Her belly felt large and cumbersome. Dusk had brought with it the first pangs of labor and sent her pacing into the maritime forest in search of solitude. Pain radiated from her barrel as another wave of contractions gripped her firmly causing her body to still and tense. Paper-thin nostrils flare as she huffs and stifles a grunt with a switch of her tail. The last thing she needed right now was to draw attention, not only was she in absolutely zero mood to listen to Garmr’s prickled tones, but she still distrusted the other bachelors. It was something ingrained into her since childhood and that was hard to let go of.

The mare paces further away from the loosely gathered herd, the tall sea oats and salt grass swaying around her. Only when she feels certain that solitude has been gained, does she allow herself to settle onto the soft patch of sand, still warm from the day’s sunshine.

There is no gracefulness to her labor, nor does she pay any further heed to her surroundings. Her mind focuses instead on expelling the child that has parasitically leeched from her body for the last year’s time. Each ripple of pain and grunt of discomfort is colored by unspoken curses. If only she had known how… unpleasant birthing was. It was not something mother ever covered nor did she bother to pay attention to her dam when the mare disappeared to birth to her little brother. Boy did she have a few select words for her if she ever came across Warduna again.

That all fell away however with the final push that left the child thrashing in the sand and membrane sac at her hip. For a moment she attempts to catch her breath, listening to the child thrashing against her. Alive. Her efforts had not been in vain. That itself is enough to cause her to smile wearily as she draws her head up enough to gaze upon her newborn for the first time.

Dark. Even in the silver-blue hue of midnight, the child at her heels is dark, frosted like his sire with a face of bone white. Frustration emanates from him as the little colt bleats his indignation at the veiny film wrapped around his slippered hooves. A smirk plays upon the lavender girl’s lips as Druna forces herself to rise albeit gingerly. ”Calm yourself Flynnrir. she murmurs, turning to lip away the remnants of the tattered birthing sac. As if that were the only reason to waylay him, the colt (she told Garmr it would be) thrusts his shaking legs out from under him. It only takes a few toppling attempts before he managed to stand long enough to stretch his tiny pink muzzle towards her hip.

Silently the mare stands, her silver-blue eyes scanning the shadows for any semblance of danger while her patchwork son greedily drinks his first meal. Paper-thin nostrils flare as Druna exhales a loud snort, her lilac ears disappearing beneath the thick mantle of ivory tresses as the rustling of nearby fronds warns of an approaching stranger. Authority lifts her slender maw as the exotic mare stifles a threatening growl. ”Show yourself.” she snaps, her bloodied tail snapping audibly against her heels in warning.

DRUNA

lavender daughter of Evrain and Warduna