Happiness and mares, [O/R]

[Corowa]

Yallaban grazed peacefully with his mares. The stockmen had left the High Country, and with this in mind, the young stallion had felt confident enough to bring his two mares down from the high plains and wide mountains, to the best of his grazing grounds.

The mares no longer looked so glossy, but even with their thick, rough coats, Yallaban thought they were still beautiful. Both mares were so gentle and good, and sometimes, while they grazed in the shelter of the snowgums, with him a little distance away, he stood and watched them for the longest times.

With a snort, Yallaban lifted his head and looked around, his nostrils wide, and fine ears pricked. One scrubby dun stallion had thought to bother the two mares, when he had left to find them shelter for the night. Yallaban had sent him off with a good beating, and pretended to chase his fillies for several miles, until the other stallion had rounded them up and bolted.

The other two stallions, had stayed away, and Yallaban had decided not to fight them, convinced they were much too worried of him, to offer a proper challenge. It was important both mares got the best grass they could, and so Yallaban spent most of his time, searching for the richer pockets, amongst the white snow daises.

The stallion cleared his nostrils with a loud snort, and then, convinced there was nothing to bother them here, grazed his way slowly over towards the two mares. Yallaban greeted first the leggy black, and then the fine chestnut. Only then, did the stallion settle down beside Gem, his lead mare.

Now, he nibbled on the mare’s shoulder, glad that she had remained here, and hopeful one day, Gem might carry his foal. There would be nothing better than to have a family, and Yallaban thought both mares would make equally good mothers. Though, just for now, Yallaban thought perhaps it was best to have only his mares’ company to enjoy.

OOC: Only open to mares, no stallions sorry.

[^Firestorm^]

Gem grazed peacefully, her eyes surveying the scene around her calmly and with a hint of joy. As her stallion, Yallaban, came to graze beside her, she knew that this was where she belonged. She nickered softly as he nibbled her shoulder, pressing her muzzle into his thick mane and breathing in his scent.

Her golden ears continiued to flick around occasionally, always alert to the signs of predators. But it calmed her to know that she had her own herd surrounding her, filling her with a new feeling that could almost be equated to... love.

[Corowa]

Only the slight widening of his nostrils showed Yallaban’s surprise at the mare’s almost immediate response. He had not expected to be so readily accepted as their stallion, and so with a soft snort of contentment, Yallaban turned and sniffed her gently, and then stood alongside her, with neck straight out and head down.

Yallaban watched the mare’s ears flick back and forth, and occasionally, his own would twitch first in one direction and then another. There might not be too many stockmen left in the High Country, but the thought of other brumbies, concerned him a little.

Down by a shallow bush water-hole, there was a line of rough mimosa scrub and dry eucalypt. Yallaban made sure he investigated it every now and then, convinced if there were any other horses about, they’d come up through there, where the shelter was good and the bush thick.

With a swish of his tail, the stallion dropped his head and nosed at the snowgrass around his feet. While he was still on watch, it seemed there was nothing much to worry about while everything was so quiet, and so the stallion moved off a little way from his mares.

He hadn’t had much of a chance to explore the country this far south of the Bogong, and if he had been without the added responsibility of this small mob, he might have spent more time finding the nearest water-hole, or perhaps even places to run to, when the stockmen finally returned.

For now, though, what Yallaban had found, was a particularly tasty patch of snowgrass, and he nickered to the two mares to come and join him. He started to crop at the grass, though he obviously left most of the best grazing for the mares.

Since it looked to be a hard winter for the wild bush brumbies, Yallaban only hoped he could find enough good grazing to see them through it.

[yaruka]

Imber grazed quietly alongside the two older horses, happy for now to simply have found company. She was too young for now to feel what Gem felt for Yallaban, though she appreciated his kind and gentle nature, and his efforts to keep them safe. She raised her lightly-framed head as he approached, bumping his nose good-naturedly with her own. As the stallion moved towards the other mare she dropped her head back to the grass, contentedly cropping on the first good grass she had had in ages while her reddish-black coat absorbed the rays of the sun, lulling her into a state of sweet comfort.

[Ehetere]

Ambling across the snowgrass plain that was the Bogong that day was an unremarkable tan mare with smutty patches dirtying her deep gold coat along her neck and flanks. She made no effort to cover her tracks, nor was she silent and one would be correct in thinking she knew very little of the ways of the bush. Every now and then she would stop, cropping the grass short in small patches before moving on. Koonora was a lazy mare, and certainly not one to be hurried by anything.

There weren’t many herds on the Bogong today - unusual, but it meant the stallions left her alone. If there was something she couldn’t stand it was being chased around. She didn’t like running in the slightest - a very tiring business running. She didn’t know where all those young horses got their energy from. Madness.

Further down the plain, she spotted a bay stallion standing with his two mares. The bay had a loud bald face marking that made him stand out: he was quite handsome actually. And he wasn’t running around either: sensible in Koonora’s mind.

High stepping over, she called out boldly to the stallion. She was a bit old now to be wandering around on her own - and she’d rather pick and chose who she had to follow around than have someone pick for her. Not really sparing a thought for whatever nice family moment she might be wrecking she came to a halt a short distance from the white and bay and his two mares, offering an exuberant whinny of welcome.

[Corowa]

Yallaban could feel his hide prickle. The big bay stallion stirred uneasily, felt suddenly sure that they were being watched. He glanced back towards that line of bush though nothing had moved through the whippy saplings or stood, outlined for a moment by the wide, rough trunks of the mountain grey gum.

A currawong called out, and still the stallion couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Yallaban thought perhaps he should gather up his mares and lead them off down into the thick bush, but at that same instant, there came a distant neigh, and he threw up his head and gave his own ringing answer.

There was a dun mare up there one of the steep snowgrass slopes that came down from the Bogong. Yallaban stood perfectly still, though he trembled all over with remembered longing. The stallion could see it was not one of the dun mares, captured by stockmen up by the Long Plain, daughters of that bad-tempered grey.

Yallaban for once, remained motionless, stood with fine head held high and nostrils wide. Then he turned, and with soft nicker to his mares, went forwards at a proud, high-stepping walk. The stallion was in the prime of his life, strong and full of a burning vitality, and when he had called, it was been from a stallion to his mate.

He stopped at the top of the high, rough slope. Yallaban stretched out his nose to the dun mare and blew gently through his nostrils. “I am Yallaban of the Bogong,” he said proudly, and he watched her for a moment, intrigued by the sight of the handsome dun mare, her golden coat burning in the sunlight.

The stallion had not seen many other mobs for some miles and surely, the mare had no mate, for there had been no great trumpeting cry of challenge. Yallaban’s ears twitched, and it was then the stallion reached over to give the mare’s shoulder a playful nip, invited her to join him down on that wide snowgrass flat.

[yaruka]

Imber sensed Yallaban's sudden discomfort beside her, and raising her head, she watched with concern in her young eyes. Suddenly she could graze no longer, and moved about uneasily, closer to Blue Gem, watching the stallion.

What was it that troubled him? She felt queer all over too, and she felt herself tremble. Was it that cruel grey stallion come to find her? Would Yallaban be hurt because of her? But just then a call sounded, and Imber breathed out a sigh of relief. It was a mare's voice. No threat, at least not in her limited realm of experience. Letting out a shuddering sigh she watched as Yallaban high-stepped his way up the hill to greet the newcomer.

OOC: short, but effective, hopefully x)