Post by katsu on Feb 7, 2009 19:02:08 GMT -5
The day was perfect. The sun was standing high in the sky, sending down streams of hot air. A soft and gentle breeze blew through the tall grass, making it dance and sway as it took away a little of the heat that rose from the earth. Fearow and Spearow circled the sky high above and a herd of Tauros was grazing not far ahead, one of them stomping a hoof occasionally and the sound of snorts could be heard all the way over to the other side of the small river.
A small group of 25 Ponyta and Rapidash stood there, grazing under the watchful eye of the leading stallion, Markab. He was proud of them all and as he watched them graze, play or nurse their young ones he could feel his heart swell. Most of all he watched the foals though. He had sired six this past breeding season and five of them had already been born. The four filly's he watched with laughter in his eyes, chuckling as they messed around with the water a bit.
The last one however, he had taken to watch with avid interest and sometimes even worry. Orion used to play with his sisters so much, but lately the young colt had been staring in the direction of the mountains a lot, often seen with his mind elsewhere. Markab knew something was off after the filly's had been running to their mothers and Orion followed over an hour later, but the colt had been extremely tight lipped and refused to answer his questions, risking bringing his fathers anger down on him.
What was wrong, he did not know. But as long as nothing else happened and he did not endanger the herd, he would not do anything else. He had been punished for his insubordination already. The only thing he feared, was that Orion might not want to take over the herd. In which case Markab would have a problem. A shout over at the riverside caught his attention and he turned to see what was going on.
---
Orion had been standing there, watching the mountains and wondering what lied behind them as suddenly a mare collapsed near him. With a startled neigh he jumped, watching the well rounded mare with avid interest. She was giving birth! The contractions had started so sudden that the poor girl had been left with no choice but to give birth right here and now. A few of the other mares started fussing and pushed Orion and the other foals aside with their noses, all gathering around their fallen comrade.
As Markab trotted over, even he received a few kicks to the belly as the tried to see what was going on, until Orion's mother came out of the tightly packed group of females, glaring at their so called fearless leader.
"What are you doing?" She hissed at him, and he frowned with displeasure at being addressed like this. "What do you mean, woman? I want to know what is going on, as is my right!" He puffed up his chest a bit and straightened his neck as if he needed to intimidate her, when she rolled her eyes, ruining the moment.
"For the love of..." She gave him a nudge with her hindquarters, indicating that he remove himself quite fast. "She is in labor, you daft creature. Now, get lost and take your progeny with you." At her last word, she made a motion towards her son, who was currently craning his neck to see what was going on.
At her words, Markab found blood rising to his cheeks. Labor! That meant women things and he did not need to know of those. All he did was provide the means. How they handled themselves after that was their problem. With a cough he excused himself, walking away from the pack of Rapidash busying themselves with their herd mate and nudged his son.
"Come, boy." As Orion looked up at his father, the curiosity in his eyes was undeniable. "This is not a place for us to be right now."
--- [Shifting into correct person view: Orion's third person] ---
Trotting to keep up with his fathers walk, Orion kept looking backwards many times. Where were they going? What was wrong with Matar? Would she die? When they left it sounded like she was in pain... As he looked up to the, in his eyes enormous, Rapidash walking next to him, he couldn't help but asking the million questions going through his head.
Markab laughed then, shaking his mane with a graceful motion. "No, silly colt. She will not die. You will merely gain another sister, or perhaps a brother this time." The older pokemon gazed at the plains ahead of him in contemplative silence. This might be a good moment to bring up what had been wrong with Orion the past few weeks. Orion frowned, not understanding.
"But I thought sisters and brothers came from eggs?" He blinked up confusedly, earning himself another smile.
"Yes, but these eggs sometimes hatch within a pokemon and then it's called giving birth." Suddenly remembering that all of the other mares had successfully secluded themselves before birthing, he turned to his son. "Usually, when a mare becomes a mother, she goes away from the herd to give birth. She wants peace and quiet. But sometimes, like with Matar, the baby Ponyta comes very fast and then they can't seclude themselves. Then all the males must leave the place, for it is a sacred happening, when a new foal is born into this world. They say that if a stallion, or a colt like yourself," he nudged his son again with his nose, "is there, then the young one will never have a burning flame." Orion stared at his dad with wide open eyes and then back at the herd, still fussing.
"But how does the egg get into Matar?" His face scrunched up a bit as he struggled to understand what was happening here. Didn't eggs fall from heaven? Markab, on the other hand, could feel the tips of his ears go red. Oh dear. Silverhoof clearly had not told their boy about the Pidgey's and the Beedrills yet. With a groan, the older Rapidash shook his mane again. "Ask your mother, she's better at that stuff then I am." He muttered before looking up at the Tauros that made his way over to them.
"Good day, Markab!" The other greeted them jovially. Markab nodded at the great beast in greeting. "Good day, Aldebaran. How is your herd faring today?"
Aldebaran swung his head from left to right. "Good, good, thank you. And yours? Seems to be quite the consternation over there." He gave a pointed look at the mares and then looked at Orion, who was staring at the huge Tauros with unconcealed awe. "This your boy?"
Markab nodded. "Yes, this is young Orion. Quite the sight, isn't he? And over there, dear Matar is finally giving birth."
As the two got into a conversation about how late Matar was and how good it was that the weather would remained unchanged for now, Orion marveled at being this close to the massive pokemon they had always admired from afar. His own hoof would fit into that of the other more then three times! He was just about to put his hoof next to that of Aldebaran when a whoop rose from the crowd. He turned his head around so far that he pulled a muscle and as he groaned, his father gave him a soft bite to his withers and a soft shove. "Come on, we have to go and greet the new one."
They each said their goodbyes to the Tauros and cantered over to their own herd again, where Silverhoof jumped out. "It's a boy, Markab! A beautiful and healthy boy!" The stallion reared up on his hind legs and neighed hard and loud, spreading the news over the plains. Hoots and congratulations flew in from the surrounding area's where other herds had been following the progress of their going ons.
Making their way to the center of the herd, Markab and Orion saw Matar lying there on her side, with a new born Ponyta sitting next to her, looking out into the world a bit blearily before attempting to get up onto his rather wonky legs. Orion snickered but shut up after a warning glance from his mother. Matar got up with a soft oomph as well and looked at her new born with loving eyes, before turning to Markab. "Your son, Baham." Markab walked over to the new one and nuzzled his face gently, before stepping back again and giving Matar a nuzzle as well. "Congratulations and thank you."
With that, the ritual was fulfilled and the whole herd started congratulating the new mother and foal, who was now standing securely on way to long limbs, looking up at all the new faces with something akin to fear in his eyes when his mother finally gave him a nudge and they moved to quieter places.
Orion stood there looking at them for a long time, until his mother and Markab came over to him, looking at each other with worry once more. Orion turned to them at once, a question burning on his lips and decided to give it a go. "This means I don't have to take over, right?"
Markab blinked, that had not been what he was expecting. "Sorry?"
Orion looked at the new colt again and felt his confidence grow even more. "This means Baham can take over if he's old enough. So I can go and discover the world!" Markab stood there, staring at his son in surprise.
"I... thought you wanted it, the leadership. That you wanted to take over." He walked over to his son and stood next to him, looking at the new born first and then turning his gaze to the older one. "Was I wrong in assuming so?" Orion looked up and smiled.
"No. I did want it at first. But then... I heard about oceans and beaches and deserts and other pokemon, like dragons! Dad, did you know there are pokemon that can influence the weather, or... that can read your mind?" He started talking about all the things he had learned from Vulpix as his parents watched him avidly.
"And then he said that if they want to, they can evolve into at least six different kinds of pokemon! Isn't that amazing?!" Markab sighed, before smiling at him.
"Yes, indeed it is." Sharing a knowing look with Silverhoof, Markab scraped his throat. "Well, I suppose that if you want to go and see the world, you could." Orion's eyes grew large and he almost jumped up and down, barely repressing the urge to do so. "But! Only on the condition that you will wait until spring, and that you will not go alone."
His excitement still there, Orion nodded and thanked them both a thousand times before running off to tell the girls about this new info and, of course, about his earlier meeting with the 'as big as a mountain!' Tauros.
[--- Time shift to the next summer, so he's a year old now ---]
Snorting as he could smell the scent of his sisters in the air, Orion jumped up, switching from a relaxed canter into a full out gallop as he gave chase, racing across the plains and soaring in the wind, his flaming mane trailing behind him like a banner. He was still a colt, but he had grown from the lanky, inexperienced youth he had been last summer, into a strong young stallion. His legs were strong and his eyes were sharp as he crossed the river within a single jump, narrowly avoiding running into a passing Tauros as he leaped and jumped right over her.
Gathering all of his strength in his limbs he raced and ran, until he could go no further. There she was. Enif and Baham were gathering berries and the filly was laughing about something the young colt had said. Baham was the perfect son. Strong, well proportioned, gleaming white coat and red hot mane, whereas he himself had never turned white, instead being stuck with his dapple grey coat and blue mane. He gnawed the inside of his cheek irritatedly as he watched his sister frolic around with the young one. He was grateful of his birth, because it allowed him to be free, but somehow he had gotten used to being the pampered apple of his parents eye. And with the coming of Baham, it all changed.
All he had to do now, however, was find a partner who was willing to accompany him on his journey to the north. Or the west, or south or wherever!
[OOC: All names, with the exception of Orion [Whose name comes from the Constellation Orion] and Silverhoof [Named after the color of her hooves], originate from the constellation of Pegasus. Aldebaran is a star in the constellation Taurus]
A small group of 25 Ponyta and Rapidash stood there, grazing under the watchful eye of the leading stallion, Markab. He was proud of them all and as he watched them graze, play or nurse their young ones he could feel his heart swell. Most of all he watched the foals though. He had sired six this past breeding season and five of them had already been born. The four filly's he watched with laughter in his eyes, chuckling as they messed around with the water a bit.
The last one however, he had taken to watch with avid interest and sometimes even worry. Orion used to play with his sisters so much, but lately the young colt had been staring in the direction of the mountains a lot, often seen with his mind elsewhere. Markab knew something was off after the filly's had been running to their mothers and Orion followed over an hour later, but the colt had been extremely tight lipped and refused to answer his questions, risking bringing his fathers anger down on him.
What was wrong, he did not know. But as long as nothing else happened and he did not endanger the herd, he would not do anything else. He had been punished for his insubordination already. The only thing he feared, was that Orion might not want to take over the herd. In which case Markab would have a problem. A shout over at the riverside caught his attention and he turned to see what was going on.
---
Orion had been standing there, watching the mountains and wondering what lied behind them as suddenly a mare collapsed near him. With a startled neigh he jumped, watching the well rounded mare with avid interest. She was giving birth! The contractions had started so sudden that the poor girl had been left with no choice but to give birth right here and now. A few of the other mares started fussing and pushed Orion and the other foals aside with their noses, all gathering around their fallen comrade.
As Markab trotted over, even he received a few kicks to the belly as the tried to see what was going on, until Orion's mother came out of the tightly packed group of females, glaring at their so called fearless leader.
"What are you doing?" She hissed at him, and he frowned with displeasure at being addressed like this. "What do you mean, woman? I want to know what is going on, as is my right!" He puffed up his chest a bit and straightened his neck as if he needed to intimidate her, when she rolled her eyes, ruining the moment.
"For the love of..." She gave him a nudge with her hindquarters, indicating that he remove himself quite fast. "She is in labor, you daft creature. Now, get lost and take your progeny with you." At her last word, she made a motion towards her son, who was currently craning his neck to see what was going on.
At her words, Markab found blood rising to his cheeks. Labor! That meant women things and he did not need to know of those. All he did was provide the means. How they handled themselves after that was their problem. With a cough he excused himself, walking away from the pack of Rapidash busying themselves with their herd mate and nudged his son.
"Come, boy." As Orion looked up at his father, the curiosity in his eyes was undeniable. "This is not a place for us to be right now."
--- [Shifting into correct person view: Orion's third person] ---
Trotting to keep up with his fathers walk, Orion kept looking backwards many times. Where were they going? What was wrong with Matar? Would she die? When they left it sounded like she was in pain... As he looked up to the, in his eyes enormous, Rapidash walking next to him, he couldn't help but asking the million questions going through his head.
Markab laughed then, shaking his mane with a graceful motion. "No, silly colt. She will not die. You will merely gain another sister, or perhaps a brother this time." The older pokemon gazed at the plains ahead of him in contemplative silence. This might be a good moment to bring up what had been wrong with Orion the past few weeks. Orion frowned, not understanding.
"But I thought sisters and brothers came from eggs?" He blinked up confusedly, earning himself another smile.
"Yes, but these eggs sometimes hatch within a pokemon and then it's called giving birth." Suddenly remembering that all of the other mares had successfully secluded themselves before birthing, he turned to his son. "Usually, when a mare becomes a mother, she goes away from the herd to give birth. She wants peace and quiet. But sometimes, like with Matar, the baby Ponyta comes very fast and then they can't seclude themselves. Then all the males must leave the place, for it is a sacred happening, when a new foal is born into this world. They say that if a stallion, or a colt like yourself," he nudged his son again with his nose, "is there, then the young one will never have a burning flame." Orion stared at his dad with wide open eyes and then back at the herd, still fussing.
"But how does the egg get into Matar?" His face scrunched up a bit as he struggled to understand what was happening here. Didn't eggs fall from heaven? Markab, on the other hand, could feel the tips of his ears go red. Oh dear. Silverhoof clearly had not told their boy about the Pidgey's and the Beedrills yet. With a groan, the older Rapidash shook his mane again. "Ask your mother, she's better at that stuff then I am." He muttered before looking up at the Tauros that made his way over to them.
"Good day, Markab!" The other greeted them jovially. Markab nodded at the great beast in greeting. "Good day, Aldebaran. How is your herd faring today?"
Aldebaran swung his head from left to right. "Good, good, thank you. And yours? Seems to be quite the consternation over there." He gave a pointed look at the mares and then looked at Orion, who was staring at the huge Tauros with unconcealed awe. "This your boy?"
Markab nodded. "Yes, this is young Orion. Quite the sight, isn't he? And over there, dear Matar is finally giving birth."
As the two got into a conversation about how late Matar was and how good it was that the weather would remained unchanged for now, Orion marveled at being this close to the massive pokemon they had always admired from afar. His own hoof would fit into that of the other more then three times! He was just about to put his hoof next to that of Aldebaran when a whoop rose from the crowd. He turned his head around so far that he pulled a muscle and as he groaned, his father gave him a soft bite to his withers and a soft shove. "Come on, we have to go and greet the new one."
They each said their goodbyes to the Tauros and cantered over to their own herd again, where Silverhoof jumped out. "It's a boy, Markab! A beautiful and healthy boy!" The stallion reared up on his hind legs and neighed hard and loud, spreading the news over the plains. Hoots and congratulations flew in from the surrounding area's where other herds had been following the progress of their going ons.
Making their way to the center of the herd, Markab and Orion saw Matar lying there on her side, with a new born Ponyta sitting next to her, looking out into the world a bit blearily before attempting to get up onto his rather wonky legs. Orion snickered but shut up after a warning glance from his mother. Matar got up with a soft oomph as well and looked at her new born with loving eyes, before turning to Markab. "Your son, Baham." Markab walked over to the new one and nuzzled his face gently, before stepping back again and giving Matar a nuzzle as well. "Congratulations and thank you."
With that, the ritual was fulfilled and the whole herd started congratulating the new mother and foal, who was now standing securely on way to long limbs, looking up at all the new faces with something akin to fear in his eyes when his mother finally gave him a nudge and they moved to quieter places.
Orion stood there looking at them for a long time, until his mother and Markab came over to him, looking at each other with worry once more. Orion turned to them at once, a question burning on his lips and decided to give it a go. "This means I don't have to take over, right?"
Markab blinked, that had not been what he was expecting. "Sorry?"
Orion looked at the new colt again and felt his confidence grow even more. "This means Baham can take over if he's old enough. So I can go and discover the world!" Markab stood there, staring at his son in surprise.
"I... thought you wanted it, the leadership. That you wanted to take over." He walked over to his son and stood next to him, looking at the new born first and then turning his gaze to the older one. "Was I wrong in assuming so?" Orion looked up and smiled.
"No. I did want it at first. But then... I heard about oceans and beaches and deserts and other pokemon, like dragons! Dad, did you know there are pokemon that can influence the weather, or... that can read your mind?" He started talking about all the things he had learned from Vulpix as his parents watched him avidly.
"And then he said that if they want to, they can evolve into at least six different kinds of pokemon! Isn't that amazing?!" Markab sighed, before smiling at him.
"Yes, indeed it is." Sharing a knowing look with Silverhoof, Markab scraped his throat. "Well, I suppose that if you want to go and see the world, you could." Orion's eyes grew large and he almost jumped up and down, barely repressing the urge to do so. "But! Only on the condition that you will wait until spring, and that you will not go alone."
His excitement still there, Orion nodded and thanked them both a thousand times before running off to tell the girls about this new info and, of course, about his earlier meeting with the 'as big as a mountain!' Tauros.
[--- Time shift to the next summer, so he's a year old now ---]
Snorting as he could smell the scent of his sisters in the air, Orion jumped up, switching from a relaxed canter into a full out gallop as he gave chase, racing across the plains and soaring in the wind, his flaming mane trailing behind him like a banner. He was still a colt, but he had grown from the lanky, inexperienced youth he had been last summer, into a strong young stallion. His legs were strong and his eyes were sharp as he crossed the river within a single jump, narrowly avoiding running into a passing Tauros as he leaped and jumped right over her.
Gathering all of his strength in his limbs he raced and ran, until he could go no further. There she was. Enif and Baham were gathering berries and the filly was laughing about something the young colt had said. Baham was the perfect son. Strong, well proportioned, gleaming white coat and red hot mane, whereas he himself had never turned white, instead being stuck with his dapple grey coat and blue mane. He gnawed the inside of his cheek irritatedly as he watched his sister frolic around with the young one. He was grateful of his birth, because it allowed him to be free, but somehow he had gotten used to being the pampered apple of his parents eye. And with the coming of Baham, it all changed.
All he had to do now, however, was find a partner who was willing to accompany him on his journey to the north. Or the west, or south or wherever!
[OOC: All names, with the exception of Orion [Whose name comes from the Constellation Orion] and Silverhoof [Named after the color of her hooves], originate from the constellation of Pegasus. Aldebaran is a star in the constellation Taurus]
