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 Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 11:32 am
  It was a girl's day out. Tregaran and Quagga were left behind at the cave that provided shelter and warmth for the family against the winter's cold, and Esta had taken advantage of the break in the weather to stretch her legs while helping the girls to learn the forest. She had to admit she was grateful that none of the children had her exact coloring - the browns their father had contributed made sure that she lost neither filly against the snow.
"Quia," she called out in a tone that attested to the sheer number of times this warning had been issued in the past hour or so, "please don't wander off so far. You don't know what's out there."The filly in question was perhaps five yards away to her mother's left, investigating an oddly-shaped, snow-covered lump. Curious prodding revealed an old stump, the trunk having broken off at an odd angle.
Curiousity satisfied for the moment, the brown filly obediently trotted back through the snow to her mother and looked up. "It was a funny stump-thing!" she told the white mare excitedly. "All covered with snow and such!" Quia's was a happy nature, able to find joy in the simplest of things.
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 12:28 am
Once she was outside, she blinked at the glaring snow, taking time to adjust to the brightness. When her eyes got used to the light, however, Grace wasted no time and took off in a steady trot, following her usual route. After an exciting night of finding a foreigner and providing him with shelter, she was glad to just take a stroll amongst familiar sights, sounds and smells.
As she hopped over a fallen log, she frowned at the sight of something... Brown moving along the landscape. Curiosity getting the better of her, she decided to abandon the route she had been following and cautiously approached the brown figure in the distance.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 7:00 am
She'd never been satisfied with the simple answers and while she was just a babe she still regarded things with a bit more curiosity than her sister. While her sister was satisfied at the revelation that it was just a stump, Fran wanted to know why it had turned into a stump and why it was at a funny angle. Admittedly it was a moment in which she chose to overthink something and her musings were pointless but it couldn't be helped for a child. She hadn't yet realised that it was beneficial to distinguish between what was important and what wasn't. Given she was a baby this wasn't exactly a major issue a the moment and her curiosity could be excused for the time being at the very least. Alas, this curiosity may be the bane of her mother's existance and she tended to have a habit of only hearing some of her mother's instructions.
...Yes, she'd already developed selective hearing!
She was deliberately disobedient but she often considered her discoveries and musings to be more important than keeping up. Few could fault her in this, so far she had lived a life of innocence and was baffled by the prospect of anything different. After all, she hadn't even met anything bigger than her parents yet and apparently there were bigger things! Thus, while her sister had pottered after her mother when summoned, Fran had waited a little longer than was probably acceptable. It was only after she was satisfied that her own little investigation was complete that she bounded after her mother, taking rather courageous leaps through the snow that threatened to bury her beneath it in some parts.
Was her mother aware the ground had mouths, it was trying to eat her here?
For shame.
Eventually she managed to catch up though, puffing out her cheeks in a determined expression as she traversed the snow. At least her mother could be satisfied in the knowledge that she'd sleep well tonight, she'd certainly expended more than enough energy already to ensure that.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:35 am
Esta, with the skill afforded her from being a mother, neatly avoided tripping over her daughter. "That's very nice dear," she replied absently, "but please just stay by me for now?" Reminded, the white mare looked behind her to see her other daughter just now leaving the stump alone. Esta sighed, a quick exhalation of air that Quia, at least, wouldn't understand for what it was. "Francesca," she called, raising her voice because of the distance, "don't lag so far behind!" Even though the foals were still quite young, Esta had figured out that Fran was...disinclined to obey. Though she really was a good girl...she just didn't...listen.
Returning her attention to the path in front of her, the white mare saw something...colorful in front. A pinkish purple that looked very familiar. "Grace!" she called out upon recognizing the other mare. "It's good to see you again!"
Having acquiesced to her mother with a resigned "Yes Mom," Quia was now investigating tracks in the snow. Some of them were from her and her mother. Others were a similar size. But some...some were much bigger. Like a giant Usdia! Quia giggled at the thought. How could there be giant Usdia out there?
She looked up at her mother's voice. Esta was talking to...who? Then she saw the stranger mare, getting closer. She'd never seen anyone like that before. Quia ran up to the stranger, wanting to investigate the size of her hooves in comparison to the tracks she'd been looking at.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 8:32 am
She jumped when her name was called and froze for a second, trying to process the fact that someone had just addressed her. When the voice continued, Grace found herself smiling to herself when she recognized an old friend standing just a distance away. Her coat blended in well with the snowy landscape, and if the distance between them was any bigger, she would probably miss the pale usdia. Happily, she returned the greeting with a laugh, "Esta! Its good to see you again too! How have you-"
Her expression soon changed to one of surprise, however, when she realized that the brown object that she had been curious about was now coming straight for her. Her eyes widened further when the object was nearer; it was an usdia foal! Furthermore, it kind of resembled... Esta? And was that another foal behind her friend?
"Oh... Oh! Foals!" Grace stammered, a smile playing on her lips; this was certainly a wonderful surprise!
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Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 7:00 am
It hadn't taken the foal very long at all to spot the bright mare, the moment her mother had called out her gaze had fixed on the brightly coloured Usdia and she'd stared. It was to be expected of course, Francesca stared at everything as she assessed it and it was only as her sister barrelled forward that she opted to follow suit. It wasn't that she was a coward, but her sister had made a valid (if unknown) point that being closer would permit greater inspection! The little filly bounced up and down in the deep snow as she bridged the gap between herself and Grace, only coming to a halt when her sister had stopped. It was then that she fixed her gaze on the older mare and stared a little more.
Clearly, this stranger seemed to know her mother - she had after all expressed pleasure and had even known her name so it was obvious! This was one of those things called a 'friend' if the little filly was correct in her assumption. Admittedly she looked a little different from Esta but they were both the same height and whatnot so it was obvious she was a usdia too. That being said it was the first time the filly had seen any soquili beyond that of her parents and as a consequence she was at a bit of a loss in relation to how she was supposed to deal with the mare.
Did she say hello?
Did she do something else...?
She voted for silence and promptly settled her rump on the snow, it seemed that spreading her weight in this manner meant she didn't sink which was always a good thing!
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Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 6:40 pm
Esta laughed at her friend's surprise. It felt...good. Especially considering that Grace was the first adult she'd been able to talk to, aside from Tregaran, ever since the children had been born. She continued walking until she came near enough that they could speak without shouting.
"Yes, foals," she answered, a smile on her face. "I had no more idea than you that I was pregnant when we last spoke...and now look!" She smiled again before gesturing with her nose. "This is Quia," she introduced as the other came up and sat down behind the first, "and this is Francesca. Girls, this is Grace...show her your manners and say 'hello.'"
Quia had been studying the stranger's hooves and determining that they were of a size with those of her parents - not nearly big enough to account for some of the tracks. She was ignoring the conversation between the two adults in favor of these much more interesting observations...until she heard her name.
The brown filly looked up in time to realize that her mother was introducing her and Fran to the stranger. Grace. And she heard the slight edge in her mother's voice on the word "manners." It was something that both parents had been trying to drill into the trios heads of late. Quia blew out of her nostrils and obediently said "Hi Grace" before promptly returning her attention to the snow-covered ground. There were many other tracks that were not hoofprints, and to her delight, Quia found she could identify some of the animals that had left them. How fun!
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 10:40 pm
"You were? Wow, that's amazing!" Grace exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise; secretly, she wondered if Esta's mood had been affected by her then unknown pregnancy during their first meeting... It would explain a lot of things! After all, the Esta now seemed much happier when compared to the Esta before. Giggling at the antics of the foals, she nodded in greeting as she was introduced, "Hello Quia, hello Francesca."
She then paused, a smile on her lips as she observed the two fillies; they seem to differ in personality. While Quia appeared to be openly curious, her sister decided to stay back a little... Could Francesca be shy?
"You must had been busy, being a mother and all!" The mare mused out loud, wondering what her friend had been up to the whole of winter. Giggling again, she continued with a grin, "So, any chance of me meeting the lucky stallion?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 6:39 am
Manners, those were those words like 'please', 'thank you' and 'excuse me' that her parents had been working tirelessly to promote. Fran knew of them and could probably recite them all in order, back to front or talk in tongues about them by now! It was such an exasperating thing to have the parents nag and yet the little filly couldn't help but release a world weary sigh. It was a sigh of an obviously worldly filly who believed she knew more than she truly did, a typical child's gesture but it would speak volumes about her personality. It wasn't that she wanted to be rude but having to say the same things over and over and over again was more than a little frustrating - you would think everyone was accustomed to 'hello' by now without having to open their mouths. Fran made a mental note to introduce a new fad into society, she'd call it the 'wave' and it would require all soquili to lift one hoof and wave it in greeting.
Simple!
Or not...
Suffice to say the little filly had great plans set out in her head for when she was granted the opportunity to run wild. So far she hadn't gone terribly far beyond the borders of her home and nor was she allowed to but at least she had aspirations. However, to call her shy was inaccurate, she was merely a bit introspective at this age and preferred to sit back and figure out who a stranger was first - right now she had come to the conclusion that she was one of her mother's friends, was non-hostile and didn't fit the hoof print her sister had been staring at earlier.
"Hello," she replied obediently after what seemed like a rather inappropriate length of time. A small smile played on her lips and after a few moments she pulled herself to all fours and proceeded to watch her sister's antics - by now the chatter had fallen to the mundane (aka the things she didn't understand at all) and had become rather boring. She'd start eavesdropping again when something interesting came up.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:18 am
Esta sighed inwardly at her uncooperative daughters. No doubt they'd grow up to be independent and determined young mares, but that made raising them all the more...interesting. The white mare turned her attention back to her friendly companion.
"Amazing, sure, it is the miracle of life after all!" Esta joked. She smiled and considered the rest of what her friend had asked. "I don't know how there's enough hours in the day anymore, with the kids and all, if that's what you mean. But if it wasn't for Tregaran being a wonderful father, I don't know that I could do this so well!" She cocked her head. "I don't seee why you couldn't meet him. Right now he's back at the cave with Quagga, our son." She winked at Grace. "Girls' day out, you see."
Quia was investigating the tracks, matching these to a rabbit and those to a weasel and trying to figure out what kind of bird that belonged to. Her ears told her that Mom and Grace were talking about Adult (and therefore boring) Stuff. A glance told her that Fran was being Fran and probably off in her own world thinking about strange things that were probably also boring.
And those bird tracks led off the trail, into the underbrush. And...what was that that seemed to go with them? It looked like something was dragged alongside. Hmmmm. Obviously it was time for Quia to be a great tracker and figure it out!
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 9:51 pm
"It sure is," Grace answered with a giggle, feeling quite envious at the fact that her friend has a family now; she could only imagine what it would be like to be a mate and a mother. Returning the smile, she continued, "Sounds like you found yourself quite a good mate! I'm so happy for you! And wow, 3 foals?" Everything about Esta's new family seems to be so amazing, every new fact made the cranberry female excited; despite her earlier envy, she really is happy for her friend.
She paused at the wink, smiling fondly at Esta before adding quickly, "Oh! Well, if that's the case, I think I'll go visit another day... I'm sure it must be fate for us to have met up now, of all times! In fact, the other day, I just found a foreign stallion near the beach... He's resting back in my home now."
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 6:53 am
Had the little filly known that her sister had refered to her and her thought processes as 'boring' it was highly likely that a mockery of world war two would have begun. There would have been yells, challenges and repeated tacklings until Quia was buried deep in the snow drifts. Francesca would be relentless, unforgiving and would stand proudly upon the drift when her sister crowned her the winner and the thing was, she would crown her the winner - in daydreams, Francesca was always the winner. On a more honest note, Quia was generally two bored to have quite as much conviction as Francesca on many occasions and it was highly unlikely that she would stay long enough to even be tackled into a drift.
Nope - Quia would have pottered off by then.
...Leaving Fran to ram herself head first into the snow drift. It would be quite the kick to her dignity but at the very least she would have no one to stand on top of her and yell 'Huzzah' to indicate her failings.
As it was, Francesca was not privvy to her sibling's thoughts and as Quia became distracted again, Fran turned to watch her sister curiously. She'd spotted more footprints again and was evidently preparing to scuttle off to lands unknown. Francesca wasn't quite ready to admit it but she would definitely follow her sibling if given half a chance - right now it was decidedly more interesting than whatever the adults were gnattering about.
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 3:08 pm
Esta relaxed further and smiled. "Thanks and yes, three of them. It's a good thing that we share responsibilities, otherwise I think one of us might go mad!" The white mare laughed at her joke, though when the children had first come, it might have been only the truth.
And then Grace mentioned a stallion. Smelling a good bit of gossip, she began to lean in. Reminded of her responsibilities as a parent though, Esta looked up and found one white filly with brown spots and...she frowned and looked around for the brown filly with white spots. "Quia!" she called out, aggrieved. "Don't wander off, or there will be repercussions, missy!"
One eye on her wayward offspring, Esta returned to the conversation at hand. "A foreign stallion, you say? A handsome one, I hope!" she commented with a grin.
Quia had been kneeling in the snow next to the curious track, trying to figure out what had made it when her mother, of course, called her name. "Yes Mom," the filly called back, resigned, and moved her observation post a bit closer to the mares, careful to not obscure the object of her current interest. Yes, something had definitely been dragged, and she wanted to guess that it was carried by the bird...or maybe attached to it?
Her butt was getting cold from sitting in the snow, but she would sit here as long as it took to figure this out! Or, conversely, until her mother was done talking to the red mare.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:00 am
"Seems like being a parent is hard work!" Grace commented with a laugh, raising an eye brow in amusement. When Esta paused to call out for Quia due to her daughter's disappearing act, Grace couldn't help letting out a soft giggle, "Yup, definitely seems like hard work to me!" She glanced briefly at both fillies, noticing for the first time that both of them do look a fair bit like their mother.
At Esta's comment, Grace blushed, turning her attention back to the conversation, "Ah, well... Handsome? I guess you could say so..." She paused, looking a little embarrassed as she avoided the other mare's gaze. Giving a small smile, she muttered, "Well, not bad for someone who came from where I think the white faced two-leggers came from anyway."
The usdia then sighed as she forced a grin, "Although I do wish I could understand him! It gets frustrating sometimes, when we are trying to figure out what we are trying to say to each other but can't!"
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Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 4:47 am
Busted.
Quia was going to have to be more creative if she intended to slip away from her mother's supervision. Fran regarded her mother thoughtfully as she chastised her sister and then returned her gaze to her sibling. She noted that her sister had only moved a little bit of the way closer to her mother but remained reasonably close to her subject of interest. It was tracks of course, Fran could recognise that from here and it was what Quia had been investigating on the way here - thus it was with a little sigh that the filly popped herself up onto all fours and pottered towards her sister. Her brow furrowed in mild thought, she came to a halt and regarded the foot prints for just a tad longer than was strictly necessary.
And then she sat down again.
Her rump plopped down on the ground with a mild crunch of compressed snow and she joined her sister in staring at the tracks. She recognised that the tracks were a bit more interesting than most were, especially when it looked like one track was more of a 'dragging' affect than actual foot prints. Curious and curiouser - she flicked her gaze briefly towards her sister and swivelled her ears round to listen to her mother for a few moments. It was only when the pair of mares started discussing boys that Fran leaned out and prodded her sibling with her hoof before nodding in the direction of the prints. Making sure not to say a word, she brought herself onto all four hooves again and pottered off quietly in the direction of the footprints. Better for her mother to be engrossed in conversation, it would give them at least three minutes to get away and further down the trail.
...If she found them by then well, she would just have to accept that escaping their mother's supervision from that point on would be impossible!
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