It was a curious thing, this pregnancy. Mirage had known Daenerys was not pregnant when she first arrived upon these lands, her scent had none of the lingering effects of hormones that gave the subtle hints that a mare was carrying another life within her. No, it was soon after that night spent with Viserys that the shadowy mare noticed the change in the pale young femme, and the process by which that change came about had been suggested by her brothers repeatedly; Mirage was loathe to believe it. She loved her siblings, but not like that.

But the proof was before her now, in the form of a leggy crème colt. The mare happy, at least, that Daen found happiness in the birth of her son, and Akaith trilled a colourful greeting above the mare and foal who stood by the ruby-red pool of water. Dragons always did love celebrating births. Mirage, whose shimmering cloak had been hiding her inky bodice amongst the darkness of the night, stepped forth into the moonlight, nape arched as she extended her muzzle to the mare, nickering warmly in her own melodic greetings.

“He is strong, Daenerys.” Her rich, accented voice intoned kindly, her golden eyes appearing lighter than normal under the pearlescent glow of the celestial moon above them. “Like his mother.” Lips twitched into a small smile, but there was a hint of sadness about her demeanour, sadness due to her not being able to help the mare sooner – to save her from the wretched being that was Viserys. “Does he have a name?” Curiously she transferred her gaze to the colt, easily picking the thick family resemblance that was present in both Viserys and Daenerys; and she had to wonder just how long their ancestors had bred this way – she had heard tales of such cultures, and though she would never understand the reasoning completely, she at least understood that for some, it was considered normal.

Proffering her soft, velvet maw to the colt, she wondered if he would be bold enough to stroke it with his miniature little crown. Akaith landed upon her back, chirruping a pleasant song to Daenerys in congratulations; a birth was a birth, a birth of a strong child was something to be celebrated, no matter the extenuating circumstances.

The raven maiden found herself content to know that her presence brought the pale femme happiness, it was all she longed to do to those she considered friends and kin; extended family who dwelt under her metaphoric wing of the Qian. Now she supposed she had a nephew too – though she was loathed to ever associate being a ‘relative’ to that venomous serpent Viserys. However, she quelled her anger and simply focussed upon the present, for it was the Gift of Life they were celebrating today, certainly something to smile about, not have heated discussions over the incorrectness of it all. The young rambunctious actions of the colt in response to her touch of him brought a welcome curve to her lips.

The arrival of another triggered an immediate reaction in the raven mare who had claimed to protect those of her kin. Smoothly she bodice interjected between herself and the tired, no-longer-pregnant Daenerys, but her actions were not defensive nor unwelcoming, merely precautionary – if this newcomer wanted to be a threat, then let her be a threat to Mirage first. But the words that spouted from the buckskin’s maw were complimentary, and not directed precisely at the ebonite one, so she tilted her tiara curiously to emphasise the query Daenerys then posed to her, her golden eyes posing the silent question at the same time; that Daenerys had already spoken the question Mirage was going to ask, she held her tongue for now.

Familiar footsteps brought yet another trill from Akaith, whose attention had been momentarily pointed at the buckskin mistress, and the golden one rubbed her cheekbone against Vikram’s proffered maw, just as Mirage subtly leaned into his touch but otherwise showed no inclination of returning it – that she didn’t lean away from it was acceptance enough, she knew he would understand. The quiet, shy arrival of Kiara allowed the mare to soften her gaze slightly, the stony façade of indifference that had arisen upon the arrival of Ailith taking on a fond curve as she looked between the young mares, Kiara and Daenerys; they were of similar age and honestly the older mare did hope they would become friends, and not just because they were both of the Qian, though that would certainly be a valid reason to begin a friendship.

She nickered a return song to the roan belle, though it was brief, for her attention was still upon the newcomer, still assessing just what she longed to gain from arriving at the birth of a complete stranger. Mirage had done similar before, only she had friends there, and had extended her own metaphorical hand of friendship out to make new friends – perhaps that was all this Ailith intended on doing; but then again, perhaps not.
“He will be given ample opportunity to grow into his strength under the protection of the Qian.” Her words were spoken as a promise to Daenerys, and to Ahriman himself. The titanic size of Vikram added comfort to the security the WeyrLeader felt was necessary at such a potentially vulnerable event, and so she allowed herself to ease a hindleg upon its toe, a small act of acceptance to this unknown one, should she prove to be friendly company.

Abruptly the newcomer left, evidently upon seeing the draconic presence of her beloved mate. The short speech highlighted the mares shameful lack of manners and expertise with the local language, but her point was made; she was one of those, ignorant and judgemental creatures who took things only upon the face value. At least she extracted herself from the scene – it was good she hurried, for annoyance dared to flare up in the mare, as she metaphorically leapt to the stallion’s defence, irritated that some unknown bitch would assume that her chosen lifemate was not worthy of her attention or time. But the shadowy one had some restraint, and merely took a sideways step to close the gap that had been generated between herself and the titanic form of Vikram. Leaning her shoulder subtly into his bulk, she silently wished to convey all that roiled within her; the annoyance, the want to comfort him, the want to hurt one who would be so blindly judgemental.

Akaith, however, was unable to show such restraint. Such uninhibited happiness had been the dominant emotion through the golden one previously, it now turned to scorn, as she growled angrily at the retreating form, her scales standing on end, her wings stretched out and ready to take her bodice into flight after the buckskin minx. Smoke trailed from her nostrils, but then soothing internal melodies sounded from the shadowy mare that was her bonded, and the queenly one settled, the happiness of the moment dampened slightly by the negative undercurrents of an ignorant fool. It was time to then focus upon the positives; the colt was alive, and he would be raised with the healthy notion that strength came from within, that one was not made by what they were given, but rather by how they used their gifts. Yes, the Qian would give him ample opportunity to realise this, he would be protected and yet exposed to what life what really about at the same time.

“It does not do well to let our minds rest too long on the thoughts of those too blind to see what truly stands before them.” Ailith had indeed, just destroyed most possibilities of ever gaining alliance with the Qian, and Mirage’s connections were many; she would make sure those she cared about knew what to look for should the buckskin deign to show her face again in public. There were of course, ways to make reparations, prove that one’s manner of thinking had altered – but Mirage knew well enough that it was nigh impossible to make a leopard change its spots. A deep breath was held, a sigh, and then exhaled, the rich aroma of the Forest breezing its way through her nostrils and maw as she did so. With the exhalation, came relaxation once more, a refreshed mind and a return of the smile that so artfully traced its way along her lips.

“If there was a way I could fortify borders of this land so that only our allies might enter it, I would – fortunately the numbers of the Qian are growing and will provide its members with the promised protection.” The mare so longed to give her family a homeland, to truly and properly start a herd on the same notion that she had begun the Qian. One day, one day.. She chided herself; patience she had, but sometimes she did forget. There was safety to be found in numbers, but those numbers would indeed benefit from having a land to call their resting place, she knew. The Deep Forest was accommodating for now, she would have to do more thinking on the ways to escape this predicament. Fondly, the mare watched the interactions of the colt with the other young mare, hoping that Kiara would soon lose her fear of the male gender, but also understanding that such things take time, and Mirage could hardly control them by her will alone.

[ Sorry for skipping over Vik & Kiara, muse struck me and I figure will give you more to play on anyway? xP ]

The reassurances from Vikram helped to soothe the mare's nerves, his words of wisdom always echoing her own thoughts, and she nodded her tiara in response, visibly shifting her posture as muscles loosened their hold upon her skeletal frame. Yes, there were not many they had come across whom had open displayed their dislike of strange appearances. Mirage had lived too long and travelled too far to ever think twice about the way one presents themselves upon the surface. She preferred to delve deeper, to unmask the outer façade of a being, peel back the layers and reveal the true core of one's identity.

The sheer innocent ignorance of Kiara brought forth a beautiful chiming laughter from the mare. She was not laughing at Kiara, but leaned herself towards the little roan and stroked her affectionately with her whiskered muzzle, appreciating her views. "Who knows the way some minds work. Perhaps it is simple jealousy. Perhaps it is a deeper than that; maybe they were once scorned by a beast similar looking to Vikram, and so have prematurely judged him to be similar. Perhaps it is sheer ignorance and an unwillingness to improve one's education on the world." The mare spoke kindly, with a smile adorning her lips, also hinting that Kiara need not worry about all males treating her the way the ones of her past did.

"I will secure us a homeland, one way or another." Mostly to herself she spoke now, cranium nodding idly, her mind whirring as she mentally conferred with Akaith on seemingly trillions of thoughts at once. "It warms my heart to know we can survive regardless." Always she was surprised that they followed her so willingly, that their loyalty and strength was freely given to her to direct and instruct. While it was given to her, she would indeed use it, for the greater good. A curious smile lingered upon her lips, her rump tilting as a hind leg once again shifted weight, a thigh nudging the hide of her mate, her golden eyes happily roaming the gathering, a sense of peace finally settling over the vicinity.


[Sorry for the wait! Completely forgot :3 Feel free to nudge me sooner in future ]