Solitude {Nandalie}

[Ehetere]

On the northern end of the Big Boggy, a dark shadow moved through the heavy mist. The air had a chill in it, and the promise of autumn and cooler weather. Binda was making her way around the edge of the perilous plain heading for some of the hidden valleys between the Bogong and the Brindle Bull. She had not made her way up the far safer Crackenback River, because she was deliberately avoiding roaming stallions as usual.

She might have sought out the company of other mares perhaps, were it not for her general fear of other horses. She had not lived a happy childhood with an abusive mother and a father who was ten times worse. She rarely spoke to anyone, even the friends that she had come to make among the bush creatures. She no longer trusted friendship and had tried to close herself off from the world as much as possible. Life was cruel to her, and she saw this as the only way to avoid certain pain.

Her mind had wandered from the scene before her though, and her leg slipped deep into a hollow that had disguised itself as solid ground. She snorted in surprise and hauled herself out once more, and had to stand for several minutes to calm her racing heart. The cold mud had given her a fright, and in her already rather wound up state it wasn’t difficult for her to shy something shocking. A cold sweat was breaking out and darkening her smutty brown coat.

Deciding that the Boggy was too dangerous in this wet humid weather, Binda headed closer to the slopes and crags of the Brindle Bull, venturing onto the lower slopes where she found a quiet secluded hollow with a soak hole from which to drink. The sky was darkening with the promise of a storm to match the stuffy weather and Binda sighed deeply. There would be no more travelling for her today, so it would be better to rest and recover from any damage the sudden drop into the small bog may have caused her.

[Tiggs]

Nandalie could have sworn these crags were wider once. Winding about the rocky outcrops and picking his way through sheer-cut valleys, Nandalie was on his way to find grazing. His mares were in the care of the King. The strawberry roan trusted the black to hold them while he scouted, and he would be back there before the day was out.

The country was so familiar, that is was an easy thing to make his way through the tightly wound trees toward a little-known soak hole hidden in a hollow at the base of the Brindle Bull. It was such a secluded spot that he was surprised to see a mare there. She was a noble smoky black, dark brown in colour and liberally dashed with mud. He had to smile. She must have come from the Boggy.

The kind stallion nickered to her as he pushed his way out of the trees, his voice accompanied by a deep rumble of thunder off in the distance. She seemed to be alone, and that was a surprising thing in this season. Most mares were safe with their stallions at the tail-end of the breeding season, not wandering alone.

He lifted his head and curled his nostrils, testing the air out of habit. Most of his mares were already past their fertile stage, with the exception of Yaruka, but he could not help but test the state of this mare before him. She was everything he liked in a mare, and with an unusual pang of desire, he would challenge any stallion nearby for her company.

[Ehetere]

Binda’s eyelids dropped and she rested on a hind leg as she fell into a doze beneath the shelter of a snow gum’s branches. The dark clouds were becoming darker by the minute, and she though that she would be safe to rest her eyes for a while before the storm came as every other sensible animal would be running for cover before a deluge was released from the heavens.

She jumped and was started rather badly then when a friendly nicker met her ears followed by an ominous peal of thunder somewhere far off. Binda spun around to find a mature red roan stallion stepping from between the trunks. He must frequent the Bull to know this hiding spot.

Binda watching him with wary eyes; for she did not appreciate the way he was looking at her. She had been avoiding stallions all spring and summer so they would not wish to spirit her off to their herds. Even if she did find happiness once more, all evidence pointed to it being snatched away from her again.

She went to take a step back towards the way she had come, for stallions at this time of year only had one thing on their minds. But a sharp jolt aching pain shot up her leg, and she realised that by standing still and cooling down, that she had pulled a muscle and that going anywhere at any rate of speed was going to be difficult. She was not really built for speed, but reckoned she might have been able to out pace the stallion and scramble downs some cliffs to safety. But that was virtually impossible now.

Putting her leg down gingerly, she turned her gaze back to the roan, whom she had to admit was rather handsome. He probably had a whole harem of mares and foals. Binda had only ever had one foal, which had left her as a yearling and was never seen again. She had no idea whether the colt had been captured, or perished, or flourished or simply migrated to pastures new, and she did miss motherhood quite dearly. But that only brought painful memories of her first stallion back to the surface, and made her rather sad and even more withdrawn than usual when she took the time to dwell on them.

“Greetings, O’ Stallion,” she said to him, her voice guarded and suspicious, “Why are you here when a storm is looming, when a stallion should be perhaps comforting his mares?”

[Tiggs]

Nandalie sobered a little, realising he had spooked the mare. She made a move backward, and it did not escape his attention that one of her legs was not sound. Concern tempered the desire, and he lowered his head and tail and adopted a more worried expression. It had been a long time since he had met a mare outside of his own herd, and he had instantly treated her as one. The familiarity he used must have been disconcerting, and he apologised with a nicker.

“Greetings, mare of the soak. I apologise for my abrupt entry, I did not expect anyone to be here.” He halted on the other side of the soak, his slate hooves cutting into the soft ground as he stood square. Compared to the mare, he was quite broad and well built. She was a short and scrubby mare, another endearing trait that threatened to tap into the repressed desire. He could not seem to help himself, and his neck arched proudly.

“My mares are a sensible bunch. The storm will not bother them greatly. They are resting with an ally while I scout the grazing on the Brindle.” He explained, the affection he felt for his mares obvious in his tone. “We must move often, our sons and daughters are ravenous little things.” He added fondly.

“What of you? Why do you rest here alone? How did you come to be lame?” The roan asked with a genuine concern.

[Ehetere]

She did not relax her position when the stallion relaxed his own posture, but she did feel a little more secure. Still, that was the way of stallions, she reasoned, especially in breeding season. Curtesy and concern came after admiring mares and sizing them up.
She nearly snorted in amusement when he addressed her. Granted, she had not been among horses for many a season, so the lack of humour may have made his remark funnier, yet it was still rather entertaining.

Of course he had not expected to find anyone here, for Binda did suspect he kept his herd nearby on the Bull, and doubted that a great many other stallions would venture there for the roan looked experienced and powerful. And most definitely handsome, she decided, quietly admiring him as he arched his neck. He was of course showing off, but she didn’t really mind.

He did indeed sound like quite a wise stallion, and a good one at that. She wondered idly who his ally was, for stallions in her experience rarely got on, especially enough to mind another’s herds. And in breeding season too! This roan must truly trust his ally, for not many stallions would risk the care of their beloved mares to another at such a time.

“I was travelling east, to no where in particular, and was skirting around the Boggy. I…” she trailed off, deciding that perhaps her desire to avoid other horses was probably not the best thing to mention right now. “I was distracted, and my leg got trapped in a swamp hole. I must have injured it then.”

“I have no herd, unlike yourself roan stallion, and therefore have no one else to rest with.” She said rather dryly, and was amazed at how much she was talking. She had sometimes wondered if she had forgotten how to after spending whole seasons without speaking a word.

[Tiggs]

Nandalie nodded his understanding. The Boggy could be dangerous if you sunk, and a brumby’s legs were not easy to get out again. “I see. Does it pain you badly?” he asked, taking a step around the water. “I know I cannot help with the discomfort, but if you would like me to stay and see you through the storm, I will do that.”

He did not like to leave his mares alone for too long, but he knew they were safe, whereas this lovely brown mare might not be if left alone. Keeping her company was the least he could do, if she wanted it. If she had no stallion, then she would have to wait out the storm before she could travel again, and if her leg was badly hurt, that might be difficult. This place was rarely travelled, but dangers were still present.

Another stallion could find her, one with less noble intentions, or a dingo, or perhaps even man. Nandalie could fight off the first two, and at least as a distraction for the third. He dipped his chestnut head and offered his scarred muzzle to hers. It was a gesture of peace, one he hoped she would take.

[Ehetere]

His concern for her was slightly interrupted by him coming closer from around the soak and Binda shifted uneasily. He was rather handsome from a distance, but she still hadn’t made up her mind whether she’d wanted a closer look just yet. All the same, his comfort was appreciated, and so long as she didn’t move her leg it did not feel so bad.

“It is not all that painful, I’ve had worse,”she replied, “It will make walking anywhere at any rate of speed difficult though I fear.”

She considered his second offer, and it was all a little sudden for one who had been in virtual solitude for so long. Did she want him to stay? She wasn’t sure. Perhaps she had been wandering for long enough, and it was time for old scars to fully heal. He was obviously mature enough not to go and lose his mares idly.

“You may stay if you wish,” she finally said, touching her own dark muzzled with his own roaned one, which was covered with scars from previous battles. This served to further reassure Binda that she was not heading for more heartbreak, but perhaps something resembling peace and happiness.

“I am Binda,” she said, suddenly turning rather shy. Now she had made her decision to go with this stallion if he would take her, she was already imagining other mares as friends, and foals. “What do I call you?”

[Tiggs]

Nandalie nickered softly as her nose touched his, and he lipped the side of her mouth gently. “Binda.” He said the name warmly. “I am Nandalie, named for fire, though my colour is the only correlation.” He chuckled and shifted a little closer to stand more by her side. “I am neither unpredictable nor dangerous. My life is fairly sedentary, except for the occasional challenger. I am no fighter like the King, but I hold my own.”

He touched his nose to hers again and lingered. Her shyness was endearing, and she reminded him of Baramay, his liver chestnut mare. Both mares were hardly remarkable in appearance, but inside they were undoubtedly beautiful. Nandalie collected mares with warm hearts, and he was sure that Binda would be no different. She was shy and nervous now, but so Baramay had been when they first met.

“You came from the West, then?” He asked, standing as close as he dared without frightening her.

[Ehetere]

Nandalie; and he indeed was the fire, or at least Binda suspected his coat would light up as such were there sunlight to illuminate it. It was indeed very nice to be cared for by another for a change, and it wasn’t until now she realised exactly how much she had missed the company of other brumbies.

She lifted her sore leg a little off the ground as Nandalie moved to stand beside her, and used his body for balance slightly. If she did not want to make it worse or have it take longer than necessary to heal, she was going to have to keep off it as much as possible.

She appreciated his words greatly, for she was not seeking the glory and prestige of belonging to a King. She knew a scrubby mare like herself may not be seemly to a King anyways. What she longed for now was a place she could feel safe from the dangers of the world.

“Oh, I come from many places, Nandalie of the fire, and the west just happens to be my most recent,” she replied rather cryptically, not really wishing to delve into it any further. She had spent a great deal of her life travelling, and she wondered whether she would miss it with this new lifestyle of hers. Still, with any luck there would be foals to occupy her.

[Tiggs]

Sensing she was still a little tense, and encouraged by her leaning against him, Nandalie lifted his head and nibbled at her mane, nosing under it to groom her neck. He had forgotten the flush of new romance, and he was feeling it now. To get to know this mare from the start was not a daunting task. He looked forward to finding out every secret, every wish and want.

“I don’t travel very much at all.” He told her while he groomed her crest. “My mares and I have roamed this part of the High Country for many years now.” Subtly – or so he thought – he was advertising his prestige and success by dropping all these little hints. He would keep her safe and well fed if she agreed to follow him. “How did you come to be without a stallion, if you don’t mind my asking?” He broached the subject absently, as he was preoccupied with scratching his teeth over her withers.