Halcyon
Anxiety clawed at the painted mare from the inside out, threatening to overwhelm her each time that she allowed it to rise in her mind. It wasn't that she was unhappy about the new life that she carried inside, close to her heart, but that she felt inadequate for the task. What if she did something and hurt the baby on accident? Was it better to exercise or to rest? Was it safe to eat the alien flowers of Atlantis that beckoned to her with their honeyed scent, or should she stick to the dry beach grass most like home?
Like a dog chasing it's tail, the questions were neverending. They circled her mind and drove her to restlessly pace the Shore's beach until her own coat was darkened and lathered. Even then they refused to abate, and without thinking much about it, she plunged into the ocean toward Tinuvel.
She had no intention of staying in the Cove again, nor, really did she want to see her father. But perhaps her mother had reemerged from hiding. She yearned to ask her dam what to expect and how to deal with this pregnancy. To see if she had tips or tricks or could even just brush her muzzle across Hal's brow and tell her that it would all be okay. Even if Columbia was still hiding, perhaps she could ask Golden Illusion. She had taken on that matriarchial role for the herd and would at least be able to tell her if everything was normal.
More than anything, Hal wanted to know that this baby would be okay, both for her own peace of mind and that of her handsome lover.
Halfway there, she aborts her mission, doubts slowing her frantic strides. She had to be overreacting, right? None of the other mares seemed to go rushing off in search of reassurance for their pregnancies, and it wasn't like she was alone in the Shore. Xiomara and Ofelia both seemed to be growing rounder with each passing day, not that Halcyon knew them well. Fritjof's resentment toward the blue Warrior Queen led Halcyon to keeping her distance from both her and her herd, and since Hal was currently Frit's only pregnant mare, she had few other options.
Having come too far to turn back immediately, Halcyon alters her course for the Crossing with the intention of resting there before returning home. Perhaps asking Xiomara for help would be a way to help bridge the gulf that separated mother from son, and endear her to the fierce ruler. At any rate, she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to face her Father either. Somehow the thought of telling him face to face that he was going to be a grandfather made her nervous, especially when she couldn't remember anyone else having had that discussion before.
She knew she wasn't going to be the only child to have foals… but she didn't want to be the first either.
The pained mare strode ashore and shook herself off, only to realize with a shiver that it was far colder on the Crossing than she remembered. She had planned to remain on the shore just long enough to rest before heading home, but standing still was clearly not an option with her thin coat, courtesy of her tropical home. She set off aimlessly to keep herself warm, hoping that constant motion would save her from the sort of shivers she'd experienced her first winter in the Cove. Sometimes when you just got too cold, the shivers wouldn't stop and there was nothing you could do about it until the cold eased.
Motion to the left drew her eye, and she watched with surprise as a pair of mares emerged from the ocean and reunited, their worry obvious even from this distance. Like herself, they were ocean-soaked and thin coated and for a moment Hal felt only sympathy… and then the opportunity of the moment grabbed her. She was not queen of the Shore yet, but wasn't that the eventual goal if Fritjof succeeded his mother? Claiming would be a power that she would eventually have, even she held no real title now.
Plus, what better way for her beloved to impress his mother than for him to have a herd already formed by the time she was ready to retire?
Decision made, the young mare called out gently for the pair of cream-colored mares and trotted over. The closer she got, the more obvious that it became that they were not just friends but sisters of a sort, almost identical except for the barely visible splashes of white on the more vocal sibling. A part of the girl was slightly disappointed, if only because the odds of both women agreeing to belong to the same stallion seemed small, but it could still count as a win. If nothing else, perhaps she could convince Fritjof to gift the other to his brother, in exchange for a different mare down the road.
Whatever it took to help him succeed.
"You poor things," she said gently, an empathetic smile curling on her lips. "You both must be so cold." She halted near to the pair with a gentle inclination of her head. "I only came to visit my family in the North, but I think I might wait until the weather breaks."
Casting her gaze over both of them with a worried glance, she nodded as if to herself and then spoke again, her gaze rising back to them. "I was just headed home now, if you'd like to join me. The Shore is nice and warm, if you can stomach another swim." Embarrassment flushed her face as she realized that she hadn't introduced herself and she chuckled. "Forgive me, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm Halcyon."