07-21-2017, 12:33 PM
Ever since the dark coated stallion had found his way back into her life, Sreva had been quite happy. Despite not having a territory of his own yet, the stallion and any mares in his company seemed perfectly content living near the River before later moving a bit closer to the Forest when the winter snow melted and began flowing downstream.
Sreva wasn't normally a fan of winter, partially for the reason that, sometimes, rivers flooded with the melting snow, but this past one had changed her opinion (at least for one season at least). The mare and Chemdog had spent a fair amount of time together since their reunion, and all that time together had culminated, one winter night, in the little life growing in Sreva's belly.
When the mare started suspecting she was carrying a foal, at first, she was quite nervous. The mare hadn't had the healthiest of upbringings and worried that she couldn't show the same care a foal should receive since she didn't have it from either of her parents. All throughout her pregnancy thousands of questions ran through her mind, which only served to stress her out more (and, of course, she didn't know that such stress could be harmful to the foal). It was only when spring arrived that the mare felt some relief, if only because now she wouldn't have to carry this growing weight anymore. It was a strange feeling to have sides bigger than she was used to, but also a happy feeling that, within a few days time, she would give birth to Chemdog's foal and finally introduce the little one to the world.
Not that it was the best of worlds at times. The Forest held a lot of dangers in itself, whether it be in the form of a stallion who might have been on the prowl for mares, or other animals that lived in Beqanna who would prey on horses for their source of food. Sreva knew that Chemdog would do his best to protect her, her foal, and any other mares in his company, but that didn't stop her from worrying.
Chemdog had recently left the mare to her own devices to go attend to whatever it was he wished, but since Sreva was used to being by herself, she didn't mind the alone time. It gave her time to assess her thoughts and wonder when the foal was going to be ready to be born, since she'd entered labor some time ago.
The pains in her stomach were to the point of being almost unbearable; her body was telling her that the foal was nearly ready. The mare, knowing she would more than likely give birth in the next day or two, had found a thick cluster of trees and bush to safely give birth in, and had been living there for the past several hours. Within just two or so of finding it, her labor began, her legs now worn out from the constant pacing she'd been doing, her neck sore from turning to nip at her stomach whenever she felt another twinge of pain.
The sun had well begun its descent to make way for the night by the time that Sreva finally felt ready. The mare paced in a circle a couple more times, lowering her head to sniff at the leaves and brush that littered the ground and made it a bit softer to lay on. Once she found a somewhat comfortable spot, the first time at least, Sreva folded her legs under her and laid down, her chest heaving rapidly as the stress took its toll on her.
A few more times, Sreva got up and paced again, repeating the cycle of laying down for a moment to rest, getting up, sniffing the ground, and then going back down. This in itself continued for a good long while (she by now had stopped keeping track of time) until she felt something warm and wet drip down her legs and the underside of her tail where the skin was exposed. She knew now that, any time, the foal would be ready.
A few minutes later, Sreva felt another large pain rip through her stomach. As a maiden mare and having been on her own as a foal, she at first was uncertain of what to do. However, instinct kicked in and her body seemed to take over. The mare pushed, feeling a convulsion in her stomach before stopping and taking a breather. Her instinct told her to do the same thing again, and so she did, once more repeating a cycle that seemed to stretch on forever.
By the time that the birthing was nearly over, Sreva was exhausted and covered in a thin layer of sweat. She could feel the small bundle resting behind her, but knew the task wasn't complete yet. Using the last of her strength, the mare pushed one final time, feeling the foal's hind legs being expunged from her body and out onto the grass beneath them.
When the whole thing was over, Sreva dropped her head for a moment, her nostrils flared and attempting to suck in huge volumes of air to try and replenish what had been lost from her lungs. Yet, despite her fatigue, the mare's instincts told her to lift her head and look back to see the little one, her motherly urge wanting to look upon the foal for the first time.
Sreva lifted her head, hoisting herself up so that she was laying on her belly instead of her side. The mare's vision was a bit blurry from exhaustion, but when it cleared, she held in a gasp at seeing the little bundle laying next to her. The foal had already broken through the sac it had been protected by within its dam's body, its own tiny body shivering from the cold of the night air. Seeing that, Sreva's instincts motivated the mare to push herself to her hooves, ignoring the fatigue she'd been feeling since this whole process started.
Lowering her head, Sreva inhaled the scent of the foal, committing it to memory. The little one was so perfect, so tiny, Sreva almost couldn't believe that the time was finally here. The foal was still wet from the fluid inside the sac, so Sreva proceeded to clean the little one off, using her tongue to expose the silky baby coat that was underneath.
While Sreva cleaned the foal off, the little one turned its head to sniff her, obviously curious as to what she was. The mare moved her head for a moment so that it was by the foal's, the two sniffing each other and memorizing the other's scent. The little one let out a small nicker before trying to hoist itself to its hooves, only to fall back down onto the grass in a heap of tangled limbs.
Sreva whickered to the foal before continuing to clean it off, surprised when she beheld the color of it's coat. Even though the was still damp, both from the sac fluid and it's dam's saliva from when she cleaned it, the coloring was clearly visible. A paint pattered coat not entirely unlike Sreva's, with larger patches of black color that clearly said he'd inherited it from his father. Although, given Sreva's appaloosa pattern and blood, it was clear to those with similar colors that the foal would probably start changing color as it got older.
Sreva alternated between cleaning the foal and using her nose to help the little one try to get to its hooves. The foal tried several times and failed each one, sometimes falling into it's dam's in the process when it couldn't find balance. But, finally, after all the time it spent trying, the foal finally found its ground and managed to stay standing on all four hooves.
Sreva nudged the foal's side before moving to clean behind its ears, her tongue brushing over the small strands of hair that made up the foal's stubby mane. Like the foal's coat, it was mainly two colors for now, and would probably lighten later on. Sreva's own mane and tail had done that as she aged, resulting in what she currently looked like.
The foal was unsteady on its hooves even after finding balance, delicately lifting each one every time it tried to take a step. A couple of times, the foal did fall again when it tried to walk, but each time, it got back up and tried again. Finally, when the foal could take a few small steps without falling, Sreva moved even closer to the foal and nudged it with her muzzle in the direction of her belly. She wasn't sure if that's what she was supposed to do, but instinct just told her.
And, clearly, the foal's instinct was helping too. Quicker than most foals of maiden mares might, the little one found its way to Sreva's teats, latching on with its milk teeth and greedily drinking up its dam's milk. Sreva winced a few times, not used to the unfamiliar feeling, having to use all her willpower to resist the urge to step away from the foal. She turned her head and sniffed the foal's body again, taking this time to assess it some more before confirming something she'd been wondering since it had been born.
The foal, with its black and white patch patterned coat, much like its dam in her foal hood, was a young colt. His limbs were a bit lanky at this stage, but considering that his sire was taller than Sreva and boasted a different body style, it did make sense. Sreva didn't know how much of her own influence would rub off on the foal, only that she was happy that he was finally here.
Content with her son feeding off her milk, the mare lowered her head to graze, deciding to let her instinct take over for now in case the foal needed something while she was busy eating. Other than that, the evening was relatively peaceful and quiet, much appreciated by the mare and her newborn colt.
@[Chemdog]
Sreva wasn't normally a fan of winter, partially for the reason that, sometimes, rivers flooded with the melting snow, but this past one had changed her opinion (at least for one season at least). The mare and Chemdog had spent a fair amount of time together since their reunion, and all that time together had culminated, one winter night, in the little life growing in Sreva's belly.
When the mare started suspecting she was carrying a foal, at first, she was quite nervous. The mare hadn't had the healthiest of upbringings and worried that she couldn't show the same care a foal should receive since she didn't have it from either of her parents. All throughout her pregnancy thousands of questions ran through her mind, which only served to stress her out more (and, of course, she didn't know that such stress could be harmful to the foal). It was only when spring arrived that the mare felt some relief, if only because now she wouldn't have to carry this growing weight anymore. It was a strange feeling to have sides bigger than she was used to, but also a happy feeling that, within a few days time, she would give birth to Chemdog's foal and finally introduce the little one to the world.
Not that it was the best of worlds at times. The Forest held a lot of dangers in itself, whether it be in the form of a stallion who might have been on the prowl for mares, or other animals that lived in Beqanna who would prey on horses for their source of food. Sreva knew that Chemdog would do his best to protect her, her foal, and any other mares in his company, but that didn't stop her from worrying.
Chemdog had recently left the mare to her own devices to go attend to whatever it was he wished, but since Sreva was used to being by herself, she didn't mind the alone time. It gave her time to assess her thoughts and wonder when the foal was going to be ready to be born, since she'd entered labor some time ago.
The pains in her stomach were to the point of being almost unbearable; her body was telling her that the foal was nearly ready. The mare, knowing she would more than likely give birth in the next day or two, had found a thick cluster of trees and bush to safely give birth in, and had been living there for the past several hours. Within just two or so of finding it, her labor began, her legs now worn out from the constant pacing she'd been doing, her neck sore from turning to nip at her stomach whenever she felt another twinge of pain.
The sun had well begun its descent to make way for the night by the time that Sreva finally felt ready. The mare paced in a circle a couple more times, lowering her head to sniff at the leaves and brush that littered the ground and made it a bit softer to lay on. Once she found a somewhat comfortable spot, the first time at least, Sreva folded her legs under her and laid down, her chest heaving rapidly as the stress took its toll on her.
A few more times, Sreva got up and paced again, repeating the cycle of laying down for a moment to rest, getting up, sniffing the ground, and then going back down. This in itself continued for a good long while (she by now had stopped keeping track of time) until she felt something warm and wet drip down her legs and the underside of her tail where the skin was exposed. She knew now that, any time, the foal would be ready.
A few minutes later, Sreva felt another large pain rip through her stomach. As a maiden mare and having been on her own as a foal, she at first was uncertain of what to do. However, instinct kicked in and her body seemed to take over. The mare pushed, feeling a convulsion in her stomach before stopping and taking a breather. Her instinct told her to do the same thing again, and so she did, once more repeating a cycle that seemed to stretch on forever.
By the time that the birthing was nearly over, Sreva was exhausted and covered in a thin layer of sweat. She could feel the small bundle resting behind her, but knew the task wasn't complete yet. Using the last of her strength, the mare pushed one final time, feeling the foal's hind legs being expunged from her body and out onto the grass beneath them.
When the whole thing was over, Sreva dropped her head for a moment, her nostrils flared and attempting to suck in huge volumes of air to try and replenish what had been lost from her lungs. Yet, despite her fatigue, the mare's instincts told her to lift her head and look back to see the little one, her motherly urge wanting to look upon the foal for the first time.
Sreva lifted her head, hoisting herself up so that she was laying on her belly instead of her side. The mare's vision was a bit blurry from exhaustion, but when it cleared, she held in a gasp at seeing the little bundle laying next to her. The foal had already broken through the sac it had been protected by within its dam's body, its own tiny body shivering from the cold of the night air. Seeing that, Sreva's instincts motivated the mare to push herself to her hooves, ignoring the fatigue she'd been feeling since this whole process started.
Lowering her head, Sreva inhaled the scent of the foal, committing it to memory. The little one was so perfect, so tiny, Sreva almost couldn't believe that the time was finally here. The foal was still wet from the fluid inside the sac, so Sreva proceeded to clean the little one off, using her tongue to expose the silky baby coat that was underneath.
While Sreva cleaned the foal off, the little one turned its head to sniff her, obviously curious as to what she was. The mare moved her head for a moment so that it was by the foal's, the two sniffing each other and memorizing the other's scent. The little one let out a small nicker before trying to hoist itself to its hooves, only to fall back down onto the grass in a heap of tangled limbs.
Sreva whickered to the foal before continuing to clean it off, surprised when she beheld the color of it's coat. Even though the was still damp, both from the sac fluid and it's dam's saliva from when she cleaned it, the coloring was clearly visible. A paint pattered coat not entirely unlike Sreva's, with larger patches of black color that clearly said he'd inherited it from his father. Although, given Sreva's appaloosa pattern and blood, it was clear to those with similar colors that the foal would probably start changing color as it got older.
Sreva alternated between cleaning the foal and using her nose to help the little one try to get to its hooves. The foal tried several times and failed each one, sometimes falling into it's dam's in the process when it couldn't find balance. But, finally, after all the time it spent trying, the foal finally found its ground and managed to stay standing on all four hooves.
Sreva nudged the foal's side before moving to clean behind its ears, her tongue brushing over the small strands of hair that made up the foal's stubby mane. Like the foal's coat, it was mainly two colors for now, and would probably lighten later on. Sreva's own mane and tail had done that as she aged, resulting in what she currently looked like.
The foal was unsteady on its hooves even after finding balance, delicately lifting each one every time it tried to take a step. A couple of times, the foal did fall again when it tried to walk, but each time, it got back up and tried again. Finally, when the foal could take a few small steps without falling, Sreva moved even closer to the foal and nudged it with her muzzle in the direction of her belly. She wasn't sure if that's what she was supposed to do, but instinct just told her.
And, clearly, the foal's instinct was helping too. Quicker than most foals of maiden mares might, the little one found its way to Sreva's teats, latching on with its milk teeth and greedily drinking up its dam's milk. Sreva winced a few times, not used to the unfamiliar feeling, having to use all her willpower to resist the urge to step away from the foal. She turned her head and sniffed the foal's body again, taking this time to assess it some more before confirming something she'd been wondering since it had been born.
The foal, with its black and white patch patterned coat, much like its dam in her foal hood, was a young colt. His limbs were a bit lanky at this stage, but considering that his sire was taller than Sreva and boasted a different body style, it did make sense. Sreva didn't know how much of her own influence would rub off on the foal, only that she was happy that he was finally here.
Content with her son feeding off her milk, the mare lowered her head to graze, deciding to let her instinct take over for now in case the foal needed something while she was busy eating. Other than that, the evening was relatively peaceful and quiet, much appreciated by the mare and her newborn colt.
@[Chemdog]
