The Arrival of Hemera

[thethirdwonder]

It had started out like any other morning. Or at least any other morning that she didn't spend with Sam. She and Iris were out for their morning run, Cassie alternating between jogging and sprinting while Iris just looped along beside her. It was a beautiful morning and Cassie was almost tempted to go a little farther but something seemed to call to her back towards her hut.

And it was a good thing too, as just before the hut would have come into view through the tree, Iris veered off the path and went charging into the woods. Moments later, Cassie heard a racket of barks and some sort of screeching. Afraid for the her dog, she ran after her, following the noise until she found them.

When she did find Iris and the source of screeching, Cassie couldn't help stopping in shock. Iris was standing protectively over a little golden colored foal, barking not at it but to get Cassie's attention. But the barking was still scaring the baby animal, thus the screeching. But it wasn't the screeching that was making Cassie stare, but the two white wings growing out of her back. It seems like the island had decided Cassie needed a baby pegasus in her life.

Once she got a grip on the situation, Cassie ran the last few steps and fells to her knees to try and comfort the little foal. "Hey, hey it's alright! Shhhhh....no more of that crying, it's okay."

[For reference, the foal will look like this when she grows up. For now, she looks more like this]]

Comments

[thethirdwonder]

Cassie looks over her shoulder with a startled smile. She had no idea how to care for a baby pegasus but something in her was excited to try. "No, it wasn't me." She moves aside to reveal the little foal who had buried its head in her chest. "It was her. I think Iris scared her."

[girlsolo]

That's not what Kate's expecting to see at all and it startles a soft breath out of her. She lets go of the knife and comes to crouch next to Cassie. "Magnus said they were all dead," Kate says, and she has to duck Cassie's gaze to hide how it affects her to see an Abnormal here on the island. She's not expecting it, the tightness in her chest. "She's really beautiful."

[thethirdwonder]

Sensing the emotion, Cassie ducks her head and looks back to the filly to give Kate a little bit of privacy. "Would Magnus know how to take care of her? I wouldn't know how to begin. She's so scared."

Though the petting seems to help and Cassie paused one hand for a moment to grab one of Kate's, bringing both of their hands up to stroke the soft baby fur.

[girlsolo]

"She might." Kate's fingers brush over the filly's coat. It's still fuzzy which Kate thinks means she's pretty young still. She doesn't know very much about horses at all even though there've been a few lessons and stuff. It's just something she thinks she remembers from Biggie lecturing about one of the other mammalian Abnormals. "If anyone on the island would, probably, it's her."

She presses her lips together and draws her brows down, thinking. "Um. If she's a herd or pack animal, touch will help. They kind of press up against each other when they're scared."

[thethirdwonder]

"I should probably take her once she calms down."

Cassie looked at Kate while she spoke and then down at the foal who was pressing her small body against her. She wrapped her arms the filly's neck and just kept stroking. "Would it be best to find some other horses for her to be around?" Even thought she'd just found the baby, the idea of leaving her in the stable didn't sit well with her.

[girlsolo]

"I don't know." Kate watches the little winged horse for a minute more and then shrugs at Cassie. "She likes you. You found her and saved her. So maybe she imprinted. That happened to me once."

Kate smiles and pets one little shoulder. "Just don't feed her cheeseburgers. You'll never get rid of her."

[thethirdwonder]

"Cheeseburgers?" Cassie glanced over with a small smirk. "Do I dare ask?" That had to be an interesting story right there.

But even then, she didn't let go of the filly and the filly didn't seem to want her too. "I guess I'll find someplace for her to live. I don't think she can sleep on the end of the bed like Iris."

[girlsolo]

"Stenophelhabilis," Kate says and then grins at the memory. "Like a cross between a rhinoceros and a golden retriever. They're hunted for their tusks." Of course, she leaves out the part about how she'd been hunting on herself, but not because she'd never tell but because it's not the right story right now. "We had some in stasis, but the stasis failed and they died. We thought they did. But when I was checking it out, there was a baby and he got out. Got into my room and ate half of a leftover cheeseburger, and then me and Hank ended up chasing him all over town while he went looking for more."

It's the short version of the story, but it works. "He kinda imprinted on me, too, so I was stuck with him."

[thethirdwonder]

"Huh." Cassie had seen some strange creatures in her time as a Junior Superhero, but even so that was a little hard to picture. Though the thought of Kate having to chase it around while it searched for cheeseburgers made her giggle.

"So, what did you do with him?"