[IC] =Silencer & Ling's Teepee=

[Silencer Wolf]

_____braving the nightforest__

.. the "disappearance" of two noble equines

 

[Silencer Wolf]

_____a beautiful new beginning__

.. the royal bloodline begins

Morning dawned upon the forest as usual, with all manners of nightowls hurrying back to their retreats to rest up for the another night's foray, while creatures of the day stirred, waking up to just another day. The last frog croaked and the late cricket chirped a last goodbye, and all was silent in the hidden paradise, tucked deep within the security of a thick and almost impenetrable forest.

For a brief moment, peace enveloped the beautiful clearing.

That peace was soon broken, however, as something in the garden stirred. Before a green, cave-like entrance, Grand Dynasty let out a yawn and treated himself to an oh-so-wonderful stretch, loosening stiff joints and conditioning his muscle for activity. The mustang whinnied and trotted in circles, his usual morning rite, before stopping and taking a deep breath of fresh morning air. There was a sigh soon after, followed by a whinny. What a beautiful new day.

Dynasty arched his head towards the entrance of the 'den', his brows furrowed in a worried manner. The stallion nickered softly to the inhabitant within, before taking a step back, and waited. After a few seconds and nothing, Dynasty let out a whinny and backed off, before taking off in the opposite direction as he had done for the past few days.

Within the den another being stirred to the whinny outside. A white, golden-scaled dragon mare let out a soft, if not long yawn, before shifting her sleepy gaze to the entrance. Yue'er nickered a 'good morning' to Dynasty, though he was already out of earshot, and turned towards two sleeping figures curled up against her side. The proud mother bent down and nuzzled her babies lovingly.

"Good morning, little ones," she cooed, careful not to wake either up. The mare reached down and treated both her foals with a thorough motherly grooming, before getting up, leaving the two to their peaceful slumber.

"Good morning, dear," Dynasty nickered as Yue emerged from the den, moving in to nuzzle his mate affectionately. The stallion smiled as Yue reciprocated physically, and whispered a good morning in return. "How are feeling now? And the kids, how are they?"

"The kids are good, they're sleeping like little fairies." By that, though, she did not mean the English ones. "They're so weak, and fragile though.." she sighed and looked towards the den, leaning against Dynasty's chest.

"Oh?"

"Mmhmm."

Dynasty nuzzled Yue assuringly and left her side to approach the entrance of the den, as Yue looked on. The stallion lowered his head and peeked inside. The sight of the two sleeping foals warmed his heart considerably, and the stallion backed out a short while later, beaming proudly at the imperial mare. "They're absolutely beautiful."

"Aren't they? After all they're your children" Yue teased, nipping at her mate's ears playfully. A thought came into her mind just then, and the mare turned to face Dynasty, excitement clearly in her eyes. "Do you think Maralah would like to meet them?"

"Well..." Dynasty frowned, looking down at Yue. He thought it best to wait a couple more days before setting off to allow Yue to recuperate, but the mare... she was giving him the look. "You need plenty of rest though..." Oh goodness. Laughing, Dynasty relented.

"Oh alright. We set off in a while, but not before placing the kids in the safety of the baskets." At the blank look Yue gave him, the stallion chuckled, and motioned to the two baskets he had brought back with him earlier. As the mare went on to sniff at them curiously, Dynasty explained the situation to the best of his knowledge.

"The baskets are hand-woven and blessed by a shaman from the village," he started. "It will keep our foals safe, as well as provide a much needed sanctuary from the elements outside until they're strong enough to come out to face the world."

Yue looking up from lipping a feather from one of the baskets just then and looked from Dynasty to the baskets, before prying open the lid of one. The interior did seem comfortably lined, Yue noted. Looking up to her mate again, the mare smiled, and nodded her approval, to the delight of the buckskin stallion.

Gently and ever so carefully, both stallion and mare nudged and transferred their offspring to the safety(and exclusive comfort) of the baskets. Rest, followed by breakfast, came after that, and it was not long before both the new parents were off in the direction of a dear friend's teepee, bringing with them two new members of the unique family.  

[Silencer Wolf]

_____surprise!__

.. the gift of love, joy and life

The journey through the forest has been long, but the pair of soquili continued forth with a light heart, joking and teasing each other every now and then. The air was light with laughter and good fun, and occasionally a neigh and whinny broke through the dense growth, sending squirrels scampering and birds flitting off.

The pair were close now. Dynasty and Yue could smell the water, a sign telling them that they were close to the forest edge. Both horses smiled at each other as the rushing sound of the water reached their ears, and went in the direction of the sound of the river. Before long they breached the border of the forest, and both neighed a cheer, glad to be out of the claustrophobic place and into familiar grounds.

"We made it!"

"Boy, did that take longer than usual!"

Just then, and ear-piercing scream cut throught the air. A second later, a familiar shadow circled above Yue and Dynasty, its eyes gleaming with joy at the sight of its friends again. Swooping down, Tuari entended his talons, and bopped gently on the basket on Grand Dynasty's back.

"Tuari!" Both Yue and Dynasty greeted simultaneously, obviously glad to see their friend again. The eagle let out a shrill call followed by a content clicking of his beaks in reply, then settled himself comfortably on the brown-lided basket. This drew a laugh from both equines, and they trudged forward, jokes and teases returning to the conversation.
 

[Xiao Ling]

The ear-piercing scream followed by the neighs of the two soquilis woke Maralah up from her sleep. The sunlight shone on her eyes as she open them and without wasting much time, the girl got up and looked out of the teepee to see what is going on with the loud noises outside.

To her surprise(and delight), she saw the two soquilis whom she had worrying for days were outside. Without much thinking, she ran towards her friends and hugged them to welcome them back . "It's great to see you guys again. Where have you been? I'm really worried, you know," she said, patting both of them.

The loud noises woke Chenoa up too, and she was delighted to see her friends back. Without hesitating, she ran towards the small crowd and called out to them to welcome them back. "Welcome back!" said the mare happily. "I'm happy that you are safe. Both Maralah and I were worried sick when we realised that you were gone," she continued, beaming at both of them.

Just as Chenoa looked down, she noticed that they are two baskets which she had never seen before. Feeling a little curious, she reached out and sniffed at the baskets, wondering what is stored inside each of the colorful baskets.  

[Silencer Wolf]

"Look, we're here!" Yue'er exclaimed at the sight of a familiar horse-print teepee. The two soquilis (and eagle) made their way towards the conical 'tent'. They were a sight to behold just then, as Tuari had his wings outstretched to maintain his balance on the basket he was perched on, making it seem like Dynasty had suddenly sprouted a pair of wings.

Just as the trio were close, out came Maralah from the teepee, and it was not long before she came running towards them, causing Tuari to take into the air with a surprised screech. Dynasty let out a neigh just as the two-legger hugged him and backed way a little, as if to tell her to be careful. Terrible it would be, if she was to knock the baskets off his back.

As if on cue, Yue stepped in between the indian and her mate, shielding him from the girl's affectionate gesture. The mare nickered to Maralah and looked her in the eyes, before shaking her head as if to tell her not to tone down her gesture, affectionate though they were. Gently, she grabbed hold of the girl's sleeve, and brought the girl around to the side of the stallion, where their two baskets could clearly be seen.

"We're sorry to leave without notice, Chenoa," Dynasty said, bowing his head a little. "I'm sorry both of you had to worry about us, but we're fine, as always," The stallion reassured, and turned to nicker gratefully at Yue.

"Though little dragon lady might be tired from all that has happened?" Dynasty half-teased, but he was really worried about his mate's health. After all, she had just went through such a great ordeal...

"I'm fine, really!" Yue nuzzled Maralah, then glided over to Chenoa and nuzzled her. "So good to see you, Chenoa. Sorry to cause you unrest."

Seeing the blackbuck's interest in the baskets on Dynasty's back, Yue laughed, and went over to them as Dynasty looked on, keeping his back as stiff as possible.

"Would you like to help me take them off poor Dynasty's back, and onto the ground?" the mare asked, nudging a white basket gently with her nose. As she said so she looked over to Maralah and whickered to her meaningfully to come help.  

[Xiao Ling]

"It's okay, really. The most important thing is that both of you are safe," replied Chenoa, nodding her head. Upon hearing Yue's request, the blackbuck mare smiled. "Sure, but I'll appreciate if you tell me how to take it down. I have a feeling that it must be handled carefully," she said, trying to open the basket. "What's in it anyway?"

Maralah followed to where she was brought to, and to her surprise, she saw two extraordinary baskets, one white and the other brown. "You are starting a family! This is wonderful, dear," said the native girl excitedly, knowing that each baskets has a foal inside.

Upon seeing a white basket being nudged towards her, Maralah stared blankly at both the basket and Yue. Without thinking much the girl took the basket(with much difficulty), and place it on the ground.  

[Silencer Wolf]

Both Grand Dynasty and Yue'er nickered appreciatively to Maralah for helping to take down on of the baskets. Dynasty sighed as the load on his back lightened, and turned to nuzzle the indian girl in thanks. The stallion then turned his head around to the remaining basket and nosed it, as the basket's weight felt odd at its current position on his back.

Yue nickered to Chenoa, huffing playfully into Dynasty's face, and touched the base of the remaining basket with her nose. "I just need some help here," the mare explained. "So if you can grab the other side of the edge there, we can lift it up together, and lower it to the ground."

The dragon mare grabbed hold of the black band at the edge of the basket as she said so and whinnied to Chenoa to do the same.  

[Xiao Ling]

Chenoa nodded and did what the white mare instructed. Soon the basket was lifted and placed carefully on the ground and the blackbuck mare sighed in relief and pondered. Carrying baskets was not an easy job after all. But how did Maralah lift the other one without much difficulty? Chenoa then frowned slightly and dropped the subject, knowing that she will get the answer sooner or later.

The indian girl smiled and stroke the stallion's head, feeling happy that she could helped her friends. Seeing that there was nothing else she can do, Maralah decided to get back to her daily chores. "Well, it looks like there's nothing I can help now. I think I'll go and do my chores now, and I know you might want to spend your time with your children. I'm really happy for you two," said Maralah, beaming for the last time before heading back to her teepee.  

[Silencer Wolf]

"Thank you Chenoa," Yue said, after the brown toned basket was securely on the ground. The mare smiled to the blackbuck, then laughed as Dynasty made a face, stretching his stiff as board back and letting loose a few pops and cracks as a result it. The stallion chuckled after that and nuzzled his mate, before nodding his head gratefully at Chenoa and whickered a 'thank you' to his friend.

Dynasty then felt a hand on his head, and turned around to nuzzle said hand affectionately. The stallion's ears were perked forward as Maralah spoke and he whuzzled softly, glancing knowingly at Yue for a moment before reaching out to grab the sleeve of the two-legger's clothing, a sign that he would like her to stay.  

[Xiao Ling]

Maralah was about to turn to the teepee's direction and start walking when she felt a small tug on her sleeve. She looked blankly at the sleeve then to Dynasty. "What is it?" she asked. "Still need my help or do you want me to stay?" she continued with a smile, this time turning to the group of soquilis, with Chenoa staring blankly at the lake, for she was not paying attention to the things that are happening right now.  

[Silencer Wolf]

Dynasty let go as soon as he felt that the indian girl would not be going anywhere. The stallion dropped his gaze and looked towards Yue, before gently nudging one of the baskets - golden and white - towards Maralah. Without any more doubt, it was obvious that Dynasty and Yue wanted their friend to keep and take care of the basket. Their baby.

"Yue," Dynasty nickered as he spotted something out of the corner of his eyes. As his mate turned, the stallion motioned towards the brown basket, as its lid lifted ever so slightly, and a small nose poked out, though barely so. Yue, upon noticing it, laughed and called for Chenoa's attention.

"Chenoa, look!"

The 'nose' was seen to stick around for a few more moments, just long enough for Chenoa to see it before retreating back into the basket with a 'plop' of the lid, followed by laughter by both proud parents: Grand Dynasty and Yue'er.  

[Xiao Ling]

Chenoa jumped a little when she was called by the white mare to take a look at the brown colored basket. She turned and looked at the small lid where a nose can be barely seen. Upon seeing it, Chenoa squealed in excitement and laughed. "How adorable!" the blackbuck mare exclaimed, moving closer to the basket.

Maralah bent down and examined the basket carefully after it was nudged towards her. After examining the white and gold baskets from different angles, including the top/cover of the baskets. "There's nothing wrong with the basket, my friend," she said. After that she sat on the ground and thought hard. She then realised that the parents know their children more than she does, so both the proud parents knew that was nothing wrong with the basket. After some time thinking, Maralah knew why Dynasty nudged the baskets towards her. She stood up quickly and ran towards both the buckskin stallion and the white mare to give them a hug. "Why thank you so much," she said as she was touched. "I always wanted to look after a young soquili and now I get to do so," she continued, still hugging the two soquilis. "I promise that I'll make sure that this foal will grow into a strong and healthy soquili."

After thanking the proud parents, Maralah sat on the ground again, this time with the basket on her lap. She unbelievingly touched the baskets with her hands shaking for she was too happy and shocked with what that was given to her.  

[Silencer Wolf]

Both Dynasty and Yue jumped at the sudden hug from Maralah, their natural instinct to flee at such a sudden action almost kicking in. The two managed to maintain control though, and patiently let themselves being hugged, before whickering simultaneously to the new guardian, nosing the girl's joy-ridden face.

"What did she say?" Yue asked as soon as Maralah has detached herself from both soquilis, tail flicking a little. Through her attempts to learn the native's language, the dragon mare has only managed to catch a few words spoken by the girl and they were rather vague.

"She said thank you," Dynasty explained, nuzzling Yue's cheek and causing her to giggle(not the silly, tinkly type, mind you). "She's always wanted a foal to take care of, and and will make sure our baby grows into a strong and healthy soquili."

"Oh, that's good to hear. We did the right thing after all," Yue grinned, looking up at the stallion. The mare beamed at her mate, then turned to look at Maralah who has her back to them. An odd sound emanated from her just then, and Yue positively glowed in her blush as Dynasty laughed aloud.

"Don't laugh," Yue pouted, nipping the the stallion's mane. "You know I haven't eaten at all since this morning.

"I'm sorry," Dynasty chuckled, teasing Yue with a lick on her nose. "Now that you've mentioned it, I'm ravenous as well. Would you like to join me for lunch?" A mischievious glint was visible in his eyes.

"I'd love to, but our son?" Catching Dynasty's drift, Yue could not help but laugh.  

[Xiao Ling]

"You don't have to worry about that," said Chenoa, who heard the conversation. "I'll stay with her and make sure that the foal's fine, if you like," the mare offered, smiling to both Grand Dynasty and Yue. After that, the mare walked towards Maralah and the basket the native girl was looking after. The mare then sat beside Maralah and nuzzled her before reaching to the white basket and gave it a lick.