|
Post by Corowa on Nov 8, 2009 22:59:24 GMT
Boolee grazed alongside Tyrilly on the spring-rich snowgrass. On the high plains of the Bogong, there had been no herds of brumbies. The nervous mobs of yearlings and one or two stallions he sometimes saw, did not bother his mares and so he left them alone. Piringa, his yearling son, grazed further down the long slope, and Boolee now watched him intently.
The black colt was handsome and spirited, but had shown a sudden interest in Tyrilly. Earlier that day, the stallion had seen him sniffing and squealing, and had intended to give the colt a thrashing. Boolee had chased him off into the bush, striking and screaming furiously, and it was only now the colt had returned. The stallion blew noisily through his nostrils in acknowledgement of the young colt. If Piringa did not bother Tyrilly, he could remain with the mob for now. For soon enough, the yearling would be filled with the profound urge to wander as all young horses are, and Boolee would never see the proud black colt again.
Presently, Boolee was much more interested in his two missing mares. Boolee had watched with some amusement, as the mares grew fatter and fatter on the rich snowgrass, and both had been heavily in foal when they left. Now, the stallion was impatient to have them beside him. He had only recently found Cardinia, and the creamy mare never seemed completely content to run with him. Both mares were beautiful, but only Allirea truly belonged to him, of that much the stallion was sure. The stallion was feeling touchy, and so he left his grazing to wander back and forth, stopping every now and then to snatch a mouthful of snowgrass.
The stallion’s ears twitched, as Piringa grazed his way purposefully up the slope. Boolee had a long look at the yearling, and then with a great trumpeting neigh, sprang forwards. The stallion charged headlong at the colt, while Piringa swung around and cantered down the slope. Boolee stopped and then turned back to Tyrilly. Piringa was only young, so Boolee would not bother to give him a real beating. But, if the yearling moved nearer, he would get a nasty kick and be driven off once more. Boolee was too foul-tempered to tolerate the younger horse for much longer, and one ear stayed flicked towards Piringa as he grazed.
OOC: This thread is reserved for Boolee's mares, but also open to other mares or fillies who might want to join it. Please don't post here with a stallion, thanks.
|
|
|
Post by Tiggs on Nov 9, 2009 14:04:07 GMT
The slope up the Bogong was long for the old mare and her foal. Uuna found these days that her legs were often stiff, and on an incline she was slower than a younger brumby would be. Stubborn as Uuna was, she would not push herself. It would be foolish to do so as she and her foal would surely be in danger if she were lamed. The bay mare looked detirmined though as she travelled, dark mane long and falling about her face while her head was lowered.
As a result of the difficult country and the storms of a few days ago, Uuna was late to rejoin the herd. She hoped for Boolee's sake he had waited for her, else when she caught up, she was going to give him a good kick on the backside. Coreen struggled less with the steep incline they currently scaled, and her long gangly legs and delicate little feet rarely tripped. She stared intently at the ground, staying at her mother's side at every step. The young filly shared the deep bay pelt of her mother, but with a triangular blaze from her forehead to nose, and a long white stocking on her left foreleg. Around her eyes were the tell-tale flecks of white that suggested she would grey out over the next few years like her father.
Every foal of Uuna's had started out the same way - bay, slowly turning to white. No doubt their father's influence was strong, and it was one of the many reasons Uuna came back to Boolee, and chose him over younger stallions. Despite his age, he still held mares and his health was impecable. Their foals would inherit such strength, and would live on to pass down their blood. With her joints stiffening and pelt roaning with age, Uuna wondered how many more champion foals they would have.
Puffing by the time the Bogong flattened, Uuna paused and nosed the grass as if to graze while catching her breath. Calm winds brought to her the scent of other mobs, and a familiar call rose above the winds, and her ears cupped to catch it. Boolee. He was irate, as usual, and the old mare huffed in amusement. Who was at the reciving end of that irritated neigh? She would find out soon enough, but first she needed to catch her breath back.
Coreen - as if sensing her mother's need to rest - pushed under her abdomen at that moment to suckle. Uuna nosed her daughter's rump, and lifted her head to call back. 'I'm coming', she said simply. Coreen finished drinking and with Uuna's udder emptied and her filly's stomach full, they set off at a sedate pace toward their stallion's call.
Uuna spotted the grey stallion standing so proudly in the distance, a white speck on a backdrop of greens, browns and yellows. Unlike Boolee, she and her daughter blended well, and in the scrubbier areas, they would be barely indistinguishable from the surrounding foilage. The mare lifted her head now, finding the energy to walk briskly, Coreen trotting primly beside her. She approached Boolee directly, flicking her ears back and nipping his shoulder by way of greeting. She might not act like it, but she loved her stallion, and she would always be loyal to him.
Uuna directed Coreen forward, and nosed her fetlock fondly. "Her name is Coreen, named for the end of the hills where she was born." With round brown eyes, the bay filly peered up at the stallion before her. She had never seen one up close, but she showed no fear. She tossed her head and posed with her neck arched and stockinged foreleg held up. Though dull in colour, the filly was obviously bright in spirit, and if she were to be anything like her parents, there was a stubborn streak at her core. OOC: Gah, needs spellchecking. Button refuses to work. Shall do later =)
|
|
|
Post by Corowa on Nov 15, 2009 9:12:02 GMT
The stallion crinkled up his nostrils, and stood, visibly trembling. While he was surprised to see her return, Boolee barely lifted his head from the snowgrass. He flicked one ear in the direction of the mare, but remained completely still.
If he had been a young stallion, perhaps he would have raced over the snowgrass, bucking with joy and neighing foolishly. Instead, the stallion remained grazing until she came nearer. The mare suddenly nipped him, and Boolee swung about with a squeal of outrage and lashed out with his heels. Then the stallion’s ears pricked forwards, and he gently nudged her, and rested his head on her wither a moment.
“I thought you would never come back,” Boolee said softly. He nibbled on her mane, and then turned to the bay foal he finally noticed at her side. The stallion showed only some interest in the foals. They slowed down the herd, and made it much more difficult to escape from stockmen.
There had been a time once, when he had driven a young foal from the herd. It had never recognised the handsome brown mare as its mother, and Boolee had known there was something wrong with the foal. It was the way of the bush for only the strongest to live on, and Boolee had been sure the foal had perished.
The bay foal seemed strong enough, but it let out a squeal of surprise, when Boolee gave it a particularly hard nudge. The stallion softened, and nosed it reassuringly. Boolee had noticed how curiously the yearling watched them, and convinced Piringa would not be so foolish as to bother the two mares, the stallion gave a loud neigh.
Piringa whinnied in answer, and started up the slope towards them. Boolee was more interested in Uuna, than the two young horses, and he turned to the mare and nipped at her rump. Then the stallion sprang away and romped gaily over the snowgrass, as he invited both of his mares to join him.
His head held proudly high, Boolee cantered in a wide circle around them, his shoulder well mended, and no sign of lameness in his easy movements. Then the stallion went up on his hind legs, magnificent as any of the stallions that had ever run the High Country.
|
|
|
Post by Ehetere on Nov 27, 2009 7:40:33 GMT
Piringa restlessly stamped a forefoot and flicked a pesky fly away with a little more force than was really necessary. New spring strength was surging through his veins, and it was as if he could not bear to stand still. His once dark pelt was already beginning to grey out, and underneath his black winter coat patches of pale grey hair were beginning to emerge.
Like many colts, he was feeling cocky and full of life, especially now that he was truly independent with his mother away giving birth to her next foal. Piringa did not understand what this meant for him or his imminent departure from the herd, but for now he was enjoying this new life and… exploring.
The young mare Tyrilly had caught his attention earlier, and Piringa after being forced to stay at his mother’s side for such a long time had decided to take his new found freedom to a new level. All he had wanted was a playmate. Really. However his father seemed to have a problem with this and had rather viciously chased him off twice now. Piringa unlike his mother acknowledged and knew the fact that his father was old and much past his prime. It was this, along with his own cocky self-confidence that had him trotting back only a little while later - more subtle but undeterred.
The whole situation was turning into a little game for him - and as a young brumby with boundless energy and no real desire to spend his day grazing, it was turning out to be a lot of fun. He was the only yearling in his herd, and for that he was lonely. He wanted to fight and test his skills against horses his own age. He was sure that he would win, for his father though old still had a decent sized herd of many pretty mares.
Piringa could tell that Boolee was rather angry by this point, and the old grey’s gaze continued to flick towards him. Piringa kept his distance with a nonchalant air, pondering just how he could make the game more fun. He wondered how quick he really was, as his mother had often told him that he would be as swift as the wind itself when he was older, having two parents such as they who were lithe and swift. Though obviously Boolee was far less lithe and swift these days and Piringa thought himself more light on his feet and surefooted than the older and heavier grey stallion, so he wanted to test this theory.
He turned his back to Boolee and Tyrilly and ducked his head to graze, turning his head slightly so he could look at them both. It would be a challenge certainly - since Boolee was standing right beside the patched mare. And even in his over-confident state, Piringa could tell that the distance between them was too great for him to reach her before he ran head on into his father. So a more roundabout method would have to be used.
He suddenly sprang around rocketed into the bush so he could come around slowly and quietly. Allirea had taught him well about how to be silent in the bush, and his coat was just the right colour to blend in with the shadows. He stopped a few metres from the tree line as close to Tyrilly as he could get. Knowing that Boolee would be on red alert, he sprang from the trees at speed to try and keep the element of surprise. However, the idea suddenly occurred to him that he was annoying Boolee by this point and not trying to play with Tyrilly, so instead of playfully nipping the mare on the shoulder as he had intended, he pivoted and wheeled around the back of the two horses to try and grab at Boolee’s tail as he passed.
|
|
|
Post by yaruka on Nov 29, 2009 2:42:53 GMT
Tyrilly wasn’t quite sure where all this new attention from Piringa was coming from. The normally quiet young mare was unnerved by it and kept close to Boolee’s side, understanding that it bothered the grey and having no wish to upset the volatile stallion. She grazed uneasily, keeping to the opposite side of Boolee than Piringa was currently. One ear remained constantly on the greying colt, and as he charged off into the brush she flinched and moved even closer to the grey. When the colt burst from the trees she shied, soft blue eyes anxious as she sidestepped away from the colt. ---------------------------- The antics of the formally black colt were watched amusedly by another pair of eyes, these belonging to an oddly marked mare hidden in the brush. As she watched, Cardinia, having finally returned to Boolee’s herd after months of wandering alone, the last few weeks with a foal, decided that right about then would be a good moment to rejoin the herd, and nonchalantly stepped out of the brush, dropping her head to graze in the middle of the clearing while Taworri and Boolee were distracted. Hopefully the grey wouldn’t notice her for a bit, and then he’d get quite a shock when he did. That sounded like more fun than going up to him and proudly introducing her daughter anyway. It might serve as the most creative way of returning to a stallion with his offspring at any rate. Beside her her grulla daughter stood watching the activities higher up the hill, gaze calm and unwavering though she had never been this close to a stallion, or any other horse beside her dam for that matter. The dark grey/brown of her coat was already beginning to lighten with white hairs, the area around her eyes especially pale so that it heightened her appearance of maturity.
|
|
|
Post by Tiggs on Dec 7, 2009 9:26:41 GMT
Uuna watched with pride as Boolee inspected his newest daughter. She knew he would find no fault with her, even if both her parents were more aged than most. Coreen squealed and looked indignant at being pushed by her father, but soon realised she had just passed some sort of test. Uuna huffed and nipped her stallion right back, and then he was off, inviting her to run with him. She took a few trotted steps then halted. Her knees were far too stiff for this gaiety, but she nudged Coreen onward and the little bay filly romped after her father with as much grace as a gangly foal can manage.
The yearling’s antics did not escape Uuna’s notice, and the old mare shook her head. The colt would find himself in a world of trouble very soon if he continued to step on his father’s nerves. His mother should have taught him better that to taunt a grown stallion.
The stocky old bay dun mare lowered her head to graze, watching her mate and filly chase about like fools. She couldn’t help but smile. Despite all his gruffness, Boolee was still a wild spirit in his heart. Not even age could steal that from him.
By chance, she glanced a creamy mare and dun foal grazing not far away, and she recognised the mare as Boolee’s elusive Cardinia. Uuna huffed. That mare needed to learn respect also. She was always drifting off, testing Boolee’s patience. She turned, and her mane and forelock fell down to obscure her view of the mare while she continued grazing. The mare was none of her business. Boolee would see to her soon enough.
|
|
|
Post by Corowa on Dec 8, 2009 4:53:26 GMT
Boolee had chosen his pace carefully, so the foal could easily keep up. His other mares had settled back down to grazing, and so the stallion cantered on with the bay foal by his side. He indulged the foal for some time, but always on the alert, Boolee thought it best to return to the more serious business of watching over his herd.
He stopped suddenly, and turned to the foal at his side. With nostrils wide, he gazed at the foal for a moment or so longer, and then gave a dismissive toss of his head. When Boolee moved off, the foal followed, and he saw with some pride, that she had inherited that same effortless, floating stride of his.
He ambled over to where the rest of his mob stood, and started to graze alongside the two mares. Something moved in his line of sight, and the stallion watched intently, not surprised to see it was that yearling son of his that had been the cause of such possible trouble. Indeed, he was so intent on watching Piringa, he almost didn’t see the creamy mare or the leggy brown foal by her side.
Though he gave no sign, the stallion had noticed the mare and her foal, but instead of going to greet them, he waited to see whether the colt would approach. Just then, the grey yearling burst from the cover of the snowgums and raced towards them. Boolee warned the colt off with a loud snort, but when the colt didn’t swerve away, the stallion lashed out violently with his heels.
The colt’s teeth closed on air, and then he thundered past without checking his stride. Boolee screamed furiously and rushed forwards. The stallion would half kill the yearling if he caught him, and he shot away suddenly after the grey colt. With a look of fury about him, he flattened into a dead run. Nothing made him so mad as to be challenged by another horse while he was in charge of the mob.
The stallion effortlessly gained on the yearling and in just an instant, the two horses galloped almost side by side. Then Boolee reached over and savagely clamped his teeth down hard on the colt’s neck. Piringa stopped with a jar, and the stallion was suddenly there, striking and kicking and biting. There was the ringing smack of hooves on ribs, and Boolee’s screaming was tremendous as he drove the colt back.
|
|
|
Post by Ehetere on Dec 9, 2009 9:52:23 GMT
Narrowly avoiding Boolee’s flailing hooves, Piringa wheeled around - bugling his joy to the sky. He was young and foolish, but really all he wanted was a playmate. Unfortunately it seemed that his father was going to tolerate no such nonsense, and Piringa realized that he may have crossed a line when the thunder of hooves quickly caught up with him and the great grey horse was right beside him looking furious.
Before he even had a chance to blink, Boolee’s strong jaws had latched onto his neck. Piringa dug in his heels, grinding to a halt and throwing up this head in both surprise and pain. The shock did not give him time to escape from the just as sudden onslaught of hooves and bites.
Suddenly the game was no longer fun. Piringa tried his hardest to fight back, but although Boolee was much aged, he knew how to fight, while Piringa was as inexperienced as any filly, perhaps even more. All the same, he could not for the life of him find it in his heart to give up. He was simply too proud - a trait both his mother and father had given him. Piringa could simply not understand how a horse so old could have so much fight. Shouldn’t he be nursing a sore hip elsewhere?
A painful smack in the ribs was the final straw for Piringa - there was no pride in being beaten up by your ancient father. He was sore and bruised with his ego much deflated. The herd held no intrigue or fun for him anymore. He also instinctively understood that his mother’s leaving the herd was a message that she as leaving him to fend for himself. She would not want a boisterous yearling under her feet with a new foal. With a final lashing out of teeth, Piringa sprang away and galloped off down the slope trumpeting his farewell long and loud; insubstantial tail flung high. He was leaving his childhood behind and embracing a whole new world… the High Country was now his to own.
Allirea’s sensitive grey ears pricked up with interest as the sounds of trumpeting neighs met her ears. She recognized them both - Boolee and Piringa. It seemed in her absence that her son had been making a nuisance of himself, and that Boolee was finally putting a stop to it. She made no move to hurry, stopping in her relaxed silent walk to nuzzle her newest foal - another colt, much to her disappointment. She had been hoping for a filly this time. A little version of herself, not another of Boolee. Still, she had named him Lark and was going to treat him as well as any of her offspring would deserve - the best.
As she neared the herd the sound of pounding hooves and Boolee’s furious screams filled the air. Lark flagged his furry whisk of a tail and swiveled his ears nervously, and Allirea whickered reassuringly to him. Piringa would be leaving then. Everything had its time, and as a yearling, he would be mature enough to explore the world for himself. She would have no more time for him anyways, as she had Lark to care for.
Reaching the tree line silently, she followed it for a few paces leading her new black colt proudly before stepping into the warm sunshine. She gleamed like the memories of snow in the winter - her glossy new spring coat in all its glory. Behind her stepped Lark - leggy, but finely built, as dark as she was white. He was even blacker than Piringa had been, and she was not sure what that meant, for surely all her foals with Boolee would turn grey.
With a toss of her mane for added effect, Allirea whinnied excitedly, greeting her mate enthusiastically after her absence. She wanted to show off her latest son as well. Perhaps that would take his mind off Piringa - for surely he would still be smarting. Allirea knew him well.
|
|
|
Post by Corowa on Dec 28, 2009 6:05:12 GMT
Boolee stood with ears pricked forwards and nostrils flared. The stallion stood and watched the yearling until he could no longer be seen. Then, with an impatient stamp of his foot, Boolee turned and headed in the other direction.
He was slightly stiff from such a long run, and because of the confusion of the chase, it took him some time to find his mares. With his nose to the ground, Boolee followed their tracks to the grassy flat where he’d left them grazing.
At once, Boolee was amongst them. The stallion held his head low, and he circled about the small mob of mares, making sure none of them had thought to go off from the others. With ears flattened, the stallion bunched them more tightly together. Then, convinced they were all right, let them scatter.
Together with the others, were the two mares that had gone missing. Boolee was relieved to have them back with him, and having chased off that yearling son of his, the stallion felt settled enough to more properly greet his mares.
Boolee went eagerly to them. With his fine ears pricked, and nostrils wide, the stallion trotted around the mares. He drove them slowly back, until the two mares stood some ten or so yards away from the others. Finally, when he was certain all was safe and there were no stockmen about, Boolee stretched out his nose and whinnied a warm greeting to the handsome creamy mare.
The mare had been gone the longest, and with so many stockmen in the mountains, the stallion was surprised to see she had not been captured. Boolee thought one of the stockmen had caught her, and had pictured her hobbled somewhere in the stockyards down at Little Thredbo Hut.
It was only then the stallion noticed the mousy dun foal by the mare’s flank. Boolee blew loudly through his nostrils in surprise, and dropped his nose to investigate it more thoroughly. With a final gentle nicker to its dam, and a playful nip, the stallion turned his attention to Allirea, glad to see her again.
The grey mare had brought him back another fine colt, and Boolee fussed suitably over it. But he had a small interest in the foal, and the stallion gave it only one or two noisy sniffs, before he turned his head to the mare, and started to nibble on her shoulder.
With his two mares back and safe, Boolee could finally get some rest. Even though he still listened for any signs of stockmen in the scrubby bush, he was reassured enough to rest his head a moment on the mare’s withers, the only indication of the affection he held for his favourite mare.
|
|
|
Post by yaruka on Dec 29, 2009 17:40:24 GMT
OOC: I think the posting order got a bit out of wack, but it should be alright if I just post now right?
BIC: As Piringa was chased off Tyrilly grazed slowly back to the centre of the herd. Boolee came back towards them, and unbothered by Boolee's driving them around the pinto filly obdiently moved with the stallions' directions until he let them rest. ------------------
Cardinia drifted with the herd as Boolee pushed them to and fro, ignoring the pinned ears and bared teeth of the grey stallion. Ordinarily she might have refused to move, but for now she decided not to test his patience any more than she already had, after all, she had Kuranna by her side and would hate for her to get hurt. Having been gone so long, Cardinina was surprised at the relatively warm greeting she received from Boolee, her ears pricked forwards curiously for a moment, but when the stallion extended his nose to her she pinned her ears and turned her head. She didn't react as Boolee nosed at their foal, trusting the old grey stallion in spite of his somewhat grumpy persona. She was proud to see that Kuranna neither flinched nor shied at the stallion's approach, holding her ground boldly though Boolee was the first horse to touch her other than her dam. The stallion nickered to Cardinia again, and with a surprised flick of her ears Cardinia acknowledged him. The playful nip to her haunches was more like him, and the creamy coloured mare kicked out at him before resuming her grazing. The grey stallion moved away and she continued to ignore him, cropping the snowgrass hungrily. -------------------- Kuranna watched the stallion move away, fascinated by his confident prescense. She watched as he greeted another mare, sniffing at her foal as he had sniffed at her. When the stallion rested his head on the grey mare's withers the grulla filly moved forwards, boldy stepping up to the stallion's shoulder and nipping him as he had nipped her mother. She then looked up at him, eyes curious and somewhat defiant, waiting for his reaction.
|
|