Timestamp: Spring 10, 506 AV
Location: near the Amethyst clan breeding grounds
Purpose: Bonding with a strider
It was that time of year again when mares began to drop their foals and never quite seemed to do it during daylight hours. Laria's father had every able body out watching over the mares and constantly arriving foals.
The sun started sending out wispy tendrils of color, poking a sleepy head over the horizon. The morning air still held a slight chill and the plains were sparkled with the night's collection of moisture. Bright gold and orange hues painted the sky in vibrant shades, calling all to wake up.
It was Bolden's favorite time of day and although exhausting, it was a satisfying night with two new fillies and a colt. His sleepy amber eyes scanned the fields for any mares he'd missed. Just around the fell, there was a prone shape on the ground that seemed entirely too still to be breathing.
The fourteen year old sprinted as hard as he could toward the downed mare but surprisingly saw neither Drykas or horse anywhere near by.
A very small, dark shape rose from the grass near the dead mare. A strider foal shivered, still wet from birth, and snorted defiantly at Bold. The boy was finally close enough to see that the strider mare had passed on, and a pang crushed his heart. Palomino would cry when he told her.
An irritated squeal rose up from the new strider foal as he struggled to rise to his feet. He waggled his ears back and forth and with a mighty heave, got himself up on his pins in a wobbly stance. Bolden wanted to check if he could save the mare, but the new little strider stomped a baby soft hoof at him!
He stared in astonishment at this impudent fellow and put out a hand to gently move him out of the way--and was promptly bitten in the arm. Bold yowled in surprise at the balls of that baby. After a thick headed moment, he realized that the colt foal was trying to... defend his dead mother from a Drykas getting too close!
A barely born strider has this much presence of mind! Bold respected the notion so he stood where he was to look at the foal's mother. Not a single breath. The ribcage stayed unmoving.
When the boy saw the foal shivering in the cool spring morning, he had to move his compassion to the living.
"Ok little man, don't worry. We'll find a way to work this out." he said in the soft, special tone reserved only for animals.
The foal bared his little milk teeth at the boy and tried to snap at him again. Bold didn't move forward or back, he just sat down in front of the foal to think as hard as he could.
'What do I do? He'll die without his mother, but you can't -force- a strider to do anything! He's cold and needs a rub down and some food and comfort. Judging by the sticky half dried goo on him, he couldn't be more than a bell old.'
Lost in thought, the boy suddenly felt something wet nibbling on his curls. He stayed very still and watched the little strider lapping at his head hungrily. At that moment, Bold lost his entire heart to the strider foal. The boy nickered quietly at the colt, so as not to startle him. It was the sound that the baby should've heard by his mother the moment he was foaled.
"Poor little strider. Laria said I lost my mother too." The boy slowly raised the palm of his hand to cover his head where the foal started tugging at the hair painfully. The foal tried to bite the flat hand with no success.
'Cheeky thing!' Bold thought fondly.
Instinct kicked in when the foal started to mouth at the boy's fingers, attempting to suckle. Bold used his other hand to dip his fingers in some left over mash. The strider snorted, bucked his little legs and trotted off at the sudden motion.
The colt took a few steps forward but stayed out of reach. Bold stayed sitting, with his hand out, the fingers covered in wet mash. With a curious and hungry little whicker, he extended his chocolate colored neck to scent the air. He kept lifting his still soft hooves just one step closer at a time until he was using his tickley whiskers. The independent little strider made a decisive step forward to finally accept the bran covered fingers. And a final step into Bolden's life.
Location: near the Amethyst clan breeding grounds
Purpose: Bonding with a strider
It was that time of year again when mares began to drop their foals and never quite seemed to do it during daylight hours. Laria's father had every able body out watching over the mares and constantly arriving foals.
The sun started sending out wispy tendrils of color, poking a sleepy head over the horizon. The morning air still held a slight chill and the plains were sparkled with the night's collection of moisture. Bright gold and orange hues painted the sky in vibrant shades, calling all to wake up.
It was Bolden's favorite time of day and although exhausting, it was a satisfying night with two new fillies and a colt. His sleepy amber eyes scanned the fields for any mares he'd missed. Just around the fell, there was a prone shape on the ground that seemed entirely too still to be breathing.
The fourteen year old sprinted as hard as he could toward the downed mare but surprisingly saw neither Drykas or horse anywhere near by.
A very small, dark shape rose from the grass near the dead mare. A strider foal shivered, still wet from birth, and snorted defiantly at Bold. The boy was finally close enough to see that the strider mare had passed on, and a pang crushed his heart. Palomino would cry when he told her.
An irritated squeal rose up from the new strider foal as he struggled to rise to his feet. He waggled his ears back and forth and with a mighty heave, got himself up on his pins in a wobbly stance. Bolden wanted to check if he could save the mare, but the new little strider stomped a baby soft hoof at him!
He stared in astonishment at this impudent fellow and put out a hand to gently move him out of the way--and was promptly bitten in the arm. Bold yowled in surprise at the balls of that baby. After a thick headed moment, he realized that the colt foal was trying to... defend his dead mother from a Drykas getting too close!
A barely born strider has this much presence of mind! Bold respected the notion so he stood where he was to look at the foal's mother. Not a single breath. The ribcage stayed unmoving.
When the boy saw the foal shivering in the cool spring morning, he had to move his compassion to the living.
"Ok little man, don't worry. We'll find a way to work this out." he said in the soft, special tone reserved only for animals.
The foal bared his little milk teeth at the boy and tried to snap at him again. Bold didn't move forward or back, he just sat down in front of the foal to think as hard as he could.
'What do I do? He'll die without his mother, but you can't -force- a strider to do anything! He's cold and needs a rub down and some food and comfort. Judging by the sticky half dried goo on him, he couldn't be more than a bell old.'
Lost in thought, the boy suddenly felt something wet nibbling on his curls. He stayed very still and watched the little strider lapping at his head hungrily. At that moment, Bold lost his entire heart to the strider foal. The boy nickered quietly at the colt, so as not to startle him. It was the sound that the baby should've heard by his mother the moment he was foaled.
"Poor little strider. Laria said I lost my mother too." The boy slowly raised the palm of his hand to cover his head where the foal started tugging at the hair painfully. The foal tried to bite the flat hand with no success.
'Cheeky thing!' Bold thought fondly.
Instinct kicked in when the foal started to mouth at the boy's fingers, attempting to suckle. Bold used his other hand to dip his fingers in some left over mash. The strider snorted, bucked his little legs and trotted off at the sudden motion.
The colt took a few steps forward but stayed out of reach. Bold stayed sitting, with his hand out, the fingers covered in wet mash. With a curious and hungry little whicker, he extended his chocolate colored neck to scent the air. He kept lifting his still soft hooves just one step closer at a time until he was using his tickley whiskers. The independent little strider made a decisive step forward to finally accept the bran covered fingers. And a final step into Bolden's life.
