No Matter What

Storyline:
A Familiar Scent
Proud of your Boy
...
Foxfire's Triple Crown - The Belmont Stakes
Turn For The Worse
  In response to this.

Featuring:


Ghost loved all of her children. Fellie was not only her first son but also her firstborn in general... and she never thought she'd love another as much. But then the twins came- Sail and Dutchman. Though Dutchman was taken from her (as many more would come to be taken from her), Sail stayed at WBS. Ghost's first daughter was so different to raise than her older brother Fellie. Sail required constant attention and depended heavily on her mother for emotional security- even into adulthood, whereas Fellie was fearless, adventurous and independent at a young age.

Out of all of the fathers of her children, Ghost had truly loved Blackbeard, and perhaps that is what had fueled her love for her dependent little filly Sail, and even more upon news of his death. Second best in her heart had always been Abyaz. The two had always been close friends in their early racing career, and even throughout her Infatuation with Blackbeard she was able to forget BB for a moment and concentrate completely on Abyaz when in his company. Though she felt she truly annoyed him most of the time, she never longed to be in the company of another while at his side. There was just something about him, perhaps the way he was with his children, that drew her to him on not only an emotional but a molecular level. She felt safe and protected around him, and she would follow him into any fray if it meant she was at his side.

Though she was convinced she had been just another "cover" for Abyaz the day Fox was conceived- another way to spread the stallions genes by means of just another willing mare- their brief intimacy had been so very special to her. It was, after all, completely unplanned by the humans. It was the only time she had been covered on her own terms. The two had seduced one another if only for that time, and in that moment she had truly felt loved in return by a stallion. At least she wanted to believe that's what it was, but she often fantasized about silly things. She was too old now to believe that a stud could truly love a single mare, what with his occupation, but in that time years ago she had hoped...

So came Fox, the product of Ghost's raw and defiant love for another stallion... and he was so, so very tiny. So, so very fragile. So, so very sickly. Ghost had been a mother five times previously at this point, and none of those times compared to how she felt about her little Fox. Just as Sail had depended on Ghost, Ghost depended on Fox. She was fiercely protective of him, fueled by her desires to keep him safe and unscathed. She coddled him- sang to him, raced with him, nibbled on his cheek every night until he dozed to sleep.

It was Ghost's deeply rooted love for Fox that enraged Fellie. Fellie had a strong sense of pride and entitlement when it came to his mother. He always wanted to impress her, to live up to his title as her firstborn and her first son, and Fellie had no pity for his sickly little brother. Fox enraged him, and had he been allowed at pasture with the fragile colt, he likely would've kicked him in the head himself to end the frail things suffering. He would take his mothers rage if only to rid her of the disappointment she seemed so wrongly obsessed with. He didn't want Fox to live long enough to race and end up tarnishing her name, but he never had the chance to go through with the culling of his unwanted little brother.

Ghost knew Fox would be taken before he was even born. Because the covering was unplanned, her unborn foal was at risk of dying shortly after birth. She didn't understand how the color of her and Abyaz's fur would determine such a thing, but that's what she heard the humans say. She didn't believe her foal would die, she had felt him alive inside of her, but that's what the humans said. And because of that risk, her human made the decision that they didn't want to risk the odds on her unborn foal, so Abyaz's humans claimed him long before he hit the ground, willing to accept whatever the outcome would be at their own expense. And Fox lived. He was born premature, but he lived long enough to be weaned. And it was time.

When the humans came to take Fox away from Ghost, she lost it. The heartache of losing three of her children already to the humans paled in comparison. Not even Fellie, Sail, her human, nor even Kisses could lift her spirits. Racing was her only release from the pain she bore- the constant worry, the constant longing to sing her baby boy, to nibble on his cheek until he drifted to sleep beside her...

As the years passed, Ghost was presented with grandchildren. Fellie's firstborn was a strong yet neurotic filly, Apoca. She was out of Ghosts closest friend, Apollo. It was the birth of Apoca that truly began to heal Ghost of her loss. She came with Apoca to her races to ease her nerves and soothe the filly. It was by chance that at Apoca's maiden Ghost had smelt an all too familiar scent and went running. She nearly ran into the source- it had been Fox. She was overwhelmed with her absolute joy. He was alive and strong! She told him that no matter what happened she would always be proud of him, and she gave him as much love as she had time for before they were split yet again. Running into Fox had renewed something inside her, and she felt whole again.

Time passed and Ghost overheard news from the humans that Fox was really sick. He had been involved with a hit of run of sorts at The Jockey Club's Belmont Stakes and had fallen only to rise and tear down the track to finish the race. He had overheated shortly after and required an ambulance escort home. She was thankful that her human made the decision to bring her to Fox at his home. It felt surreal, and Ghost felt truly vulnerable... her precious angel was sick. It wasn't long before her and Kisses arrived at Antrium Stable, and even shorter thereafter til she was brought to him.

Walking into Fox's stall, she touched noses with him and felt tears pool in her eyes. She layed beside him and he rested into her chest, curling his head to lay on her leg. She gingerly nibbled on his cheek as she had so many years ago when he was a baby.

As he drifted to sleep, she whispered to him, "No matter what..."

Word Count: 1,151

  Next~
  


*Side Note: All of Ghosts birthed foals (disincluding her foal following Fox where she had an embryo transfer where another mare carried/birthed Ghost's biological baby) have been raised at WBS until weaning. Following weaning, Fox was taken to Atrium Stables where he was raised by his father. It's fair to say that a foal that young would be just as a human baby that young- they aren't going to remember much of their childhood (try remembering breast feeding from your mother). Which is why Fox questions his father about his mother so much, he doesn't remember really knowing her like she remembers knowing him. Aside from running into each other at The Devil's Mile (Apoca's maiden race mentioned in the story), they haven't seen each other since Fox was taken from her to his permanent home. This will be the first time that they will be able to spend quality time with one another since Fox was a baby. 


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^{WBS Ghost Hour (c) me
AS Foxfire (c) Caterang8 
Refs used - i.imgur.com/trOGJkj.jpg , i.ytimg.com/vi/v1yBwyG84iE/hqd…}