It had been raining since the early morning hours, before the sun had even begun to awaken the world. Dock had stirred to the sound of the water drops pattering against the leaf canopy above and hadn’t been able to allow sleep to claim her. There was much on her mind these days and none of it was pleasant, turning the normally quiet and nervous child into something akin to a ghost. The world was stared at blankly from two blue eyes that seem disconnected from its sights. She would eat, only because she was far hungrier now than she’d ever been and her sisters would notice if she wasn’t, but otherwise Dock seemed nothing more than emptiness. Emptiness and an eerie silence.
Her sisters hardly left her side anymore. If both were not near her than one at least remained. It used to be a comfort to Dock to have them so close and in the past she may have been thankful for their attentiveness but now… There was an ugliness filling her. An anger that was manifesting in her heart and poisoning her. Without reason to be she was irritated with her dear sisters. The urge to snap at their hides, pin her ears, and drive them away from her became harder and harder to ignore with each day that passed. Maybe it was shame, maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was because she could see it in their eyes when they looked at her and she didn’t like it. She didn’t like facing the truth.
Her torso was swelling. Of course it was. Of course the bastard that did this was lucky enough to have his seed catch. To breed more hellish monsters like him. Dock knew she was pregnant and fought privately every day with the desire to kill the foal the moment it hit the ground. She could lie to Dickere and Hickere. She could tell them the babe didn’t make it and leave his body to rot into the earth just as the memory should. The more days that passed the more she was beginning to think that was what she intended to do…
A familiar smell reached her nose and for the first time in weeks, Dock’s head snapped up. Life sprung back into her nostrils as her ears rotated this way and that, searching through the constant sound of rainfall for that of hooves. Dickere and Hickere both lifted their muzzles from the grass they’d been grazing on to watch Dock warily and then look out into the shadows of the forest. “Dock?” Dickere said, “Dock, what is it?” Of course they were afraid it had to do something with the events that had made her pregnant. Her ears flicking back, Dock slid her blue eyes to her sisters. “Don’t follow me.” She hissed.
It was rude and, the moment she stepped away from them, Dock felt a twinge of guilt for it. That didn’t stop her from walking carefully forward and it didn’t stop her heartbeat from increasing and pounding in her chest. Why was she doing this? Why was she so driven to see him again?
When she saw him moving through the forest, Dock stopped short. “Valentine,” she said quietly, but loudly enough that he would hear her and see her standing, pale form dimmed in its brilliance by the shadows of the forest but certainly noticeable enough amongst the bright colors of life.
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