03-20-2018, 09:49 AM
He had watched her - his one-time lover, the mother of his child.
Or what he suspects is his child, he couldn't know for sure because he hadn't asked her.
She spent so much time at the base of the volcano, he knew where he could find her and it was hard for him not to make an excuse to pass by every few days to catch a glimpse of her, fascinated by the way her girth grew rounder every day.
He had meant to stop, to approach her and ask the questions which the sight of her ignited. But something had stopped him. He was afraid to know the answer.
Spring is ripe in the air today, he knows because he has just returned from the common lands - Tephra rarely showed the signs of the season. As he crosses into Tephra he seeks her out immediately and finds her easily. She stands alone, panting and obviously in pain, but he keeps his distance. He is content to remain her unseen guardian until time proves weather this is his child or not.
But then she falls, and his legs move on their own.
He is beside her then, touching her damp forehead with his muzzle, and as another contraction grips her it brings him to his knees. He lays with her, offering her soft words of encouragement, and whatever comfort she will accept from him.
His child or not- he couldn't watch her do this alone.
She stands and he does the same. Amore begins to clean their child and his eyes are bright as a small, frail sabino is reviled. "Amore," he breathes as he is drawn to the colt. He lips the tiny hooves and cleans the dampness from the colts springy mane. "He's perfect," he finally says when he can pull his eyes away. "What will you call him?"
Levi
so scream you, out from behind the bitter ache.