Expecting the Expected [Nandalie Herd/Open]

[Tiggs]

The broad roan chuckled. The mare was flighty, and mildly ridiculous. Nandalie had not much experience with creamies and similar, preferring to keep his herd full of calm mares. For all he knew, they were all like this. “There is really no need to worry, I have no intention of wreaking any consequences. You’re not trespassing in the first place. The Bogong is a large and fruitful plain, I feel no need to defend a bimble. I would not defend it against a mare even if I did!” He shook his head, keeping his nose to himself now.

“Your eagle friend wants me to talk to you, but if you prefer I will leave you be. If I am to talk to you, however, I’ll need your name.” He prompted gently. “As you seem to already know mine, it’s only fair.” He glanced to the eagle peering at them from a nearby mountain ash. He suspected the creamy knew a lot more about him from the eagle than he knew about the mare.

The stallion was at a little bit of a loss. He could only talk to the mare if she was not so frightened of him, but other than offering kind words, he could not convince her otherwise if she had a firm opinion of him to stick to. He nickered softly, perhaps he could persuade her to relax with something more simple than words: actions. He pirked his ears forward, showing he was indeed happy, and that he was interested in what the mare had to say.

It was quite a chore, with Amarina’s noises floating across the open ground toward him but if Irawaddy was not troubled, the filly was in no danger. He longed to watch her progress with the colt, but the creamy demanded his attention, and he would have to wait.

[aquiladorado]

While Nandalie might have had his assumptions about the cream-colored Brumbies, AquilaDorado certainly had her vision of stallions. It came as a shock when the roan chortled at her bold offer to accept punishment, and the pale mare cocked her head to the side and gazed at the stallion curiously. Something wasn't right - everything she had heard about stallions, everything she had believed about them her whole life was being proven wrong by this Nandalie character! She blinked at him, incredulity showing all over her face. Finding that her legs were functioning properly once again, the young mare took a couple steps forward to better investigate the large roan.

"And you are indeed a stallion?"[/i] she asked him, her voice almost back to normal and holding a sense of doubt. She realized the question was odd, but surely there must be something odd about the Brumby that stood before her. "I figured they were..."[/i] AquilaDorado paused, choosing her words carefully so as not to insult the roan. "A lot more territorial."[/i] It was hard to hold a casual conversation when she was more than inexperienced in the ways of a social life with other Brumbies, making the mare feel awkward and uncomfortable.

The stallion seemed to clue into her thoughts and offer comforting gestures, and a being capable of sensing others to that extent was similar to her in many ways. She took to the gestures well and could almost imagine that she was talking not to another Brumby, but to her companion Guyra. "I know little other than your name, yet your statement seems just. I am known as AquilaDorado - a name inherited from my parents."[/i] The mare did not bother to mention the eagle, and didn't even begin to try to understand why she had been brought here. All she knew was that she was talking to another Brumby, her own species. And she had not been beaten yet in doing so.

"I can go by Aquila, though,"[/i] she added slowly. Maybe this Nandalie had been around for a while and knew of her father, possibly capable of filling in the blanks that Guyra had purposefully left out. The thought both interested and frightened the mare. If that happened to be the case, she figured it was best not to carry his name around the stallion.

When the mare she had encountered in the bushes came into sight, approaching the herd of the roan, AquilaDorado's attention was once again returned to the small filly at her side. She looked at the leggy creature fondly, as she questioned the stallion about her. "Is she yours?"[/i] the pale mare asked, without returning her gaze to him.

[Tiggs]

Nandalie chose not to be affronted by her question, and laughed heartily. “Yes, I am definitely a stallion. I am not as territorial as some, but I don’t believe any stallion would punish a mare for trespassing. They’d be welcome of it, I imagine.” Especially if it was a prize like Aquila. “Aquila then,” he smiled, not recognising the names she gave.

The roan looked to the chestnut mare, Yaruka, as Aquila gestured to her. He returned his mare’s quiet greeting with a fond nicker, and nodded to the creamy. “Yes, that is Yaruka, with her new daughter if I am not mistaken.” He whinned a congratulations, glad that Yaruka and her chestnut filly has returned safely. He had been worried, and his relief showed.

He turned, gesturing toward the bay roan filly and the colt who now stood close. “That is Amarina, my daughter. The colt is trying his hardest to impress her, but I don’t know how his luck will fair.” He gazed at his daughter, pride visible in every line of his body. “If the colt were to try anything with my other mares, then yes I would be territorial, but he is coughing no harm so I allow him to stay. I wish him luck in fact, he’ll need it.” He chuckled, and glanced over his shoulder at Aquila.

“All the mares you see here are mine, the youngsters are our children.” He could see the fondness in her gaze as she watched Yaruka’s filly, and he smiled. It was a wistful expression, and he wondered why she had no stallion of her own. If, as he was beginning to suspect, that she was this frightened with other stallions, that would suggest why.

[aquiladorado]

OOC: So I lost my other post, very sorry that this one isn't as good...

Why the roan kept laughing, AquilaDorado knew not. She could not understand why he was so good-hearted, but then again she didn’t know what to think about stallions anymore. All the things she was finding out about the herd life she had never been a part of were overwhelming, and the smoky cream mare shook her head as it was beginning to give her a headache. This Nandalie was definitely not the kind of stallion she had imagined him to be.

The introductions to his herd were taken into consideration as AquilaDorado began to look at the Brumbies more intently. It was true what the stallion said – at the point of the herd that was farthest away from them, a young colt stood with a filly who looked scared out of her wits. In a way, the filly Amarina reminded the pale mare of herself. ”But they’re so young!”[/b] AquilaDorado gasped, horrified that the colt would try to take the pretty filly away from her family so early in her life. If she had been given the choice, the smoky cream mare would have never left her mother’s side. But Nandalie seemed perfectly supportive of letting his daughter go. Only more things that must be perfectly natural that came as a complete surprise to the pale mare.

The large roan stallion’s herd was grazing peacefully, despite all the commotion that had happened, and many had youngsters of different ages at their sides or nearby. The pale mare stared in awe, and her words came out soft and filled with appreciation. ”They’re beautiful. You must be very lucky.”[/b] She also took note of how none of the mares looked like her, and it made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

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The eagle that sat perched high above the two Brumbies blinked her eyes repeatedly, after having intently watched the conversation going on beneath her for too long. It seemed to be going well, though, and she was pleased. Guyra lightened her grip on the branch, and ruffled the white feathers of her belly with her large beak before stretching up and hopping down a couple feet to a different branch. There she opened her wings and let the strong winds gravitate her toward the smoky cream mare and the roan stallion. The eagle landed on a rock directly beside the Brumbies and gazed at them with her sharp eyes.

Guyra gave a quick nod of acknowledgement before she stuck out a single wing as a gesture to the mare, who understood the signal and turned to leave. She moved gracefully in the direction of the herd, but then stopped a good distance away from it to stare back at the bird. Guyra’s gaze was full of affection and pride for the mare, and she continued to watch as the pale head lowered to nibble at the tall grass while she spoke to Nandalie. ”She seems to have reacted well to you. This is the first time I have ever seen her behave this way to another Brumby. You managed to do something for her that I never could, and for that you have my gratitude.” The eagle turned back to face the roan. ”Your success with her has proven you perfectly suitable for what I ask of you, and that would be to take her under your care for a period of time.”

Before the stallion could answer, Guyra told him everything. Summarizing it as best as she could, she told him about the smoky cream mare’s past – from how AquilaDorado had been born in captivity but from wild origins, to how Guyra had taken it upon herself to raise the orphaned filly in respect to AquilaDorado’s mother. She told him about the men, the stallion Dorado, and how AquilaDorado had been an unintentional foal yet her mother had done everything within her power to save her. The eagle mentioned that the pale mare had witnessed the deaths of those she cared about most at a very young age, and that Guyra had never really shared the full past with the mare and the bits she had heard about her father probably explained her fear of other Brumbies. By the end of it all, Guyra was weary and out of breath.

She looked to Nandalie with her wise eyes, and her voice held an almost pleading tone as she addressed him once again. ”I have business to attend to in far away parts of the High Country, and it is far too risky for me to bring her along. She has a mind of her own, and I fear she would disobey me and end up in a dangerous situation if I did. This is only temporary, and depending on the outcome of things, I could even be back by mid-spring at the earliest. But until then...” Guyra choked on the words, but forced them past the lump that was forming in her throat. ”I understand that you would fear for the safety of your herd. She could stick to the cover of the trees if need be so she doesn’t draw any extra attention to your mares, but I just need to know that she will be safe. I love her dearly, and can’t bear to think of what I would do if anything happened to her.” The smoky cream mare was watching the stallion’s herd when Guyra shot a quick glance at her. ”I just need to know that she will be safe...”

[yaruka]

Nearly running into the strange colt had definitely been an accident, and Amarina was horrified at her mistake. Snorting in alarm, she jumped about a foot in the air when he nickered to her. Eventually sense caught up to her adreneline and she realised that it had been an entirely unthreatening noise, but even so she still stood dripping sweat, ears flicking nervously back and forth. What was she to do now?

The stallion introduced himself and Amarina's large brown eyes widened in surprise, manners had not been something she'd expected in a foreign colt. Maybe this one wasn't so bad after all. Even so, the mare was extremely shy. She dipped her head, avoiding his gaze, until she finally accepted that she was going to have to answer his question. After all, what could it hurt when Nandalie was just over there for protection? And there was no way to avoid it without being rude. And though she was flightly, Amarina certainly wasn't inconsiderate, at least when she could think moderately straight.

Her breath still came in shuddering gasps as she trembled, but quietly she managed to whisper ever so quietly her name.
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Yaruka nodded in return to the roan stallion, noting with pleasurable surprise that he hadn't mentioned anything about Ukamirra not being his blood daughter. Had the roan stallion forgotten this fact? She didn't think so. But she knew she would be safe here with him regardless, Yaruka may not trust too easily, but she knew a good heart when she saw one. Gently she nosed Ukamirra, sheparding her over to where Irawaddy and Camira stood, each mare greeting the chestnuts kindly and with gentle snuffles to the filly before the long-legged miniature of Yaruka flopped down in the grass and fell asleep.

[Tiggs]

Nandalie gave a shake of his head. “Amarina is three-years-old, plenty old enough to adventure from the herd. She is shy, though. She may have left sooner if not for that fact. If this colt can calm her, then I wish them the best together.” He looked back to the creamy since he had been admiring his herd. “I am very lucky.” He replied sincerely. “Not a day goes by that I do not appreciate what I have. I will never take my herd for granted.”

At this point, the eagle came to perch with the faintest scrape of talons on rock beside them. Nandalie bobbed his head to the bird, but looked after the creamy as she went. The eagle dismissed her so quickly, just when Nandalie thought he might be getting somewhere through the maze of this mare’s troubled mind. He almost asked her to wait, but the eagle began to speak.

Her admiration for whatever he had done gave made his heart swell. The mare may be a creamy, but there was no need for her to live in fear. The roan listened intently as the eagle explained Aquila’s history, and it slowly began to fit into place. She had lost her family at a young age, and with only the eagle for guidance, she had no other brumbies for company. This loneliness – despite the eagle’s best efforts, Nandalie knew a filly would need a herd to feel complete – had tempered the filly into a skittish mare, untrusting and shy. Nandalie looked over to her with new eyes, and saw a beautiful mare with the dark shadow of her past haunting her.

The eagle had finished her story, and Nandalie looked back to her, lowering his nose to be on level with her. Her cryptic words were much clearer now he had a context to work with, and after a brief pause, he gave a nod. “I will watch over her for you, wise flyer. She will come to no harm with me, I promise you.” He glanced over to Aquila, and his expression was soft. He would need to keep his herd hidden for a few seasons, but he would accommodate the rare-coloured mare.

[aquiladorado]

Guyra beamed up at the stallion. ”Thank you, Nandalie – I had hoped you would say that. I am in your debt.” The eagle let out the breath she had been holding in a deep sigh, and bowed her head to the roan. Preparing to take to the skies, after stealing one last glance at the smoky cream mare, Guyra called out to the winds that would carry her to her destination. ”I shall take my leave then. Good luck to you, stallion of fire, and your herd!” With that she was gone, soaring high above the clearing and quickly disappearing out of sight. Her loving thoughts were sent down to the mare, who watched the only companion she had ever known fade away in the distance while standing dazed a little ways away from both the roan stallion and his herd. The thoughts easing her worry slightly, AquilaDorado resumed cropping grass, her ears twitching at every little sound. Whatever she was supposed to be doing here, she would have to find out. But for the first time in her life, she felt at ease in the presence of other Brumbies and excited for the near future.

OOC: And that should be the end for me!

[Ehetere]

Orroroo blinked, taken aback, when the bay roan jumped several feet into the air. He had never expected her to be so… athletic. She was so nervous - breathing heavily and sweating in nervousness. He nickered comfortingly, unsure of what else he could do to make her feel more at ease.

She lowered her wide, terrified eyes, and Orroroo’s heart sunk. Was she going to flee back to the herd again? She was so lovely, and he had not yet succeeded in winning himself a mare. What sort of stallion did that make him? He would be five next year, and still he had not sired himself any foals. He was a failure, a complete and utter failure.

But then his ears picked up the slightest whisper of a voice - a voice that shakily spoke a name. His ears pricked up and a brilliant expression lit up his features. Amarina! He knew her name! She had given him her name!

Orroroo had to resist the urge to jump for joy right then and there. Though it was a small victory, it was a victory none the less, and he was one step closer to having her leave with him.

“Amarina is a very beautiful name,” he commented truthfully, admiring her as if to prove his point. He longed to nuzzle her and groom her like he had seen so many stallions do to their mares to win their hearts, but he doubted her nervous disposition would allow him to.

[yaruka]

When the colt complimented her Amarina looked up at him shyly through her eyelashes, not quite meeting his gaze but making contact all the same. He seemed quite sweet, though she did shiver as his gaze swept across her in admiration. She was not used to being the centre of attention, the quietest of the herd and the eldest daughter, she was much more at home on the backburner. She could see confusion in his eyes though, and all of a sudden her heart went out to this bumbling yet valiantly cavalier colt. He was clearly insecure, and she was making it worse. Would it really kill her to trust him a little? One part of her still recoliled at coming out of her shell, yet gradually Amarina was warming to this queerly marked roan.

[Ehetere]

His mind was racing at a mile a minute in an effort to think of ways to put forward his request to the lovely bay roan. She did not look away this time, and he thought he might be getting to her… somehow. If he could convince her to come, surely it would be an achievement and a half.

He glanced over at Amarina’s clearly loving family, all of whom seemed to be watching on with interest which only served to make him more self conscious. Would he want to leave such a nice group if he was in her position? Maybe not, but there came a time in every horse’s life where they had to leave their mothers and their herds to create more of their own.

Looking back at Amarina, he paused delicately, with his heart pounding in his chest. Taking a steadying breath and swallowing hard, he concentrated on calming his nerves and churning stomach. “Amarina, I know I have not known you for very long, in fact I do not know a thing about you save for your name and your beauty, but it would make my heart sing with the joy of the mountain stream if you would accompany me away from here today.”

The second after he’d said those fateful words, he flinched and closed his eyes, imagining the filly fleeing back to the safety of the roan’s herd and her roaned coat disappearing into the seat of coloured hides, never to be seen again.