Was this love?

Maiden wanted to believe so. He’d been so very handsome, bringing with him a whirlwind of emotions. His colours, so brilliant, had been a delight to her. When she’d peeked past her hair, seeing him for the first time, her heart had skipped a beat.

It was the first time she had wanted to be wooed, the first time she had spoken to a buck on her own accord, stuttering softly, shy in her approach.

But it had worked, somehow, some way, and they had spent such good time together. So much so that she’d wanted it to last forever.

If this was love, why did it hurt so much?

They’d parted ways, drifted apart as if it had meant nothing at all, and perhaps that was just the way of the swamp. Her mother had never had more than a fondness for her partners. But Maiden was different; Maiden wanted love. She wanted a forever after.

And so she lamented, day after day, as her body started to rounden.

Forlorn, she waited for the young within her to join her, a memory of the time spent with a buck she had thought she could love forever. She was terrified; of not being able to love them as much as she had loved him and of doing it all alone.

And she might have despaired forever, had her mother not arrived and nipped her flank, demanding she follow.

Nibble led the way and deposited her on the outskirts of a tribe, waiting only long enough to make sure that her daughter was found and escorted by a friendly Totoma.

Suddenly things didn’t seem so bad, Maiden soft and uncertain, found herself welcomed. They settled her in a thicket, a safe place where she could see the flowers in the meadow and watch the other foals chasing each other with merry laughter. It eased the burden on her heart.

The Acha that came to visit her was gentle and soft, a small warmth that would settle against her side, eyes aglow. They talked about many things, of their lives, of new life, of love.

“You are blessed,” Peep said one day with a smile. “And so are they. With gentle souls and hearts full of love. Everything will be as it should. Don’t worry so much.”

With that Maiden forgot the love she had lost and began to look forward to what she would soon gain. She mingled and made friends, learned from the other mothers and proudly vowed to stay with the tribe even once the foals were born. To dedicate her life to The Mothers Club seemed a wonderful purpose. Mother Maiden.

And a mother she became.

With Peep beside her, there was no pain to endure. Just joy and excitement, the presence of the Legendary such a warm comfort Maiden smiled throughout, and when she slept, finally, it was with the knowledge that she’d gained something truly special.

This was love.