The Lone Kirin

The beginning of something beautiful

Deep into the Nokowin mountain range, where only a few of the enlightened races ever wandered, there lived a proud and mighty draconic mare. It was from the Kirin. It vaguely resembled a two and a half meter tall horse with scales that shone in a brilliant red. The tail of an ox whipped around, as it stood atop the highest peak of the mountain range. It was mating season.

Kirin are creatures that live their whole life in solitude, rarely seen by the enlightened. But once every few centuries, no one really knows what triggers it. They meet up to find a mate to have a child with.

This particular female has lived a long life, wary of any dangers that might disturb its territory. It didn't care for a lot of the things other Kirin did, such as being revered as a symbol of good fortune. Her daily routine consisted of eating, sleeping, and the occasional fight with intruders, that wanted to overtake her as the queen of these mountains. Being of draconic blood, she took great pride in her appearance and galloped a lot from peak to peak. Bathing in the streams in the vast forests at the base of the mountain range was also necessary to keep her carmine colored scales shining.

But for a few weeks now, she didn't care about all those arrogant actions. Nowadays, she rested in her favorite cave, mined into the highest peak by her powers.

She was pregnant.

She didn't expect any male to choose her that night, but an Indigo colored stallion of younger age challenged her to dance.

The mating rituals consisted of a race between the two, and if the male out sped the female, he would have to demonstrate his powers by killing the strongest monster in the vicinity.

She didn't care all that much.

Once the stallion had chosen her, she was glad to bear someone's child. She wasn't desperate. But once Kirin reach a certain age, younglings won't select them anymore out of preference, because of the difference in strength or the difference in rank and honor is too steep.

The last few times, the old males chose the younger mares, leaving her by the wayside. The younger ones were all scared of her.

It is quite relatable, as her father was at one point the strongest kirin, that also led this night of pairing. When he was still alive, he crippled most of the males that tried to wed her, even before the ceremony began. Those stories won't be forgotten until she dies. Yet this one young stallion, not even a century old, chose to challenge her.

The others at the gathering laughed at him for even trying, but what they didn't consider was that the Carmine empress of the Nokowin mountain range didn't also try to win the race.

Once they had a target in mind, he sped off like a whirlwind, whereas she only trotted towards the peek of her home. The 200 kilometers to her cave were crossed in less than an hour. Once she arrived, he already tried to make a target out, to woo her, by showing his strength. She nudged him to move into the cave, the demonstration seemingly unnecessary for all she cared. Confusedly he just stood there, trying to comprehend what she meant. And after she looked back, to call for him a second time, he reared up, carving the air with his two blue horns, and whinnied triumphantly. His emotions of triumph manifested in two lightning bolts, streaking across the clear night sky that shot out of his crystalline horn.

She snorted. He was quite an exceptional partner. Unlike usual, he wanted to stay with her until the child was born, but she still was an old lady with some standards. Showing weakness wasn't allowed.

Therefore the first time a father gets to see his child is during its first mating season or if it coincidentally gallops through his territory on a journey to find its land.

She wondered. Her affinity for magic was of a fiery disposition, whereas his was of lightning. Usually, the child inherits either one or the other. But their types went well together. Maybe it would inherit both. If that would happen, it had a real chance of becoming a leader. This continent was the last that housed them. On the other continents, they had threats that could cull them, whereas here they were able to rank at the top of the food chain. That was at least, what she heard from her father, as he wasn't born on this continent but fled his own when their population became endangered.

She was happy. Pregnant for probably the last time in her life, let the wind rustle through her hair and beard.

After about two years of resting, the day had come, at which a new life was ready to call this world its prairie. She trotted down her home, to go into the woods. Baby Kirin wasn't yet able to live in the harsh climate that exists at those heights. In the first few weeks, she would have to hunt for it, care for it, and teach it the way their kind lived. It would be an eventful few weeks, but there is no greater reward for a mother than to see her child stand on its own four hooves. It will hunt eat and sleep with her for about half a year before it would leave its mothers to care and seek out its land.

She was giddy to no end, which was amusing to her. At her age, to be giddy over something like a new child was almost frowned upon.

But it was her second time, giving birth in over four millennia of living, thanks to her father. Those old hags surely despised her for receiving a child at this age, but she couldn't care less.

Her first pregnancy ended in a catastrophe when the child had a congenital disability, which was practically unheard of.

The emotional damage she received was too high for her, and she became this seemingly cold, even infamous ruler. She wasn't the mightiest or even the strongest of the generations living right now. But practically no one wanted to mess with her because of the rumors.

This would be turned around, though, once her little foal would journey through the lands, telling everyone what a great mother she was and how loving she could be.
All she hoped for was for the other mares not to corrupt her little child, with nightmarish stories of its grandfather.

Was this motherly worry?

She felt the pain kicking in when she was lying in her cave, but now it hurt. She had to find a place to give birth soon.
After a few minutes of searching, she finally found a place, her stomach aching like the last time.

After a few minutes of searching, she found her favorite spot in this part of the woods.
In the middle of a clearing, there was a patch of dirt that was way softer than anything she could have found elsewhere. There, her fragile foal would rest easy.

And after 3 hours of suffering through contractions, her fetal membrane ruptured, and her beautiful child saw the light of day for the first time.