The first tantalizing hints of warmth announced the arrival of spring, but winter fought stubbornly until its final breath. Snow still clung to the corners of the Crossing, and streams flowed sluggishly, struggling to shatter the layers of ice that clung to their surfaces. Even the most resilient buds had yet to bloom, as if reluctant to expose themselves to the residual chill. And in the depths of the Lagoon's forest, where the sun's warmth could scarcely penetrate the trees, spring was little more than a wistful dream - its arrival heralded only by the birth of the the bachelors' first child.

Rade was concerned about Fatale's abrupt disappearance - she did not seem the type to wander, but there were always stallions eager to scoop up any mare who strayed too far from the herd, and the Lagoon was a favored target of such theft. He had seen the subtle changes that foretold of the coming season, but it seemed too soon for foaling - the young were notoriously fragile, and unlikely to survive the still-frigid nights of early spring. So, ascertaining with one last glance that Fatale was not hidden among the loose gathering of mares in the clearing's center, Rade headed off to search for his trinket.

It was midmorning when he finally encountered a promising trail, and followed both Fatale's scent and the scars of fresh hoofprints in the snow to a secluded corner of the Lagoon. Emerging from the shadows between the trees, Rade arrived just in time to watch his son rise into a stand and take his first tentative steps. His heart swelled with such pride that it could barely be contained by the bone bars of his ribs, and his eyes followed the foal to Fatale's side. Taking in every detail of the child's appearance, from the red hue that he had inherited from his dam, to the bold blaze that stretched from the colt's forehead and down to his muzzle.

He wanted to get closer - to count every white hair scattered across the russet coat, to test the strength in those spindly legs with a gentle exertion of force against the boy's flanks. But he stood where he was, allowing mother and child this moment to bond, and breaking the silence only when Fatale did, his amber eyes still fixated on the small form half-hidden beneath her body. “He's already strong. Did you see how fearlessly he came to stand at your side? Like a little lion staring down a lamb.”


stallion // mongrel // 15.1hh // 7 // palomino roan // reba
debonaire x neassa