At first the world had been dark, quiet and warm. Nestled there in his mother’s belly was the best sort of comfort the little foal had enjoyed, not the slick mud beneath where he lay. His displeasure is known just as soon as he is freed from the binding cocoon of his original residence, a set of healthy lungs on the very aware and awake colt. He flounders, awkward legs kicking out and shuffling his body even further along the muddy ground. Only the gentle rumbling of his mother above soothes the colt. He looks up, bleary watery eyes looking up into the dark face of Switch. A sneeze leaves his body, expelling itself outward through the tender flaring of his nostrils; it sends his head back followed by his body, completely uncoordinated.

He is righted once more by the wonderful mare cleaning away at him, answering her crooning with his soft whispers. As much as he was enjoying being lulled into a slumber the colt found his belly had other ideas and by the milky odor emitting from just under the black shape that was his mother, she seemed to hold all the answers to such a problem. Leg’s are drawn up close and underneath, pushing himself up rather quickly that ends with him toppling over himself.

From the surrounding trees there is a laugh, amusement in the tone that echoes the secluded place of mother and child. The colt turns his head, golden brown eyes catching on a wolfish looking gaze that peers at him from the undergrowth. He bleats a warning, further enticing the dunalino stallion that looks from him to his mother, as if silently asking the mare for something the colt had yet to understand. He flares his nostrils at the disturbance, bringing his legs back under himself and finally at last coming to wobble unsteadily in the air. His nose guides him to Switch’s side, leaning heavily against her legs before pushing himself under her belly and finding the reward that had called to him. He suckles noisily, his head bumping up against her in hopes to bring out more of the liquid gold that had awaited him.

“He is a beautiful sight to behold my love,” Fiero keeps his distance, his eyes moving from their son to her and back again, as if constantly making sure both were completely okay. He shouldn’t be here, towing the line of the lagoon with his brother lurking about and the peak woman ready to kill, but he had to see the product of their affections.