Her magnificent eyes narrowed suspiciously when the stallion didn't snap back at her, more taken aback by his obedient silence than she wanted to let show. The lack of retorts threatened to unbalance her even more, because what was the point of getting riled up if he wasn't going to help her release her anxieties through a pleasant row? Instead Vadim was showing unprecedented amounts of politeness and attention where he looked down at her, and Shadow realized that she now was completely out of excuses not to move right to the issue at hand.

Which, of course, had been what she intended to do from the start, but couldn't he at least try to talk about the weather first?

"Good" she mumbled and drew in a deep breath, suppressing the guilty twinge at having been so snappy with him along with the rest of her doubts. Butterflies were alive in her stomach as the mare steeled herself, then blurted out the words before she had time to change her mind;

"I'm pregnant. You are going to be a father."

There, she'd said it. Delivered the horrible, definitive words that might make or break their fragile relationship. It was rocky from beginning to end, the premises for the companionship more than a little loose and the foundations brittle. This exchange was solid proof; so much time had been spent saying nothing, wasted away in silence or the throws of passion that she still hardly knew anything about the man before her. Who was Vadim, really? A loner, a vagabond, a quiet spirit of winter who seemed as lonely as she. Where was his family? His herd? Had he no friends or relations apart from her and the enigmatic little shape-shifter?

Well. Now he was going to have a family, whether he liked it or not. Winter had long to go before its back was broken but a foal would likely arrive before it was over.

Shadow regarded her lover in quiet trepidation, clueless as to how he would take these news. Would he be there for them when the time came? Would he stay afterwards, share the burdens and joys of parenthood with her? Or would he run, sever all ties before they could be formed, and leave her like so many already had done before?

She didn't know. The snow creaked beneath her feet as she shifted her steadily growing weight, and waited for a reaction.