Owner: G.L'S
Name: Bellatrix
Gender: female
Task: First Encounter
I remember the day she came to me like it was yesterday. Even now, some weeks later, the image of the boat being hauled in is still engrained in my mind. In the early morning redness of the dawn, the illicit ship was being towed back into port. The news of the chrysaora egg-nappers had spread like wildfire and luckily assisted in their capture. Now here we all were, chrysaora lovers and owners in numbers, waiting their punishment and the deliverance of the babies.
I stood there amongst dozens as the sailors pulled in and began to collect the eggs for distribution. Among the first was a jittery one that the one seaman seemed nervous to even hold. With a chuckle, he made eye contact with me and gestured for me to take the quivering egg.
"This'll be a feisty one. Do you think you can handle em?"
With a nod, I cradled the unborn chrysaora in my arms as I walked back to my home, knowing full-well this baby wasn't long from this world. Upon my arrival home, as I had hoped, the egg began to hatch.
After moments of struggling, the little foal was free of the egg and upon her feet. As she turned to look at me, I found myself entranced with her deep inquisitive eyes. It drew me close and kept me like that until I was able to shake myself free, knowing full-well the power of the chrysaora stare. After the staring contest was over, she trotted to me and began to yank at the braid that fell past my shoulder, squealing with mirth as it bowed to her control. She began to tug so much that the force brought me down to the floor and by the glint in her eye I knew that even as a newborn, she was asserting dominance.
Oh boy, she's going to be a challenge.
I thought to myself as I laid on the floor of her stall while she stood beside me like the Queen of Sheba. I was not unused to the pride a chrysaora held but this was more than I was used to. Raising this baby was going to be unlike any other.
Gaining Trust
The little filly was now a few hours old, still parading round her stall and still making sure I was the less submissive party in the room. As I sat and debated a name and a way to get myself some dignity back, my train of thought was broken by an insistent bleat. I looked up to see the filly looking back at me and let out another insistent squall in my direction. Unsure of what she wanted, I slowly began to sit up and test the boundaries she established.
Eventually I was on my feet and still she looked at me with a sense of muffled despair as she turned her gaze across the hall to a speckled rump that paid her no mind. The sounds and the noise Castor was making clearly unnerved the high strung filly and made her feel insecure for the first time. Knowing she needed some support, I stood close to her and leaned close to offer her warmth and someone to hide behind. She conceded eventually, sidling behind my legs as she kept a watchful eye on the unknown stallion across the way.
When things settled down, I turned to see her little deep gaze fixed up on me. A stir of worry flared up but was quickly extinguished as she remained passive, keeping close and beginning to instil a sense of trust in me. Before I could sigh in relief, I felt a swift tug and looked down to see that playful glint again alongside another one: hunger.
First Feed
Bleat.
I needn't even ask.
Before her squeals of hunger could grow into shrieks, I snuck out of the stall and was back with a full bottle of milk. When she saw me on the other side of the door, the excitement was borderline that of being hangry. She squeaked and lowed until I was in with the bottle and even then, she fought me to get to it faster. As soon as she latched onto the bottle, she began to drink feverishly as if she'd never eat again. I couldn't pry the bottle from her even if my life depended on it. She drank until all that came out of the rubber end was air. Then with a pop, she looked back at me with an expression that was almost audible.
More please.
At first, I was shocked that this little filly could down a bottle and not even be nauseous. I was too busy making sure that she was alright to make her another bottle fast enough.
Bleat.
With a small headbutt, she got me out of the stall and patiently awaited my return with another bottle. Not wanting to overfeed her, I only filled the bottle halfway and quickly returned to see her craning out of the stall to watch after me. When I was back in sight, she began to squeak again and reached for the bottle as it came her way. Just as before, she drained it with equal fervour but instead of a hungry look to follow, her eyes lost focus and her lids began to droop. With a yawn, she looked back at me with a satisfied gaze before beginning to lie down again.
I stood and watched as the little filly got cosy in her shavings and quickly fell asleep. As she laid there, I watched her steadily breathe as the bird catcher spots rose with her dark coat. Thinking of the stars and her spunky nature, I finally knew what to name her.
"Sweet dreams Bellatrix."
First Turnout
A few weeks later, Bellatrix had fallen into a nice routine of feedings, naps, and playtime that she was able to abide by when she wasn't trying to stir up trouble or be headstrong. As the weather began to warm, I knew she would need to stretch her legs and get used to the sights and smells of the outdoors. With halter training almost done, I knew that time would be soon. So one warm spring afternoon, I decided to let her have her first turnout alone outside.
Initially, the gangly suckling stood in the pasture gawking, unsure of what to do. She turned to me for guidance but saw I only stood to watch her. After a few moments, she began to walk around and explore. After meticulously inspecting the entire perimeter of her pasture and eyeing every plant that dared to grow in it, I could see her beginning to loosen up and began to get silly. After a while, she was rolling, running, ducking and bucking and finally acting her own age. Bough it took her a while to realize she had an audience.
After a few minutes, she slowed to a stop when she noticed a red roaned face looking over the fence at her. It was Castor indulging in his nosiness. At first, all they did was stare. Initially, she squealed in dominance which only elicited a mocking snort from the stallion. The power struggle continued at a decrescendo until both were at the fence closely eyeing each other. The tireless stand-off eventually ended when Bellatrix leaned over to sniff in greeting and began to groom the stallion. He casually did the same for a few moments before they both went their own way.
As they settled into grazing, I stood there dumbfounded at what I had seen. No matter what anyone said, I will always know that Bellatrix is full of surprises.
(Oops, didn't realize we were only supposed to do one. Pick whichever for the judging)