AuroraElis
AuroraElis
He nudges her before replying as she laughs. He could be so clueless sometimes. "It was a magical shamrock silly," again laughing with a slight snort before moving off to the tree to rest.
Even the thickness of the clover and grass did not cushion her discomfort as she tries to rest. She decides her legs curled under her just made it more uncomfortable, so she rolls onto her side, outstretching her legs. Her neck rubs along the ground, scratching at an itch she finds. Sprawled out across the meadow, her large protruding belly sticks up even more creating a mound of flesh and feather. She snorts in exhaustion, but her eyes do not close. Jack has come near and asks if she is ok. She pauses in thought of what to say. Physically she was uncomfortable, emotionally she was exhausted and mentally she just wanted to be done with the whole process. "I'm just..." her head rises and shifts her body again to being laying upright, "hot...?" Her liver chestnut coat was drenched in sweat, especially under her feathers so she knew it wasn't from the rain. Her breathing quickens trying to displace the heat from her body. Ivory legs fold under her as she heaves her heavy mass back up. It wasn't without great effort, and she finds herself stumbling a bit to regain balance. Her tail flicks to move air around her. Thankfully there was a light breeze to help. She begins pacing again, nose to the ground, pawing anxiously at the earth.
The crescent moon casts a gentle glow across the lands. She rises and falls many more times as the night progresses. She will not sleep tonight, and she guesses neither will her companion. Jack is near invisible in the darkness of night except for his white markings that reflect the light of the moon, so she knows he is there. Laboring was hard work, especially twins. Many things could go wrong, this she knows.
The first to arrive is a fiery red and white filly. It glows, very literally, in the night. Tiny flames scatter randomly across its body and for a moment Aurora is confused how such a thing does not burn itself. She decides magic is at play and eagerly licks the filly clean. But the work is not done. Labor continues but she does not pace any longer. She stands protectively near the filly until dawn is beginning to stretch across the skies. She starts to become nervous that the second foal hasn't arrived. That something is wrong...
Labor pains soon continue, and the urge comes over her finally to push once again. She breathes a slight sigh of relief that things seemed to progress again, but she is so very tired. She decides to lay near her newborn daughter, outstretching on her side. It was slightly more comfortable this time but even as exhausted as she was labor does not allow her to sleep. She pushes several more times before she feels the relief of pressure. Her energy is spent though and so she does not move. She does not rush to this foal to wake it, nor clean it off. She simply does not have the strength...
The foal, a colt, red and white like his sister, lays motionless. He is much smaller than his sister and lacking the flickering flames. His face is painted a ghostly white, something is almost sinister looking about it. The increasing light of the morning reveals that his coat, wet from the amnionic fluid, is grossly scarred with burn marks covering his near lifeless body. He needs help, and fast...
Not all that glitters is gold
@Jack in the Box