"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
Since meeting Brennen, Nyxa has found it most prudent to keep as far away from the rest of Ischia as she can.
Hod’s cove is perfectly suited for her needs while their child grows inside of her. It’s shores remain reclusive, accessible only to the strongest of swimmers or those who could travel in other ways. Out here, near the back end of the great Island, she and Hod spend their days in quiet solitude and preparation for the coming of their newborn. They’re happy days; hours filled with simple talk or loving touches, and Nyxa enjoys every second of this time with the only being capable of making her happy.
She knows, though, that soon it will come to pass like all other times.
On this particular balmy spring day, she’s caught up in the rhythmic sway of the ocean as it laps gently against her distended belly. Her eyes, cast out far into the distance where the reef and her fish friends lie, are filled with a stormy sense of uncertainty. Hod’s King had been curt in his acceptance of them, for reasons she still cannot seem to puzzle through, but it worries her all the same. How long until that patience ran out? Until Brennen demanded something from them in return?
The thought leaves her as suddenly as her belly clenches.
“Oopmh, little one.” Nyxa chides to the baby, sighing as she re-positions for comfort. Everything she did these days seemed ruled by the whims of this child! Her eating habits, her swimming hours, even her sleep schedule was up to the infant’s current mood. She’d be lying if she denied an urgency to finally be free from the extra weight. “Ouch!” She gasps, a sharper note than the one before.
The seamare’s gut is writhing, a steady pain growing between her hips that sends her back onto shore with uneven steps. In a sudden stroke of panic she mumbles Hod’s name, sinking roughly into the sand before rolling shakily onto her side. Her breathing is quick, light flutters of anxious panting that move her ribs apart with each gulp of air. “Hoooood!” Nyxa moans aloud, remembering suddenly that he’d not gone far - the arrival had kept them close together.
Once more she calls and then the pain is too sharp for words; a steady focus sweeping over the shimmering planes of her sweat-stroked face. Hod would come soon enough, and together they’d welcome new life into the world.
-I'm sailing right behind, like a bridge over troubled water-
It was a beautiful day, a perfect day. One of those days that makes you happy to be alive. He had spent the morning grazing on the tough and salty seagrass that flourished this close to the water. Nyxa should be back from her morning swim any time now. In the meantime, he rested in the sun, thinking back on their meeting with Brennen. It hadn't gone as well as he'd hoped, but they were still here so that's what mattered.
As time had worn on, it became more and more clear that travelling would have been a burden on his mate. The smooth planes of Nyxa's body had rounded out over the last few months, and her breathing grew labored over activities that wouldn't have phased her before. Between this and the new undercurrents of her scent, he had hardly been surprised when one night he was kicked awake. Groggily it registered that there was some unusual activity occurring from within the sea mare's abdomen. Since that night, Nyxa was never far from his senses. As the weather warmed, his excitement had grown enormous. Whatever child Nyxa bore was bound to be incredible, clever and beautiful.
Quietly though, he worried. His blindness was not an effect of disease or injury. It was a fault of his birth, and therefore there was a decent chance that his offspring could inherit it. He had not expressed these concerns to Nyxa, knowing she would deny any worry of his with her unfailing confidence. She loved him unconditionally, and he was entirely certain that love would extend to whatever child they created together. Still, he had to hope...
When Nyxa called him with uncompromised urgency, he knew their world was about to change forever.
It was not difficult to locate her. The sea mare's breath was hard and fast, and he could hear her steps moving erratically. A thread of panic tightened around his throat. "I'm here Nyx, what do you need me to do?" He wasn't entirely successful in keeping anxiety from his voice, though he gave it his best effort. Stepping from side to side, he kissed her forehead softly, frightened by the pain she seemed to be in. With a soft voice, he tried to coax her forward, to move them toward the sheltered overhang they often slept under. Judging by the way Nyxa's flanks were rippling though, he was becoming doubtful about making it the short walk up the beach. "Just breath, love. Everything will be fine. Just a little while longer and we get to meet the little one who's been beating you up these last few weeks." He laughed a little helplessly, and then his voice rumbled like a summer thunderstorm. Nature was taking matters into its own hands.
Leaving was such a hard thing to do. The safety and comfort of her mother’s womb had been everything perfect: dark and watery, quiet, warm. It’s no wonder that when her dam strains a little and cries out with a final push, Adria slips peacefully into Beqanna and life still wrapped entirely en-caul.
A “mermaid’s purse” as her mother would later come to call it, but it breaks easily enough when a pair of teeth pull it away and then the stinging, biting acidity of fresh air burns her lungs and Adria is snorting, shaking her muted gold-and-white head all the while. Life happens instantly, the first words she hears are more like garbled sounds - Prfykt, and Phyl-e - and then the warmth of her mother’s tongue is gone and so is the support of her nose.
Adria’s eyelids split apart, revealing lavender irises that peer curiously up at Nyxa (this is mother, this is mom) and then over to Hod. The pale gray-and-bloodflecked stallion is unexpected but between them, she can feel a force without a name. He’s safe, then. She feels free to explore her abilities, moving at first one and then all of her legs to scramble up from the shore. Sand coats her still-wet fur but Adria manages to find her balance quickly, trembling and still as a newborn fawn. She’s buckskin, interrupted more so on the lower half and legs with broken patterns of white patches.
All along her belly is strange, white webbing - like the ripples on the surface of water - and a noisy blaze gives her otherwise girlish face an air of excitement. Offset with a black, tightly curled mane and tail, she looks nothing like her mother or father and yet, exactly like the both of them. “She’s lovely, Hod.” Her dam says, though the newborn has yet to understand. Adria only wobbles in the direction that the sound comes from, eager to hide her face beneath the hip of her mother.
“The filly name we chose suits her perfectly, don’t you think?” Nyxa laughs, a weary sound but still full of light and happiness. From her rump, Adria can feel the brush of an adoring nose against her skin. She frees herself of food and then turns to glance once more at the dark-maned stallion, jerking towards him with the encouraging shove from her ma. “She reminds me of Bragi, a little.” Nyxa says, and this time Adria can detect a hint of sadness in the words.
But for now she’s too interested in reaching a peach-colored nose out towards her sire, both ears tipped forwards while her nostrils strain to breath him in. She likes him, just like she knows she likes her mother, and on the inside she’s also a bit curious if he has food for her too. “Little Adria,” Nyxa coos from behind, “welcome to our world.”
OOC: Thought I'd switch over to Adria's account and makes things a little more interesting from her perspective <3
He was amazed and terrified at the process of birth. The concept of a child had been so abstract until now. Hod felt helpless at his beloved's side as she labored, offering what comfort he could. Every sound seemed foreign, and when at last it seemed that something must have gone wrong, she couldn't be crying out like that if things were fine, it was that soon over.
He can feel her move, still breathing hard with the recent exertions. There is a unexpected splash, and then the scent of someone new. With slow, measured movements, the burly grey dipped his head to where he heard the sounds of Nyxa calmly cleaning the afterbirth from their daughter's tiny body. "You're a wonder, Nyxa. An honest miracle." Pride fills his voice as he kisses her neck lightly. Quiet shuffles in the sand mark the little one's first attempts at standing. Goodness, but she must be all legs. "She's going to be a little fish, isn't she? With that name, how could she not." He asked.
A feeling barreled into him then. Utter joy and deepest heartbreak, mixed into something dizzying. The love he felt for his new daughter and her mother was total and unconditional. He wished so much that he could see them. Not just vague, shadowy outlines, but really see them. There is no time for self pity now though, as Nyxa speaks more about her.
Like Bragi? Coloration wise, most likely. She would be a fine looking girl, then. Oh dear. Hod felt the first semblance of concern. If she grew to be anything like her mother, the poor stallion was going to be living in a constant state of anxiety for the rest of her life. Already he knows, there will never be a horse alive worthy of her, though he was sure many would try. "If she's anything like him, we're in for a wild ride, my love." He chuckles lightly.
It happens then. The wuffle of breath on his chin as her bitty feet carry her close to him. A little afraid, his head drops to her height. "Adria, Adria, we have waited our whole lives to meet you, sweetheart." He murmured as their breaths mingled. Kissing a line from het nose to het poll, the new father began to memorize his daughter's face.
