The screams woke me from my sleep and, startled, I bolted to my feet. My sleep-ridden mind, plagued by nightmares, panicked, and I found myself thinking that we were under attack. Who could have gotten past our borders in the middle of the night? Who wanted to, at that? But after a moment of wakefulness, I realized that there was only one voice, and it sounded vaguely familiar. Not the voice, the screams. They were familiar - why?

Concern colored my orbs in what might have been the first normal display of emotion since I was cured. I hadn't been myself at all in the weeks since, and although I felt horrendously guilty about it, a good deal of this had been lifted by Thor's explanation of my affliction. He had kept it from me; I kept myself from him. In a way, it almost seemed a fair trade, and now that the truth was out, I felt that perhaps we could even move forward. Which, actually, was what I did now at a fairly quick pace. I needed to find that voice. In the screams, there was pain, and fear, and desolation - all things that I had felt in abundance in my lifetime. Perhaps I could help.

I found myself shortly at the mouth of a small cave, and without hesitation entered. This, perhaps, was not the most intelligent approach in the world, as I soon noticed the small panther, seemingly in distress. But it was still young, and I doubted that it would pose much of a threat - but if it were older... I shuddered. Looking further, I took notice of the mare lying on the floor. Her belly was swollen with child, and I gasped, my own memories of childbirth not that far behind me. So that's what was familiar! I had gone through this, and by the panic that seemed to blanket this mare, I was sure that this was her first, as well.

Ignoring the threat that the little panther could pose, I strode purposely forward. "Take it easy," I murmured softly, my voice calm. "Breath, and push. Breathing will help." I kept up a string of calming words as I waited; I knew that it could not be too long until the foal entered the world now. Finally, a small appaloosa colt slid free. I took a step back, distancing myself from the panther, which had drawn closer, and from the new mother. Protective instincts ran high right after the birth, and I did not want to appear a threat. "He's beautiful," I offered with a smile, and then I waited in silence to be sure that they were both alright.

"talk"

If love is surrender, then whose war is it anyway?