To say that Prima Rosa had been out of the loop would be an understatement, but word did eventually travel (if not exactly quickly), and she had finally learned that her friend had become a mother.
She was so happy for Cirro, and not at all envious or jealous. Hardly at all. But she was so happy, really - and an event this momentous deserved a visit.
Cirro had left the mountains they'd both called home ages ago, and after that, Prima Rosa had rather fell out of touch with her. She'd fallen out of touch with everyone; the mountains were easy to get lost in, and caves were easy to hide in. It felt like she was emerging from her basket, for how long it had been since she'd really participated in the world.
So maybe Cirro's children were just a handy excuse to get away for a little bit. But she did also want to meet them; Cirro had been such a good friend, and she was sure that her children would be nothing but sweethearts as well.
The children were driving Cirro Strata crazy. Helio had too much energy, and Selene was so quiet - it could never be both of them doing the same thing at the same time, of course; as soon as she took her eye off one, the other ran off. Or flew off! Because they had wings! So did Cirro, but if it was tiring running after foals on the ground, it was exhausting chasing them down in the sky, too.
"It's time for dinner," Cirro called, trying to sound firm but not mean - she didn't want her children to hate her. What if her children hated her? It wasn't their fault they had energy. It was a good thing, really - it meant they were healthy, and, hopefully, happy! It was a good thing.
And also a very tiring thing.
A shadow passed over the setting sun and Cirro glanced up, hoping it would be Sol, but the coloring was all wrong, even back-lit as it was. For just a second, a spark of fear ran through her; if this was an attacking enemy, wanting to hurt her children...
And then the figure landed, and a wave of relief washed through her.
"Rosa!" Cirro called, closing the distance between them at a trot. "What are you doing here? I'm so happy to see you!" She was happy to see another adult, period. "Is everything alright back home?"
Yes, the mountains were still home - so was here, with the children and with Sol, but she had grown up there, as Prima Rosa had. She hadn't realized how much she missed it until Prima landed there, out of the clear blue sky.
Prima Rosa smiled shyly, but it gave way to a grin as Cirro greeted her. She'd gotten worried, briefly, that Cirro might not want to see her - that Cirro's lack of return to the mountains had also been an intentional escape from Prima Rosa herself.
But it didn't appear that was the case. She bumped noses with the other mare and nodded, shaking off the concern.
"Everything is fine," Prima Rosa promised. "I heard you had children, so...I decided to come visit and meet them. I should have sent word in advance..." Cirro shook her head emphatically, smile still on her face. "How are they? How are you? What is motherhood like?" The last question blurted out of her before she could stop it; she'd meant to approach that subject a little more gracefully, but...well, too late now.
"Come, come," Cirro said, walking with her friend back to their little home. The children were chomping away at dinner - fresh apples - and wouldn't have noticed if a tornado came through, so the mares could watch the children in their natural habitat.
"That's Helio, and that's Selene," Cirro said, nodding to her son and daughter in turn. "Their father, Sol'Tunier, isn't here right now, but... we are together. We're happy," she said, a little involuntarily smile coming to her face. "The children are tiring, but...truthfully, Prima, it's like - it's like I woke up, when they were born. I didn't know I'd been asleep, but I was. And now I'm awake, all the time. All the time," she added with a chuckle. "It's tiring, but I can't imagine doing anything else."
The two talked and ate, and when the children realized they had an audience, they immediately launched into games, performances, and about a thousand questions - by the end of one day visiting, Prima Rosa could understand how exhausting children were, but she also left their home with a renewed appreciation for her friend - and for the idea that she, herself, someday, might have foals of her own.
...Just, hopefully, slightly calmer foals...
((wc: 807))
