03-21-2021, 04:32 PM
despite the overwhelming odds, tomorrow came
I had found it strikingly difficult to say goodbye to our family, even though it wouldn’t be long before we found our way back to them. There had come a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something would go wrong. Horribly wrong. But I had pushed the thought out of my mind, though, telling myself that it was probably anxiety caused by the extenuating circumstances from the last trip that @[Yanhua] had done with Amarine. (Little did I know that what I thought were irrational fears were actually being realized at this very moment.) Memorie had been quick to reassure me, with that big smile of hers that always brought with it a sense of contentment within me. And so I had given her one last hug and a kiss on the brow after saying goodbye to the rest of the family (and reminding Cheri and Reynard to behave themselves), and Yanhua and I had turned and left.
In the dark, it was hard to tell how much time had passed, and that hadn’t grown any easier in the lengthy time in which the sun remained gone. In fact, I think we all had become a little bit lax in keeping track of time. Most of us figured what’s the point? Either way, it had been enough time since Yanhua and I had left Taiga that I had grown much rounder and heavier, and exhaustion plagued me at every step. I did my best to hide this from the chestnut stallion, which is made easier by the absence of his echoes, but I’m sure he could tell something was up when he caught glimpses of me from the corner of his eye during the times I was struggling harder than normal to keep up.
And with each day, the struggle became harder and harder. We spent our days plowing through the jungle, Yanhua using his glow to light the way while I used my own gifts to search. Between using my gifts to keep the Taigan’s fed, this pregnancy, and the journey, I was definitely feeling the strain. But still, we had found many mushrooms, and each time, I would stop to examine what plant matter helped them grow. I knew this was probably a waste of time, but it’s hard to say what little details I could discover that might help us in our journey to find mushrooms that glow. And, to my great disappointment, we had not yet found the glowing waters that my mate had heard rumor of.
Today, however, the exhaustion had become almost too much, and now I could tell that Yanhua was concerned. With each look he threw over his shoulder at me, I could see the worry in his eyes. So I was grateful for the brief rest. I take the last couple of steps that bring me to him, and I press my shoulder gently into his and letting my head hang close to his belly (while my own is being boorishly kicked from the inside by the growing foal in there).
I was just thinking on how to answer his question when my water breaks. My eyes fly open and I jerk my head up. Was it time already? It only seemed like a matter of weeks since I even started to show this pregnancy. I thought I’d have at least a few more weeks. Not only that, but this dark forest didn’t harbor a lot of space with which I could give birth comfortably. I look at Yanhua, panic filling my eyes. Not now. This couldn’t be happening now. But it was. It is. There was no stopping it, and so I would have to make due with the situation that we are in now.
The pain grows with each passing minute. It becomes difficult to concentrate on anything else, and there are moments where I forget that Yanhua is even present. Time seems to stretch into an eternity, though not much of it passes before I feel the need to fold my legs beneath me. And then it happens quickly, and a new life enters the world, wet and shaggy, and big. Exhausted, I push my head off the ground to look back at it. This foal, a colt, is much bigger than Memorie had been, taking more after his father in that respect. And all around him, the leaves begin to shimmer and shake, bringing a tired smile to my lips. “Yanhua,” I mutter, looking back to find the stallion, “Look what we did.” A loopy kind of whimsical look passes over my features, and my smile widens.
In the dark, it was hard to tell how much time had passed, and that hadn’t grown any easier in the lengthy time in which the sun remained gone. In fact, I think we all had become a little bit lax in keeping track of time. Most of us figured what’s the point? Either way, it had been enough time since Yanhua and I had left Taiga that I had grown much rounder and heavier, and exhaustion plagued me at every step. I did my best to hide this from the chestnut stallion, which is made easier by the absence of his echoes, but I’m sure he could tell something was up when he caught glimpses of me from the corner of his eye during the times I was struggling harder than normal to keep up.
And with each day, the struggle became harder and harder. We spent our days plowing through the jungle, Yanhua using his glow to light the way while I used my own gifts to search. Between using my gifts to keep the Taigan’s fed, this pregnancy, and the journey, I was definitely feeling the strain. But still, we had found many mushrooms, and each time, I would stop to examine what plant matter helped them grow. I knew this was probably a waste of time, but it’s hard to say what little details I could discover that might help us in our journey to find mushrooms that glow. And, to my great disappointment, we had not yet found the glowing waters that my mate had heard rumor of.
Today, however, the exhaustion had become almost too much, and now I could tell that Yanhua was concerned. With each look he threw over his shoulder at me, I could see the worry in his eyes. So I was grateful for the brief rest. I take the last couple of steps that bring me to him, and I press my shoulder gently into his and letting my head hang close to his belly (while my own is being boorishly kicked from the inside by the growing foal in there).
I was just thinking on how to answer his question when my water breaks. My eyes fly open and I jerk my head up. Was it time already? It only seemed like a matter of weeks since I even started to show this pregnancy. I thought I’d have at least a few more weeks. Not only that, but this dark forest didn’t harbor a lot of space with which I could give birth comfortably. I look at Yanhua, panic filling my eyes. Not now. This couldn’t be happening now. But it was. It is. There was no stopping it, and so I would have to make due with the situation that we are in now.
The pain grows with each passing minute. It becomes difficult to concentrate on anything else, and there are moments where I forget that Yanhua is even present. Time seems to stretch into an eternity, though not much of it passes before I feel the need to fold my legs beneath me. And then it happens quickly, and a new life enters the world, wet and shaggy, and big. Exhausted, I push my head off the ground to look back at it. This foal, a colt, is much bigger than Memorie had been, taking more after his father in that respect. And all around him, the leaves begin to shimmer and shake, bringing a tired smile to my lips. “Yanhua,” I mutter, looking back to find the stallion, “Look what we did.” A loopy kind of whimsical look passes over my features, and my smile widens.
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