Minette's foray into the Meadow had proven lacking in companionship yet she had enjoyed every moment of her freedom. The accompaniment of the shadow raven had dampened her spirits not at all, but as time passed, she knew she could not avoid the inevitable any longer. Gryffen would be expecting her. The baby would be coming soon.
Her steps were resolute as she walked across the border into the cold mountain air. Even with spring arriving, this place was damp and permeated with a chill. Gryffen did not appear. It wasn't long after her homecoming that her labor began.
In the afternoon, discomfort began in her stomach, and she was restless. By nightfall, discomfort had turned to pain and she walked to relieve the aches she felt. Her contractions consumed her attention and for the first time she felt comfort knowing Gryffen was nearby. He would not allow Minette to become prey while she labored.
If he ventured too close, however, she shrieked and stomped the ground, her eyes wide and her body tense.
Instinct was her teacher. The pale gray mare remembered nothing of her mother's labors, and she had never before had a child. But at each step, that ancient voice pushed and prodded. She knew she needed to be alone, and she knew that walking would ease the child's way.
She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that a baby would be appearing. It took all her concentration to make it through as each wave consumed her body, and she had little energy left to think about what would happen once the child was here.
Her child and Gryffen's.
Exhaustion overwhelmed Minette and yet the hardest work was to come. She whuffed, and felt liquid trickle, and then gush from between her legs. She collapsed to the ground, lying on her side. Long moments passed, but Min did not give up. Her whole being was consumed with pushing.
So focused was she that when the baby slipped into the world without a cry, Minette was surprised. She lifted her head from the ground and nudged the still form, pulling the caul away.
The moment between birth and her baby's first breath seemed like an eternity.
But finally, finally, the little one gasped and coughed. Both mother and foal lay back and breathed.
Early dawn arrived and found the mother and daughter pair standing shakily. The girl was tiny, and quiet, suckling persistently. Her legs seemed impossibly long for her size, and she was colored a smoky black, a stark contrast to Minette's light form.