belladonna, in italian a beautiful lady; in english a deadly poison.

"It hurts," she gasps, throat tight as the words crawl their way through the channels of her throat, leaving trails of fire in their wake. Why she says it aloud is beyond her, because the only one around to listen is Aodaun. It seemed it had been that way for seasons. Ever since the end of the murders, Ktulu had disappeared and not returned. Lakota had seen only brief glimpses of her mate, generally at her sister's or Archibald's side rather than the Poisoner's. She had tried to keep a brave face, to explain away why her mate was suddenly withdrawn and nonexistent, to reason that it wasn't the foal in her belly that had driven her beloved away. But with prolonged time alone and no real friends to rely upon, the dark thoughts inevitably crowded into her head. She couldn't ignore them, and they hurt her more than the baby kicking ever could.

Aodaun whined softly at her distress, pressing up against her prone belly both for warmth and protection. Lakota was sprawled on her side, Gods knew where, her stomach cramping around the foal's growing body. She was going to give birth soon, she'd been religiously counting the weeks with eager excitement that had dwindled over time as Ktulu seemed to draw further and further out of her grasping, desperate reach. In fact she was a little overdue, and the foal inside her was far from happy with that development, battering her insides with fierce little hooves. It hurt, but what really hurt her more than the physical pain (which she had been raised to handle with ease) was the fact that she was alone in it.

Groaning, cheeks obnoxiously damp with emotional, hormonal tears, Lakota spasmed weakly and lay limp against the grass for the momentary reprieve. It would start up again in time, but she prayed that her child had fallen to sleep and would therefore cease its torture. She loved the little thing already, so intensely it hurt, but her life seemed to suddenly be in shambles. Where was Ktulu? Aodaun whined at her side, rubbing his furred cheek across the swollen side of his bonded. Lakota had always been frail, delicately boned and small. Alleo was considerably larger than her, and even Hana had been taller and thicker. The pregnancy wasn't easy on her slight frame, but she soldiered through it stubbornly. Nothing would keep her from her baby.

"I don't want to be alone," she mourned, hiccupping through her tears. Lakota despised being so hormonal, and was in a way grateful for Ktulu's absence - at least she wasn't capable of throwing her tempest moods in the mare's face, as Aodaun had been forced to deal with. I'm here, he crooned, wishing he understood what had driven Ktulu away. He could only run interference for so long before Lakota's fears consumed her. She needed her mate, her brother, Archibald, somebody. But she felt so alone.

Lakota