Aralyn

Aralyn moved carefully, her muscles sore and her body protesting. Her stomach growled quietly, but as she always did, she ignored the sound. Her hands slowly reached up and grabbed first one child and then the other before turning and walking not towards the house, but towards the paddock where Abhay, Al Sheratan, Psyche and the other arabian mare stood. HEr eyes roamed her beloved mare, and a soft sigh of worry escaped her. A gentle whistle was given from perfectly formed lips, and she watched as the skinny mare lifted her head. The light was gone from Psyche's eyes, and her skin clung to her like spandex. Her coat was dull, and she was dirty from laying somewhere. But when her eyes landed on Aralyn, a soft nicker was given. She moved forward, another nicker, before her slow, painful walk turned to the same steady trot as it had once been. She held a slight limp from a year back, where she had been shot but she was used to it by now. She glided towards the fence and skidded to a halt, a soft whistle coming from black lips.

Hey baby. Crooned Aralyn. She moved forward, supporting each child in one arm. Look at what I got. Two new babies for you to play with. She smiled at the mare, but the smile was sad. Be easy with them. She murmered. Psyche lowered her dial, and softly sniffed the two sleeping babies. Abhay. The black mare whispered, then looked back behind her towards the others. Look what Aralyn has. They smelled just like her mistress, and it made the black mare want to jump with excitement. More Aralyns? Could the day get any better? Her mistress was back, and hopefully this time, she would never leave again.

Conan

The red-head wasn't far behind his sister as she made her way for Psyche. He was a few steps away, so as not to crowd her, and to give her some privacy to greet Psyche, but he didn't want to get a long ways off, still quite aware of how weak she was. He didn't want to have her fall.

He was very quiet, as had become his habit since the nearly four-month period during which he'd lost his voice. He had never been an exactly talkative person, but that experience had made him even less so, and the darker things since them had made him almost completely withdrawn and unwilling to speak, even when he could. He didn't even offer a smile to indicate the slight warmth he felt to see the girl reunited with her horse; he hadn't yet spotted the other horses in the pasture, and could only think of his own, still missing mare.

Benjamin & Others

"She's not been the same without you here." That was Nadeem's voice, quietly speaking of Psyche when Aralyn greeted her mare and introduced the babies to her. Right away, the Indian noticed the way in which the mare perked up and responded to her master, rekindling a spirit that had all but died away in the past few months. "She really has missed you, hasn't she?"

"Look at that!" Abahay had cantered forward with perked ears and inquisitively flaring nostrils. Nadeem had to move quick to push his velvety muzzle away before he actually pressed it against one of the kid's soft heads, "Aw, come on, Nadeem. I just want to sniff them - they're so... tiny!" The Marwari couldn't help but give a bit of a smile.

Benjamin played nice for now, realizing full well that he'd pushed things too far with his attitude to Nadeem. Now Aralyn had chosen the younger man's residence over his, and he would have to play some careful cards if he wanted to get that changed back in his favor.

Aralyn

Her laughter was soft, that same tinkling gentle laugh of hers as she lightly kissed her mares velvety muzzle. Shes been my baby for six years. No one else would want such a mean girl. Psyche didn't look mean, but back when Aralyn had first gotten her, things had been bad. Really bad. Aralyn smiled, but then her eyes drifted to a white horse among the three blacks. Conan... Look. Isn't that your little filly you found a while back? Al Sheratan was a daintly little thing, with her coat of the purest white and her muzzle of the deepest ebony. She nickered softly to them, but remained where she was, much like her master. She was stand offish but friendly, tough but wise in her strength.

Psyche lightly nipped Abhay's shoulder, a reprimand like Nadeems. Gentle with them! They're breakable! All humans were breakable, but Psyche knew that these particular humans were even more fragile then her mistress.

Conan

All of his attention was focused on Aralyn and Psyche as the young woman introduced her horse to his new niece and nephew. As always Aralyn has been his sister, no questions asked and without genetic relation, so Blair and Ravyn were his niece and nephew - he built his family out of those that he cared for, blood-related or not.

He hadn't noticed the other horses behind Psyche, but now that he looked up and spotted Sheratan, one of those little smiles grew on his face; he remembered this little white mare. After a moment of struggling to put his words together, he murmured, "Yeah - name's Al Sher'tan... I think. Pret'y thin'... smart. In'ependent." As she nickered at them, he clicked his tongue to her, kind of a low hello without words. Unlike some people, when he clicked his tongue, it wasn't always an order to come... sometimes it was just to get the horse's attention.

Benjamin & Others

Abhay shied back under the nip, getting the message across quite thoroughly, where he'd otherwise been more liable to ignore Nadeem's words. "They look kinda fragile." One ear slipped back while the other pressed forward, bringing his muzzle towards the infants again, but not close enough to touch them with his muzzle this time. "I heard that baby humans can't even walk when they're first born. I've even heard it can take months for them to learn how to; but that can't be true." It was an absurd idea to him, coming from a race who's offspring stood shortly after birth.

Nadeem stood a little to the side, flickering his gaze from one horse to the next, and letting the two get reacquainted with them. He'd noted with joy the way that Aralyn seemed more relaxed and content now, and how Conan's voice was slowly working back to him so that he could somewhat managed a few sentences. Striding up behind the group, with his hands clasped behind his back, Benjamin was noticing all of these things too, with mixed feelings.

Blair

The young black haired girl shifted in her mothers arms to look up at the horses. A squeal was given and she raised up her little chubby arms lightly tapping on Psyche's face. The black mare didn't seem to mind, in fact she prssed her black muzzle closer so the little child good lightly 'hit' her some more. Ravyn merely watched the horses through wary eyes, never making any noise to draw attention to myself. Both children would be quiet and shy, but Ravyn was even more of an introvert then Blair was.

Psyche smiled as she spoke to Abhay, never taking her eyes off of Blair. Humans are fragile. They break easy.

Al Sheratan let loose another soft scream, and she stepped forth a few steps but halted once more. She was still extremely skittish, and the other horses although friendly, still scared her. So she stood still, watching the humans with keen interest.

Ammit neighed and reached out to Conan, trying to catch his attention to see her. The princess, she was. Just ask her.

Conan

His attention had been caught by the white mare, but when a neigh sounded that he knew belonged to him, a call that he'd heard so many times, Conan instantly turned his head, searching among the other dark-colored horses, looking for his own mare. When finally his seeking eyes found her - the transformation was amazing. He'd been basically keeping a lookout for danger, for anyone who was looking to hurt his sister, even in a relatively safe place like Nadeem's house. But that sound instantly eased the many troubles that followed after him. Aralyn was his sister, his first human friend, and precious to her as was no one else - but Ammit was his first friend ever. With her accounted for again, his world was again in balance.

He turned a less care-worn, almost happy face to Aralyn, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder for a moment and his eyes asking Nadeem and Benjamin to guard her for a moment, while at the same time almost asking permission from the girl herself before moving forward toward his horse. As he had went Aralyn had been returned to him, Conan reached out a hand to Ammit to stroke her nose, his touch light as though she were made of something ethereal and would fade away from him if he were not oh so careful. "Ammi'," his broken voice murmured, his tone one of soft wonder.

Benjamin & Others

Nadeem was still getting use to the infants, and was just itching to shoo the horses back a little from them. He trusted Aralyn though, and wasn't about to step in and tell the mother what she should and should be doing; besides, she knew horses well enough, and understood Psyche far better than even he did. Benjamin also didn't look entirely pleased about it, yet... there was a certain lack of tension on his face, and a softness in his otherwise crisp, calculated gaze. Aralyn was happy, safe, and back home at last.

"Sher, Ammit - come look at the little humans." Abhay invited, bobbing his muzzle once and tossing his head back to gaze at the more reserved mare, "I've never seen ones so tiny before - they're almost kinda cute, in a weird sort of way."

Aralyn

Aralyn smiled at Conan, her blue eyes soft and warm. She understood his need for Ammit, for it was the same as her need for Psyche.

Ammit came closer putting her muzzle into Conan's hand then gently lipping the callussed flesh there. She never bit, but it was a reprimand for not immediatly looking at her and her alone. Was she THAT invisble?! She snorted and shook her head before glancing over at Nadeem and Aralyn then to the babies. They're just small humans. Besides, who care? She didn't say it to be mean, but Conan was here and to her, what was better then Conan?

Shera took a few steps closer, but she watched the humans warily. As she came closer, a few scars could be seen on her otherwise glossy white coat, and it was enough to want to make someone cry. Burn marks were slashed into her velveteen pelt, all up and down her legs and a few across her chest. A jagged scar was beneath her mane, and on one leg it looked as though someone had taken a rope and tied it there and didn't take it off for quite some time. But beneath her scars, she was truly beautiful, and she still took a few steps closer, hiding behind Abhay in the sea of black.

Conan

His understanding with his own mare was as intimate as Aralyn's knowledge of Psyche, and so he instantly understood that she was a little upset with him for not seeing her at first. How could he explain to her that it was not for lack of wanting to see her, but for a half-belief that she had been stolen and sold, or killed? In response to the lipping that caressed over his hand, he moved back and pressed his face into her shoulder, stroking her withers and sides. If there had been any question that he missed her, the smile that formed against her hide was enough to express that. Part of him was very aware that Ben was just behind him, watching all that was going on, and noting his intense care for the horse, but the better part was concentrating on the familiar feel of horsehair under his scarred fingers. For that moment, nothing else existed.

It was a long moment before he drew back away from her, though his hand remained on her side as he turned back to face the others. "S'okay Sher'tan. Ain' nobody gon' - hur' ya." He had turned just in time to see the white mare vanish behind Abhay's bulk. But his tone, even as tortured and fleeting as his voice could be, was gentle as he spoke to her. Ammit had her share of marks as well - on a thought, he ran his hand over the tiny bumps along her neck that were all that remained of the cuts he'd mended for her, when first he'd seen her - the wounds that had brought them together. But he'd helped Ammit learn to trust again, as she had him - he was willing to wait for the pretty little alabaster mare to learn that as well.

Benjamin & Others

The inwardly curved ears of the stallion flickered towards Ammit, accompanied by a light snort of a chiding nature, "I care. And you know... little human babies are fascinating, but little foals..." Far from being a shy sort of horse, Abhay readily hinted these sorts of things to his company of mares. For as out spoken as he was though, the ebony Marwari had far more bark than he did bite, and it took very little to put him in place. "Here, Sher-" After giving a sly grin to Ammit, he'd side-stepped her way a little, both to be a little closer to her, and to allow Al Sheratan a better view of the humans. "Trust me, they're entirely harmless."

Oblivious to all of these comments going on between the horses, Nadeem was content enough to watch the various interactions between the others. Being the animal behaviorlist that he was, the young man had spent a good deal of his free time simply watching the equines themselves. He'd learned that Ammit was just as finicky about her attention-needing as Abhay, while Sheratan was the polar opposite. It didn't take much imagination to wonder why, after seeing the wealth of scars her hide bore.

Aralyn

Humans are not harmless. Sheratan whispered softly, as the humans were closer in frontal view. She hugged closer to PSyche's side, her white hide melting into Psyche's own ebony coat. She had once been a show horse, some five years ago and then beaten until her arabian spirit was crushed.

Aralyn's jaw and knees were locked. Her skin was pale and her strength was waning, but she wanted to remain out here with her horses. Her other baby. She placed a soft kiss on Psyche's velvety nose. I'll be back out later, ok? I promise. Then she turned, her two children cradled to her chest. Lets head inside. Its a little cold out here. It was actually pretty warm, nearly seventy degrees but her skin was cool and clammy and her skin a sheet of white. Blaire protested instantly as Aralyn began to walk away from the horses, not pleased by her mothers decision. When she grew older, the child would have a horse of her own and be one of the best show jumpers around. Her brother... He did not mind. The horses were ok, but unlike his mother and sister he would feel no extreme bond with the horses. No, his passion was to be something else entirely.

Conan

Conan had been watching Aralyn carefully, and after petting Ammit for a short while longer and speaking softly to both her and to Sheratan, and then stepped back to his sister again. He was about to suggest that perhaps they ought to head inside, but when she brought that up herself, he remained silent, just wrapping his arm around her to stave off the cold, and to keep her upright. Allowing her to lean on his support was about the most he could do right now, and so he quietly began to lead her toward the house, not seeming to notice if the other two men were following them or not.

Nadeem & Others

The stallion tossed his head a little, ruffled but entirely use to getting his advances buffeted like that. 'Charming' didn't always describe him the best, "Those humans are harmless, at least. I don't know much about that guy-" Raising his head and perking his ears towards Ben, Abhay tested the breeze, "-but the horse he brought with him last time was nothing but a complete jerk."

Nadeem scrambled for the stairs and had the door open for Aralyn and Conan, allowing they and Benjamin inside before he closed the door and stepped in himself. "Why don't you all sit down for a while? I think you should probably rest a bit, Aralyn. Before long, either Benjamin or I can see about getting a set of cribs for you."