Having a foal made Ktulu a mother in a sense, but she did not hold the same mothering instincts for other foals that she did for her own. Hototo, quite obviously, was her heart and soul. She would give anything to keep him safe and happy, would fight anyone to protect him, and would lay down her life it it meant keeping him alive. Other foals were just that. Other foals. There was no drive to protect them when she saw them. No overwhelming sense of alarm when she saw a foal wandering alone. Perhaps it had come from personal experience of escaping Isilme when hell had overrun their home, leaving her and her sister orphans. They were foals and they had thrived on their own, had relied only on one another and had grown strong in the process. So when Eytan showed her two foals lying together in the grass, one protecting the other, she felt no sense of urgency. The grizzly bear, however, expressed his concern for them. Apparently he was not as tainted by war as she had assumed he would be and for that she was somewhat thankful.
"Careful." She sent the mental message to the bear who just shrugged it off as he ambled toward the foals. Already the chill of autumn was setting in, bringing with it the promise of a bitter winter. Eytan's fur was already thickening in preparation. The young grizzly grunted a greeting to the foals, the corners of his mouth quirking up. He paused several feet away, his furry head tilting as he looked at the one who remained awake, asking permission to approach. Of course he did not wait long enough for them to offer any kind of positive encouragement for him to approach before he ambled forward again. More grunts escaped the bear as he laid down next to the foals, his furry body offering warmth that their thin coats would not.
Images were projected into the mind of Eytan's bonded as he curled around the filly and the colt in his offer of warmth. His concern for the younglings drew his bonded in the direction he had traveled and he grinned to himself. A while later Ktulu finally looked upon the two foals and her bear. "You two are not supposed to be here." She said pointedly, her ears tilting forward as she looked at the foals then finally at Eytan, who was giving her a disapproving look.
Ktulu heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes at the bear. "Winter is fast approaching." She started over again. "You'll likely.." die "...find it a difficult time to be alone. You are welcome to use the Foothills as sanctuary." Another look was given to Eytan, who looked more pleased now that Ktulu had offered some form of kindness to the foals. Again, her crimson gaze found the foals. "What's wrong with him?"
|
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
