[Flashback] Life and Loss (Bold)

by **Laria** on August 14th, 2011, 9:41 pm

16th Spring, 510AV

The night hung over the tent city of Endrykas; silver stars dotting the expanse of inky blue sky like pinpricks. It was peaceful, quiet. The Dryaks inhabitants and their loyal creatures were sleeping, save for a few Diamond Clan members who were on the watch for trouble.

Well, most were sleeping. Laria Sunstorm was running.
Her father, Ankal of her Pavilion had asked her to be on watch duty. Not like the Diamond Clan watch though. It was foal watch. He was currently over with another Clan, negotiating something-or-other. It was an important deal, and he had already been gone for two days. One of her father’s big sales had taken place the previous week, and now the focus was on the Spring births.

One of the mares had been due to birth the previous day. Various Sunstorm family members had been rotated through watch duty. Laria had pulled the short straw and gotten the midnight lookout. It had been 2 Bells into her watch before something happened. The mare suddenly became restless, pacing up and down her stall. Her neck became shiny with sweat and her flanks were definitely sunk.

Laria had almost been asleep. She was sitting on the outside of the stall, back and head leaning on the door. There was a chill in the air, yet she was not wrapped up. The girl, tired after being woken for her stint had grabbed the first clothes she could find. She was dressed in trousers and a short top, her new feather tattoo peeking over her waistband. She didn’t mind the chill; there were enough horses in the stalls around her to warm the air.

The unexpected movements of the mare, coupled with light snorts was enough to shake her into action. She sprung up from where she had been sitting, and one glance told her all she needed to know. She had then taken off running.
She sprinted as fast as she could back to the Pavilion, racing over to where Bolden slept as she entered. She reached out and shook his shoulder roughly. He was the only other person her father would trust to help her. Laria’s mother had gone with her father, and her brothers weren’t good with foaling.

“Bold.” She shook him again.
“Bolden wake up! It’s time!” Her whispered voice was light with excitement.
She knew he liked to sleep, so she clambered onto his bed, almost jumping up and down on him.
“Come on! Get up already!”
When he did finally rise she would tell him to change, and then meet her back at the stall. She ran ahead of him, making a course straight back to the mare.

by **Bolden Denusk** on August 15th, 2011, 1:11 am

Bold saw and felt the beautiful woman on the bed.

"Bold!" she said in a husky voice, placing a hand on his chest.

Her hair dangled onto his face and she jumped on top of him...bouncing up and down??!!

Bolden snorted half awake to find Laria bouncing around like a frisky yearling having a bucking fit. He put a strong arm around her waist to snuggle her and turned on his side to go back to sleep. It was -such- a good dream.

"Hrm? Wha--? Five more minutes Pal."

“Come on! Get up already!” she yelled in his face.

Reluctantly, he released the soft warm Laria and rubbed a tired hand over his eyes. He raised his arms to stretch and the covers slid far enough down to show a feather tattoo on his left hip and then a bit more skin than he intended to reveal. Bold's eyes shot open and he grasped the covers around himself.

He quickly sat up with Laria still hopping around urgently. Bolden place a large hand on each shoulder to still her enough to talk to her.

"Pal calm down! It's not morning yet so why are you being such a pes--Gods! Did StormCloud have her foal?!" The man asked in excitement, sleep vanishing rapidly from his features.

"Pal let me grab my pants and I'll be right over! Go--don't leave her alone for a chime longer!"

Hopping on first one leg and then the other, Bolden struggled to pull on his pants, almost falling over in his haste.

"Petching mares and their timing!" He muttered, not even bothering with shoes or shirt.

Bolden ran to the stables at full tilt, his feet slapping the ground as he raced for the large foaling box and a very anxious Laria. He unlatched the bar impatiently and stood beside Palomino, taking in what looked to be a very dire situation.

by **Laria** on August 17th, 2011, 6:43 pm

OOCSorry it took me a while. Also, sorry it's small. I'm not all that clued up on foaling haha.

Laria reached the stable a couple of chimes before Bolden did. She heard him unlatch the door bar and step into the stable beside her.
“I tried to wrap her tail, but she wasn’t having any of it.”
She made a motion to the discarded material hanging over the door. Her face read worry. Usually the mares were docile, calm during their foaling. This was StormCloud’s second foal; she had been perfect with her first, the filly now named StormLady.

Laria kept her voice quiet, so as not to disturb the mare further.
The ground around the mare was a little wet; her water had gone in the short time Laria had raced to find Bolden. A lot of it had been absorbed by the straw bedding, but there was enough to know it had happened.

“The foal should come in a few chimes.”
Laria’s brow was furrowed though.
The mare did not seem comfortable at all. Of course, it was understandable given the situation, but there was something more going on.

“Bold, something’s off.”
She glanced up at him.
“I can’t tell what though.”

by **Bolden Denusk** on August 17th, 2011, 8:02 pm

Secret :

Bolden gently stroked the mare's side and leaned a knee over her hocks, turning to Laria, he said,

"You can wrap her tail now Pal. You're definitely right--something's far wrong. Once you get her tail wrapped, check her CRT. Just press your finger onto her gums and pull back, count how long it takes the color to fill back in. If it's over three heartbeats, she's most likely in shock or bleeding internally."

Once Laria had properly wrapped up the tail and let him know the CRT, he lay down on his side and went in up to the elbow. His face pressed sideways into the filthy ground and he reached inside. Everything was dry--painfully dry for everyone concerned. The mare's contraction wracked her tired body and squeezed his large arm against the bones of her pelvis as he winced at the agony. His fingers went numb and then the blood finally rushed back as the bone crushing contraction has passed. His tingling fingers scrambled around and blindly stumbled into the foal's round little backside!

"Oh Goddess, Pal she's breech without a leg a in sight! Who knows how many bells they've been like this?"

Bolden removed his arm, covered in slimy, bloody fluids and headed to the stall's floor watering system. He dipped in his arm to clean it up and tried not to look as desperate and panicked as he felt. Both the mare and foal could die at this point and only quick action -might- save one or the other. The chances of both surviving were slim to none. But they -had- to try!

"You know how it goes Palomino--you have the best hands! You'll have to pull while I repel--it's the only way!"

When the man finally got to his bare feet, half of him was covered in muck and unnamed slime. Bold scrambled over to the silk foaling ropes, praying to the Goddess that they were fast enough. The mare was bone dry and clearly exhausted after straining for hours with no result. He couldn't tell if the foal was dead or alive yet and the horse's labored breathing scared him to the core. His hands started to shake and he willed them not to--not when they had to do -something- quickly!

"Palomino girl, you got the best hands in the clan so we treat it like a fresh breech ok?" Bold said, trying to calm down his best friend a little. "You're the one that can give the slow steady pull without hurting the foal or mare. I want you to know now, that if anything happens, to them, it would be entirely my fault, not yours, got it?"

He held her gaze for a brief intense chime, his eyes turning dark and honey colored with worry. The man made a slip not of the thin silken rope. He put the loop over the index and middle finger of his left hand, and gave Laria the remainder of the rope.

"When I get it around the front legs, I'll give you a yell Pal, and you know how to do it--just the slow gentle traction like a regular fresh breech. You've done it a thousand times-you're the best of the Amethyst clan with those golden hands!"

Steeling himself, Bolden stretched out again with his face mashed to the floor and reached for the foal deep inside.

"Please Goddess be alive in there! Help the mare and foal--they only want to live!" He'd never prayed so hard in his life and he closed his eyes for a heartbeat. He heard the valiant mare's groan and it tore through his gut as if the pain were his own. They had to save them! They -would- save them!

by **Laria** on August 17th, 2011, 9:27 pm

Laria picked up the cloth hanging over the door. She cautiously moved over to the mare and Bolden, proceeding to wrap the tail as quickly as she could while ensuring she still did it properly. Then, she moved to the mares head, stroking the side of her face before pressing her finger to the gums. She pulled back and paused, counting before turning to Bolden.
“Almost 3 exactly.” She frowned. “What does that mean?”
She wasn’t sure if it was good or bad.

She watched, concern written into her features as he examined the mare. Laria saw him wince, and she moved to his side. When he spoke, told her what he had found, she visibly paled. A breech? That was never what anyone wanted to hear. And if they had been like that for hours… Laria gave a sharp intake of breath. Why hadn’t she noticed earlier?!

Bolden was covered in goodness knows what, and she glanced worriedly back at the mare. The last breech they had had ended up fine, but there had been others with less than good results. She forced herself to stay calm, since panic would not help anything. Even Bolden was getting that way, and she knew it was rare for him to panic in any situation.

She met his gaze. A fresh breech? She could try. Laria nodded once more before taking the silken rope from him. As for blaming him? Never would she do that. Never. She stayed quiet, letting Bolden concentrate.

She took a little step back from the mare, making sure her distance was correct. Laria then readied herself to pull on the rope, watching Bold as he searched for the foal again. Her eyes were wide, full of worry, and she was scared. On Bolden’s signal, she gently tugged on the rope, pulling down and out, just like she had done countless times before. She prayed that this would work.

by **Bolden Denusk** on August 17th, 2011, 10:35 pm

"Exactly at three? That's still okay Pal, she's still going strong. I already checked her digital pulse and although it's fast, it's still strong. We'll do it Lar, you'll see." Bold answered. He saw the look on Laria's face and read it like a book, as she did his face.

"Palomino--we can't always tell a breech by just looking at the outside. Don't you -dare- blame yourself! Just looking at her, no one would have a clue! Sometimes a foal is just laid out wrong and there's no way to tell till you're in the guts."

Bolden now rested his cheek against the side of the mare's haunches, stretching his full length to extend his fingers another inch forward. Contact! A pair of tiny hooves were just beneath his forefinger and middle finger! He inched the silk rope loop a little closer and got it around both feet with a quick, light tug.

About to give Laria a yell, it was pinched off by another mighty contraction as the mare strained and pushed. The mare's muscles clamped down on his bicep and he squirmed as his aching arm gave way to a numb hand. After a long chime, the mare stopped and Bold panted against the side of the mare. Sweat rolled into his eyes and he was exhausted. No matter now, when it was time to get into action. He maneuvered his hand onto the side of the foal's butt to push it toward the mare's head and at the same time said,

"Now Pal! Pull it steady and strong! If there's any resistance, say something!"

by **Laria** on August 17th, 2011, 10:47 pm

Yes. They would do it. Everything would work out and be fine. Laria squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment, repeating it over and over in her head. A quick jerk of her head was given, a sort of non-committal nod. No matter what Bolden said she would blame herself. She was meant to have kept watch on the mare. She knew he was right though. Breeches were hard to tell from normal births by simply looking at the outside.

In any case, Laria moved into a better position. She was a couple of paces behind and to the side of Bolden, and she crouched on the floor. She was knelt on one knee, the other foot just in front of her. It was that foot she would use to brace herself against when she pulled. She saw Bolden wince again, and readied herself. When the contraction stopped and released his arm he would signal for her to pull.

When it came, she gritted her teeth and tugged on the rope. She pulled towards herself and downward at the same time. The pressure was forceful, but not enough to be dangerous to the foal or mare. She kept it constant, and she could feel give as the unborn foal slid closer to them. There was a tug on the rope.

“Bold. Either a contraction or something else!”
She stopped tugging immediately. If it was a contraction, Bolden would definitely feel it as the muscles tightened round his arm again. If it were something else, she prayed he would find it quickly. The pair were covered in muck, Bolden more so than her, but neither of them cared at this time. Her eyes were still worried, watching his face for a signal, praying that it was only another contraction.

by **Bolden Denusk** on August 18th, 2011, 4:20 pm

Secret :

"Good hands Pal."

Bold stopped pushing and hoped the little rump would stay put when he let go. Cautiously he moved his hand back toward him and found one hoof had begun to turn.

"You got the best hands Palomino girl. A hoof just barely started to turn!"

Sweating and filthy, he turned his attention back to StormCloud and gently pushed the hoof into into alignment. It had a strange..almost rigid feeling... with no movement. Experimentally he gave a quick push on the foal's rump and it slid neatly into place with no more resistance. It was suddenly presented and ready. Bolden moved his hand to its mouth and there were no signs of life. In shock, he felt the ropy cords around the foal's neck and squeezed his eyes shut for a heartbeat. Thankfully his face and back were turned away from Laria. Bold loosed the rope from the front feet and mumbled quietly.

"It's clear now, so we don't need the rope anymore..."

"Good job Lar, go get a couple pails of water for afterward clean up huh?" He tried to keep his tone 'up' but locked his eyes on the mare. He knew the main water source was centrally located so it would take more than a few chimes to get a couple pails, fill them and bring them all the way back over. It should be just enough time to--.

He grabbed the nearby stable rug for something to wrap the body in and prayed Pal would get a move on to the water. When she finally moved, Bold knew she had an indefinite suspicion, but went anyway. Their faces were open books to each other. The young man took care that his face was completely angled downward from Laria's as he talked to the straining horse.

"C'mon StormCloud, the way is clear. You're almost at the finish line."

He gently urged the trembling mare. The young man kept his face toward the mare so Laria couldn't see what he knew would be a grief stricken expression if she returned unexpectedly. Thankfully, the mare felt no more obstruction and delivered what would have a beautiful colt foal. A second strain produced the messy pulp of after birth and he tied the cord and cut it swiftly. Bolden worked with alacrity to wrap the makeshift blanket over the foal. Exhausted and despairing he staggered beneath the literal deadweight and headed around the back of the L shaped stable to disappear out the back door.

by **Laria** on August 18th, 2011, 5:18 pm

OOC:-(

Laria held her breath as she waited for Bolden to give her a sign. She almost sighed in relief as he spoke out. The foal was turning, they were doing okay. She held the rope tense ready to tug again at another signal. The moments stretched out, and she fixed her eyes on Bolden’s back, concern starting to edge it’s way into her mind again. Why is he staying quiet?

She almost missed his next words; he spoke them so quietly. There was something… off about the tone he spoke in. But he had not said anything was wrong, so that was something. She gently pulled on the silken rope, and it slipped free of the mare. She quickly gathered it up and looped it over the stall door before returning her attention back to Bolden and StormCloud.

And now she had to leave? Something was definitely not right. Bolden knew how much she loved being at a foaling; he would never make her go out and fetch something at a moment like this. All the same, she trusted him. So with only a slight hesitation, Laria turned, unlatched the door and left.

She raced up the stable, heading for the water source before she remembered that a few pails were pre-filled each night during the foaling times. They were always left just outside the back entrance, so she spun on her heel and headed outside to grab one. She located them quickly, grabbing the handle of the nearest one. It was heavy and she paused for a moment under the weight. Laria then proceeded to haul the pail back into the stable.

She stopped in her tracks though, as Bolden appeared, heading for the door she was entering through. Confusion and worry flitted over her features as the gap between them closed.
“Bold…”
He was holding something. A something wrapped in a blanket.
“What… what is that Bolden? What are you holding?”
Her heart caught in her throat, and she let the pail rest back on the floor with a thud.
She reached out and prized the bundle away from him. As soon as it was in her arms, she knew. It was the foal.

Her eyes glazed over with tears and she looked back up at Bolden.
“Wh… What happened?”
Her voice trembled.
“Why didn’t you say? What… what did it?”
She looked back down at the bundled foal. The tears that had formed spilled over, coursing down her cheeks.
“It was my fault wasn’t it? I…I didn’t check her, I didn’t check StormCloud!”

by **Bolden Denusk** on August 18th, 2011, 6:27 pm

Bolden's mouth tugged down at the corners as far as they would go and his eyes filled with heartrending pain. He couldn't quite meet her horrified gaze as grief ravaged his features. His answer was husky and broke in a few places.

"Pal...don't, it's too heavy for you."

Insistently, he shifted the unwieldy bundle back to his stronger arms. He shook his head, disagreeing with her totally.

As if it were still alive, he cradled the blanketed figure gently and laid it on the ground, to the side of the back door. In total defeat, Bold sat on the grass next to the spindly figure, unconsciously rubbing the blanket over the foal's ribs to dry it out as if it were alive.

"There's no way it was you Pal. What happened....? Why didn't I say?! Because the cord was around its throat Pal....and the only way to tell and fix it ....is to find it when I stuck my hand in. I -didn't- do that. I... didn't check for that first, so it was my oversight, my mistake, and he's dead coz of me. Not you." He swallowed around the lump in his throat and choked over his own words.