The night was calmingly quiet; the air cool and clear, the landscape bathed in silver moonlight. The field was filled with the hushed whisper of a breeze kissing leaves, and twirling through the tall grass. Occasionally a great horned owl hooted from its perch, but other than the soft wind and the hushed, gurgling stream, it was silent.

From the shadows emerged two figures; a horse and a girl. The girl's silvery blonde hair fell to her waist in a long, shining fish braid. Her skin was pale, and covered in a light sheen of sweat. She wore a long white gown, and was heavily pregnant, grey eyes cast up to the stars, her fingers tangled in the horses mane as she walked. The horse was a cremello mare, tall and elegant, and with a severely round belly. She walked beside the girl with no guidance; they both knew their destination.
The pair stopped under a sole oak in the middle of the field, not far from the icy stream. The mare lay down on her side, chest heaving softly as she caught her breath, side rippling. The girl lay, skirts pulled up underneath her so as to support her back. She had closed eyes, and her breaths were fast and shallow, trying to block out pain. The clearing was stirring; the owl moved to perch in the oak, a bobcat came out to sit guard on a nearby boulder. A few doe and a stag wandered out, the doe gently touching the pair with the cool noses every now and then, as if in encouragement. Crickets softly played an orchestra as a mockingbird softly sang a lullaby. They all had gathered to comfort the two during their labor.

The moon hung midway between the horizon and the direct above, making shadows stretch long. The animals crowded around the pair to look at the white mare, standing, with her dark bay and silvery roan foals nursing on wobbly legs, and the girl sitting up, two infants held in the crook of each arm, wrapped in white cotton. The owl brought damp moss, which the girl first drizzled the water into her mouth, then wiped her face free of sweat. The mare pressed her tongue to another wad, sighing after. The animals slowly crept back, the mood in the clearing that of joy and welcome.

Their work was finished, they were mothers.

In the stables it was not so peaceful. The black friesian circled his stall restlessly, looking out the direction his owner had gone with the mare, and nickering. He pawed. At his door anxiously, flicking his ears back and forth again and again.

(I dunno if she has her phone or not, but my brain is being a loser and refusing to let me come up with another way for this to work. He can't exactly just walk into the woods and be like,"well this is convenient! 8D'' 3: If you don't like this, I'll totally re-write it. I'm in a writing mood. n_~)

Kyle paced back and forth on the bus, tapping his drumsticks against his lean thighs to the low beat blasting from the headphones buried in his ears. Hot sweat dripped down his face, slipping into his eyes and blurring his vision. He huffed a worried breath and threw himself face-down onto the soft couch. His hand slid into his pocket, and he retrieved his trusty Sidekick. Zero messages. Zero missed calls. Nothing. For the fifth day in a row, nothing. Kyle let the phone slip out of his grip and fall to the carpet. A cry of frustration built up in Kyle's chest, and he threw the drumstick forcefully against the wall of the bus with a strangled yelp. He heard the wood splinter against the wall and clatter to the ground. It was fine. He had hundreds of them.

A small gasp came from behind where Kyle lay with his face burrowed into the furniture. "Oh, baby, not again," a small voice whispered, accompanied by the sound of feet scuffling across the floor. A gentle hand landed on the small of Kyle's back. "Come here, hun," the voice murmured, and a set of hands pulled at Kyle's shoulders. Kyle pushed himself off the couch and flung himself into the open arms of his bandmate. Caleb stroked Kyle's bleached-blonde hair, tugging him tightly to his chest.

"Have you called her yet?" the redheaded guitarist asked quietly, knowing what was stressing Kyle immediately. The blonde shook his head into Caleb's chest. Caleb sighed lightly and bent to pick up the taller boy's Sidekick without jostling him about too badly. He stared at the phone background for a moment: a photo of the whole band at the beach, playing in and around their giant sandcastle. His lips twitched up slightly before he clicked a button and scrolled through the favourited contacts, past "JCookkk," "Austin Bellfro," and "Turmanator," before reaching "Lee <3". He pushed the little "Send Text Message" button and began typing a message.

|To: Lee <3
|Message: Hey, its caleb. ky is really worried about u again. call us wen u get this? xoxo

Caleb pressed the send button and placed the phone behind him on the couch. He wrapped both arms tightly around Kyle and rocked him back and forth, humming and murmuring quiet words of encouragement as they awaited a reply.

(Good timing, I pretty much just finished my volunteering)

Lee opened her eyes at a faint buzz, glancing at the lit up phone in the grass. Shoot. The past few days had been a bit hectic, and she hadn't been able to call Kyle. She had sent him a few letters and ultrasound pictures, but now she had forgotten to even call him. She flicked her phone open, barely reading the message before she hit the call button, holding her phone between her shoulder and ear, her twins in her arms. The mare nickered, her foals snorting softly as they lay down, heads resting on each other.