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 Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2014 2:16 pm
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She let Xanthus get ahead of her as they descended so she could watch his landing. He had done great up until that rock jumped out in front of him. She watched in horror as he fell hard on his knees and wing. "Oh Xanthus!" she cried, and rushed over to him. She knew immediately that his wing was injured from the crumpled feathers and the way it had bent. Tears formed in her eyes. "Oh honey, are you okay? Can you stand?" She watched as he gingerly pushed himself up, groaning in pain. "Oh son, I'm so sorry. This is....all my fault." The tears fell steadily as she wept for her son. "Can you move your wing at all? And your poor knees..."
He was a bit annoyed at her fawning over him, but also welcomed the attention at the same time. "Owww, yea, I can move it," he said as he gently moved his wing, but it hurts way too much. Is it broken Mama?" His voiced quivered with unshed tears and pain. He looked down at his knees. "Oh, they're not too bad," he said as he took a step, wincing from the pain. It stung a little but it wasn't unbearable.
He looked down at the ground where he had crashed. "I suppose that wasn't one of my best landings, was it Mama?" He tried to make light of the situation. "Practice makes perfect, right Mama? Isn't that what you said?" |
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Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2014 2:34 pm
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She had expected that question to come soon. "Well Xanthus, how about we stay here for the night and let your wings and body rest. You know you can't fly like that, and it's much too far to travel on hoof now. Come, sweetie, let's find somewhere to rest for the night and see how you're feeling in the morning." She looked around to see if there was a suitable place for them to retire for the evening. The trees they had flown over before landing stretched high above them to the south, and aside from the clearing they were in, all she could see around them were more trees.
Arianna was not familiar with this territory as it was outside the herd's territory. She couldn't be sure they were safe unless she scouted around the area. "Xanthus dear, let's move closer to the edge of the trees and settle down for the night. I'm going to go look for some food, but I won't be far, okay?" She ushered him over to a large thicket and he found a spot to lie down, folding his uninjured wings into his body, while he let the other one lay straight on the ground. Arianna inspected it closer and saw that it just appeared to be bruised, and not broken. A sigh of relief escaped her. It still meant he couldn't fly for a few days, but at least it would mend.
Saddened that he wouldn't get to go home tonight, he agreed with his mother that he needed to rest. His body ached from all the strenuous activities of the day, and he craved food and rest. "Okay Mama, food sounds really yummy."
After moving to the thicket and stretching out his wing, he lay his head down. He nibbled at some vegetation that was in reach while he waited for his mother to return. |
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 12:40 am
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The guilt was eating away at her. She knew she'd have to tell him what was going on....and soon. As she walked away looking for food, her mind was a jumbled mess. She had to figure out how to tell him that they weren't returning to the herd...to his father...to his brother...
Feeling they were safe, she found a few berry bushes and snapped off some twigs to take back to Xanthus. He could eat what grass was near the thicket, but she always liked to give him a little more than just grass. As she neared the spot she'd left him, she noticed he wasn't there, but a few of his feathers were lying on the ground.
She dropped the berries and froze. 'Oh no!!' she screamed in her mind. "XANTHUS!" She called, fear evident in her voice. "XANTHUS!!!"
He watched as she walked off, his eyes growing tired and heavy almost instantly. After a few seconds, he was out. His tired, sore body couldn't hold out long enough to wait for his mother to return. It wasn't but a few moments he was dreaming. In his dream he was soaring through the skies with his brother. He was showing off his spectacular flying skills and teaching Ariashi how to fly. He did flips and twirls and dives. He was amazing! Ariashi was so excited to fly with him, and he with his brother. During one epic dive, he did a spectacular twirl right before pulling up, and landing gracefully. It was then that he woke up, his wing throbbing.
Xanthus moaned in pain. His wing was hurting so bad. He was disappointed that all that epic flying was only a dream, that he pushed himself off the ground and stood. He winced as he pulled his wing into his body. Xanthus had an idea. He'd seen plenty of angeni with only two wings that were able to fly. Surely he could do it with only three. What a surprise that would be to show his momma. He looked around for a few minutes to see if she was nearby, and snuck off to an open area to try out this idea of his. |
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 8:54 pm
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He found a large semi-flat rock that sloped at an angle upwards. "Perfect!" he said and ran over to it. He took a running start and opened his wings, except the injured one, and started flapping hard as he ran. He reached the end and jumped, opened his wings wide, and after flapping a couple times, he crumpled hard to the ground. Groaning, he pushed himself back up. He stretched his wings out. They felt ok, save the already bruised one. He went back to try it again, but stopped at the sound of his mother's voice. He heard her scream his name, then again. He could hear the fear in her voice.
Frantic, she searched for signs of where he'd gone. The darkness made it harder to track him, but she could make out small hoofprints leading away from the thicket. She quickly followed them. Small white feathers dotted the trail as she made her way. She was so scared for her little boy. Where was he? Was he ok? Was he taken? Did he wander off? All those questions ran through her mind. She called out again, "XANTHUS!" |
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 5:08 pm
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He pulled away, a bit embarrassed at all the coddling. "I'm fine," he protested against her. "I was just trying to practice my flying. I wanted to show you I could do it, even with one injured wing, but I heard you calling and was worried, so I didn't get the chance to try." He pouted, his lip sticking out a bit. He didn't want to tell her he had tried once and fallen. It was best to keep that to himself. Besides, it always took a bit of practice before anything worked right.
"Why were you yelling mama? Is everything ok?" he asked quizzically.
She was saddened that he had pulled away from her. She knew that she deserved such treatment, and only hoped that it wasn't a foreshadow to how he would react when she told him the truth about their nighttime excursion.
"I was worried about you son. I meant for you to stay put while I went to get food, and when I came back you were gone. You couldn't believe what wild thoughts my imagination conjured as to what might have happened to you. I was worried that something or someone had taken you, or you had been hurt." She sighed, relieved that he appeared okay, and suddenly felt both weary and tired from their long night's travels.
"Come, Xanthus. Let's go settle down for the night so that when daylight comes we may continue on our wa--continue our lessons." She stumbled over her words, almost letting it slip. |
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:56 pm
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She led the way back to the spot where they would sleep for the night, and offered him the food she had brought back. She watched silently as he ate, mulling things over in her head. 'In the morning,' she thought, 'I'll tell him then.'
It wasn't long before her eyes became heavy with sleep and she lay down beside him and tucked him under her wing, settling herself for a long rest.
He followed along behind his mother, a bit grumpy that she had ruined his plans, but he didn't want to worry her. When they were back at the resting spot, he quickly ate in silence. Once his belly was full, he was ready to sleep. He lay down, stretching out the injured wing again, and soon had succumbed to sleep. He felt his mother stirring beside him, and the light touch of her wing over him, bringing a warm, calm feeling to his slumber. |
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:10 pm
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Sunlight shone in on them as dawn broke. The bright rays twinkled through the branches hanging above them, causing Arianna to stir from her sleep. She raised her head, still groggy and realized where they were. She quickly looked down to make sure Xanthus was still there. He was still nestled closely next to her, sleeping soundly under her wing. She quietly stood and stretched herself, flapping her wings and settling them neatly against her golden body. Her hair was quite tussled, but she knew they would be flying more today, if his wing would allow, so she didn't bother with fixing it.
She looked around for any remaining food, but they had eaten all the food she had gathered the night before, the thought of which caused her stomach to growl loudly. She wondered if she should wake Xanthus so they could find food, and water and get going or if she should risk going to find more food while he slept. After a moment's thought, she didn't want to risk another fright like the night before, so she leaned down and gingerly nudged him with her nose. "Wake up Xanthus. It's time to go."
Xanthus had been dreaming again. He dreamt that he and his mother had been flying this time. He soared high, doing tumbles and twirls through the clouds. He had hoped to fly with Ariashi again, or even his father, but they weren't part of this dream. He followed along behind his mother, keeping pace with her and laughing when she would hide behind some clouds. She would call out to him softly, "Xanthus..... Xanthus..... It's time to wake up....." He giggled at her. "Wake up? I'm not asleep. I'm flying!" he called back to her. She flew at him then, bumping into him and said again, "Wake up Xanthus, it's time to go." He looked at her puzzled, and wondered what she meant, but he didn't get an answer as it was then that he awoke.
He blinked his eyes, adjusting to the sunlight. He groaned and yawned, pushing himself to his feet. "Morning already?" he asked in a sleepy voice. |
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Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 12:03 am
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She chuckled at his sleepy voice. "Yes, my dear. It's time to wake up and get a fresh start on the day." She moved away so he could stand. "How's your wing feeling this morning? I hope that some rest has let it heal." She waited til he stood.
"Let's go find some food before we continue," she began, and realized that it was time. It was time to tell him that they weren't going back home, but that they were leaving the Kawani herdlands.
Groggy, he stood and stretched, opening his wings out wide. As he did so, he expected the injured one to hurt and recoil with pain, but it wasn't so bad. There was a bit of an ache there, but mama was right, the rest had helped it heal and though it hurt a little, he thought maybe it would be alright to fly. "It doesn't hurt too much mama," he said, smiling up at her as he flapped his little wings, testing them out. "I think I can fly again today."
At the mention of food, he realized how hungry he was. "Oh yay! I'm starving! I want some more berries," he pranced for a second, and then added. "please." |
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Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 12:12 am
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She smiled at his excitedness over food. "Sure son. We'll find some more berries. Follow me." she said and walked away. Her mind was a bit preoccupied as they walked and she nearly passed right by the bushes she had found the berries in the night before.
He followed along behind her, trotting happily, lifting his legs high in an amusing cantor. He spotted some berries and quickly ran over, but noticed that his mama kept walking. Puzzled, he called to her. "Mama? Aren't these the berries we had last night?"
His question broke her from her reverie and she stopped and turned back towards him. "Oh, yes, of course." she replied. "Those are the ones. Go ahead, enjoy them sweetie. I'm..." she paused. "I'm not very hungry at the moment." Though she was hungry, she knew she had to talk to him now. She mustered up all her courage and watched as he took a big bite of berries. She smiled at his silly face, with puffed out cheeks full of berries and juice flowing down his mouth.
"Xanthus," she began. "I need to talk to you."
Satisfied that these were indeed the same kind of berries, Xanthus immediately dove in, grabbing a mouthful of the sweet and tangy berries. The purple juice they made dribbled down his chin as he chewed, smiling up at his mama.
He watched and listened intently when she spoke to him. "Mrokay?" she replied, wondering what she wanted to talk about. |
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Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 12:31 am
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She wasn't sure how to begin, but she had to do it. "Here goes" she whispered to herself. "Son, I want you to know that I love you and Ariashi so very much. Do you know that? " She paused.
He nodded.
"I love your father as well." She paused again. It was true. She did love him, but she couldn't stay there within the herd. She wasn't sure that anyone would understand.
"I wanted to make sure you realized that, okay sweetie?"
He nodded again, a puzzled look on his face.
"So what I'm about to tell you might be confusing, and scary, and maybe upsetting." She paused again and took a deep breath. "Xanthus, we aren't going back home." She waited for his reaction.
Xanthus swallowed his bite of berries and listened intently. At her last words, he looked really confused. "Why are we not going home?" he asked, speaking really slowly.
She stepped closer to him, afraid that he might run or fly away. "Xanthus, do you know how happy you and your brother make me? You make me so happy. Like the sun makes the sky happy or rain makes the ducks happy. But being in that place, in that herd....mama wasn't happy there son. It may be hard for you to understand, but someday you might. I wasn't happy there and I had to leave. I couldn't bear to leave without you and your brother, but I couldn't take you both. I couldn't leave your father without both his children. It was so hard....." she stopped, her voice breaking as tears flowed down her cheeks. "It was so hard to leave Ariashi behind. It was even hard to leave your father, but I knew that he would never come with me. I knew that Ari couldn't make this journey with us. I knew how strong and courageous you are, so I knew you could make it. "
Tears formed in his eyes as she spoke. Most of it he didn't understand. He just knew that he was sad. He was sad that he wouldn't see his brother. Or father. Or the herd. He was sad that everything was changing. He was sad that his mama had picked him instead of his brother. He was sad that she hadn't brought Ari as well. He was just sad. |
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Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2023 7:44 pm
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The moment she had dreaded for days was finally here. Would he hate her? Would he accept her decision? How would this affect their relationship?
She waited for him to respond, but after a long pause she prodded. "Xanth?"
The tears he was holding back spilled over. "We aren't going back?" he asked, his voice so quiet and trembling. "Ever?" He looked up at her, his little ears drooping and he had let his wings fall to his side, hanging down. "But daddy...and Ari."
Tears formed in her eyes now. "I...." she stopped, not really knowing how to answer. "I don't know son. I don't know if it's forever or for a while, but I do know that for now it's you and me, baby." She reached forward to nuzzle him but he stepped back from her.
"No!!!" he cried, "I don't want to go. I won't go! I'll fly back home by myself!!" He took another step further from her. "I can fly by myself. I ..." he paused looking around. "I know the way!" He turned away from her, started to run but had no idea where to go. With all the flying the night before, he had no idea where they were or which way was home, but he wasn't going to let her know that. He took off on foot, just wanting to put as much distance between him and his mother at that moment.
Arianna called after him as she ran behind him. "Xanth! Please! Stop!!! You can't run off on your own. You don't know the way back. Stop!!!" His little white body could run under low branches and through bushes where she could not follow because she was much bigger than him. She was having trouble keeping up with him and keeping him in her sight. She was going to have to take to the air and follow him that way.
He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he had to keep moving. He zigged and zagged his way through the trees, pulling his wings tight against his body so they didn't snag on twigs and branches that scraped along his body and face. He felt the sting of a sharp thorn scratch his face and felt the blood start to trickle down his cheek. He didn't care. He pushed himself to keep going. Every few feet he would look over his shoulder to see if his momma was still behind. After a few moments, he didn't notice her anymore. Had she given up or had he lost her? He slowed down a little, just to catch his breath. |
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Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2023 11:09 am
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She flew overhead, following him above as he struggled to make his way through the trees. She could catch glimpses of his white pelt through the branches. She sighed in resignation. She would just have to follow him until he tired himself out from running. Guilt and worry enveloped her and tears flowed from her eyes. It was going to take time, and probably a lot of it, for these wounds to heal between them but she hoped one day he might forgive her.
He had slowed down but didn't stop moving for a long time. He knew he was getting more lost but at this point he didn't care. He was just so angry at his momma right now. The little colt's mind couldn't process why his momma had betrayed him and his daddy and brother like this. He didn't understand. This only made him more angry as he tore through the underbrush. Thorns and branches tore at his pelt. He could feel small trickles of blood running down his coat. He wanted to stop. He wanted to just curl up in a ball and cry. He looked for somewhere to hide or at least to stop for a few moments. He could no longer see the sky above him and he hoped that maybe that meant his momma wouldn't be able to find him. Not much further he found a large fallen tree that had long rotted out and become hollow. It was just big enough for him to squeeze into with a small bit of wiggle room. He tucked his wings as close to him as he could and crawled into the log. It was a tight fit but he managed to get most of his body inside with only his rump sticking out. He tried to maneuver around so he could look outward and finally after a few moments of persistence, he was all the way in. A few of his feathers had fallen out in the hustle but he was so tired he didn't really care. He tucked his head under one of his wings and silently cried himself to sleep.
Arianna kept an eye on him as she flew overhead. The vegetation had started to get dense and it was becoming harder to spot the flashes of white through the leaves. It was about midday now as the sun shone down from the middle of the sky. She had long grown tired from flying and knew she would have to land soon to rest. Spotting a small clearing below, she circled around until she was above to descend low enough to land gracefully in the small clearing. Her ears perked at running water nearby and she made her way to the small stream flowing through the trees. She greedily gulped in mouthfuls of water as it spilled down her muzzle and neck as she lifted her head. She took a moment to look around, hoping to gain her bearings and perhaps catch another glimpse of her son. She knew it was going to be difficult to find him if it got dark, so she couldn't rest for long. Her wing arms throbbed from the long flight she had done, so she wouldn't be able to fly again for a while. It would be much harder to find him on foot but it was all she could do for now. Her thirst now satisfied, she went back to the clearing and grazed on the grass there for a few moments. In their rush that morning, neither of them had eaten much at all. She knew Xanthus must be very hungry as he usually had eaten three times by now. She hoped he was ok and not hurt somewhere.
A slight breeze blew through the trees and overhead clouds had started to darken. A storm was rolling in and the smell of rain loomed on the air. Arianna sniffed the air, and caught a familiar smell. Xanthus! He must be nearby. She knew with the storm coming, she needed to find him fast or she may never find him. She set off in the direction of the scent and called out for him, "Xanthus! Where are you!?"
Rumbles of thunder started rolling through the trees long before the rain began. The dark clouds overhead had caused the forest to become darker as well making it harder to see. A bright flash of lightning struck a tree near where Xanthus still lay tucked into his log asleep. The loud crack woke him with a start and the deafening thunder made him cry out. He scrambled out of the log, stumbling to stand up. "Oh no," he said softly, his lip quivering. He hated thunderstorms, and especially with his mommy nowhere around he was scared. Torn between trying to find her and hiding inside the log, he hesitated a moment. Another loud crack of thunder sprung him to action and he started moving again. No idea where he was going, he just knew he needed to move.
Large raindrops rained down on her, cold and wet, she made her way through the thick underbrush. She had lost the scent on the wind that now smelt of mud and rot that had been stirred up by the rain. "Xanthus!" she called over the roar of the rain on the canopy above. "Xanthus!!" Her cries becoming more urgent. Her hooves slipped in the mud and she stumbled, her knees scraping against a log. She tried to regain her footing and was just able to catch herself from falling face first into the muck. Something white caught her eye. Feathers! They were too large to belong to a bird, so she knew they must be from Xanthus. A slight sense of relief filled her as she knew she was on the right track. She looked around and was able to spot small hoofprints leading away from the log. She called out for him again, hoping he might be in earshot. "Xanthus! Son, please! Let me find you! It's dangerous to be alone in this storm!" She hoped he could hear her and her reasoning might persuade him to at least pause. She kept moving, following the hoofprints as close as possible.
The wind was much stronger now and the storm made it almost impossible to keep moving through the dense vegetation. His hooves kept getting stuck in the mud and his wings were getting tangled and feathers pulled out by the branches blowing in the wind. No matter how closely he kept them to his body, it wasn't enough. "....xanth---...." He thought he heard his mommy calling to him. The sounds from the storm made it hard to hear. "Momma?" he called out in return. He couldn't see far with the dim light and rain making it harder to see. He couldn't tell which direction the voice had called from. "son.......find you....dangerous....alone....storm..." He could barely make out a few words but he could tell it was her voice. She was trying to find him. At that moment, he didn't care about anything else, he just wanted to find her. "Momma!!" he yelled back, desperate for her to hear him. "Momma I'm here!!!" |
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 5:20 pm
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The storm seemed relentless, with bright flashes of lightning and deafening thunder one after another. A nearby tree exploded as a crack of lightning struck the top of it. The tree started to topple and it was falling towards Xanthus. He stared up at it in horror, water stinging his eyes. He was frozen with fear as it fell towards him and he closed his eyes tight waiting for the impact. "Xanth! Move!" he heard just as he was shoved sideways onto his side the tree landed with a crash next to him. Luckily only some branches fell on top of him but he was still terrified to open his eyes. Slowly he opened them to see his mother standing over him. "Are you okay?" she asked. Blinking slowly, he took a moment to realize that he was ok, just shocked and scared. "Y-yes momma. I'm ok." He slowly got to his feet, scrambling to get out from under the branches. She helped him by pulling back one of the larger limbs so he could move. It was still raining but the wind seemed to have calmed a bit. "Come now son, we need to find shelter to wait out this storm," she said to him calmly, now that she knew he was ok. He nodded sagely and followed behind her as she led him away from the fallen tree.
The storm seemed to be lifting. She was relieved that he was okay and she had gotten to him just in time to shove him out of the way of the tree. She couldn't bear to think what would have happened if she hadn't. She raised a wing up, signally for him to come closer and shield him a little from the rain. Once he had moved next to her, she pulled him close into a wing hug. "I'm glad you're ok." She looked down at him with a soft smile. "Let's see if we can find our way out of these trees and somewhere dryer." She nodded to him, still holding him tight to her.
He looked up at her, tears brimming on his eyes. "I'm...I'm sorry momma. I'm sorry I ran off. I was...I am still mad. I just don't understand."
"Shhh shhh shhhh." she quieted him, patting him gently with her wing. "It's ok. We'll talk about it later. For now, let's worry about getting out of here, ok?"
"Promise?" he asked her, sniffling a little.
"Promise." she replied, smiling down at him. "I'm just glad you are safe." She paused and let him out from under her wing. "I also promise that I will help you understand why I made the choices that I did. I also promise that I love you."
"And Ari?" he asked interrupting her, his voice lifting to a lighter tone.
"And Ari, of course." she replied with a chuckle.
He paused a second to think but then asked, "And daddy too?"
Without pausing to even think, she said. "And daddy too."
Satisfied with her answers, he walked along beside her as they made their way through the wet forest. She led him back to the clearing she had found before and over to the stream of water. He took long sloppy gulps of water, not realizing how thirsty he had been. Then his stomach growled and he looked over to her. "I'm so hungry!" he groaned.
Shaking her head, she smiled at him. "I thought you might be. Let's find something to eat and we can talk." A warmth spread over her as she watched her son look around for something yummy to eat. She knew the coming days wouldn't be easy but she had a new hope that they might be easier. It felt like this might be the beginning of their new life away from the herd. She would always miss Drashi and Ariashi, but she knew someday she would see them again. For now, she wanted to focus on what she and Xanthus needed and hope it would be good enough.
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