| |
Darkseeker
|
Oarlock Plains Herd Friesian Mare || M: The Herd and Foals, (Ind) Feanor (Ind) ~ Oarlock rolled in the grass contently, nibbling at the small strands that went in her face. The grass was pokey and long, hiding the herd's foals well. One flaw about it is that predators can sneak up easier and disappear like a ghost in an instant. And they could also snatch a foal too... She slowly stood up and looked around the herd again, her eyes laid on the newer foal, Jasper. His light brown coat immediately recognized in the tall grass by her. His white spots mainly gave away his position to her, but most predators would probably have a much harder time seeing him. Aww. So cute. She thought as she watched him with happy eyes. Movement in the corner of her eyes caught her attention as she swiveled her ears in an alert way. As she turned her head to observe the spot where the movement came from, it was obviously not a predator. It was way too big. What is that..? She squinted to see it better, and finally noticed. A bachelor? She was tempted to go up and talk, but decided it was probably best to leave it to the lead mare. She gave him a curious snort, and kept watching him. What does he want..? She wondered as she observed his movements. Is that a challenge? Does he not realize that we don't have a lead stallion? She wondered, lowering her head a bit to try and not attract attention, but her size and her deep brown coat would probably not hide her very well. |
|
|
| |
Lightbringer
|
Raksasa
Herd Mare/Plains Herd/6 yrs/Mentions: Cicely (ind), Feanor (ind)
Raksasa grazed peacefully, raising her head now and then to glance over the herd. It was a pleasant place and, if it weren't for the absence of their lead stallion, she'd feel right at home. A sudden loud whinny echoed through the valley and her head whipped up. Quickly trotting through the herd she neared the edge, ears pricking slightly as she saw the powerful looking red roan stallion a small distance from them. Her curious side wanted to go see what he wanted, but she knew better than to separate herself from the herd and make herself vulnerable. That was the lead mare's job. She turned to look for Cicely, her bay coat catching the sunlight and glinting a fiery red as she did so. |
|
|
| |
Lightbringer
|
Epiales || 1 Year, 4 Months || Stallion || Plains Herd Yearling || M: Clover, Loki (Ind), Feanor (Ind) “Epiales~. Eepiaaleess~! Wake up, sleepy head!” An annoyed grumble sounds from the stallion’s throat as the scratchy and high pitched voice assaults his ear which flicks in irritation. With a harsh breath, he moves his head from its previous position – sliding it closer to his own body. The tall grass around his form moves as he does, leaving a trail of indents that leads to where his head now rests. The front part of his mane flops in front of his eye at the shifting, much to his glee. Now the sun (and the annoying mare before him) could remain hidden. A sigh leaves his nostrils in contentment and he begins to doze off once more. A familiar giggle sounds from where his head once was. A gentle shove on his neck followed shortly afterwards. Then another. And another. A harsher one to his shoulder, and so on. His ears pin back at the touch, but he refuses to move – wishing to gain just five more minutes of sleep. He had stayed up late once again last night, just staring up at the pitch black sky deep in thought over his own existence and his potential future. He found the thinking to be quite enjoyable. So enjoyable, in fact, that he didn’t even notice himself slipping in the void of sleep to the song of howls the night brought. He just kept thinking. With another shove to his shoulder, he gave in. His attempts at ignoring her were futile. Clover would never allow him to sleep anymore than he already had. Not with an entire day ahead of them. Another pestering action confirmed this, with his “emo” hairs being picked up by soft lips. “Alright! I’m up! I’m up,” the black and white stallion snaps, yanking his head upwards to reclaim his stolen mane. It was dropped immediately. ‘It’s too early for this.’ Taking a few seconds to gather his bearings, the ghostly horse proceeds to stand – stretching out his front legs to pull himself up while using his back to push. The muscles underneath his fur shifted at the movements, rippling with effort that was barely applied. Once steady, he gave his body a strong shake – knocking any blades and leaves off his contrasting fur and long hair. He couldn’t stand having stuff stuck to his fur. The minute he stood steady and cleared his coat of any plants, the bay mare was at his side, pushing him towards the rest of the herd with great haste. He protests slightly and pins his ears once more, but does nothing to stop her. Instead, he busies himself with picking blades out of his sister’s coat to keep his mind off of the horses that would soon be surrounding him. He totally wasn’t doing so because her dirty pelt bugged him. Not at all. He was just reaching to grab a rather large blade of grass from the mare’s mane when she finally spoke once more. “So, how’d ya sleep? Ya were out for a while, so I’m guessin’ ya were up late again. Actually, how did ya manage ta even sleep at all? Let alone layin’ down? Weren’t ya worried with all those howls last night? I was honestly surprised that they didn’t come down the mountain that very hour.”
The dark-ruled yearling chuckles at his companion, “Worried? No. Their howls were more of a calming song than they were a chilling scream. Not to mention distant. If only I could say the same for their owners.” “A song? Epiales, they’re bloodthirsty beasts! How can they sound beautiful,” the dark mare tilts her head in inquiry. “Because I said so,” the words roll off his tongue as naturally as a droplet of rain slipping off a leaf after a morning shower. A giggle-filled snort sounds from the one beside him, preceded by a bump to his side as she shoves herself into him rather harshly. He barely moved from the impact, being much more sturdy than she. However, he knew the action’s motives all too well and accepted the challenge. With a playful snort of his own, the male takes a nip at the younger mare’s neck in turn – making sure he misses so as to not cause any harm. In response, she jumps back and takes off at a canter in the direction they had already been heading. Epiales pursues her, taking nips at the air, all of which were aimed towards her haunches, as they run all around the herd – flying by Loki as they enjoy themselves. He could hear the mare inviting him to join as they went by, but never turned back to investigate his response. However, their games came to a screeching halt as a loud and unfamiliar whinny cut through the herd. Clover came to a stop quickly while the muscular stallion was forced to basically slam his hooves into the ground in order not run over the smaller mare. Both of their heads snap towards sound, spotting a new stallion pawing the ground. Muscles rippled underneath his red roan coat, easily putting Epiales’ underdeveloped ones to shame. The young stallion reacted rather quickly to his presence, pinning his ears back and arching his neck – moving in front of his half sister in an attempt to protect her from what could very well be a threat. However, he had no move to challenge him, he was in no position to. But he refused to let him anywhere near Clover. Or, rather, let Clover anywhere near him. |
|  |
|
| |
Darkseeker
|
Tipper | 1m (ish) | Plains herd | M: Cely (d), other herd members (ind) Tipper snapped awake from a nap, immediately searching for his mother. He saw her a bit away, pacing, keeping an eye on the herd. He ignored the fact that she was working, and breezed over, shoving his face into her side. "Mama!" He said, not being quiet at all. "I found you." Without waiting for an answer, he nuzzled under her belly, starting to nurse, his short tail spinning happily. However, he was too excited to stay there for long, and he stepped back a moment later. Leaning heavily against his mother, he scanned the herd, pretending to be serious, hoping his mother would pay attentiont to him. "Is everyone good, mama? Are they all safe? Are they sleeping?" His rapidfire questions didn't really warrant an answer, and he didn't really want one. He was just trying to act like a lead stallion would, though he wasn't positive what that meant. He hadn't seen his father in a while, and was a bit confused. He was a bit dreamy, and didn't always notice things very well. A confused look passed across his face, and he turned to the lead mare with a soft whicker. "Mama? Where's daddy? I haven't seen him in...in..."
The foal cut off, distracted by a bug, his head tilting to the side, watching as it landed on a flower. "Mama? What kind of bug is that?" |
|
|
| |
Darkseeker
|
Mara || 4 || Plains Herd Mare || M: Idrun, Nadzeya, Jasper, Feanor, Others Mara’s teeth grated against each other as she chewed a mouthful of grass. Her eyes were half-lidded, deep in thought, and her pitch black body was facing away from the herd and back towards the mountains and foothills. Every now and then, an ear would twitch or she would swish her tail, though it was still too early for any insects to really be a nuisance. Besides these movements, the mare was quite still. However, as the other mares and their foals and yearlings began to shift, Mara turned her head and neck to place one eye on her daughter. She trusted Nadzeya not to wander off too far, but foals would be foals, and Mara knew all too well that a distracted filly could quickly end up lost. Had that been her as a younger horse? No, no, absolutely not… She blew out a quick snort of a sigh and started long, slow strides over to where her sister, Idrun, stood. The two shared a greeting whicker before falling silent again. Mara appreciated that about the dusty grulla paint – her quieter demeanor. In general, other horses were loud and rather dramatic, though Idrun kept her head firmly on her shoulders for the most part. Perhaps in another life, or maybe further down this one, they would have been a lead mare and her deputy, though Mara was unsure if her sister would ever really vie for a leadership position. She herself wouldn’t necessarily mind one, but she wasn’t going to go challenging anyone for power any time soon. In the herd’s current predicament, the usurpation of a lead mare or deputy would be devastating and would likely result in the complete dissolving of the group. Besides, Mara reminded herself, I don’t even want that kind of authority. She did, sometimes, but she rather liked Cicely and the others. Of course they were all going to irritate each other every once in a while, but – Mara instinctively stood to her full height and raised her head as high as it would go when an unfamiliar, masculine neigh reached her ears. Slashing the ground with her hoof, she flared her nostrils and pinned her ears before calling sharply, “Zeya! Come here.” What little adventure time her daughter may have had was come to an end; she needed the filly to stay close, now. Black eyes quickly found the source of the bugle: a large, handsome red roan stallion pranced along the elevated ground above them, flashing his physique. It didn’t appear that he had necessarily called to the herd, but Mara suspected this newcomer knew Chex was dead – erm, missing. Idrun had also turned to face the stallion, placing herself firmly but quietly between him and Jasper. “What does he want?” Idrun grumbled, keeping her voice low. Mara could hear the exhausted notes in her tone and pressed her flank into her sister’s as she responded, “Attention. And perhaps a new career.” Jade green eyes found her own, and the paint mare huffed. Mara quickly added, “If he has a herd already, I think we would have seen them by now, or caught wind of them. We can handle a bachelor. Besides, Ouranos comes to the valley each year, too; he’d challenge a stallion who would hurt the foals.” They were still a day out at least, though, and Mara hadn’t seen their older brother in several weeks. If this roaned casanova had dark intentions, and if Chex was indeed dead, then even Ouranos could be too late to stop a massacre. Well. Mara would die before she saw a foal’s broken body, so this bachelor – or any bachelor – would at least come out battered first, no matter how attractive- Stop it, she thought to herself, flattening her ears further in irritation. What a pathetic sap you are. |
|
|
| |
Darkseeker
|
Nadzeya Female | Foal | Plains Herd | 3 Months | Mentions: Mara, Idrun, Jasper, Feanor, Herd Members [Ind] The little filly had a rather known habit of wandering away from her mothers side. Unlike some other foals, who got anxious when not at their mothers flank, Nadzeya found comfort in just having her eyes on the dark mare, her adventures carrying her all around the herd. Although, even the foal knew not to wander too far from her mother, and to stay close to at least a member of the herd. The long grass in the area they'd taken to left the little bay in a place of adventure and laughter, softly giggling to herself as she bounced around, poking her head and shoulders up above the grass before ducking down to hide. More than once, she dropped down to her knees on her forelegs, watching the dirt and the bugs that moved throughout it. They fascinated her, left her wondering if things like bugs had herds of their own, too. Did the little ant she was watching have a Ma like she did? Did it have a home to go back to, where it's Ma was waiting for it, like her Ma often was? Nadzeya snorted, moving the dirt around harshly, making her giggle and try to look for the little ant again, when her mothers sharp voice reached her. Immediately, the filly was rushing to her hooves, tripping over her own legs as she pushed her head above the grass, searching for the dark form of her mother. As it turns out, her mother was with her aunt, Idrun, and that meant she was probably with Jasper, too. Nadzeya considered herself having three close relatives that she'd met. Her Ma, her aunt, and her cousin. Sure, all the foals and yearlings were her half-siblings, Jasper included, but he was also her cousin. It was special, unique! Everyone was her sibling, a cousin was different! And on top of that, Jasper was her best friend (she often got him involved in her little adventures), and he was going to be her best friend forever. The bay filly bounded up to her mother, having only half a mind to wonder why her mother had sounded so serious when calling for her, lifting up her forelegs to place them against her mothers shoulder, wagging her little foal tail. Although, when she noticed the mares looking in a particular direction, Zeya turned to look too, and dropping all four of her hooves back onto the ground. "That's not Pa, is it..?" She asked softly, tucking herself close to her mother. She'd heard of how dangerous stranger stallions could be, that if she saw one she had to come tell her Ma and that her Ma would tell the Lead Mare. He was red, a dark, rich red in a way that she hadn't seen in any of their herd members. And, of course, Nadzeya had never actually met her father. The stallion very well could be him, for all she knew (even though she doubted it, he didn't exactly fit descriptions she'd been given). Supposedly, the dark bay stallion had gotten separated from the herd when they were travelling into the valley, so before any of the current foals were born, and they were waiting for him to come find them. "Is he dangerous?" She asked, instead of focusing on a stallion she'd never met that was meant to be her father, pressing closer to her mother. |
|
|
| |
Darkseeker
|
Jasper
Foal | Plains Herd | 1 Month | Mentions: Idrun, Mara, Nadzeya, Feanor, Others
The small foal, dark cream colored in hue was laid out on the ground, his eyes closed as sleep still gripped him. Soft snores bubbled from him as his sides rose and fell with his breath. His nose and ears would twitch now and then with dreams of running freely through the fields chasing butterflies and dancing in the water.
He wasn't sure exactly what it was that awoke him from his blissful dreams, but when he did he rolled to his belly, eyes looking around blearily. "Mama?" He asked as his eyes slowly focused on the grulla mare who stood near him. He found comfort in her presence and began to relax again until he more so sensed than saw the tension in his mother.
"Mama?" He repeated, though this time more inquisitive as top the cause for the tension in the air. Slowly he pushed to his legs, an effort that was not as much of a struggle as when he had been born. Still he stumbled a bit and pressed into his mother's side as a result. Instinctively, like a hungry pup, he lowered his head and nursed for a moment, completely unaware of the potential threat his family was staring down.
Once satisfied he turned, nuzzling against his mother and reaching up to gently tug her mane before focusing on the direction she, and his aunt Mara, were looking in. It was then that his gaze landed on the large figure in the distance. "Is that Papa?" He asked, excitement in his voice as he took a hesitant step forward.
He paused though, remembering the way his mother had seemed, and looked at her. Something told him it wasn't his dad, and the words spoken of his sister and cousin, Nadzeya, confirmed it. This was likely not his dad. "Mama," he murmured, moving to walk so he stood behind her and pressed himself against the back of her hind legs so she knew he was there. |
|
|
| |
Neutral
|
Vandal Stallion || 8 Yrs 2Mths || Bachelor || Mentions: Plains Herd [ ind. ] Feanor [ ind. ] Cely [ ind. ] ════════════╣ ⚜ ╠════════════ Beyond the sights of the Plains Herd, a large stallion was trekking across the vast fields of grass. His body casting a shadow as big as an evergreen, every detail of his outline clear as water. The sun was screaming down onto the stallion's back, yearning to burn the skin beneath the buckskin's pelt, coat was shining, some passerbys could have sworn they saw their own reflection in his coat. As he walked on, his tail dragged in the tall grass, reaching out onto the blades of pale grass. His hooves quietly thundered as they moved. Watching as he'd walk, it was quite clear as to where he was headed. He was following a herd of mares. Last he recalled, their lead stallion, was unfortunately seperated from the rest of the herd, his mares now defenseless and up for the taking. Well, not defenseless, but they sure were at a disadvantage. Vandal was not going to miss such an opportunity- honestly, what are the chances of finding a herd full of mares and yearlings without a lead stallion to drive others, Vandal, off? One in a million, Vandal would say. Granted, their lead stallion could pop out of nowhere at any moment but that wouldn't stop Vandal from taking his chance- besides, he has already grown a bond with one of the mares of the herd, a special mare indeed that he would not be letting go of anytime soon. In the distance, his eyes were fixated on the small figures, looking for one in particular, but it was quite difficult to see at such a distance. The black and brown figures melting into eachother, some more noticable than others, but there was no clear visuals. It was highly unlikely that she would not be with them anyways, so there wasn't much to worry about that. Vandal had a bit of more pep in his step, his heart thumping a little quicker as he thought about speaking with her. He enjoyed their small interactions, no matter how short they may have been. However, an unfamiliar figure was stalking the herd, one he had never seen before- and his heart was no longer thumping with joy, but with caution and worry. Stopping in his tracks, he saw a bright and firey roan horse standing before the herd, keeping their distance. Perhaps it was a mare lacking behind? That would be likely.. Vandal hadn't caught wind of any stallions, and surely hasn't met one either. To his surprise, he could hear the horse call towards the herd, making it's presence known for miles around. Taking a few deep breaths, Vandal knew then and there, that was a Bachelor. Vandal was somewhat surprised as he was not approaching the herd, but keeping his ground. Almost looking as if he were awaiting the herd's reactions and response to his presence. Interesting. Most Stallions would have walked right into that herd, and start making claims and demands, but it seemed that this particular stallion was taking the smart and calm route. Vandal took approaching the stallion into consideration, but that would be a foolish idea. Even from afar, his size was in near comparison to Vandal's, and Vandal wasn't too keen on fighting a fair fight on such a hot day. But, just because he decided to keep himself from interacting with him, didn't mean that the stallion's presence didn't infuriate him. He didn't like how close he was, how close he was to her. The urge to march on over and do everything in his power to scare that Bachelor away was strong, and almost won, but Vandal was smarter than that. Taking in a few deep breaths, and taking all things into consideration- as long as the Red Roan didn't get too close to the herd, Vandal would keep his distance. Snorting quietly, he shook his head, his obsidian-colored mane whipping back and forth. He changed his direction, and began walking East of the herd, close enough to keep his eyes on the herd and the Bachelor. His main concern was the Roan engaging with the herd, as long as he'd keep his distance- thats all that mattered to Vandal right now. Walking, Vandal's head was no longer held high, but it was cruising above the knee-high grass, his ears turned outwards, slightly tilted back. Hopefully, Vandal prayed, that he was far enough in the distance, and his tan-colored body would be far enough to attract no attention from the herd whatsoever. He wasn't planning to expose himself to the herd in whole, but through small introductions here and there. Baby steps- even though Vandal may be impatient at times- it was important to take small, easy steps. |
|
|
| |
Darkseeker
|
Cicely
Lead Mare | Plains Herd | Mentions: Kokoro, Tipper, Feanor, Ursa, Vandal [Ind.]
The dark mare came to a pause as she looked over the herd, the fact that they were all okay and present calming the worry in her heart. She was doing her best to keep them all together and safe, and keep the threats the lurked in the valley at bay. She would never admit aloud that it stressed her out even the tiniest bit.
The soft sound of young hooves approaching her drew the mare to a stop and she looked over her shoulder to her yearling daughter. Kokoro was a bay like her father, but not as darker, instead she was brilliantly colored with a dark sooty dusting over her features. The stoic face of the Leading Mare softened and she offered a warm smile to her offspring, nickering a welcome to her before half turning to better face her.
Once the youth was close enough she extended her muzzle and gently nuzzled her, blowing softly on her nose before pulling back to look around for a moment. "Good Morning, dear," she started, her tail swishing gently at her hind legs. "Just help me keep an eye on your brother, with your father gone I can't give him my full attention like I would prefer," she admitted with a soft sigh, a sudden tiredness overcoming the female's features for a brief moment before quickly disappearing.
As if summonned by her words, a weight slammed into her, causing her to take a step to steady herself and a warm chuckle bubbled from her throat. "Good morning to you too, Tipper," she lowered her head to nuzzle the foal gently, and standing still so he could nurse. Once he finished and began his line of questioning, she smiled again, humor glinting in her dark eyes at his antics.
Patiently she began to answer his questions one after the other, though part of her figured he'd forget he asked them just as quickly as he did. "Everyone is fine and safe, and most of them are waking up now, so I'm sure if you wanted you'll be able to play soon," she pasued though when his line of questioning shifted to his father. A saddened expression overtook her features but she quietly shook it off as she searched for the right words. "Your dad got separated from us before you were born. If he could be here right now he would, and I'm sure he's on his way. Your dad loves nothing more than all of you foals and yearlings, nothing could stop him from coming back for you," she answered, choosing to go with the simple truth, though she wasn't sure he'd understand what she said.
When her son's attention flitted over to a bug landing on a flower, she was about to lie her rump off, as she didn't know bugs well, when a masculine whinny caught her attention. At first hope surged in her chest, wondering if it was Chex. However, she just as quickly realized she didn't recognize the whinny, so her hope shifted to curiosity.
She glanced to Kokoro then to Tipper and back, "Tipper. Stay with Kokoro." After her instructions she trotted in the direction of the whinny, wondering who it might be. Truthfully she had an idea of who she hoped it would be if it wasn't Chex. However, when the rich red of a chestnut came into view she came up short and snorted out in frustration. Stomping her front hooves into the ground she moved to stand between this new stallion and her herd. The mare lifted her head proudly, and whinnied back loudly and even slightly threatening. This herd may not have been protected by a stallion, but it was protected by her.
Her eyes watched the red stallion darkly until he seemed to get the picture and turned, trotting away and out of sight. She didn't relax though, her ears pinning back against her head. She needed to make sure he wasn't circling around to the other side. Glancing over her shoulder she called out to the familiar buckskin, "Ursa, keep an eye on things. I'll return shortly, I need to make sure he's going and not trying to circle around."
Then, without any regard for her own safety, the mare trotted off, heading in the direction the stallion had went. Of course, she would never tell the other mares in the herd that it wasn't him she was trying to watch out for. No, once she was a decent distance away from the herd, her eyes scouted out for the figure of a familiar form who had caught her eyes sometime before.
|
|
|
| |
Darkseeker
|
Ouranos || 8 || Bachelor Stallion || M: Haloma The mare was nervous, though Ouranos was not sure it was all because of his presence. Now that he was closer, it was obvious that not only was she was seemingly about due to foal, it also appeared to be either a massive baby or twins. The mare met his whinny with her own before announcing that there was no-one with her. A heavily pregnant mare... alone? And he was in her way.
Ouranos turned in the direction of the grove she had mentioned, finding himself positioned perfectly between this mare and her destination. He took a few steps back and said, "My bad." The dark stallion studied her nearly as cautiously as she did him; he was almost certain he was ahead of the Plains herd, but it was quite rare to find a mare traveling completely alone like this. Perhaps she had been separated from his sisters' herd as well during the rockslide. It had happened long enough ago that the scent of many horses would have faded from her coat by now, and he knew several of the herd mares were due to have foaled recently or soon. Clearing his throat, he asked, "You wouldn't happen to have been separated from the Plains herd, would you?" Ouranos quickly realized that made him sound as though he were planning to take over a herd and added on a bit of context and an offer: "My sisters, Idrun and Mara, are in the herd; I believe they are still a little ways out. If you are waiting for them, I could accompany you until they arrive." Besides, a mare foaling alone out here was still dangerous. He couldn't help but imagine one of his sisters in this mare's predicament. Even he would have begrudgingly appreciated a stranger's company for them. Ouranos wondered if Idrun had foaled yet. It pained him to be away from the few horses he actually cared for, and a flash of that emotion briefly crossed his face.
"If you would rather be alone, I will respect that, as well. But I promise I would not pose a threat to your offspring." |
|
|
Summer 
Night Weather: 
Earthquake Moon: 
