Shiro had never had so much fun in his entire young life. He pranced the day away within the meadow, all under the watchful eye of the shining sun. Hay and Flower were wonderful playmates. It was the first time Shiro had ever played with sheep his own age. Granted he had his parents, but they were adults, and it wasn't quite the same.
Time passed, and Shiro focused entirely on the games he played with his new friends. He was so into it that he didn't notice the position of the sun. And when he did, his eyes grew wide.
"Oh no! I'm late!" Shiro cried.
Flower stopped prancing while Hay looked up from his grass meal, "Huh, what do you mean?" Flower asked.
"I promised my Mama I wouldn't be gone so long! I have to go!" Shiro spoke up in alarm.
A flash of disappointment crossed Flower's face, "Oh...well okay."
Shiro frowned as he noticed his new friend was depressed, "Don't worry, I'll ask her if I can come back tomorrow!"
Hearing that caused Flower to perk up, "That would be great! Wouldn't it Hay?" Flower received no answer from her brother, "Hay?" Then she looked over as the telltale sound of munching rang out. Sure enough, Hay was eating grass again.
"HAY!" Flower shouted whilst delivering a swift kick to her brother's side.
Hay snapped to attention and swallowed his snack, "Um yea right later!" Then he quickly went back to eating.
Flower groaned while slapping a hoof across her face. Shiro merely giggled and darted off toward the direction of the fence. Right before he did, however, he looked back and waved at Flower and Hay.
"Bye, guys! It was great to meet you!"
Flower waved back and silently whispered, "It was great to meet you too."
Shiro hurried along towards the fence, quickly squeezing himself through and calling out, "Mama I'm back! Sorry, I'm...late." His voice trailed off as he noticed a peculiar sight.
A loud sound rang out, and sure enough, it was coming from the black bulk that was Jinx. The ewe lay on her belly, a snot bubble rising with her snores. The image before him was something Shiro hadn't seen before. It wasn't his mother sleeping that was odd, but the bubble of snot that rose with each snore. Shiro wasn't sure what it was at first, but clever boy as he was, he was quickly able to figure it out, especially when he noticed it was coming from his mother's nose. The only other times he had seen snot, had been when he had sneezed. In fact, he had seen it with his mother when he sneezed. Remember that brought a grin to Shiro's face. His father, a mighty creature as he was, let out a mighty sneeze once. It was so powerful his bell jangled for all to hear. Frankly, something so silly as a sneeze didn't seem to fit Chirin, but it had happened.
But Shiro could tell his mother didn't sneeze.
"Mama?" Shiro prodded his mother with a hoof.
Jinx shifted once more with another snore, which prompted the bubble to grow larger. Another snore followed which again caused the bubble to rise, and at that zenith, a great sound rang out. An explosion rocked so loud that it caused Shiro to jump back with a yelp. His eyes glanced at his mother, eyes rising curiously as he noticed something: the bubble was gone.
Releasing a snort, Jinx's hooves scratched at the ground as she let out a yawn. Smacking her lips, her bleary eyes adjusted upon what was in front of her, and what she saw made them grow wide.
"Oh! Son!" Jinx scrambled to her hooves.
The black-wooled ewe frantically turned her head back and forth before focusing on her child once more.
"Mama? Are you okay?" Shiro asked with glimmering eyes.
Jinx let out two breaths before shaking herself off, a few grass strands falling off her fluffy body, "Yes! Um yes, baby Mama's fine! S-S-So how was your day? Did you enjoy the meadow?"
Shiro blinked curiously backing up before stopping himself, "Y-Yeah, it was great! I made new friends! Their names are Flower and Hay! They were so fun Mama!"
Jinx smiled, "Well I'm glad you had a great time baby."
Beaming, Shiro trotted up to his mother and rubbed his body against her leg, "Thanks for bringing me here Mama, I love you."
Lowering her neck, Jumx nuzzled her child, a warm smile evident upon her face, "I love you two honey."
Jinx's smile was more than simply hearing her child have a good time. Although she wasn't psychic, Jinx felt a warmth enter her body, as if an invisible force overtook it. Jinx imagined it more as a mist. It entered her body through every orifice, mostly her mouth and nostrils, and infected her. Yet, this wasn't the kind of virus that weakened someone with the common cold, instead, it provided a boost of sorts. Jinx felt her muscles strengthen, her breath grow bold, and her mind race with the current of many thoughts.
If anything, Jinx was high, but it wasn't the kind of high she held after ingesting too much cider. This was the result of a mother feeling her child's happiness.
Yet with any happy moment, there was always something that could disrupt that. Though Jinx was aware and even planned the little excursion Shiro had partaken in, there was still one who was left unaware. One who could shatter this tender moment, even with the best intentions.
Jinx broke away from her son and firmly gazed into his eyes, "Shiro, honey, listen to me, if your father asks where we've been, just let me do the talking, okay?"
Shiro blinked and tilted his head to the side, "O-O-okay Mama, but why?"
Jinx tossed her head, and if she held hair, it would have been flung off of her shoulder, "Trust me, son, I know how to deal with your father, besides...I've got body language on my side!" Jinx added that last part with a thrust of her rump, though not in Shiro's face thankfully enough.
Cocking his head back, Shiro found himself nodding. Sometimes his mother could be so very odd, "Oookay Mama."
The mother and son pair continued on their way, leaving the farmyard behind them. The trek back to the fields was uneventful for the most part, and they knew they had reached their destination the minute they noticed the tall and gray shape of their patriarch.
"Yoo-hoo! Sweetums! We're back!" Jinx called.
Chirin jerked his head up, his bell giving a soft jingle as he did, "You're back! You two were gone for so long I was starting to worry."
Jinx made a sound that sounded like a breath mixing in with a raspberry, "Oh honeybunch you worry too much!"
Chuckling at his mate's good humor, Chirin looked to Shiro, "So son, did you and your mother have a good time?"
Shiro's eyes looked to the left, then quickly looked back to his father, "Oh yes Papa! We had a great time!"
Hearing that made a smile spread across Chirin's face, "Very good, what did you two do?"
Releasing a tiny gasp, Shiro realized he didn't have a cover story, let alone a good (white) lie to tell his father. The very act of lying to his father, even just a simple fib, only served to make Shiro's chest feel heavy.
"I-" Shiro spat out a tiny fragment.
Suddenly, a rush of wind blew past Shiro, but as he gazed ahead he noticed it was no mere wind, but his mother. Before anyone could blink, Jinx was at Chirin's side, nuzzling up against his leg.
Chirin stared at his wife with his eyes raising in a curious light, "Jinx...what are you doing?"
"Oh sweetie-poo, honey bunch, lover-boy!" Breaking away for a moment, Jinx gazed upward at her love, "Have I ever mentioned how wonderful a husband and father you are?"
"Well actually-"
"So strong, and kind, and smart, and protective...Oh, you just make me melt like butter!" Jinx oozed.
Hearing all of this caused Chirin's face to turn bright red, "Honey not in front of Shiro."
"I just can't help it darling," Jinx sighed placing a hoof on her head, "You just leave me...breathless!"
Chirin continued to look away from his mate, face still red, so, therefore, he said, "Lets-Let's just go home."
Just as Chirin began to lead his family to their home, Jinx cast a quick glance toward her son and winked, before trotting off to join her husband.
The entire display only made Shiro utter one sentence, "Grown-ups are weird."
XXX
The bell signaled the call for the young sheep to return home, Flower and her brother Hay being among the first to come trotting along. The pair worked their way towards their safe home, though Hay stopped every so often to nibble at the grass, though a well-placed kick nudged the gluttonous youth back on track.
"Alright come along now," Conner directed as if he were controlling traffic.
Everyone listened to the border collie, though his well-placed ears picked up a snippet from Leaf, "Stupid dog". Hearing that made Conner give a glaring frown. Leaf was a spoiled brat and a bully to boot. His mother Bella was responsible for that. Being as pretty as she was, Bella was able to attract a mate, and when Leaf was born she showered him with nothing but love, affection, and praise. That alone created a bad environment for a child's progress. Though, some of it was likely engrained into his DNA. A wretched trait that would be passed on for generations. Coming from good breeding stock, Leaf would likely attract a female. Conner dreaded that day.
"Children!"
Conner was grabbed from his thoughts as he noticed a familiar white bulk waddle her way through. It was a ewe, just like rest, his old friend Clover.
"Mama!" Hay and Flower cried as they ran up to their mother.
A soft chuckle piped out of Conner. Like many of the ewes during the last breeding season, Clover had coupled with a male and became pregnant. He recalled how nervous she had been. Even if she didn't show it, Clover had some insecurity about her weight. Clove by all means was a glutton, a trait she clearly passed onto her son, (though not her daughter), she loved to eat, and Conner recalled many times as a child when she paused her playtime to grab a snack. By the present, it clearly reflected upon her body. Thankfully, it turned
out some of the rams of the flock enjoyed a plus-sized gal, and Clover was the largest ewe in the flock. Chuckling once again, Conner pictured the very same happening to Hay. Though, as an adult, Hay might consider his (eventual) size an honor.
"So did you two have a good day today?" Clover asked her brood.
"We sure did Mama!" Flower piped.
"Yeah! The grass was really good!" Hay burped.
While grimacing at her brother, Flower beamed at her mother, "Also, we made a new friend today!"
"A new friend! Really? Was it a rabbit?" Clover asked, recalling memories of the rabbits that ran around the meadow in her youth.
"No, it was another sheep!" Flower answered.
Flower granted her daughter a confused look, "A sheep?"
"Yeah, I think his name was Chiro?" Hay replied, sneaking another nibble of grass.
That earned a swift nudge from his sister, "His name was Shiro!"
Hay didn't seem to care and merely resumed eating, which in turn earned him a sharp glare from his sister.
"Shiro huh?" Flower repeated.
That was a peculiar name for a sheep. Something about it seemed off, but Conner put that thought aside, at least until Hay spoke again.
"What's weird is the kid said he lived outside the farm."
And at that moment, Conner and Flower looked at one another. A tiny suspicion had reached their minds. Conner knew every member of the flock, a difficult task, but important for his job as a guard dog. And one thing Flower and Conner knew for certain, is there was no young sheep named Shiro. In the flock at least.