I attempted to use a Kalobatippus as the animal in this story. They are long extinct and were smaller than a horse and lived in forests. I'm not sure of the details, so I made it up as I went. I don't know what predators were around at that time so I used big jungle cats, they've been around for a long time so might as well :)

Kalobatippus Life
by tannim
July 19, 2006

	Grunting and loud snorts filtered through the brush. Snow fell softly through the bare branches of the huge old trees. It was winter, the deep heart of winter, and not a time for birthing. But though it was winter a quadruped was indeed in labor. Her body covered in heavy fur, her heaving muscles well formed, if hard to see. The beast's pelt was a dull grey with mottles of brown for her winter coat. She lay still on the ground for a few seconds, tail held up high, but her straining only left steam in the air behind her firm rump. Her legs kicked again, and clumps of frosty undergrowth are thrown by her second and fourth toes. The other, smaller, toes caught a few old leaves when her leg pulled back. Her body had held her foal for too long for an easy birth. Waiting for better conditions after winter came early had cost her. She tried to stand only to slip on the churned forest floor and slip back down.

	The animal's hind end hit hard and she felt her foal at last start to push out. Her head rose to look down her meter long body to see her birth making progress. It was still too early for her to see the head and she lay her head back on the ground for another push. Long muzzle opened wide in another grunt of pain, thick lips pursed as her muscles contracted again. The stripe of hair down her neck and back trembled with twitching muscles until at last she felt her baby's head pass. Hot steam filled the frigid air around her both from her new foal's half exposed body and her hot breath shooting from her wide nostrils. Nearby a rustle of branches startled the straining female.

	Her tortured muscles jerk her upright in time to see a large bird flopping on the ground where it had slipped from it's perch. A feeling of emptiness filled her small mind and a cool breeze blowing into her gaping vulva drew her attention back to her baby shivering on the cold ground. She nuzzled it while her tail lowered at last. The foal lay on the ground quietly steaming. It's mother's nose and tongue caressed it time after time both stealing and giving heat. The young animal struggled to stand despite the harsh bite of the winter air. The beast's small legs took 5 minutes to stand with it's mother's desperate nudging and nips. She needed to get the baby into a more sheltered area she had chosen.

	Her nudging and attention had her foal awkwardly following her to the nearby shelter. Two fallen trees making a narrow hallway against the wind. Their thick roots blocking another passage with countless branches forming a natural canopy overhead. Some snow filtered through into little white piles but it was out of the wind. With a bit of desperate patience her she and her foal were safely inside. His first chance to nurse at last from her swollen teats had him tugging eagerly at her teats with his small lips. Her nose pressed into his fur and she took in his scent with deep Snuffs. She sniffed him all over while he nursed and he took in her scent as well. They spent much of the winter in their shelter. The foal spent the entire remainder of winter there while his mother braved the danger of cold and predators to forage. Her weight dropped dramatically from hunger but the foal only gained from her loss.

	Winter at last broke and the foal, now 3 months old, ventured out of his safe warm woody home while his mother was away. His legs were weak from lack of running and as he darted around his home he felt wonderful. The thrill of his legs spreading and stretching, striking the ground to propel him forward on his long toes. Even the branches whipping against his growing hide leaving stinging feelings of life. As he ran, new scents filled his nostrils. Pleasant scents and foul ones... And terrifying ones. He trotted to a pool of melting snow and dipped his face into it. The cold water felt nice and as some filtered into his mouth he had his first drink of water. A chill feeling slid down his throat as he swallowed and the young colt shook his head at the feeling.

	While shaking his head he heard his mother bleat for him and stood still not sure how to find her. His head turned back and forth finally walking back towards the noise. He had no idea where he was. His eyes didn't recognize anything, his ears didn't hear anything familiar, only his nose told him he was close. He wanted her to bleat for him again. To make any kind of noise but she didn't.

	His mother waited nervously. She knew better than to bleat again. Any predators would be able to find her too easily. Her colt had to find his way home on his own since he wandered off on his own. The mother lowered her muzzle to a stubble of old leaves to wait.

	It took a while but at last she heard branches rustling. Her head lifted to scent the air and fear ran down her form. She backed up only to feel a clawed paw rip down her back leg. The mother reared her hind up at the agony and kicked hard. She hit nothing. Again a swipe and this time teeth snapped at her belly only to miss with a agile dodge. She turn and bucked and again kicked. This time feeling a foot solidly impact something soft and warm. A pained hiss followed as she darted away. Thumping behind her and another claw to the same leg left her stumbling.

	Only running into a fallen tree and stopping suddenly saved her from falling. The feline trying to eat her slammed into her muscular haunches and the pre-equus had enough time for a powerful hind leg kick. The cat's head spun around much too far from the force. Teeth inverted, blood splattered,bone crushed into soft cartilage and the predator's body went limp. Left fore claws still dug in deep on the mother's left thigh. Again she kicked in panic and ripped the dead thing's claws from her. A scream rent from her lips before she hobbled away from the scene. Already insects were finding their new meal. Already other insects were inspecting her wound and the blood running down her leg.

	By the time she hobbled to her shelter her son lay shivering fearfully between the two fallen trees. Being alone was terrifying to him, his mother had always been there and as she came in he jumped up to run to her. It took a minute before he realized something was wrong. She fell to the ground and licked at the bleeding slashes on her left thigh. Still weak from the winter she didn't have the fat to burn to heal well. 

	Several days she stayed in the protection of the trees while her son wandered around outside. He found other beasts like himself and found the hard way they didn't want to be around him. Even the youngest of them were older than he was be a few months, most were scarred in some way from attacks by predators. All confronted him hostilely, especially the males.

	Time passed for him with just a few chases from predators. The foliage grew thicker and food became plentiful. At 6 months old Summer was starting and his weight increased from the food. His mother hadn't fully healed from her attack and drug her weak leg awkwardly through the bushes and undergrowth between the trees. Her son left her more and more and she didn't try to stop him.

	Coming back from a watering hole he found his mother lying on her side, insects crawling on her. He stepped cautiously to her and nosed her. She didn't respond. Again he tried and her head rose just a bit. Eyes fogged from infection from her leg she couldn't tell him from a predator. Her teeth weakly snapped at him. A growl from behind the colt had him running past his mother. He know that noise. A predator, a jungle cat. He glanced behind to see it started to eat his mother. It looked up at him and snarled but then settled down to chew threw the fallen female's belly. A weak squeal forced itself through her lips before she went completely limp. The colt pranced uncertainly before running off.

	He learned to live on his own. Foraging through the leaves. He dodged the predators through to winter. Much of the weight he put on during the summer and fall went into starving through winter. For a while he shared his space with a small group of rodents. He found them comforting. Their long fur and short tails were strange but the beast found it comforting to have something around. They stopped coming soon afterward, he found bloody tracks a ways away when he went out to check for food.

	Mid Winter found him 1 year old and his body mostly mature. Thoughts new things began to cloud his mind. He found his first erection during a blizzard. His head covered in snow fallen through the old rotting branch canopy above, his hot length dangling between his legs below. The yearling was bored. He needed something to do. He found it on accident when he clenched his abdomen while he was erect. A slap against his belly sent a pleasant feeling went through him from that area. His head tilted to the side and he did it again. This time brought a grunt from the male and he saw what he was doing better. 

	He turned his head back to watch the blizzard between the tops of the trees and slapped his belly again. Time after time his long penis slapped his belly. Time after time he enjoyed the feeling. The feeling changed after a while. Changed to something pleasant, something he really wanted. His belly slapping continued in earnest until he felt the new sensation. His glans enlarged and he let his penis dangle between his legs in a state of semi-erection. A powerful clenching in his gut made him flick his tail and squat a bit. Jets of semen sprayed from his tip all over the ground under his chest. He stood still for several seconds then walked a bit to the back of the tree trunks and lay down to rest. He repeated the action many times before spring came. The scent of pre-equus was overpowering as winter fully broke and spring blooms were plentiful to eat.

	After eating his fill for a few days to regain some lost muscle he wandered off away from home. He found his kind again. This time the males were even more confrontational. He detected a new scent in the air. One that drove him wild. His mind focused on one thing, and the other males reacted the same. He found himself rearing against another older male. His feet kicking against his rival, the older's slammed into him even worse. Each time he neared a female he was driven off. Kicked and bitten his organ hanging out on display, he was never able to get close enough to one. He saw the others mount and mate. He saw others like him being beaten away. His desperation blinded him as he took a drink from a shallow stream.

	His head reared from a paw swipe, sudden and devastating. Sharp claws dug into the yearling's head, over and into his eye and his rearing ripped the claws, and the orb, out. Pain shot through him distracting his already hazy mind. He saw his eye on the claws, but he didn't understand what was happening. Even seeing the cat through his good eye left him terrified and too confused for clear action. The big cat's scent had been hidden by strong smelling leaves of a bush next to him and it had easily hid from him before ambushing.

	With his right eye destroyed the yearling stomped down desperately. Tired as he was from the mating fights he still managed a powerful kick. The force drove the cat to the ground before it swiped his pectoral muscles between his front legs. Again he reared but this cat was bigger than he could handle. It jumped up against him and knocked his unbalanced legs out to drive him to the ground. 

	Teeth gripped the male's throat. Claws ripped down his sides but the prey didn't notice. He was too busy feeling his windpipe being crushed and trying to breath. His legs flailed uselessly beside him. His eyes clouded over and turned his world dark. Night fell for him and he fell for the predator. The feline breath made his nostril curl but he stopped caring when his nostrils couldn't draw in anymore air. 

	He lay there for a while with nothing but his killer for company. He died feeling the first tickle of teeth ripping into his belly and claws dragging his organs out. Nothing flashed before his eyes, he didn't see himself out of his body, he just became a meal to be processed back into the world in a new form of energy and matter.