Annuis has never been a fan of children. They were annoying parasites as far as he was concerned and took up way too much attention. He would have preferred it if it was at all possible to drop them all off on some distant island and only retrieve the ones that managed to survive on their own. In his opinion, it taught not only self reliance but perseverance and relieved parents of the duty of having to protect and provide for them. Hell, if half of Rougaru’s gaggle of foals were dropped off somewhere it would have made Paradise appear less crowded. At least in his opinion.

However when Vihar first began to show signs of pregnancy, he could not help but to feel himself groaning internally. Oh how he had enjoyed their time together, reveled in the release and exhilaration he felt with the twining of their bodies. Vihar was a creature apart. Never in his life had Annubis felt more complete than when he was at her side. At every turn she challenged him, forced him to fight harder or run faster or think quicker. There was something about the light of her sea green eyes as it sparkled against the dappled sunlight when she met his gaze or the nonchalant touch of her skin as it brushed against his own. If he thought that such a thing as love existed, no doubt he would have claimed her as his love. Or a lover. But such emotions were foreign to his way of thinking, but that did not sway him from keeping a watchful eye over her.

Day in and day out, pregnant or not, she led him on a merry chase through the dense underbrush of the jungle. Together they chased one after the other down the winding trails or lept over streams swollen with spring showers. Even with her belly swinging like a pendulum beneath her, she was agile and appreciation gleamed in his golden eyes when he thought her not looking. Each night he found himself close to her, drifting into a contented sleep with his finely dished muzzle draped over her back or just close enough that each breath gave him the security of her touch. He tried not to overwhelm her with his presence but in truth, he was glad of it. Far as he knew, she was about the only one on any of the islands that enjoyed or even liked his company.

He stifled a groan when she rose in the middle of the night. As of late, he often found her wandering more and more as of lately as though trying to rest was uncomfortable. Fluted ears tilt back amid the tangled web of his dark mane as he shuffles his feet in an awkward stretch, his ashen lips parting wide in a dramatic yawn. He does not immediately follow after her, instead choosing instead to give his body a quick shake and blinking away the sleep from his eyes. Like usual as of late, he assumed that she had gone down to the beach to wander the moonlit sands and let the sound of the ocean waves lull her into sleep. Oftentimes, he found her blue-green gaze on the horizon as though her mind raced a million miles away from here and always he got the gut wrenching feeling that she longed to be back on her frigid homeland. Was he willing to abandon all that he worked for to follow after her if she were to leave? He could not be sure. He had worked so hard to gain his father’s approval and he stood on the cusp of being able to claim the position as Beta of Paradise and perhaps even eventually lead the island himself. He had hopes that he worked for but all of those disappear as the fleeting shadow of darkness moves towards the same pathway that Vihar had disappeared down only moments before. Golden eyes glitter in the pale moonlight as Annubis lifts his proud head, his paper thin nostrils flaring to test the thick air.

Rougaru.

The steady thrum of his heart quickened as tension builds beneath his skin of molten silver. Flutes tilt forward as a renewed urgency finds his feet trailing in the wake of his sire, listening in the darkness as the stallion prowls after Vihar. Ash dusted lips curl upwards at the thick metallic odor of blood and the painful voice of Vihar. Had Rougaru harmed her? A vicious growl rumbles in his throat almost unbidden as he charges forward, shouldering his way between Rougaru and the darkness that concealed the beautiful gray and white mare. Steadily his golden gaze travels over every inch of the chocolate colored stallion, studying the whiskered lips and yellowed teeth for any signs of blood. ”Leave her be father…” he growls, his voice thick with emotion as he raises his golden gaze to that of the emerald eyed stallion. ”She is not hiim.” he finishes tilting a single ear back towards the darkness but keeping his gaze on Rougaru. He knew Rougaru loved foals, his other children the wolf adored and even Annubis he tolerated where any other he might have turned away. He did not believe that the wolf would harm the mare tossed in the throws of labor, but after…. Death only hurt for so long.