Common

Eve had been so fixated on her birth that it never occurred to her that someone could be watching her from afar. Her own cries had drowned out the shuffling of his paces, and as she had cleaned the red membranes from her child’s lifeless face the iron scent of blood had masked any warning of his approach. Yet come he did, and his body pushed in front of her before she had the chance to hit the ground in grief.

Though he was attempting to calm her, the strange stallion’s soothing tones had the opposite effect. Instantly her ears flattened against her poll, and she let out a shriek of anguish and rage. “NO!” Her hooves dug into the soft earth as she pushed back against his efforts to separate her from the body. Eve was not quite as tall or as thick as the painted man, but she was fueled by adrenaline and the instinct to protect her child. It didn’t matter that the filly was already beyond help.

He spoke again, but she could barely hear him above her grunting and squealing as she attempted to push past him. It wasn’t until she caught the words “help” and “son” that she hesitated. This moment of pause was a mistake; he was able to shove her further back from the tiny dun body. She snaked her head toward him, teeth bared, and aimed a sharp bite at his shoulder. Then she lurched to the side and bolted past him to stand protectively over her daughter’s body. Her sides heaved as she glared at the pale stranger. She growled at him in a low voice. “If your motive was to get me to help you, the way to do it was NOT to push me away from her and then try to call me sweetheart.” Eve held her head high, tears still darkening her mahogany face, as if she was daring him to come after her again. “Now, if you can treat me with some semblance of respect considering I just birthed a dead foal, maybe I will be willing to help you.”

She choked on the words as they escaped her. Did she truly want to go with him? The answer was no. She would stay here forever with the filly if it were her choice, even if it meant the carnivores took her, too. But the idea of a foal without a mother was somehow even worse than her not having her baby. It wrenched her tender heart to think of a soft, innocent boy without someone to care for him. In this way, maybe this stranger had known how to play his cards. Still, she hesitated. What would happen to Iris if she followed this stallion?

Eve held her position proudly, head still held high despite her breaking heart. An ear flicked, trying to catch any noise that might mean her sister approached. When she heard nothing, she let out a weary sigh. “So, are you going to start digging, or what?”