A white little nose poked itself out of the glade where Moxxie lived with her mother and 'father'. Big green eyes looked around her in wonder and awe as her large ears that the kitten would one day grow into twitched madly with bird song. It seemed like overnight the meadow had gone from simple green to a wash of bright colors. What was all this??
Taking a few tentative steps out of the safety of the tree line the tiny kitten looked around in awe. Unable to contain her mounting excitement, Moxxie dashed back into the glade "MAMA MAMA! PAPA!! COME SEE!! COLORS!!"
Shifting in the glade she'd found, Yuki let out a big yawn. It wasn't a tight fit by any means in there, easily fitting the pawed pony, her kitten, and a whole caribou - Currently without his antlers. Yuki stretched, then blinked and looked after Moxxie. She couldn't help but smile, seeing how the little kitten had grown so far already. She'd felt such a deep connection to the kit, now knowing what a lot of parents felt, when she'd found the basket as the foal had emerged from it. What had happened to her birth family, Yuki would probably never know, and could only hope they were alright. Beside her, Vilfred also stirred, causing Yuki to turn and snuggle him some. "You can keep sleeping, you're safe in here." Tail flicking some, she got up and went to meet Moxxie, smiling. "Colors, you say? Lots of them?"
Sides heaving with excitement, Moxxie's little tuff of white hair bounced up and down as she nodded frantically, "ALL THE COLORS MAMA ALL OF EM!!" She raced over to her mother's side to nuzzle her, "What is it?? There weren't there yesterday! But they are all bright and so many and and it's like the rainbow leaked on the grass!! Ya remember? The rainbow papa showed me the other day?? Yeah! Like that!!" Ah, the excitement of the young.
Chuckling, Yuki nibbled at Moxxie's puff of hair, then nuzzled her. "The flowers are in bloom. Spring has fully arrived in this part of the lands, bringing with it many colors." Even as she said that she knew their little glade had fresher and greener leaves than the day and even the week before. "It probably came sooner in other parts of the lands, like the desert or down south by the coasts, but it's finally here, and with the colorful flowers there will be fresh grasses and leaves galore, and we'll see many more animals stirring as they wake from their winter sleep." Behind her, Vilfred chuckled, with his thick winter coat. He'd be shedding it soon, rubbing it against the bushes and trees to dislodge the old undercoat so he didn't burn up in the hot sun.
"Spring? What's that? And Flowers? What are flowers mama??" The kitten looked up at her curiously. The hair nibbling made her giggle and paw at her mother, "mama! Stop messin up my mane!" She tilted her head curiously, "What's a desert? What's coasts?" She was endlessly fascinated with everything, asking millions of questions a day it seemed.
"Spring is when winter, or the time of snow, ends." She chuckled, then stepped out of their little glen, breathing in the flower-laden air. "The world warms up, and the chill leaves. Fluffy things begin shedding their thick winter coats." She then looked up at a bush. "Flowers are the colorful things you see on the bushes and trees, that look like colorful starbursts. As for the desert, that's a land of sand and rock, where very little grows. The coast is like the creek bed, but... Bigger. The water there goes on for as far as the eye can see!"
Moxxie listened intently to her mother as she trotted along at her mother's side, her tiny legs making her have to move faster to keep up even with her tiny mother. "Ooooh." When Yuki spoke of fluffy things, Moxxie looked at herself and giggled, "Papa says all the time I'm a fluffy thing. Will I shed? Why do we shed anyway? Will Papa shed?" Thankfully for Yuki's sanity, the curious kitten was caught on the next series of explanations. Her bright green eyes went huge, "You mean you can't see the other side?!"
So many questions from somebody so small! Yuki chuckled, nuzzling Moxxie. "You might shed! And he'll shed, yes. We shed because our bodies are getting rid of the thick cold weather coats so we don't get too hot during the warm weather seasons. And that shed becomes the stuff birds use to make nests so they can have babies!" As if to punctuate her point, a bird flew over something in its beak. There was still some snow, clinging to the shaded places, but the birds were well into their nest building. "Soon we'll hear the peeps of baby birds!" She smiled, watching the bird, then looked at Moxxie with her next question. "No, we can't see the other side. I don't know if anybody's ever seen the other side! Not even the water dwellers!"
The kitten shrank into her mother's side then looking worried, "Mama that's scary. I don't want to see the big water. What if there are monsters?" She whispered the last word, so concerned. "I don't wanna leave you and papa. Never, ever, ever." She tried to tuck herself even closer but any closer and Yuki would be walking on the little one. "I love you and I love papa so much. When I grow up, I can still stay with you right? Forever?"
Yuki chuckled, nuzzling Moxxie. "You can stay with us as long as you want! And I don't go to the big water that often, I like it a bit cooler than the water allows for. It's much much warmer there, and I've never been fond of it." Her nose wrinkled some at the memory. It'd been hot and humid and entirely unpleasant. There were also far more flies and mosquitos buzzing around to bite at sensitive ears and noses, and even nightfall wasn't immune to it. "I'm sure your papa wouldn't mind, either. More voices make for more music, after all!"
Moxxie relaxed, her sunny smile reappearing as she giggled watching Yuki wrinkle her nose. "You're silly mama." Still, the girl was reassured that not only did she never have to go to the big water but that she could stay with her beloved mama and papa forever which to the kitten was the most important part of that whole exchange. Her mama was the smartest and most perfect mama in the whole wide world! And no one was as big or strong as her papa!! Still, Moxxie only had a kitten's attention span and soon as they entered the meadow her eyes went huge in awe again. "See? See mama? A ground rainbow!"
Yuki smiled at Moxxie, then nuzzled her. "Better silly than boring!" Above them in the trees, the birds twittered and sang the song of spring. Some stayed all year, regardless of the weather, while others only came to the area when it warmed up in spring and summer, taking advantage of the seasonal bounties they each fed on. As they stepped into the meadow, Yuki's eyes lit up. "So it is! Look at all these flowers and blooms! And you know what? Some of them are VERY tasty! Like those round purple and white ones over there on the clover!" Oh, she'd eaten many tasty clover blossoms in her life by then, and she could never get tired of them!
"Mama could never be boring," she smiled up at her mother with all the love a tiny girl could have for her mother. Yuki's excitement became her own then as she pranced alongside of her, her little tail lashing back and forth betraying her eagerness. When the older mare suggested some of the bright flowers were good to eat, Moxxie gasped her eyes going wide again, "You mean the rainbow plants is food?!" Oh now she had done it, she'd blown the kitten's mind. She had opened her mouth to ask how to know which ones were good to eat, after all, they all looked so bright and wonderful after all when Yuki spoke of the purple and white ones. Following her mother's line of sight, Moxxie dashed over to the nearest clover patch and snatched up a mouthful. She blinked a few times before spitting them back out "BLEGH!!" It seemed in her eagerness, that the kitten had gotten not only the blossoms and steams, but the roots and dirt too!
Bursting into laughter, Yuki followed Moxxie, then bent her head down. "That can happen, getting the roots and dirt... The leaves are good, as well, they're full of good things for us. They may not taste the best to a young one, so eating them with the blossoms helps." To prove her point, Yuki took a careful bite of a clump, getting them blossoms, leaves, and all... Without the roots and dirt. She hummed pleasantly as she ate them, then nuzzled Moxxie. "Now you try again, sweetling."
Huffing faintly, Moxxie gave her mother a look but she knew mother never lied to her so she carefully took a bite again, making sure to get just the blossoms this time. She made a surprised squeak before eagerly digging into the sweet clover blossoms. Flowers were the best!!
(FWC: 1586)