again crept up, but Delilah knew it was too late to go back on her word now. She would just have to adapt and move past her personal biases. After all, trust was a two way street, and only time would tell if it was a path they’d be able to walk together.

Stallion Name + ID: Myers (#82-3)

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In response to: The foals play with some human trash, but the herd gets startled by the sound of another horse in distress as they are chased by wolves. Glacier decides to help, and eventually the whole herd goes to defend a strange mare and her unique foal. (E-Doll + E-Sled + Loud Sound + E-Wolf Pack)

Art features(2): Bruni, Elsa
Story features(8): Delilah, Daffodil, Himalaya, Glacier, Cordelia, Poinsettia, Bruni, Elsa
Word Count: 3134

Aging: Elsa 1/3
Healing: Bruni i1/2 & i2/2 + s1/1, Delilah i2/2
Pregnancy: Delilah 3/3

Items Used: P.Wood + M.Wood

Rolls: Normal

Other notes:
PPJ:
Runik: Delilah, Magpie, Artemis, Breeze, Bruni, Temperance, Lyta, Glacier, Leif, Tigris (Available Mares: Lotus, Coral, Eleanor, Orchid, Zuzel)
Myers: Everyone

Artist Notes:
This is another piece that was sitting mostly done for a long time. I'd drawn and coloured the horses probably 6+ months ago but wasn't ready for them in my story AND had no idea how to bring them in. Finally found a way that worked with my story, so I'm excited to finally have these two joining the crew!

Refs: Link
Art/Writing (c) DaSassy

Description

  As the valley began to cook under the glare of the summer sun, Delilah dutifully led the little herd from one water source to another, all while feeling the early signs of the new life growing inside her. Despite her earlier reservations, she felt a warmth whenever she thought about the little foal that would be arriving next year. It meant a new sibling for Daffodil, and another chance to be a mother - which she was discovering that she really enjoyed. Although, her current condition did add to her stress.

  It was an especially difficult time for Himalaya, who was grieving the loss of her adoptive mother and little sister. Delilah was comforting her and trying to be a supportive mother for her, as well as her own daughter, but it wasn’t easy. Cordelia had started teasing Himi for crying so much - at least until Delilah put a stop to it. Daffodil was also struggling to adjust to the new foals and having to share her mother, but slowly things were getting better for all of the foals.

    Thankfully, Glacier proved to be a capable mare herself. She was a little awkward around the foals at times, admitting that she’d never been a mother herself and hadn’t really thought much on having foals, yet. Still, Glacier did her best to entertain the foals and give Delilah a break from them. Something she especially enjoyed was teaching them about new things. The foals were always asking her questions, and the mare never let them down. Even Delilah herself learned a lot from the mare.

  “How do you know so much about…well about everything?” Delilah inquired, glancing at the grazing mare. The little herd had settled along a creek, the foals playing in the shallow water while the mares grazed along lush banks.

  Glacier flicked her gaze over to the other mare, raising a brow at her. Finishing her mouthful of grass, she lifted her head up to respond, “I don’t know that much, honestly. There are still infinite amounts of things I don’t understand or simply haven’t encountered in my life.”

  Delilah gave her a funny look, “Yeah… but you are what, two years older than me? Sure, I probably grew up a little sheltered, but you know so much about so many different things! Like, I never knew that rabbit dens were called warrens, and that baby rabbits were kits!”

  The grey mare hummed thoughtfully for a moment, remembering talking about the rabbits they had seen with foals earlier that day, “I guess that’s it then.”

  “What is?” Delilah questioned, confused by her reply.

  “Our upbringings were quite different, at least I suspect they were.” She explained, glancing at the foals as they squealed playfully. It looked like they had found some trash left by the two-leggeds, the object looking like a smaller version of the creatures. She suspected it was some kind of plaything, and doubted it would be any harm to the foals so she made no effort to stop them. Soon enough, the floppy material tore into two pieces as the foals fought over it. A small argument started between the foals, but it was forgotten in favour of investigating more two-legged junk.

  The pale mare grew a little frustrated by Glacier’s apparent distraction, wanting to know what she meant by her comment. Was she insulting her? It almost felt like a slight but she couldn’t tell and didn’t want to jump to conclusions. “What do you mean by that?” Her attempt to keep the bite out of her words failed, but the other mare didn’t seem phased.

  “I was the daughter of an older mare, in a herd of more elderly horses. I didn’t have other foals my age, in fact I was the first foal born in the herd in a few years. Something I suspect was partly the two-leggeds’ doing, as they regularly visited our herd and hit our members with the stinging thorns. After that happened, the mares would not go into their regular heats.” Glacier explained, starting to walk towards the water for a drink, waiting for Delilah to follow before she continued, “being the only foal, I didn’t really play much, so instead I talked and more so I listened. My herd passed all their knowledge onto me, and I devoured it hungrily. I wanted to know as much as I could before I was old enough to walk my own path.”

  Delilah listened on, intrigued by the story. Glacier was right, their lives had been very different. “Wow, I couldn’t imagine what that was like. My herd was full of foals, but we had never really been bothered by the two-leggeds... Until they rounded all of us up. Aside from myself.” She swallowed hard, pushing down the painful emotions that were associated with that time. It was still too raw of a wound, especially given recent events. “I guess that explains why you’re so smart. I wish my herd had taught us more, when I was alone, there was so much I had to figure out. Especially as a first time mother.” Delilah finally finished after calming herself down first.

  “Honestly, I admire you for that.” Glacier said casually, before bending down for a drink.

  Surprised by the compliment, Delilah stared at the other mare for a moment before saying something, “You do? Why?”

  Before Glacier could respond, a distressed whinny rang out. All of their heads shot up, ears perked and eyes alert. They whinnied again, the higher pitch cry of a foal echoing through the forest as well. Whoever it was wasn’t far away, deeper into the forest on the other side of the creek. By now, the foals had left the water and gathered next to the mares, looking equal parts worried and curious.

  Then, they heard it. The barking growls of wolves, followed by more whinnies from the other horses. A wolf pack was on the hunt.

  “We need to get out of here.” Delilah said quickly, already turning to usher the foals away. She paused a few steps after as she realized that Glacier wasn’t following. In fact, the grey mare was already crossing the creek, heading in the direction of the cacophony. “What are you doing?! You aren’t seriously going -”

  “They need help. It's okay if you don’t want to come, you have foals to protect, but I know I can help them.” Was all the mare said, before continuing. Time was of the essence and she didn’t want to stand around explaining to her reasonings.

  Delilah stared at Glacier’s disappearing form, stunned that the mare would risk her life like that for strangers. Movement next to her finally snapped her out of it, just in time to see Cordelia and Poinsettia crossing the stream to follow Glacier. “Stop! It's too dangerous!” She shouted as she raced after them.

  “We want to help too!” Poinsettia squealed as the mare got in front of her.

  “It's too dangerous, wolves eat foals like you. I won't all- Cordelia! Stop!” Delilah growled as the other filly slipped around her. As she chased after her, she saw Poinsettia running along. Looking behind, she saw Daffodil and Himalaya rushing to follow. Realizing it was a futile effort to stop them she just got ahead of them and called them to her. Once it was clear she wasn’t preventing them from going, the foals willingly followed, sticking close to her as the sounds of the wolves grew louder.

  Crashing in the undergrowth ahead of them made them slow, and soon the noise was followed by the yelp of a wolf and the angry squeal of a mare. They caught a flash of Glacier’s silvery coat as she chased off the canine, spurring them to follow her. She whirled around at the sound of their approach, only to relax when she saw them. “This way” She said, quickly leading them to a thicket. Even from a distance, they could smell the blood.

  An injured, dark coloured, paint mare stood in the opening of the thicket, facing off against one wolf while eying another that was looking like it was trying to find a way around her. They could just make out the form of a small foal collapsed behind her, clearly the target of the hunting wolves. Without wasting another moment, the small group sprung into action.

Rushing at the wolves, the two adults went on the attack, while the older foals stayed close together, squealing and kicking and generally trying to look as intimidating as they could. The pack scattered, caught off guard by the new horses. They tried to regroup, but the newcomers kept up the attack, and eventually the wolves decided to cut their losses. As the canines ran off, the mares and foals gathered up near the thicket to check on the strangers.

  “Are you okay, Ma’am?” Daffodil asked sweetly.

  The dark mare seemed to be taking in the scene, keeping her head turned as though she was watching her back. She seemed wary, albeit relieved that the threat was gone, at least for now. The wolves could return later, in fact they likely would once night fell. “Yes, thank you.” The mare’s voice was rough and pained sounding, and she had to clear her throat afterwards.

  “Are you sick?” Poinsettia asked curiously.

  “Dears, don’t pepper her with questions, she’s been through enough today.” Glacier lightly chided as she approached. She dipped her head politely to the mare, speaking gently, “Sorry about them, they are just concerned. How is your foal?”

  The mare didn’t move from where she was standing, and still watched them with one eye, “She’s okay, they didn’t get her.” Slowly, the mare seemed to be starting to relax in their presence. Surveying the group, she seemed confused before asking quietly, “Do you have a stallion?”

  “No, I lead this herd. My name is Delilah.” The pale mare said as she came closer, taking a good look at the mare’s condition. Not only was she pretty roughed up from the wolves, she smelled slightly sickly. Her sides were still quite swollen, judging by the size of the foal she likely only gave birth recently. “I see you foaled recently, are you still recovering? We can help get you some herbs if you need it or just help protect you so you can return to your herd.” Delilah offered with a smile.

“I don’t have a herd,” She replied shortly, looking away as she added quietly, “not anymore.” It was obviously something she didn’t want to talk about.

Delilah smiled softly, “You could join us if you’d like.”

  “Why?” The mare asked sharply, looking at her suspiciously.

  Delilah blinked, glancing at Glacier for help as she wasn’t expecting this reaction. The grey mare stepped in, explaining calmly, “We know how hard it is to raise a foal alone, and there is strength in numbers; Especially given your current condition.”

The mare stared her down, but Glacier didn’t flinch. Heaving a sigh, the mare turned her head more and finally revealed her other eye - along with a set of scars across it. One of the foals gasped at the sight of the mare’s milky eye. While she had a couple scars on her body, they were nothing compared to the one on her face. Even Delilah had to shift her gaze, realizing she was staring. Seeing this, the mare tensed up again, saying sharply, “Are you sure? You can’t even stand to look at me right now. Why should I trust you strangers?”

  “I am looking at you.” Glacier retorted, then asked, “What is your name?”

  The mare seemed a bit surprised, but calmed enough to say, “Bruni. You?”

“Glacier. It’s good to meet you.” She dipped her head politely. “Now that we aren’t strangers, do you feel a little more comfortable?”

It was clear that Bruni wasn’t sure how to respond to Glacier’s tactical responses. Looking back at her foal that was still on the ground, then back at the horses before her, she decided to make a judgment call. “For now.” With that, she turned her back to them and nudged her foal, encouraging them to stand.

Delilah watched curiously, wondering if she had underestimated just how young the foal was. It was hard, she could barely see them in the thick brush. Perhaps the foal was weakened by her mother’s sickly condition? The lead mare began to worry if it was a good idea to invite the sick mare into the herd, what if it was contagious?

The foal nickered as this mother nudged it, taking a few more tries to get it to stand. It seemed very unsteady on its feet, leaning against its mother for support. As Bruni moved around to better support her foal, it was suddenly very clear as to why the foal had trouble standing.

  Delilah gasped before she could stop herself, “Her leg…”

  Even Glacier sounded shocked, “I’ve only heard stories of such foals.”

  “If you are just going to judge myself and my foal, you can leave.” Bruni said gruffly, giving both mares the stink eye.

“I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to be so impolite, we were just surprised.” Glacier quickly apologized. “I understand now why you’ve been having a difficult time. I’m sure it must be hard to care for both yourself and your foal while you’ve been ill. I’d like to help, if you are okay with that.” She said sympathetically.

While Glacier spoke, Delilah struggled to wrap her mind around the situation. Was it wise to take in this mare and her foal? Sure, she felt bad for them, but they would be a magnet for predators. That much was already proven by today. It was only a matter of time before the filly got picked off or fell behind if the herd had to run. It was a risk that she wasn’t sure she wanted to take. Looking at Glacier, Delilah could already see that she was planning everything out in order to help the pair.

It was then that Delilah realized that she had to make a judgment call. Did she turn her back on the pair and likely damage her relationship with Glacier? Would Glacier even stay with her? They had only known each other a few weeks, it wouldn’t be that far fetched that she might decide to stay with Bruni and her foal. Delilah wasn’t sure if she could make it all alone again with two foals to care for. Besides, there was something about the quiet, scarred mare that told her she was not to be underestimated. Only time would tell if she was making the right choice.

“What’s your daughter’s name?” Delilah asked with a small smile.

  Bruni eyed her, then spoke, “Elsa.”

  “Well, Bruni, Elsa, we’d like you to join us. I’m sorry if we got off on the wrong hoof, but we really do want to help you both.” Delilah insisted, smiling a little brighter. She was nothing if not charming, even when she wasn’t being fully truthful.

Bruni looked at her for a long moment, before finally relaxing, saying sheepishly, “I guess I should thank you, all of you, for chasing off the wolves. Sorry for being so… defensive.”

  “No need to apologize, you have good reason to be suspicious of others.” The creamy mare replied, stepping closer to reach out and properly greet the new mare. They exchanged scents, Delilah relaxing some. She didn’t smell sickly, if she had to guess she probably was just recovering poorly from her recent foaling. Despite missing a limb, Elsa was a sizable foal and her mother was not all that big.

  “I’ll go grab some herbs, Cordelia, Poinsettia, you stay with Delilah. I mean it this time. The wolves could still be around, so I don’t want you two wandering around.” Glacier told the foals firmly, before turning and trotting off. The foals didn’t protest, this time at least. They seemed more interested in the new filly, who was nervously tucking herself against her mother.

“Momma, what happened to her leg?” Daffodil whispered, looking at her mother for an explanation.

  “She was born like that. It happens sometimes. She’s just a little different, kinda like the way you are different from Himi.” Delilah explained as she ushered the foals into the thicket, still nervous of the wolves.

  “Does she hop to get around? Like a rabbit?” Cordelia boldly asked Bruni.

Bruni looked a bit unsure how to answer the foal, slowly saying, “Um… not really. She just walks a little different from you and I. It would be the same as if you hurt your leg.”

The sooty filly scrunched her face up in though, before lifting one of her front legs and trying to walk like that for a few steps. She almost fell, looking at Elsa again. “Wow, that’s hard to do! You must get tired from walking like that” Cordelia said.

  “Cordelia… be nice.” Delilah warned, still annoyed with the filly after how she teased Himi.

  “I’m not being mean…” She mumbled, clacking a bit when Delilah snorted at her.

  “It’s okay. She’s just curious.” Bruni interjected. “Yes, Elsa does get tired easier. She’ll get stronger as she gets older.” She looked at her shy daughter, wondering if she should encourage her to socialize, but ultimately deciding that the filly had been through enough today.

  Soon enough, Glacier returned with a large mouthful of herbs, passing them over to Bruni. “These should help with the fever and pain. I would also go get yourself a drink, I’m sure you are dying of thirst. Elsa will be safe with us for a few minutes.” She encouraged the mare.

Bruni looked nervous as she chewed on the plants, glancing at the small filly who had laid down again, then at the grey mare. She trusted her more than the pale mare, but it was still a big ask. Then again, she was correct, she was horribly thirsty, the wolves having attacked shortly after she left the thicket to head to the creek. As she finished the mouthful of herbs, she made her decision, “Alright. I’ll be right back.” Passing by Delilah, she gave the mare a serious look, saying, “If anything happens to her, as the lead mare, I will hold you responsible.”

    Delilah swallowed hard, nodding curtly. There was something in the mare’s look that told her she would do more than place the blame on her. Doubts once again crept up, but Delilah knew it was too late to go back on her word now. She would just have to adapt and move past her personal biases. After all, trust was a two way street, and only time would tell if it was a path they’d be able to walk together.

Stallion Name + ID: Myers (#82-3)

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In response to: The foals play with some human trash, but the herd gets startled by the sound of another horse in distress as they are chased by wolves. Glacier decides to help, and eventually the whole herd goes to defend a strange mare and her unique foal. (E-Doll + E-Sled + Loud Sound + E-Wolf Pack)

Art features(2): Bruni, Elsa
Story features(8): Delilah, Daffodil, Himalaya, Glacier, Cordelia, Poinsettia, Bruni, Elsa
Word Count: 3134

Aging: Elsa 1/3
Healing: Bruni i1/2 & i2/2 + s1/1, Delilah i2/2
Pregnancy: Delilah 3/3

Items Used: P.Wood + M.Wood

Rolls: Normal

Other notes:
PPJ:
Runik: Delilah, Magpie, Artemis, Breeze, Bruni, Temperance, Lyta, Glacier, Leif, Tigris (Available Mares: Lotus, Coral, Eleanor, Orchid, Zuzel)
Myers: Everyone

Artist Notes:
This is another piece that was sitting mostly done for a long time. I'd drawn and coloured the horses probably 6+ months ago but wasn't ready for them in my story AND had no idea how to bring them in. Finally found a way that worked with my story, so I'm excited to finally have these two joining the crew!

Refs: Link
Art/Writing (c) DaSassy