Through the Mist [Corowa]

[yaruka]

Through the thick fog a strangely coloured stallion crept, his chestnut hide prickling with uncertainty. His semi-flaxen mane glowed eerily in the half light, as did the frosting freckling his sleek coat. But if the stallion's coat caught the queer light strangely, it was nothing compared to how it shone on the two pale mares who followed him. Out of the corner of his Bunda caught a sudden movement and shied violently, only to find he had merely starteld a bird. Snorting, he glanced sheepishly over his shoulder at the two mares. He wished he could stop making a fool of himself in front of them, only it had been like this ever since the second brumby drive of his young life. Bunda shuddered at the memory, quickly pushing thoughts of the barking dogs and whistling ropes out of his mind. Taking a deep breath, he continued through the mist.

OOC: meh, it's okish...sorry.

[Corowa]

Two pale wraiths threading through the bush, the white fillies clung close to each other. When the mist stirred about their legs, and those teasing winds softly murmured her name, Goolara drifted further behind. Ahead, Bunda propped and shied, and the filly snorted, gently mocking the young stallion. Bolder than her gentler sister and surely even this stallion with whom she ran, Goolara had no fear of the bush. With a toss of her head, the filly broke into a trot, giving Goonama a sharp nip in passing.

Anxiously, Goonama watched her beautiful sister. Since the brumby drive, Goolara had taken to vanishing into the bush, there one moment and then like a ghost, melting with a sigh into the snowgums. For Goonama felt it was to the huts of the men, the white filly went, so strongly curious was Goolara. Even now as Goolara seemed to fade into this queer floating mist, she half-wondered if her sister would vanish once more. Suddenly frightened, Goonama neighed to her, relieved when the filly abruptly stopped and turned about. Bunda had not been able to tame the wild restlessness within her, and Goonama worried Goolara might be captured for her foolishness.

Hide crawling with dread, Goonama moved closer to Bunda. Ears quivering, listening to the whisper of the wind through the mist, the filly felt terribly afraid. With a playful buck, Goolara cantered towards them, swinging about so there was but a glimpse of pale hide through the damp fringe of black sallee and blanket-woods. Goonama stilled, stood with ears pricked and nostrils trembling. Then the white filly burst from the trees further down the track, and with a high joyous whinny, lashed playfully out at Bunda with her heels. Goonama’s call quietened her, coaxed her back. Yet when the filly came to stand at her side, Goonama could feel how she trembled with excitement.

[Ehetere]

OOC: Don't know if this is open or not... Nepelle and co. can toddle off otherwise...

Nepelle stepped quietly through the queer half light with mist swirling around his ankles. It was wet and cold; which wasn’t exactly pleasant but did muffle his footsteps. Behind him Kurrin’s lithe form followed, with grumpy Fira and her little filly bringing up the rear. Nepelle had rather split opinion on his capture of the fiery chestnut mare; sometimes he regretted his decision and at others he felt he had made the correct choice.

The morning was quiet, save from the occasional bird call; that echoed long and loud; seeming to be right next to his ear. He couldn’t hear the two mares following him, and had to keep on turning around to convince himself that they truly were there, and not just insubstantial spirits moving through the trees. A sudden, shrill whinny rang through the heavy air, and Nepelle’s ears pricked forward in interest. There was virtually no wind that morning; possibly the reason why the mist still hung in the air, so no scent would be carried very far, if anywhere at all. There could be whole herds of horses hiding in the trees, and he would be unawares, as would they. Save for that single whinny; he would never have guessed that there were any other horses near by. Being in between the dense trunks of the trees gave Nepelle a sense of him being the only creatures left in the world. It was rather unnerving.

All the same, he crept closer towards where the neigh had come from, silently urging Kurrin and Fira to tread softly behind him. The further he went, the thicker the mist got until He could see Kurrin beginning to merge with it like she had with the snow in winter. Another high pitched whinny sounded, joyous this time as opposed to anxious. It was a little deeper too; suggesting there was more than one horse hidden in the mist. Both calls had been fillies.

Extremely excited now; Nepelle began to move faster between the trees. He contemplated leving Kurrin and Fira behind; but he feared losing them in the trees or having some unknown stallion come and steal them. The sounds of thudding hooves could be heard despite the muffling mist, and Nepelle saw a flash of white in between the trees and mist. Now he instructed Kurrin and Fira to be absolutely silent, and then snuck forward, trying to get a glimpse of the two elusive fillies. Perhaps there was a herd there; perhaps not. He was going to see either way.

On a little track stood two fillies; both almost pure white. They were beautiful and mysterious; though in Nepelle’s mind nothing compared to Kurrin, both would make excellent additions to his fast growing herd. And they would make good playmates for Kurrin too. Nepelle felt rather guilty for taking her away from other horses her age, so if he collected these two fillies, he could ease that guilt a little. There was just one problem with this plan. There was an oddly coloured stallion a little ways in front of them. Not wanting to startle the fillies or alert their stallion to his presence, Nepelle kept to the safety and cover of the trees and mist, shadowing the small herd as they moved along. The more he watched the more he wanted the fillies. They had the most unusual colouring; and he liked this. Both were beautiful as well. Surely now; in his new found spring strength, he should fight some stallion for mares? All he had done so far was chase one across the whole high country and tempt another away from a bunch of unruly colts. Not that either was anything less of an achievement, but all the same. He really did need some experience… and they were beautiful…

But he could lose Kurrin. He did not know how he could live without her; any mares he had would be nothing if he did not have her to stand proudly beside him. She would always be his prize, his jewel, the most beautiful. Could he really risk losing her? But the longer he looked at the stallion, the more confident he became. He may not even have to fight. And he was also confident that Kurrin felt as strongly about him as he did her. Had she not left her loving mother and father for him? Had she not stopped running? He continued to following along side them; wondering if he should just announce his presence, or wait for them to notice them. He decided he would wait a little longer before revealing himself; he wanted to see how attentive the fillies and their stallion were.

[yaruka]

It was not an easy feat to sneak up on Bunda. The chocolate roan stallion was so infinitely paranoid that little escaped his notice. But it was some what because of this paranoia that he missed picking up on the shadowy threat behind him until much later than he would have liked. For though the stallion had felt his skin creep and crawl with unease, he had taken Goolara's gentle mocking to heart and attributed his discomfort to the mist. When Goolara's kicked out playfully at him he managed to steady himself before leaping too greatly, even reaching forward to pull at her long tail as she swept past. Gentle Goonama stood closer to him, and he turned to give her a reassuring nuzzle. He would be a braver stallion for them, he vowed, for he truly cared for the ghostly fillies.
The three of them continued through the mist, unawares of anything farther away than a few feet on either side. Bunda was glad the mist hid them, but seriously disliked the fact that it could equally conceal others from him. Finally the stallion could ignore his unease no longer, stopping suddenly, he signaled for the mares to do the same, inwardly praying that the confident Goolara would do as he asked. Standing stock still, he breathed in the thick air deeply, sorting through the dampness until he caught it, the faint trace of another stallion's scent on the air.
Turning about, he silently urged the mares to remain hidden but continue walking, before disappearing into the mist ahead of them and creeping around to the flank of their little group. Stepping cautiously, he knew he could quite easily stumble right into the stallion's path before he caught sight of him in this mist, he followed the scent, keeping downwind himself so that, hopefully, his own scent would not carry. Finally he saw him, a tall, dim shape up ahead. Snorting softly, Bunda crept up behind him, following the stallion. He wondered what the other would do, resolving to watch and assess before challenging him. For Bunda knew he was not going to leave without a fight. For now though, Bunda had joined the game of cat and mouse.

[Corowa]

Bunda grew more and more anxious, until he pulled up sharply on his haunches. Turning about quickly, he told both fillies to stand quietly, and then with a soft nicker, vanished into the bush. Goolara pawed the ground impatiently, and then with a toss of her head struck off at a trot. The mist thickened, and filled with unease Goonama called after her sister, for she suddenly seemed a ghost, quite insubstantial in the pale light of dawn. Torn between obeying Bunda and following Goolara, the filly stood shaking all over. When the mist partially cleared, she glimpsed her sister once through the rough grey trunks of messmate. Afraid Goolara would fade into those queer swirling mists, Goonama slipped swiftly away after her.

Goolara was lost. Threading through the snowgums, the filly could barely see from one clump of bush to the next. Coming to a sudden stop, she peered through the billowing mist, feeling a shiver of fear run through her. For there, where the snowgums thinned to a grassy flat, there loomed the shadowy figure of a brumby in the mist. Yet, it was not Bunda who stood so silently, for Bunda was not golden as the sun, did not seem to possess the strength of the High Country itself. Fascinated, the filly stood for a moment and then with a rippling whinny, forced the stallion’s attention to her.

The filly crept on through the mist, hide prickling, every hair standing on end. Then the swirling mist shifted, and through it, Goonama saw a rather fierce-looking stallion. Hastily the filly melted back into the bush, stood quietly, though she trembled with fear. Goolara, beautiful and foolish Goolara, trotted towards the shadowy stallion. With that high swift step, she pranced lightly forwards. Dawn light filtered through the trees, and the white filly seemed to glisten with it. Unable to contain herself any longer, Goonama neighed to her sister, called her gently away.

[Ehetere]

One minute he was shadowing the hazy forms of the three horses through the bush; the next there were two. Nepelle came to a brief halt - considering his options. There was no telling where the mysteriously coloured stallion had snuck off to; but it was obvious that he had caught wind of his scent from further down the trail else he would have come straight for him. Nepelle walked on; his hears back and straining for the slightest sound that may indicate an ambush. The mist momentarily cleared a little and out of the swirling cloud emerged one of those beautiful white fillies. Sunlight fell from behind him; casting his coat in gold brilliance and he arched his neck proudly for the filly. The other; slighter filly also emerged only to shrink back again, as if she was afraid of him.

The first filly neighed; she was the one with the deeper call, drawing attention to herself. Nepelle watched in fascination as she trotted towards him. He extended his nose to her in greeting, but before she could reach him the other white filly; whom Nepelle guessed was her sister, called her back. Nepelle let out a deep, reassuring whicker of friendship to both mares. Unfortunately he knew that their meeting could not last; since their calls would have attracted their stallion to them. “Both of you get away from here and hide yourselves well,” instructed Nepelle to Kurrin and Fira, realizing that if he wanted to keep these fillies then he could not simply spirit them away; since their stallion would surely follow them and that would put his herd; Kurrin in particular, in danger. “I will come and find you both soon.”

He reassuringly nibbled at Kurrin’s forelock and snorted once in Fira’s direction before turning his attention back to the immediate situation at hand. The fact that the two fillies’ stallion still had not appeared made him sense a trap; a trap that perhaps would require a great deal of thinking to get out of unscathed. Nepelle threw up his head imperiously in defiance; let that other stallion come! Let him come and then they could dance amongst the misty snowgums. Rays of sunlight fell at random; creating the perfect scene with dappled golden light casing a lovely glow over everything around them. Nepelle again held out his muzzle in greeting to the fillies; nickering again, calling them over, inviting them to join him.

[Tiggs]

Stubborn as usual, Fira huffed and stamped a hoof. She’d trekked after him so far, and now he was issuing orders? It was possibly the first sensible thing he’d done so far. With a grudging nod, Fira turned her yearling about, and gave Kurrin a hard nudge. The older mare directed the younger two before her, taking them back along their previous path before finding a wider part of the river that was shallow enough to come just to their knees. Carefully directing Alinta, she left Kurrin to pick her own way across.

The water would destroy their trail, and before they exited the other side, Fira directed Kurrin and her daughter to walk along the back in the water for a while. Satisfied, she pushed Alinta and Kurrin up onto the far bank and found a sheltered copse of trees to graze in. Not even Nepelle would find them here. If he wanted them back, he would have to call out for them, which meant he better have won else she was giving Kurrin to that other stallion she had yet to catch a glimpse of.

Kurrin meanwhile was getting used to Fira’s demanding ways, but she was a little apprehensive about being quite so far from Nepelle. What if he needed to find her quickly? They had taken such a convoluted path; it would be hard for him to track them. While Fira grazed, Kurrin stood motionless, straining to hear any sound that might tell her where Nepelle was, or what he was doing.

She had caught a glimpse of those mares, and she could see why Nepelle would want them. She stomped down a little niggle of jealousy. Nepelle said she would always be his favourite, but she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that their time of running together alone was over. She must have made a sound, as Fira nipped her spotted rump none-too-kindly. Kurrin dropped her head in apology, and concentrated on staying quiet instead. Nepelle would be back, safe and sound with more fillies. Hopefully they would be more amiable than Fira – but then again – that wouldn’t be difficult.

[yaruka]

Bunda continued to follow the chestnut stallion, watching him closely for any sign that he had knew where he hid. To his satisfaction, the other also appeared uneasy in the mist. Suddenly the chestnut stopped, and Bunda slid to a halt quietly behind him. Peering carefully around the other stallion Bunda looked to see what had caught the stallion's attention. And then Goolara emerged from the mist, proud and foolish Goolara. She called to the chestnut and Bunda felt his heart tighten in pain at her imperious call to the other stallion. Before he could become totally wracked by guilt and hurt though, he saw Goonama, who, though she did not necessarily prefer him, did not whinny to the other stallion either. Instead she called to her sister and Bunda felt grateful to her for at least trying to keep somewhat to his gentle command.
But Goolara still approached the chestnut, and as the stallion extended his nose to her Bunda had to surpress an indignant squeal. For though he had never really thought of the mares as his he realised now that they were in a way, and that this stallion knew that but took no notice of the fact. But it was not quite yet time to challenge him, he would wait a few moments more. Before the stallion could turn he melted backwards into the trees, hoping to stay concealed for the now. He made no move to strike, though he may have gained an advantage by attacking the stallion from behind, Bunda was not a dishonest stallion. Standing defiantly, he observed the stallion, trembling in anger at his seductive calls to the mares and then watching as the chestnut drove his three herd members away. Bunda let them pass with out interference, though they stirred the brush within feet of him. The stallion whinnied again and Bunda let out an angry squeal, unable to allow the chestnut to act so audaciously any longer. But he remained hidden, moving silently a few feet from where he had squealed. If he could just rile the stallion up a bit then maybe he might be stand a better chance in his first ever battle.


OOC: "Hopefully they would be more amiable than Fira – but then again – that wouldn’t be difficult. " lmao. I love Fira, well I don't really but you know what I mean
Also, I'm assuming they're going to fight, so Tiggs-would you mind rolling the dice for them please

[Tiggs]

OOC: Haha, I know exactly what you mean Yaruka XD *pets Fira and runs away to avoid her fingers being bitten off*

Okay, Bunda and Nepelle each have 7 points, so Bunda is 1-7 and Nepelle is 8-14. The roll landed on 8, so that's a win for Nepelle =)

[Corowa]

Goolara propped and swung around when Goonama's call reached her quivering ears. The stallion neighed, but Goolara listened only to her sister, felt that terror as if it were her own. Turning, she melted back into the mist, careful to leave no tracks. Finding Goonama under the mist wreathed branches of a spreading snowgum, the filly noisily greeted her sister with several grunting whinnies. When that trembling, gentle nose touched hers, Goonama felt the painful thumping of her heart slow. With an anxious snuffle, the filly made certain Goolara was solid flesh and bone, not some wraith to vanish in those glittering shafts of sunlight. Reassured, Goonama tossed her head, told her sister to come.

Together, the two fillies hurried on through the damp snowgums. Aware of every hair prickling with the uncomfortable feeling of being watched, Goonama and Goolara walked silently on. There was movement in the thick scrubby timber further down the flat, and Goonama stiffened, throwing up her head to nervously sniff the air. Beside her, Goolara stirred with an excited whinny, and Goonama silenced her with a hard nip. "Do not be so foolish," she said not unkindly. "Bunda will not be happy for you to call to another." Goolara snorted, stared trembling with longing after those passing brumbies. Where the snograss gently sloped to the thread of a creek, the mist paled, fading away into the soft light of dawn. Here, Goonama let her sister drink, and she too nibbled on the sweet grass, the morning air heavy with the scent of ti tree.

In this broad stretch of snowgrass, the fillies waited anxiously for Bunda. Sheltering in the thick scrub of grevillea and bog candleheath, Goolara and Goonama waited with ears tipped forwards and nostrils flaring. Both fillies wondered if perhaps there would be a fight, and both trembled half with excitement and half with dread. For surely, Bunda must fight that strange stallion, beat him so badly he might never return. Yet Goonama remembered that throbbing neigh, remembered him gleaming golden in the sunlight, and she was suddenly afraid he would beat Bunda and take Goolara from her. Foolish Goolara who would so willingly follow.

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