Lavendar eyes stared out into the wall of white that blanketed the forest past the edge of the copses that the mare and her family called home. Behind her, she could hear her mate moving about as well as the soft snores of her daughter. Her teeth ground together in simmering rage at the thought of the girl, no not at her beloved sweet Meredith. Not at the girl who, for all, she was a skillful killer like her mother, 'father', and grandfather before her still carried a lightness and sweetness to her soul. Sweet Merry who reminded Adour so much of her beloved Samara before her fall from grace. Once in a great while, she wished she could have let Sammy meet Merry, but not the creature Sammy had become.
Heaving a sigh, Adour's front hoof lightly tapped at the hard frozen ground in irritation. No, her hatred was for whatever foul creature had taken her daughter's innocents and left her stomach swelling with offspring before disappearing like a thief into the night and now this damned blizzard had driven them into being trapped in their shelter for who knows how long. How would they find found? Adour would let herself go hungry to feed Merry and the sweet babies growing in her stomach, but that meant being able to find food to begin with.
Antares knew his Mistress was displeased but the why eluded him. He thought at first maybe it had been directed at him, but no, that hadn't been right. IT could have been her daughter-child, but that didn't seem right either. She was Mistress' pride. Her love even perhaps ahead of him. This didn't bother him overly much. Mistress came to him when she wanted him, that was his place, and he understood it well. Besides, it was natural for her to love her daughter-child? Hadn't his own mother done her best to love him? He couldn't remember and it wasn't worth really thinking about.
He cautiously crept up behind Adour, keeping his steps as light as his mixed blood allowed him. "Mistress, trouble?" there really should have been an "ed" at the end of that word but words and language had never been his forte. He was lucky to be as eloquent as he was. Mistress had helped. Mistress helped everything. Now if only he could help her. That was his place, his duty as her pet. "I help?" he hesitated for a moment. "Please?" the words coming out as almost a simper, definitely beneath him but also fitting in their own way.
"I kill?" he threw out almost eagerly. What he was killing he didn't know but he figured it didn't hurt to throw out the offer. Mistress liked blood, the hunt, the thrill of the kill. It made her happy and it made him happy by proxy. "Please?" he begged again.
Antares's words drew Adour back from the endless loop of ragefindkillpunish that her mind was stuck on for the moment and back to the present. She turned her head away from the whiteout just beyond the trees to press her nose against her beloved pet's jaw. What had started out as nothing more than her playing favorites among her treasures had long ago developed into something more. She knew her 'father' likely disapproved, but Adour felt she had chosen wisely in her mate. He was strong and while not the most cunning, he was loyal to a fault.
"Yes sweet Pet, I am afraid we might be in a bit of trouble. This storm will drive prey into hiding even if we could manage to venture out." She sighed her long tail swishing as she considered. "This storm will surely kill any fool who catches themselves out in it unaware and while that means easy meals of frozen meat once the storm passes, I fear how long it may rage."
Shifting her weight to press closer to his bulk, she nevertheless was the one to spread her wings over him. Despite their size difference, she was his guardian in every way that mattered. When he offered to kill something for her, her ears laid back with a low growl, "Oh how I wish you could my darling Pet." Adour knew he didn't always understand what was going on, so she looked up at him now, "Do you know what has happened to our Merry-girl?" Never mind Meredith had been a grown mare when he became part of their family, she always referred to her as their daughter, and Merry called him papa. [/ color]
Antares made a non-committal noise and then tilted his head towards the opening and sniffed. It smelled cold and bitter and he gave an involuntary shudder and appreciated her efforts to warm him but he made the exaggerated effort and shook out his own wings and laid them over her, he was bigger and gave off more warmth after all. He snorted and couldn't even attempt to comment. Weather sense was something he lacked. He had flown through a thunderstorm once.
He felt a thrill of pride that she was receptive to his offers of murder but then disappointed when she didn't point in him the right direction and let him go. Daughter-Child? Was there something wrong with her? She had smelled different lately and Antares lived by what he could smell and detect in the most base ways. "Smells different," he admitted. Why was beyond him. His brow furrowed slightly she, she didn't want him to kill Daughter-child did she? No, that couldn't be it! What though? He gritted his teeth trying to think. Something had happened to Daughter-child. That much was clear. She didn't want him to kill her, so something had happened to Daughter-child and she wanted him to do something to the person who had done that thing to her? Yes, that seemed the most logical! He rumbled deep in his chest having figured out that much on his own. "Who hurt, child?" he growled, ready to defend the child of his Mistress with his life if necessary. It was his duty, his place.
"I do not know," Adour snarled softly. "Merry does not know his name only that he had a 'fluffy' and could change into a fox." A Walker, one of those creatures like her beloved Sammy had taken advantage of her innocent daughter. She wanted to rip apart the world until she found the beast and made him pay but any chance of tracking him had disappeared with this snow and now Merry needed them more than ever.
A sigh slipped from her muzzle as she leaned into Antares's bulk for the warmth he provided as well as the comfort, "Merry is to have foals Pet. She carries life within her right now and will need plenty of food while she carries them then after to nurse them but with this storm...I am worried. You and I pet can handle going without food for a while if we must, but she must feed or she could lose the little ones."
While she was enraged that Merry had been seduced and abandoned, Adour loved her daughter and knew that losing the foals she carried would kill the innocent joy in Merry's heart...well and perhaps she was looking forward to having little ones about to love and teach once more. They just had to survive this winter. As it was they wouldn't even be able to find baskets for the foals to finish growing in!
He let Adour talk as the wheels in his mind turned ever so slowly. Food, they had to have food. That was the driving point of his Mistresses words. More for Daughter-child than themselves although if they starved themselves it wouldn't do her much good either. The storm outside would prevent them from hunting, but that didn't mean they were completely cut off. Mistress wouldn't like it but there was lichen and moss growing in the cave and there was the possibility that rats and mice lurked somewhere trying to keep warm. He also hadn't gone all the way back, there could be passages leading to other caves where animals were taking refuge?
If nothing else we would brave the storm to hunt and drag back food for his Mistress and her Daughter-child. "Food," he grunted and lifted his wing from Adour, shivering slightly as he moved away and leaned down towards a little frosted moss patch. His breath slowly began to melt the covering and looked over at Adour and then down. "Not good, but eat. Have to." he knew she wouldn't like it but if it meant keeping Daughter-child fed.
"I hunt." he carefully stepped around the patch and started for the mouth of the cave. "Find."
"No!" Immediately Adour moved to block him from leaving, her wings spread wide to keep him back. "I will not lose you to this Pet. We may have to face that step but not yet." She shuddered at the cold wind that ruffled her long mane and feathers but she didn't move from her stance. She wasn't quite sure why the thought of him disappearing into the blizzard...alright she knew why. He was Pet, her beloved Pet, her...mate?
"Wait a while yet Pet, let us see if the storm dies down first. I," Adour looked away a moment before repeating herself. "I will not lose you to this...Antares. You are mine."
His head jerked up as she stopped him and he almost forgot his place and snapped at her. How dare she stop him! Mistress needed food and it was his duty to provide. "But..." he managed and looked her over. There was something about her expression, something strange and confusing. He took a step back almost involuntarily to get away from it but it was still there.
His eyes narrowed as she claimed him as her own. Yes, that was right. He belonged to her, but this seemed almost to be more. Deep down comprehension dawned on him and he bowed his head in acceptance of everything, her the storm, everything. "Yes, Mistress. I belong to you. Come," he came alongside her and nudged her back away from the entrance. "Safe, warm." and urged her deeper into the relative safety of the cave.
Turning away from the cave opening, she let him lead her back into the darkness of the cave. Her gaze turned towards the sleeping mare once more, "After the foals are born...we will find who did this to our Merry-girl and make them wish they had never been born."
Antares nodded. Yes, good, this was understandable. "Yes, Mistress. Hunt." he nodded again firmly. In the meantime there was food and warmth to worry about, but after that..."Hunt." He said again his eyes burning with conviction. He would make whoever had upset his Mistress pay. It was his duty.