HOME | DD

Description
”She’s so cute!” cooed Auri.

”Absolutely perfect.” Zendaya agreed with a nod of her head.

”Congratulations, Saoirse.” Faramir said with a wide smile.

Saoirse grinned back tiredly, her new filly snuggled closely to her side in the warm grass. The mare was exhausted but overjoyed with the new life she had brought into the world. The whole herd gathered around, yet gave the mother air, as they all tried to see the foal at once. The herd hadn’t had a new foal in the herd in a while, so this was truly an event to celebrate. Raphtalia and Ariadne, the herd’s youngest members, didn’t see what was so great about a baby, but they still saw hearts when they looked at the little foal.

”Alright everyone, let’s give her some space. Oh, what is her name?” Faramir commanded before turning back to Saoirse with the question.

”I’m going to call her Evie.” Saoirse replied with a smile.

At the sound of her new name, the foal looked up and blinked at her mother, tilting her tiny head. Faramir smiled back before herding the other mares away to give Saoirse some time alone with her foal.

Later that day, Breigo approached him as he quietly grazed by himself. Faramir pulled his head up and nodded in greeting to the older stallion.

”Foals bring new life with them into every herd. I’m glad we’ll soon have more of them running around.” Breigo commented, glancing back at the grazing mares.

Zendaya and Auri stood out with their larger bellies swaying beneath them, each carrying one of the stallions’ foals within them. Faramir gulped.

”I’ve never been a father before. I...don’t know if I’ll be very good at it.” he admitted with a mutter, looking down.

”No stallion in the history of the valley has known if they would be a good father until their first foal is born.” Breigo laughed. ”Knowing everything I do about you, I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

With a nod of farewell, Breigo left Faramir alone with his thoughts as he joined Aloine. Faramir watched the pair greet each other wistfully. His heart ached inside his chest and his thoughts wandered as they always did back to Fawkes, a mare he had known in his old life. With a sigh, he pushed away those errant emotions and went back to grazing.

The next day, just as the sun was beginning to rise, Faramir was awakened by a plaintive caw. Blinking, he adjusted his blurry vision until he saw a crow standing in front of him in the grass. The crow regarded him with inky black eyes, tilting its head this way and that in the odd way birds had. It cawed again, hopping closer.

”I see you’ve made a new friend.” Lyra laughed as she walked toward them.

Faramir wasn’t surprised to see her so early. Lyra had always been an early riser and was typically the first mare awake every morning.

”I suppose I have…” Faramir muttered, watching the bird.

”What do you want?” Lyra asked the bird, bending her neck down to sniff at it.

The crow garbled out a complaint at the invasion in its space, hopping further away from the mare.

”I was asked to come get help.” the crow said, reaching back to preen at a feather. ”There’s a cow in some trouble down by the dry river.”

”Why are you helping her?” Lyra asked suspiciously.

The crow shrugged its wings and launched itself into the air. ”Call it a good deed.” the crow called over its shoulder as it flew away.

Faramir and Lyra regarded each other in confusion. ”That was...strange.” Faramir said after a moment.

Lyra nodded in agreement as Faramir turned and started walking away. ”Where are you going?” she yelled after him.

”To go help that cow.” he replied.

Lyra trotted to catch up with him and the pair made their way to the dry riverbed. It didn’t take them long until they came to it and started looking around for the cow. She was easy to spot, being so large, and was clearly in distress. It seemed she had wandered into the riverbed and gotten stuck in the mud in an attempt to find water. Upon seeing the horses approaching, she let out a loud, long moo.

”Oh thank goodness. I didn’t know if that crow would actually be able to find anyone.” she cried mournfully. ”Please, oh please, help me. I don’t want to die here.”

”Relax, we’ll help you.” Lyra sighed, carefully approaching.

”We might need more help.” Faramir mused to himself as he stepped gingerly into the riverbed.

Most of the mud had dried up, but there were still some treacherous patches where an incorrectly placed hoof could lead to a fall or becoming stuck.

”Lyra, stay here with her. I’m going to get more help.” Faramir said as he turned and cantered back to the herd.

In less than half an hour, Faramir returned with four other mares in tow. Winona, Reese, Raphtalia, and Ariadne came down to the riverbed with the stallion, all looking at the stuck cow curiously.

”Huh, you weren’t kidding.” Ariadne said with a hint of surprise in her voice. ”I thought this was just a really dumb prank.”

”Yeah, I kinda did, too.” grumbled Reese. ”Looks like we really will have to get dirty and help a cow.”

The six horses spoke among themselves, trying to decide how best to help the cow. After much deliberation, they decided they would try to use all their strength to push and leverage her out. Careful to not get themselves stuck, they placed themselves behind and around the lowing cow before leaning against her hide and pushing in unison. It took longer than any of them had thought, and they were all covered in mud, but in the end they were able to get the cow’s hooves to squelch loudly out of the mud.

”Oh my, oh my goodness!! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!” the cow cried happily, trotting herself to safety. ”How could I ever repay you?”

”Well, since you asked-” Reese started, before Raphtalia stepped in and said, ”Repayment isn’t necessary. You’re welcome.”

Reese snorted in annoyance and rolled her eyes before leaving the group and returning to the herd on her own. The horses bid farewell to the cow before they, too, made their way back to the herd. By the time they arrived, they were all laughing about the experience they had just shared. Upon their arrival, the other mares glanced at them curiously and gave them a wide berth. They stank like mud and cow--not a good combination.

Breigo and Aloine came up to Faramir with amused expressions.

”Looks like you’ve had quite the day.” Aloine said with a laugh, wrinkling her nose.

”Yes, well…” Faramir started, unsure how to give any explanation.

”Well done. A lead stallion should be willing to help anyone, whether they’re part of the herd or not.” Breigo said sagely.

”Well, if cows are anything like foals, then maybe I will be a fine father.” Faramir said, laughing loudly.

Description
”She’s so cute!” cooed Auri.

”Absolutely perfect.” Zendaya agreed with a nod of her head.

”Congratulations, Saoirse.” Faramir said with a wide smile.

Saoirse grinned back tiredly, her new filly snuggled closely to her side in the warm grass. The mare was exhausted but overjoyed with the new life she had brought into the world. The whole herd gathered around, yet gave the mother air, as they all tried to see the foal at once. The herd hadn’t had a new foal in the herd in a while, so this was truly an event to celebrate. Raphtalia and Ariadne, the herd’s youngest members, didn’t see what was so great about a baby, but they still saw hearts when they looked at the little foal.

”Alright everyone, let’s give her some space. Oh, what is her name?” Faramir commanded before turning back to Saoirse with the question.

”I’m going to call her Evie.” Saoirse replied with a smile.

At the sound of her new name, the foal looked up and blinked at her mother, tilting her tiny head. Faramir smiled back before herding the other mares away to give Saoirse some time alone with her foal.

Later that day, Breigo approached him as he quietly grazed by himself. Faramir pulled his head up and nodded in greeting to the older stallion.

”Foals bring new life with them into every herd. I’m glad we’ll soon have more of them running around.” Breigo commented, glancing back at the grazing mares.

Zendaya and Auri stood out with their larger bellies swaying beneath them, each carrying one of the stallions’ foals within them. Faramir gulped.

”I’ve never been a father before. I...don’t know if I’ll be very good at it.” he admitted with a mutter, looking down.

”No stallion in the history of the valley has known if they would be a good father until their first foal is born.” Breigo laughed. ”Knowing everything I do about you, I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

With a nod of farewell, Breigo left Faramir alone with his thoughts as he joined Aloine. Faramir watched the pair greet each other wistfully. His heart ached inside his chest and his thoughts wandered as they always did back to Fawkes, a mare he had known in his old life. With a sigh, he pushed away those errant emotions and went back to grazing.

The next day, just as the sun was beginning to rise, Faramir was awakened by a plaintive caw. Blinking, he adjusted his blurry vision until he saw a crow standing in front of him in the grass. The crow regarded him with inky black eyes, tilting its head this way and that in the odd way birds had. It cawed again, hopping closer.

”I see you’ve made a new friend.” Lyra laughed as she walked toward them.

Faramir wasn’t surprised to see her so early. Lyra had always been an early riser and was typically the first mare awake every morning.

”I suppose I have…” Faramir muttered, watching the bird.

”What do you want?” Lyra asked the bird, bending her neck down to sniff at it.

The crow garbled out a complaint at the invasion in its space, hopping further away from the mare.

”I was asked to come get help.” the crow said, reaching back to preen at a feather. ”There’s a cow in some trouble down by the dry river.”

”Why are you helping her?” Lyra asked suspiciously.

The crow shrugged its wings and launched itself into the air. ”Call it a good deed.” the crow called over its shoulder as it flew away.

Faramir and Lyra regarded each other in confusion. ”That was...strange.” Faramir said after a moment.

Lyra nodded in agreement as Faramir turned and started walking away. ”Where are you going?” she yelled after him.

”To go help that cow.” he replied.

Lyra trotted to catch up with him and the pair made their way to the dry riverbed. It didn’t take them long until they came to it and started looking around for the cow. She was easy to spot, being so large, and was clearly in distress. It seemed she had wandered into the riverbed and gotten stuck in the mud in an attempt to find water. Upon seeing the horses approaching, she let out a loud, long moo.

”Oh thank goodness. I didn’t know if that crow would actually be able to find anyone.” she cried mournfully. ”Please, oh please, help me. I don’t want to die here.”

”Relax, we’ll help you.” Lyra sighed, carefully approaching.

”We might need more help.” Faramir mused to himself as he stepped gingerly into the riverbed.

Most of the mud had dried up, but there were still some treacherous patches where an incorrectly placed hoof could lead to a fall or becoming stuck.

”Lyra, stay here with her. I’m going to get more help.” Faramir said as he turned and cantered back to the herd.

In less than half an hour, Faramir returned with four other mares in tow. Winona, Reese, Raphtalia, and Ariadne came down to the riverbed with the stallion, all looking at the stuck cow curiously.

”Huh, you weren’t kidding.” Ariadne said with a hint of surprise in her voice. ”I thought this was just a really dumb prank.”

”Yeah, I kinda did, too.” grumbled Reese. ”Looks like we really will have to get dirty and help a cow.”

The six horses spoke among themselves, trying to decide how best to help the cow. After much deliberation, they decided they would try to use all their strength to push and leverage her out. Careful to not get themselves stuck, they placed themselves behind and around the lowing cow before leaning against her hide and pushing in unison. It took longer than any of them had thought, and they were all covered in mud, but in the end they were able to get the cow’s hooves to squelch loudly out of the mud.

”Oh my, oh my goodness!! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!” the cow cried happily, trotting herself to safety. ”How could I ever repay you?”

”Well, since you asked-” Reese started, before Raphtalia stepped in and said, ”Repayment isn’t necessary. You’re welcome.”

Reese snorted in annoyance and rolled her eyes before leaving the group and returning to the herd on her own. The horses bid farewell to the cow before they, too, made their way back to the herd. By the time they arrived, they were all laughing about the experience they had just shared. Upon their arrival, the other mares glanced at them curiously and gave them a wide berth. They stank like mud and cow--not a good combination.

Breigo and Aloine came up to Faramir with amused expressions.

”Looks like you’ve had quite the day.” Aloine said with a laugh, wrinkling her nose.

”Yes, well…” Faramir started, unsure how to give any explanation.

”Well done. A lead stallion should be willing to help anyone, whether they’re part of the herd or not.” Breigo said sagely.

”Well, if cows are anything like foals, then maybe I will be a fine father.” Faramir said, laughing loudly.