04-02-2021, 08:46 PM
Yanhua felt certain that Borderline should be warmer. Her fur was drenched, a combination of the dark jungle humidity and her just giving birth, but it was a clammy wet. When Yan touched his nose to the curve of her beautiful throat, he could feel how weak Borderline’s pulse had become and that worried him. He stayed quiet though; rather than interrupt the hazy bonding between a mare and her newly-born foal, Yan kept his concerns to himself and reasoned he was just being overprotective. Borderline was fine, right? She’d done this before without him. Yanhua cradled her close and tried not to expect the worst, which was becoming increasingly harder to do the further they strayed from home.
She spoke to their son and her words comforted the horned stallion, even if they weren’t meant for him. He chuckled actually, delighted by the first signs of a gift that had manifested in nearly all of his lineage, and felt the insecurity from earlier begin to fade as Borderline struggled to her hooves. The instant she moved away, Yan flung his forelegs out from their curled resting place beneath him and pushed himself up to stand as well. He shook his neck out and flicked his tail, head curving back afterwards to look down at the grayscale shapes of his mate and their colt, and saw Borderline stumble with a shocked frown.
“B?” Yan stepped quickly to her aid, anxiety dripping from the single-letter question.
She was still clammy to the touch. Yanhua supported her with a worried nicker, letting his whiskers tickle the pale, dappled hide while Borderline reached for their babe. Their son, the newest little faun of Taiga, leapt to his hooves eagerly with encouragement. Yan tried to bite back the worry as best he could manage, watching the little thing teeter around, but it was near impossible. He wanted to rush them out of this place, go back to Taiga where some horse might be able to help them. Borderline was not well, and it was only the presence of his innocent child that kept Yan from getting impulsive. There was no use in exciting his son with traumatic emotions from the moment he hit the ground; he should channel this, try to stay calm like Amarine had taught him to so many times before.
“We’re searching for the glowing mushrooms, Borderline.” He told her softly, fighting despair. “Remember?”
No, by the gusts and gales let it be nothing, he pleaded silently. Every time Yanhua or a horse he loved left Taiga, there had been consequences. He and Ama had been lucky by the skin of their teeth since the twins had come home in one piece (more or less.) He couldn’t do this, not without Borderline and not so far from home.
“B, darling, stay with me. Stay with me, love.” Yanhua pleaded. Their son, perhaps sensing a shift in Yanhua’s emotions, tucked himself closer to Borderline’s side and watched his sire with a curious eye. “Don’t you leave me now.” Yan threatened with a terrified whisper.
YANHUA
@[Borderline]
