M A G N U S
MAGNUS wasn't quite sure how to deal with Roseriya. While they had cleared up their misunderstanding and she had come to the bay to raise their soon-to-born foal, there was still a huge awkwardness that fell between them. The spotted boy normally spoke whatever thought popped into his mind, told jokes and wasn't adverse to a little flirtation but with Roseriya he was afraid to say or do the wrong thing. Despite her believing him and agreeing to come to the bay, he could still see the mistrust heavy in her eyes and body language. It made him nervous. It made him question every little thing he said to her which left him saying very little. His trip patrolling the northern border for an injured Soljor, luring the snow leopard away from the herd and his subsequent fall when the mountain gave way on the way home had not helped either. He had barely even had a chance to see her.

WHEN the spotted boy had finally limped back to the bay herd, he had come upon Elexzra and their newborn daughter, Amity. While the black mare probably didn't appreciate his company much, he had stuck close ever since to make sure no harm came to them. He tried to keep Roseriya in his sights as much as he could but it was not always possible. Today, he had seen her moving around restlessly earlier in the morning but had lost sight of her when he returned from patrolling the area. He had seen pregnant mares in his father's herd grow restless and disappear only to return with a foal in tow though so he suspected that was where she went.

MOST of the smaller scrapes he had sustain on his journey home were close to healed now but the large gash on his shoulder was still red and angry below to scab. While he was mostly out of danger of it becoming infected, it still hurt like when he put weight on it. Ignoring the dull ache, he was grazing absently when he heard Roseriya's call. His ears immediately perked up and he began an eager trot only to have his knees buckle an instant later when his shoulder protested the sudden movement. Cursing and cringing against the pain, he forced himself up and limped towards the sound of her call at a more comfortable pace.

WHEN he finally reached the clearing, he spotted Roseriya first and nickered a greeting to let her know he was there. Although she had called him, he stopped a more than comfortable distance from the pair as some mares can be funny about letting a stallion close. With Roseriya so mistrustful, he didn’t want to push his luck. Blue eyes falling away from her, his gaze found the tiny form of their daughter who had concentrated brown speckling with white patches. A wide grin broke over his lips, ”I knew she would be gorgeous”.

LOOKING up at Roseriya, his grin faded a little, worried that he might have said the wrong thing (Elexzra hadn’t been best pleased when he’d made a similar comment about Amity, though perhaps that was more about his crack about being good looking parent). He searched her face, trying to gauge how she felt about everything ”How are you feeling?

ONLY THE STRONG WILL SURVIVE