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A coat of gray, rainless clouds dressed the early morning sky, giving the air a mildly cool chill.
Such timber-hued heavens prevented the dawn from being a sunlit Golden Hour. Yet, it was no less beautiful to the landscapes of the Taloned Highlands—and for one soul in particular, offered no hindrance to the elation running through her electric veins.
Lavender hair flowed through the morning air like a ghostly wave of purple, trailing from a person who, despite the early hours, was anything but tired. Normally a run up a hill would be an arduous task; but an adrenaline fueled by a special, unmatched kind of excitement made it a walk in the park for Imogen Temult. There were quite a few kindred souls waiting for her at the top, and never was she one to pass up the opportunity to spend time with them…but today in particular was a special occasion.
And it would not be very long before said occasion reached the top of the hill with her.
Try not to tire yourself out, darling, lilted in Imogen’s head the lovely voice of the love of her life. I’d rather not carry two deep sleepers back home at the end of this.
Imogen chuckled mentally at the humorous warning, continuing her stride.
Oh, nothin’ could tire me out right now, she telepathically drawled back.
Her restless legs coming to a halt upon achieving her goal, the first sight to greet Imogen’s lilac eyes was a gigantic section of wooden fence, which shielded a great expanse of grass. And out in the center of it, grazing amidst the xanthic field, were five beautiful horses. They belonged to one of the farmers closer to Gelvaan; but the horses had a huge swath of land to roam, and their owner had never seemed to mind when other people interacted with them.
Leaving them more than free to deem Imogen their new favorite person when they first met her.
Calling upon decades of experience, the Exaltant Hope of the Red Storm called forth a fluttering series of soft whistles. Despite their gentleness in tone, they were far-carrying enough that upon vocalizing them, all five horses stopped their morning grazing and looked up in her direction. She could’ve called them each by name, but Imogen preferred a slightly quieter method today—besides, she didn’t even need to call them directly.
They all knew that whistle well enough to know exactly who it was.
Proving her point, in seconds they were trudging towards her. Carefully, Imogen climbed into the interior of the enclosure…and very quickly, she spotted something that turned her warm smile into an even more excited gasp:
There weren’t five horses coming her way like there usually was.
There were six.
Trotting behind the lead matriarch—a stunning and powerful ebony-black mare named Charlotte—was a little black foal. It had to be a week old, at most; for all Imogen knew, it had just been born mere days if not hours ago.
It was only the wee hours of the morning, and already this day was looking to be even more special than Imogen already knew it would be.
It did not take long for the equines to reach the excited Ruidusborn, and they all wasted no time in crowding Imogen for attention. Happy snorts and chuffs left their nostrils as they nosed and nuzzled the woman with a playful neediness, one that never failed to give her brain a boost of the sweetest endorphins.
There was Bruno, a young adult male with light brown fur, a black mane and patches of black near his hooves, and the most energetic and playful of the five adults. Next there was Vivienne, a dark-gray and white Appaloosa mare who, while older and comparatively calmer than Bruno, was still one of the more excitable and endearingly nosy horses in the group.
After her was Bruno’s mother, Renae; a mare with chocolate-brown fur as opposed to her son and an equally colored mane. The polar opposite of Bruno, she was easily one of the two calmest horses around, rivaled only by Charlotte.
And lastly, there was Charlotte’s first daughter, Jane. The same size and physical stature as her mother, she would’ve been all but identical to her had it not been for her coat of earthly gray fur, as opposed to Charlotte’s deep black. Of the five, Jane was the most moody and cautious member of the herd; when Imogen had first met them, it had taken Jane a little longer than the others to fully warm up to her.
Still, it was no longer than a couple of days.
A considerable amount of time later, and here Jane was. Eager and happy as her herdmates to receive love and pets from the lavender-haired sorceress.
“Hello!” the Exaltant greeted sweetly, giving each horse their fair share of head pats and scratches. “How are you today?”
Bruno snorted and licked Imogen across the cheek in reply, bringing from her a honeyed giggle. Even young, he alone was more than twice her size—and he was the smallest of the five. And yet, Imogen trusted each and every one of them entirely. They were huge and powerful animals, and yet Imogen knew they would not deal her a sliver of harm. Every brush and push of their heads was backed by a perfect amount of gentleness so as to not knock Imogen over, the equines fully aware of their own strength compared to hers.
It was when their excited nuzzles began to temper, that Charlotte looked over her shoulder. A tiny whinny instantly took all of Imogen’s attention, and a tender warmth blanketed her soul as the latest member of the herd approached her with steady, curious steps.
Imogen had seen—even delivered—many baby animals in her life. Horses, goats, cattle, and others. And even when she was old and gray, her response to every one of them would always be the same: an instant and healing swell of sprightly euphoria, so great that it made her heart feel as if it had burst into a thousand glittering stars. It felt as if she had just been struck by a lightning bolt of pure bliss, rivaled only by a very select few other things in her life.
And the two greatest of them all were currently on their way up…
The baby almost seemed to be a miniature imitation of her mother, sporting the same ebony black fur that in the low morning light, made her feel almost like a little sentient shadow. In one small difference to her mother, however, were the small socks of white above her hooves; possibly a trait from whoever her father was.
The new filly leaned over and sniffed Imogen’s hand, partially nibbling on her fingers which elicited a warm giggle from the Exaltant. In that moment, it seemed any and all nervousness the foal might’ve had evaporated from existence, and not a second later she was nosing and sniffling Imogen’s face just as the adults had been doing—only, with even more lively energy.
“Hello, baby girl!” the sorceress cooed lovingly as she brushed down the filly’s little mane with one hand, and gently scritched and pet her head with the other. Butterflies flew en-masse in the woman’s chest as she befriended the foal with the ease of breathing, cooing and baby-talking the sweetest of greetings to her.
“Is this your baby?” asked Imogen rhetorically to a very calm Charlotte, who quietly watched as the woman poured her melting heart out into welcoming her little one into the world. Just as much as Imogen trusted these horses…they, too, trusted her. Even this wisened, powerful, no-nonsense matriarch of the herd trusted Imogen enough to let her personally greet her newborn. Let her shower her with attention and affection, knowing that her baby was entirely safe in the Ruidusborn’s company.
It was quite possibly the highest form of trust there was, and Imogen wrapped it around herself like a warm winter blanket.
And she was very soon to return it in kind.
Taking only a moment to part from the filly, Imogen slowly stood back up so as to not startle any of the adult horses, Charlotte in particular. A hand engraved with scarred grooves of lightning-shaped amethyst reached out with gentle intent, laying softly upon the side of the matriarch’s snout. The new mother snuffled and brushed against the affectionate gesture, and remained entirely content when Imogen closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the animal’s raven-furred brow.
“I’m so happy for you,” the Exaltant murmured, brushing soft fingers up and along Charlotte’s dark snout. “She’s a beautiful baby.”
The matriarch blew softly in reply, gently nudging her head against Imogen’s in what the sorceress knew to be a friendly gesture.
“You’re gonna be such a good mama,” the woman lilted, “yes, you are.”
Behind her, the sound of soft footfalls gradually reached Imogen’s ears, and in front of her Charlotte visibly moved her head at the sound. Knowing what—or better, who—it was, Imogen turned about face to see the very reason she had come here in the first place.
And with it, her lips turned into a smile brimming with all the joy of a life that was worth everything.
Laudna had finished trekking up the hill, greeting her wife with an equivalent smile of her own. Even in the muted light of an overcast dawn, the Veil Mistress of the Shadow Tree was the most beautiful creature on the planet. Her ruby-hued robes gifted her with an ethereal grace, her dark eyes and lips seemingly appearing black against the contrast of her pale skin. She looked to all the world an eerie, crimson ghost; the most bewitching spirit there ever was. Drifting through the gray morning towards Imogen in a vision of haunting beauty, one no other soul could hope to match.
And nestled up in her gentle and loving arms, was the oh-so-tiny bundle of joy that had given their lives new meaning.
Bundled up in a little blanket of purple cloth Laudna had knitted herself, baby Lily Dara Temult was out like a midnight candle. It didn’t matter that she was not biologically theirs, didn’t matter that she had only been with them for four weeks; Imogen’s heart bloomed like a new spring garden upon merely seeing her, warmed by a love that could move continents.
She was utterly perfect. From her strange blend of lavender purple and light gray skin that made her feel all the more like she was theirs, to the pinkienail-sized stubs on her tiny head that would one day grow into horns.
Genetics be damned, she was her baby.
Their baby.
Neither Laudna nor Imogen knew where Lily came from or how she ended up in the middle of that shallow creek where they found her, but it mattered not. Here she was now, here she would stay for as long as she wished…
…and she was currently the center of all the attention.
“I’ll be right back,” Imogen promised to the horses before moving away…if only for them to start following closely behind her anyways, bringing out of her a soft laugh.
Like two swans finding one another, Imogen steadily closed the gap between her and her spouse, who greeted her with a tender pair of kisses to the lips and cheek.
“Oh, Imogen,” Laudna chortled quietly at the amusing sight before her, “it looks like you have quite the company!”
As if somehow understanding the Hollow One’s words, Bruno excitedly snorted and nudged Imogen’s shoulder, still wanting more attention.
“Well, I’m not gonna be the star for very long,” Imogen mused back, beaming down at her slumbering baby daughter.
Carefully, Laudna handed Lily over the fence and into Imogen’s oh-so-excitedly waiting arms; applying just a touch of Telekinesis all the while, so there was no chance she would fall. With her baby girl snuggled and secure, Imogen turned back to the horses all while Laudna watched on.
Immediately, the equines tempered down any rambunctiousness they had prior. One by one, they carefully leaned in until their snouts were mere millimeters from the tiny infant in Imogen’s arms. Lily continued to doze in her little dream world, blissfully unaware of how closely she was being inspected by five huge, powerful animals.
Yet not for a second did Imogen feel afraid or nervous, in any capacity.
Imogen was well and aware of what an angry or scared horse could do to a person. She had even seen a few accounts herself that put in plain as day how strong these animals were, and what they were capable of when pressed. And yet not one of the horses here showed any signs of such frightful power to the infant tiefling that Imogen held.
Just upon seeing her, every one of them showed the same tenderness they had to their latest foal. There was no pushing or playful nudging; they merely leaned in to softly touch her with their snouts, sniffing her now and again. They were entirely restrained, instinctively knowing the fragility of the baby before them. Even Bruno, the most energetic of the herd, was now moving with the pace of a tortoise; going no further than gentle snout nuzzling and quiet sniffing.
Just as Charlotte and her herd had trusted Imogen with their new foal…Imogen trusted them with her baby just the same.
She knew them well enough to know they would not harm her little girl.
Just as she had thought, they just stood in peaceful quiet, welcoming her baby into the world in their own unique horse way.
And it was in that moment, that Charlotte went ahead and did something most unexpected; something that wholly stole Imogen and Laudna’s breath away alike. With the exact same level of care, the herd matriarch gave Lily the ultimate horse seal of approval, and gently licked her tiny head three times.
The tears finally broke from Imogen’s lilac eyes, just as they did with Laudna who brought a hand to her mouth. It would never cease to astound the Ruidusborn; that sometimes even animals could be more welcoming, gentle and accepting to someone new than some people could. If her heart had melted before, it was glowing like a beacon and soaring for flight now, and was unlikely to change for the rest of the day.
It took a few more minutes before Imogen finally decided it was time to move away. One by one, she gave each horse their respective goodbyes in the form of pats and kisses on the forehead, saving Charlotte and her new filly for last.
“Thank you,” whispered the Exaltant Hope of the Red Storm, brushing the matriarch’s dark brow with one last pet and earning a soft nuzzle back in reply. Then she lowered herself down to the foal, making sure she didn’t feel in any way left out.
“And I will definitely be seein’ more of you, sweetheart,” the sorceress cooed, ruffling the baby animal’s mane. “Happy birthday, baby girl.”
Her goodbyes given, Imogen turned and walked away, reuniting with her beloved tether and leaving the herd to continue about their daily devices. Seemingly as quickly as she and her wife had arrived, they were trudging right back down the hill from whence they came.
“And like that, I’ve been dethroned,” remarked Imogen with a contrastingly proud grin. “They got a new favorite person, now.”
“Betrayed by our own animals, and now by the locals’,” Laudna fauxed with a comical smile of her own, subtly referring to when they showed off Lily to their own equines back home. “How ever shall we cope with such a loss?”
The humor in Imogen’s expression turned to something softer, something more incandescent in comparison as she stared down at her sleeping daughter. Mentally taking note of every little detail, taking note of the fact that she was even here at all.
The Exaltant looked back to Laudna.
“It ain’t a loss if it’s for our baby girl.”
At this, the warlock’s expression melted into something that glowed just as much, like the luminosity of the full moon to shine out the landscape in a gloomy night.
Knowing no words need be said, Laudna took a moment to just lean her head against that of her wife. Imogen leaned into the touch more graciously than she ever had before, basking in the divine euphoria of being surrounded by her two favorite people. It was a warmth not the cool morning air, not even the subzero chill of the Frigid Depths, could temper.
A warmth that only mountained in size when baby Lily stirred in her sleep, her face scrunching for a second as she made the tiniest of noises before stilling back into blissful peace.
…and a tiny smile cracked at her lips.
Oh gods, she’s dreamin’…
Whether subconsciously influenced by her previous encounter with the horses, or just something typical of the baby mind, Imogen didn’t know. All that mattered was that her little angel was safe and happy, even in her dreams. No sleep terrors of a looming red storm, no nightmares of an incoming horror to haunt the going forwards of her life. Just a tender repose soothed by joyful comforts, and a whole life of such delights ahead of her.
A life Imogen was going to put everything that she is and ever was, into making for her.
Daydreaming about the day when Lily would be older, and her mothers could tell her just how much she had changed their world, for now Imogen settled by planting a soft kiss on her little joy’s forehead. Feather-light, yet radiant with the brilliance of a thousand suns with immortal love.
“Dream in comfort and peace, honey,” she whispered. “Your mama loves you with all her heart.”