Raising a Mare.
Another commission, this time for Pasha. A bit bizarre and too lovey for my usual tastes, but it was fun. Enjoy.
"Hold still, your tie is crooked."
Pasha looped his fingers in the collar of the skunk's shirt and pulled him away from the full-length mirror, taking a moment to straighten his son's posture, dust off the tails of his coat and myriad other things before getting to the actual task at hand. The ability to properly knot a tie is something that comes with being a parent. Proven fact.
"That's not my tie," Naka muttered fussily in response to the tiger's paternal ministrations, squirming from foot to foot, but his sulky demeanor was half-hearted and unconvincing. This was a big day for both of them, and the skunk was having a hard time containing his excitement. He couldn't take his eyes off of his reflection in the mirror, observing himself all done up in his fitted tuxedo, hair straightened for the first time in recent memory, and hints of red in his cheeks, indication of his heightened emotional state.
"There, now. That's much better." Pasha smiled, finally approving of his son's appearance. He turned the skunk to face the mirror again and lingered behind him, hands on his shoulders. "You're a beautiful bride, Naka. Much more than I ever could have imagined." His voice wavered a little at the end as he welled up with happy tears, but he blinked them away. He'd cried enough already.
"Daddy..." Naka answered, misting up as well and turning to hug the tiger. Pasha felt his tuxedo jacket warming up, and he let his son cry on him for a minute before gently pulling him away.
"Now now, what would your stallion say if I walked you down that aisle with red, puffy eyes?" the proud father chided harmlessly, gently dabbing the tears with his handkerchief before tucking it back into his pocket. Naka smiled, every bit as happy as his daddy, and held still while his teary fur was wiped clean. "I think I hear the music starting. It's almost time to go."
The bride stayed quiet for some time, his gaze lingering somewhere between his father's lapel and waistline, his mind awash with various sensations. The scent of wedding flowers and the muffled drone of the organ pipes humming away in the other room dominated his senses, but having his daddy so nearby calmed his nerves and kept him from getting overwhelmed; just like always.
Things were changing, though. It dawned him on right about then that those days were coming to an end. He'd already spent his last night with his father, and from that evening onwards, he'd be serving his stallion husband in his stables outside of town. It'd be a whole new life for him.
Contrary to what one might believe, though, Naka welcomed his new station, the passing of his hand from his daddy to his husband. It was only a small part of him that longed for the past, the cherished years spent in his father's arms. The rest of him embraced the future. This was something he'd been groomed for his entire life.
"That's our cue."
The Bridal chorus echoed through the vents. Steeling himself, the skunk breathed a deep, shuddery sigh and mustered a genuine smile for his father, who held one arm out and returned the grin in kind. Even in this transition from cherished son to obedient bride, Naka never doubted that he could count on his daddy, that he'd always be there for him, even though every night they'd now lay their heads down separately.
When Pasha took a step towards the door, Naka stepped with him, the two moving in unison, no reluctance in either gait. They exited the dressing room and proceeded towards the ceremony, the music growing louder but unable to mask the occasional knicker or whinny from the skunk's betrothed.
"Are you ready?" the tiger murmured rhetorically. He knew his son was ready and eager. Naka nodded, and the two lingered in the doorway for a moment before stepping into the open chapel. The guests, mostly comprised of the skunk's friends and the various workers and handlers that tended to the stallion's grooming and feeding needs, looked around.
Father and bride marched together down the aisle, step after slow step, Pasha wearing a proud grin and Naka flush with excitement. The tiger squeezed his arm a little tighter around his son's as they walked, meeting the smiling faces of other guests, some of whom were already wiping tears from their eyes.
At the end of the clover and alfalfa strewn aisle stood the stallion. Tunka, a handsome clydesdale of the bay variety with an impeccably groomed black mane and white fetlocks. He stood proud, chest up and head high, occasionally shifting the weight on his forelegs or snorting a rush of air through his mouth and nostrils. His owner and groomsman, a distinguished, older raccoon, lingered nearby, a hand on his decorative saddle and adjusting the boutonnière wedged under a strap in his studded harness.
The skunk couldn't take his eyes off of the beast, his future husband, as his father walked him down the aisle. The groomsman glanced back at him and smiled. Naka smiled back, knowing he'd be working alongside the raccoon from now on -- though his duties and responsibilities to the horse would be a bit more...carnal in nature. Such a virile stallion needed a 'mare', after all, and Naka was only too proud to have been chosen to fulfill this role.
Pasha came to a halt with only a few feet left to go and loosed his arm from his son's. He clutched his hand instead, hesitant to let him go, but understanding that his part was over. It was time for Naka to move on, to proudly fulfill his duties as the stallion's mare.
"A father has never been so proud," the tiger muttered sweetly, tearing up, even as he reached to dab more wetness from his son's cheeks. He raised Naka's hand enough to gently kiss his knuckles. "Be good to him. Daddy loves you, Naka."
It was with a heavy heart that Naka backed away from the tiger. The groomsman stood nearby, allowing father and son their moment until Pasha took his final step forward and tucked Naka's hand into the raccoon's. The power of the gesture was not lost on anyone present. Even Tunka remained still and quiet.
'Love you.' Naka mouthed the words in return as the groomsman led him away from his father and to his new husband, gently wrapping his hand around Tunka's bridle. Now left to wipe his own tears, the skunk moved to stand closer to the stallion, holding his bridle in one hand and using the other to gently, lovingly pet his snout.
Pasha moved and stood away from the three, taking his place at the nearest pew and watching as Naka and Tunka moved up to the altar and the minister presiding over it. He stayed quiet throughout the rest of the ceremony, thinking about all he had been through and all that was yet to come. There was no doubt in his mind that the two would be happy together.
The skunk and tiger both shed their share of tears through the ceremony. Everyone held their peace, so Naka and Tunka (with the help of his groomsman) were allowed their I do's without interruption. When it came time to share their first kiss as husband and wife, the skunk gently held the stallion's long muzzle and planted a loving kiss between his eyes. Tunka reciprocated with a lick under Naka's chin, which made the bride blush and chuckle bashfully.
Pasha didn't speak to his son again until well into the reception, after the din had settled and proud father and blushing bride shared their customary slow dance.
"Are you ready for tonight?" Pasha asked, hands on Naka's hips, stepping back and forth, swaying gently to the music.
"I hope so." The skunk smiled. "It's...it's probably going to hurt. Tunka's really big all over." He leaned in and rested the side of his head on Pasha's chest, savoring his father's familiar warmth. "But I'll be good. I'm ready."
The tiger smiled, placing a gentle kiss atop Naka's head, directly between his ears.
"That's my boy."