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

Time ticked on, quiet and insistent, taking reign over all the troubles Lakota faced. The only comfort it gave to her was that as it moved onward, her baby stilled and quieted, slipping off to sleep or some other form of consciousness that Lakota couldn't understand. She took the reprieve for what it was, sinking into the grass with a muffled sobbing sigh of gratitude and relief. For a mare whose emotions were generally cut off and reserved, even to herself, the hormones she was experiencing were difficult and a little horrible for her. Lakota hated them, hated how they made her feel, how out of control she felt. But as she listlessly moved her nearest eye to the swollen shades of sapphire and black she could see in her peripherals, she smiled, watery but sincere.

"Ti amo, bambino," she whispered into the emerald blades that tickled her lips. No matter what her child put her through, both in her belly and while it grew, that statement would forever remain unchanged. Even if Ktulu never came back. Even if Lakota was exiled to live alone in the wilds with her foal. Even if she had to lose everything to raise the little life inside her. She would never give up, never stop loving that beautiful baby. Her heart swelled, and to her despair she began to cry anew. Quietly, so as not to wake the child and set it about kicking and cramping her sore body once more.

Soft rustling met her ears, and she glanced tiredly down at Aodaun who was already steadfastly gazing in that direction. Her snowy prince had far better ears than she, and never failed to alert her when somebody approached. Why had he not done so? Before any sense of curiosity or betrayal could take root, Lakota's eyes moved back towards the source of the noise, falling upon an unmistakable shape. Her heart panged and trembled simultaneously to see the familiar pale face of her beloved approaching - an odd angle, but she could never mistake her mate, no matter what state she was in. Her name fell from those lips, and an errant tear slipped free as she blinked. Moments later Ktulu was beside her, lips against her ear.

Lakota didn't have the strength to get up after the beating her foal had given her, but she glared weakly nonetheless. "Where have you been?" she croaked, only for her anger to switch almost immediately to despair. "What did I do? What happened?" then devolved into concern, trying to lift her head pitifully to check over her mate. "Are you okay?" Her hormones were out of control, all over the place, no matter how she tried to reign them in. With a tired moan she lifted herself to place her legs beneath her, if only to face Ktulu better. She was tired, but she'd always find energy and time for her mate.

Lakota