Chapter 34: A Bad Day To Be Born
“BIGGESH POOPIES!”
Lilypad screeched out as her special-place strained against the force pushing out of it, by now she should’ve been used to the feeling but the dull pressure caught her off-guard each and every time. Being the two closest to her, Soot and Shitbrick jumped into action, Soot at her back gathering leaves to make a soft landing for the foals, Shitbrick at her front trying to keep her calm.
“It ok Wiwypad, it jus babbeh coming.”
“Hnnngh, babbehs gibben mummah wowstesh speciaw-pwace huwties.”
“Babbeh nu mean tu huwt Wiwypad, dey jus wittew babbehs, nu kny anee betta.”
As Shitbrick softly nuzzled Lilypad, using his Fluff to wipe the sweat off her brow, Raisin waddled over to join Soot behind the birthing mare.
“Wha Waisin wan Soot tu du?”
“Hewp keep babbehs wawm tiww Wiwypad am dun. Dis nu am gud time fow babbehs tu come.”
Soot looked out of the one of the many holes in the wooden walls, the torrential rain had only gotten worse, cracks of lightening could be seen in the distance with low rumblings of thunder just barely heard over Lilypad’s strained cried. It was a cold and wet day, a bad day to be born.
Breaker and Crusher stood at the sides, unsure how best to help without getting in the way, Breaker turned to Travis.
“How can Fwuffies hewp? Twavis? Wha can Fwuffies du?”
But Travis didn’t answer him, Travis couldn’t hear anything over the thumping in his ears, his heart racing, his breathing ragged, his eyes staring straight ahead at Lilypad. But it wasn’t Lilypad that he saw, it was Angel, his beautiful Angel, her Fluff still so perfectly white as she gave birth to their foals.
Then he blinked, an Angel was dead, her body mutilated and bloodstained as he found her in Vincent’s basement. All around her, the bodies of their foals, none of them yet old enough to open their eyes, Travis had been too stupid to save his own children
He blinked again, and he saw Maggie, his mother, being violated by Crowley like she was when they first arrived at Crowley’s home while Travis could only listen. He had been too weak to save his own mother.
He blinked again, and he saw himself, his face weeping as Crow brutalised him, used him like a fucking toy and laughed at his pain, the ache in his poopie-place still burned if he thought about it, and all he could do right now was think about it. He had been too pathetic to save himself.
He couldn’t save anyone, he couldn’t protect anyone, he could barely protect this herd that relied on him and now he had even more Fluffie, infant baby Fluffies, that he had to look after. No, he couldn’t, how could he when he was nothing more than a stupid, weak, scared dummy…
“TWAVIS!”
Travis blinked one more time and Lilypad was back to herself, the silent thumping in his ears vanished and the noise of screaming and rainfall filled his head so quickly it almost caused a migraine. Travis looked over and saw Breaker staring at him, a look of anger and confusion on his face, exacerbated but another crack of lightning in the sky.
“Why Twavis wan Fwuffies tu du, need hewp Wiwypad.”
Travis took several deep breaths as he examined the situation, Breaker was right, they needed to help even if Travis himself couldn’t.
“Uh… Cwusha, hewp Soot an Waisin keep babbehs wawm, Bweaka git nummies su Wiwypad hab miwkies wen babbehs am hewe.”
Crusher immediately took off towards his job, Breaker stayed behind a moment longer, watching Travis was curious eyes, but he figured now was not the time to question him, so he raced off to gather some food out of the little they had available.
Everyone managed to get into place just as the first high-pitched chirping came into the world, Lilypad’s first child was slowly pushed out of her when it landed onto the pile of leaves set up behind her. Raisin gave the foal a quick sniff, then once satisfied that it was healthy she passed it over to Soot who placed it onto a dry spot where her and Crusher could use their body heat to keep it warm.
“Am… am dat babbeh?” Lilypad asked through exhausted breaths.
“It am babbeh fwiend.” Raisin smiled at her. “Fwuffies keep babbehs safe tiww Wiwypad am dun.”
“Nu, wan… wan babbeh nyoOOOOOOOWWWWW!!”
Another strain and another foal, then another, and another, Raisin carefully handed each oneto Soot and Crusher to keep warm while Lilypad struggled against the pain All the while Shitbrick did his best to keep her calm.
“Wiwypad am duin su gud, yu finawwy be mummah nyo, babbehs am gun be su pwetty.”
Breaker pushed a small bushel of berries in front of Lilypad, they were a few days old and starting to wither, but they would suffice for the moment. Travis felt a small pang of guilt for not doing anything, but his mind still flashed with Angel and his fear of being unable to help his own foals, let alone someone elses.
Now he was about to be a father again, and for the first time since Raisin told him she was pregnant, he was beginning to have worries.
Travis didn’t even notice the screaming had stopped until he felt Breaker gently nudge into him the Toughie gave him a soft smile and motioned towards Lilypad.
“Babbehs am aww hewe Twavis, it am oba.”
Travis looked up, Soot and Crusher were passing all four of Lilypad’s foals to her, the new mother was battling fatigue and aches across every muscle in her body, but she was a mother again, and for the first time in her life she had milk to give her foals. She softly licked each of them clean and began setting them down on her teats.
“Dw…dwink up babbehs, mummah hab wots of miwkies fow yu aww. Mummah wub babbehs, babbehs wub mummah…”
As Lilypad sung to her suckling foals, Shitbrick kept the other two safe and warm with huggies, he wasn’t their father but it was clear he was ready to step up and be a partner for Lilypad no matter what. Even with two of the foals having the same bright orange coat as the stallion that forced them into their mother, neither Lilypad nor Shitbrick seemed to pay it any mind, they loved the babbehs regardless.
“Shitbwick am su pwoud of Wiwypad, wub yu an babbehs.”
Shitbrick gave Lilypad a soft lick on the forehead before taking the two full babbehs off her teats and switching them for the two hungry foals. Lilypad gave Shitbrick a tired but genuine smile.
“Wiwypad… wub… yu…zzzzzzzzzz.”
Lilypad was out like a light, no wonder after everything she’d been though, Shitbrick shuffled in close rot her so that the two adults could keep the foals warm, and so that he could stay close to her as much as possible. There was another flash of lightning, the rumbling thunder was closer this time, loud enough to frighten the newborn foals, but Shitbrick softly stroked them back to a restful sleep.
Soot and Raisin watched the sight with the hearts swelling, Soot turned to Raisin with tears in her eyes. “Dis am how it shouwd be, happy Fwuffies wiv happy babbehs. Dummeh daddeh nu wet dat happen, gib Fwuffies wowstesh heawt-huwties.”
Raisin reached over and took the young mare in a hug. “Wam-see am foweba sweepies, Fwuffies git tu twy gain, be betta nyo. Wiwypad an Waisin finawwy be mummahs, babbehs gwo big an stwong, pwotek hewd, hab mowe babbehs, mowe Fwuffies tu pwotek hewd. Dis am gud nyo.”
“Soot hope su, need sumfing be gud afta ebewyfing.”
Across the room, Breaker found Crusher pawing at his torso. “Am speciaw-fwiend ok?”
“Wha? Oh, yeh. Cwusha nu can git babbeh smeww out of Fwuff.”
Breaker chuckled. “Du speciaw-fwiend nu wike babbeh smeww?”
“Nu, Cwusha fink babbehs smeww gud, it jus… it wemind Cwusha dat Cwusha an speciaw-fwiend nu can hab babbehs, need mawe tu make babbehs.”
Breaker lay down, softly nudging Crusher with his cheek. “Du speciaw-fwiend wan babbehs?”
“Maybe, Cwusha nu knyo. Wike tu fink bout bein daddeh, Cwusha wike babbehs, wan hab famiwy wiv Bweaka sumtime. Du Bweaka eba fink bout bein daddeh?”
Breaker thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. “Nu, Bweaka neba fink bout mawes wike dat, neba fink bout being daddeh befowe. Bu du wike da finkie-pwace pwan of habben own famiwy wiv speciaw-fwiend.”
The two stallions giggled to each other before sharing a soft nuzzle, both of them feeling the events of the last hour wearing them out, at least until Breaker saw Travis alone by the open door that was.
“Speciaw-fwiend, Bweaka need tawkies tu Twavis, nu be wong.”
“Dat ok, Cwusha gun gu ousside and twy to git babbehs smeww off.”
“Be cawefuw pwease, nu wan sky-wawa huwt speciaw-fwiend.”
“Cwusha pwomise.”
The pair shared a final hug before heading towards the door together, Crusher gave Travis a curt nod before stepping out into the rain, quickly dashing towards the tree canopy – what remained of it with most of the autumn leaves having fallen off – for shelter while Breaker stood next to Travis. The two of them stood in silence for several moments, letting another lightning bolt flash across the sky and a heavy roll of thunder to bellow out before Breaker finally spoke up.
“Hewd nummies am awmosh out.”
“Twavis knyo.” He spoke with an almost bored, monotone quality.
“Bweaka gib wast of gud bewwy nummies tu Wiwypad, jus hab bad gwassies an poopie weaves weft.”
“Wai Bweaka teww Twavis dis?”
“Cos Twavis am Smawty, ow suppose tu be. Need tu knyo bout nummie pwobwem.”
“TWAVIS KNYO!”
The sudden sharp cry took everyone off-guard, even Travis himself, the shock seem to burn out all the anger in him and it took everything within the young stallion not to burst into tears.
“Twavis knyo dewe am nummie pwobwem, knyo dat hewd nu hab enuff. Aww Twavis can finkies bout is hewd habben wowstesh tummeh-huwties an babbehs guin foweba sweepies gain. Twavis nu can wook afta babbehs, neba couwd.”
“Am dis bout Angew?”
“It nu jus Angew, Twavis neba wook afta aneewun, nu couwd pwotek babbehs fwom tummeh-huwties, nu couwd pwotek mummah fwom Cwowwey, nu couwd pwotek sissies fwom Cwow, nu couwd eben pwotek sewf fwom Cwow. Wai wouwd anee udda Fwuffy twust Twavis tu wook afta dem tuu? Am jus big scawdie dummeh.”
Before Breaker could argue there was a loud snap of wood from within the trees, Breaker and Travis both looked up and out into the pitch-black of the rainy day, or was it evening by now, trying to find the source of the noise. After a moment they spotted Crusher’s bright red Fluff coming out of the trees, but he was walking backwards, and seemed to be trembling.
“Speciaw-fwiend?” The red Toughie squeaked out. “Hewp?”
A crack of lightning burst into the darkness, and that’s when Travis saw them, a pair of feral dogs, skinny and starving, drenched and desperate. One of them was staring with bright red eyes and a drooling, jagged maw towards the frightened Crusher.
The other, brought forward by the scent of blood and shit spilled during Lilypad’s birth, was inching towards the open door of their home.
And there wasn’t a fucking thing Travis could do to stop them.
of all the time to arrived 
