Credits to Alla-equi on DA.

Shoteka is a large, nearly pitch black creature. A faint star on his forehead makes the only white marking on his body, and the rest of him is simply void of color. He stands a little over 17 hands and is not lacking in the muscle department; his shoulders, withers, and chest show prominent carving, though not so much as to be considered "ripped."

Long, sturdy legs are set atop light gray hooves that were made for maneuvering rugged terrain. An arched neck holds a refined head with a gently sloping face and hard, intelligent black pools for eyes. His irises are truly brown, but there is such a heavy concentration of pigment that they may as well be black until the sun hits them just right.

Shoteka's gait is a languid one; his strides are straight and long and he does not take very long to cross short distances. When he moves, his tail lifts slightly. He is elegant for his size, but he is certainly not the fastest animal out there. Shoteka's strengths lie in brute force and endurance rather than speed and agility. While he is agile, he cannot do sudden turns and stunts when going at a faster pace, unlike some other horses.

He has an aura of seriousness to him. It is no secret that he is young; he has very few scars, and most of them are from play fights or angry mares in his juvenile years. However, his stoicism and rather intimidating appearance help to make him look more qualified for the role of lead stallion than he feels like he is.

He smells of pines and like a summer night just as the dew is beginning to form. Shoteka's voice is a low tenor or a high bass; he rarely raises it, but it is not soft to begin with. This adds to his more aloof appearance, and a horse that is unfamiliar with him could take his resting tone to insinuate disinterest or irritation.

Personality

He is young. Therefore, he is naive in some cases. The job was sprung upon him; he had no idea what was coming, and it shows in his occasional deer-in-the-headlights moments. Shoteka has always put the herd first, and he always will; he has no problems attacking and defending at the drop of a pin. It's making the calls as to where to move next that get him. His problem is that he doesn't expect everyone to follow him immediately, when he should be demanding it.

He is authoritative, but he has never been in a situation that has granted him so much room to use that aspect of himself. So, he tones it down for fear of coming off too harsh or too demanding. Shoteka resents his father for dying; the former lead stallion left him with no experience -- he often wonders whether it was even the old gaffer's intentions that he take up the reins at the former's death. Of course, he does not express his fears and aches to anyone.

Shoteka is a sober creature, and he is being forced to mature much, much faster than he would ever have expected. He has gone from taking care of himself and his herd's basic needs in the role of a herd stallion to being responsible for everyone's wellbeing -- all overnight. He is overwhelmed, and, with no help that he feels like he can trust, he's shouldering it all alone.

Shoteka isn't stupid, either. In fact, he's quite intelligent, and he knows full well there are those within the herd who would rather a more experienced horse be leading them. He knows that their loyalty will not be gained as quickly as his power was, though, and is focusing extra carefully on his decisions. Of course, sometimes he scrutinizes his choices too carefully and makes a wrong move. Skeptics are not kind to those who err.

As he learns, he will become more firm with his orders. He's observant: Shoteka watches what others do and evaluates those decisions before comparing them to his own scenarios. He is prepared for things, always has six backup plans for when he is bound to trip up, and is usually expecting the worst. All new characteristics; before this ever happened, Shoteka was much more of a go-off-the-whim sort of colt.

Shoteka is polite, proper, all that jazz. He is friendly with the foals and curt with the grown-ups. He loves his family dearly, and he cares for the members of his herd. His loyalty is to them, and he wants to succeed with every cell in his body. Shoteka will not, however, step down without one hell of a fight. He is determined to be a good leader, and he will move heaven and earth to maintain that chance.

Crush

None

Mate

None

Foals

None

Kin

Sister --

Affiliations

TBD, Open

Other

Seeing how his sister wants his job, there could be about five or so others that are in her favor and have their little planning committee.

She could also bring in the help of outside stallions and the like, or convince him to let in lone horses that she's swayed to her side already.

Credits to TigressStocks on DA for all images.

Neamh is a very pretty mare. Her sleek coat takes on slight dappling and becomes paler during the winter months, though her coloring is much more vibrant throughout the rest of the year. She has a broad blaze and a tobiano patterning over her red dun base. The most color shows through on her chest, head, and flanks, with spots showing through along her barrel, ribs, and neck. Her mane and tail are quite silky, though the former is a little short, and have little coloration to them.

Her body is very elegantly built. Slim legs merge with powerful shoulders and hindquarters which move into a lean physique and an arched neck. Her head hosts a slight Arabian dish and large, deep brown eyes. Neamh's withers come to about 16 hands high. Her ears curl slightly at the tips and her nostrils almost always appear flared.

Neamh has a smooth gait and long, easy strides. She picks up her feet well and, despite her slender legs, she is quite surefooted. Speed and stamina are her strong suits. While she is agile, Neamh does much better without sharp turns and switchbacks due to an injury she aquired as a seven-month-old foal in which she twisted one of her hooves in a gopher hole. She hates gophers.

Her voice is deep for a female's but has a pleasant ring to it, soothing unless she's in a mood. She smells of sagebrush and a misty morning. Neamh is, overall, a soft looking mare. Underneath her gentler exterior resides a complex, rugged creature.

Personality

She is quite mature for her age. Or, rather, Neamh knows when to speak her mind and when to shut up. She's thoughtful and quite smart, though her near-absolute obedience to the leads, lieutenant, and deputy can make her seem like a dopey creature. In reality, though, she simply sees the wisdom behind their words. She knows that they have more experience and is completely fine with having a better chance at survival by heeding their orders. Now, Neamh can only hope Shoteka learns fast how to handle situations.

Neamh will speak her mind if she has an idea or opinion on something, though it's always said with the proper respect behind it. Her dam, who was quite old when Neamh was born, drilled respect into her daughter relentlessly before her death. Neamh, in turn, is careful to set a good example for the foals and yearlings on the subject of politeness and the proper handling of situations.

Neamh has an incredibly strong maternal instinct and a deep-rooted loyalty to her herd. She is constantly watching others and her surroundings, always calculating, forever stubborn. Her observant nature often pushes her to the status of residential wallflower, as she very rarely starts an interaction with another horse. When her herd is threatened, though, out comes the completely unexpected side of this mare.

She is fierce, and she does not care two bits about others' feelings as she rips into them verbally for whatever wrong they have caused someone she cares about. Predators and outsiders, if unlucky enough to come across her in one of these rages, will earn a scar or two. Seniority and much of her respectful nature will leave as well if an older horse does something completely out of line. Otherwise, Neamh keeps her irritation to a passive aggressive level.

She's devious. This mare has little plots of her own with a wide variety of subject matter. If someone is in her way, Neamh will push them out so discreetly that it is rarely noticed. She excelled at such behaviors as a foal, especially placing ideas into others' heads and making it seem like they were the ones who came up with it. Of course, sometimes she is more vocal about her threats, and she will always follow through.

She does not appreciate contention, though, and being around tense situations often sets her on edge. Neamh would much rather everyone stop whining about everything, and she will tell them such if it gets annoying enough. Really, she is a sweet mare, but she takes no crap and is fine to fight fire with fire from time to time.

Crush

Open

Mate

None

Foals

None

Kin

Open

Affiliations

TBD, Open

Other

An outside mare/stallion could end up having a foal or relationship with an inside stallion/mare, respectively. More subplot drama than anything. Cliche.

Credits to ElaineSeleneStock on DA for all images

This stallion's coat is a very, very dark blood bay. His mane and tail are the usual black, but he is often mistaken for either a black horse or a dark brown one, depending on the lighting he is viewed in. Ouranos' coat has a distinct iron tinge to it that is most prominent on sunny days. His black mane and tail are long and slightly wavy overall, though he does have some sections of shorter, straighter hairs. His eyes are a moderate brown with green flecks that make themselves apparent every now and then. Despite his overall warm-toned coloring, though, this stallion is as cold and hard as an early winter.

His dark face seems void of emotion; his exterior is guarded and his mask rarely comes loose. Ouranos has a low, rumbling voice that carries without being classified as "loud." His words are almost stiff; they have a demanding tone to them and never really soften. He has no warm fuzzies.

While he isn't the tallest creature out there, he is large, standing at about 17 hands. His frame is muscular and not quite bulky, but his forte is obviously in physical strength. Sunlight on his sleek coat produces light ripples over his frame, emphasizing his body definition. His shoulders are set on a barrel-chested body and sturdy legs hold up his proportionate frame.

Scars crisscross here and there from various battles, the vast majority of which he has won. His veteran looks only add to the appearance of a more hostile, unapproachable creature. He is still handsome -- just in a dangerous way.

Personality

Ouranos is a frosty creature. He does not enjoy company, really -- his main issue with it is all the gossip and petty banter that go back and forth. Mare drama absolutely disgusts him. He prefers the company of more sober, serious animals. The only horses he really likes are the more sober, serious ones. He will not spread gossip himself; rather, if he has an opinion, it will be stated like it is. His words are rarely said with any hidden intent behind them: if he says something, he usually means it as fact or observation. Words meant to jerk an emotional response are said... differently.

Ouranos is not the biggest fan of foals. They are clumsy, immature, often quite bratty, and have absolutely zero sense of self-preservation. The only ones he would take kindly to are his own offspring, but he would be extra strict with them as to "raise them right" while also obviously favoring them and their mothers over the rest of the herd. In that sense, he is family oriented, and perhaps gives him a good quality.

Ouranos has no interest in outsiders. He attacks first, asks questions later. This silent, scarily cold stallion enjoys the rush of attacks, the dancing patterns of a good match. He especially loves winning. Despite his quick action to protect the herd, his loyalty to it is debatable. He never expressly acts like he cares for herd life, but he doesn't act so disinterested as to leave it. He is an enigma.

He lacks a sense of humor, and he finds it irritating when others pull jokes or sarcasm on him all the time. Those who do are likely to get a good nip or a swift kick, and they usually don't do it again. Everyone knows he's a serious, stoic individual. He isn't easy to approach, and finding any semblance of a caring stallion is almost impossible. Yet, there have been instances where he has been known to show affection.

It is common knowledge that he is ambitious and competitive. He pushes to excel at everything, often uses subtle demands, and manipulates other horses to see his ways and follow them. He can become smooth and open to emotion, humanizing himself into a fleshed out character who will outwardly display feelings -- when he wants to. Sometimes it's genuine; other times it isn't. It's very hard to tell the difference with him. He is, however, loyal to the horses closest to him, and his offspring will always have him to go to.

He is not wicked. He is not kind. He is a mystery. Nobody knows what he will do next. Will he be his intimidating, stormy self? Will he dare show something as fickle as affection? Will he flirt? Will he shut down a conversation? Is someone going to die? Will he rescue an irritating foal in need? Ouranos is uncharted water; expect the unexpected with him.

Crush

Indifferent, really.

Mate

Open to a favorite mare

Foals

Open to minions.

Kin

Open

Affiliations

TBD, Open

Other

Ouranos can be a drama source. Made him with malicious intent. :)