Steady As The Beating Drum (Open)

[aquiladorado]

The distress of the Silver mare was beginning to rub off on him, and Baralga longed to comfort her at the sight of her lost eyes searching for something that he figured could not be found. If he had been so bold, perhaps he would have touched her once again to absorb her pain; whether it was the presence of Kurra beside him or something else that held him back, the roan could not bring himself to do such a thing. After all, he was young. And this mare was a Silver. It seemed too unbelievable that someone such as himself would be able to collect that worthy of a prize so early in his years.

With those thoughts on his mind, Baralga almost jumped backward as Karuah’s nose touched his own. His eyes widened at what she asked of him, and his large head rose in astonishment. As he did so, the roan caught sight of a distant shadow that stood high above them on the slope. Baralga eyed the Brumby curiously, and found it to be none other than a Bay stallion! Disappointment only briefly crossed his features, his heart sinking at the loss of what he could have had, although he had known the Silver mare too good to be true. She rightly belonged to the Bay stallion, and her eyes had foretold she would never truly have stayed with another.

Baralga replaced his disappointment with joy and a warm smile overtook his lips as he reached toward Karuah. His muzzle ignored her outstretched nose and instead rested on her forehead as he whispered playfully into her ear. ”This stallion of yours, would he happen to be a handsome Dark Bay of a slight build and a longing in his posture that mimics your own?”[/i] Baralga nodded his head in the direction of the figure on the hill immediately before the question of the other stallion sounded over the winds. The roan’s heart leaped happily for the mare, finally able to join her long lost mate. The feeling pulled at his insides, and Baralga looked curiously to the Bay mare beside him. Perhaps, one day, a mare would feel for him as Karuah did for her stallion? The thought was something he hoped to find at some point in his life.

[stormsnow]

Kurra espied the bay stallion, and her heart leapt for the silver mare. Who else could this be but her lost mate? A smile parted her lips as she saw Baralga whisper in the other mare's ear, as grin on his face as he indicated the other stallion. Such love they must have for each other, the bay mare mused longingly. To be parted for so long, but to retain such a bond. She looked up, catching the roan stallion looking at her, seemingly as deep in thought as she was. Something, some emotion stirred inside her, but she did not know what it was.

Yes, she did- loneliness. Any whom she had told her heritage had turned from her in disgust. She, a half-blood. They believed that she would betray them, if Man was around. They believed she would welcome him with an open heart. She wondered, somewhat bitterly, if Baralga was any different. Whether he would scorn her, looking down on her with contempt and loathing, or if he would still respect her for who she really was if she told him.

[Corowa]

It was then, a trumpeting call rang out over the little snowgrass flat. Karuah stood perfectly still, every part of her searching, questioning. The stallion became tense, listening, and then he stretched out his nose to her, and the mare realised no other stallion could ever truly hold her.

Karuah had begun to tremble all over with excitement. The mare turned, glanced up through the snowgums to see the outline of a stallion, standing there, as if unaware of his own youthful strength and vitality. Karuah was intrigued by the sight of him, still unbelieving, though she would know every proud line of him, even in the blackness of night. Then, with a sudden, throbbing neigh, the mare leapt swiftly away.

Karuah bounded up the long snowgrass slope. The mare could feel her blood singing with that joy which is felt when something has been so nearly lost. It was there, at the top of that high, wide ridge, Karuah propped wildly to a standstill, stood for all to see, splendid creamy mare, glistening silver in the sunlight.

She stood a moment, breathless with longing, until no longer able to contain herself, she took one slow step forwards. Karuah blew softly through her nostrils, and then, with a wondering sort of sigh, touched her nose to his. “Come south with me,” she told him. “I have a longing to see the country that the currawong speaks of, to feel within myself the old legends of the bush, to listen to tales, half-forgotten, told in the song of the mopoke, the dance of the lyrebird.”

The mare turned then and started down the other side of the high ridge. She was no more than a lissom ghost as she threaded her way through the wide, gnarled trunks of the snowgums. The great streamers of bark sighed in the wind, and to the mare, they held a promise that until now, had gone untold, woven into the soft whisper of the leaves, and the gentle stirring of the wind.

OOC: I just did Karuah's left now, so you two can keep going by yourselves.

[aquiladorado]

The young roan stallion watched the beautiful Silver mare leave, sending her a call of farewell on the winds. He hoped to meet Karuah and her Dark Bay mate once again, as the stallion seemed like a good sort to befriend. His brother was of the same sort, and Baralga wondered how he was taking in their new life apart from the herd. The promise he had made to find him still needed to be upheld, but the young stallion was one of his word and had endless time to find the gentle Dun from his past.

Focusing his full attention back on the Bay mare, Baralga nickered happily. ”So, Kurra of the storm, whereabouts are you headed now?”[/i] The roan twitched at the bother of an insect, and swivelled a large ear to catch the call of cockatoo. He hoped that such a fiery mare might be willing to accompany him, if she cared for it.

[stormsnow]

Kurra whickered good-bye to Karuah and her mate. She turned back to face Baralga, listening as he addressed her. ”So, Kurra of the storm, whereabouts are you headed now?” He asked. The question caught the fiery bay off-guard, and she replied honestly. "I do not know, but I will join you, if you will let a half-blooded mare like myself do so."

OOC: Extra short, and very bad. Sorry!

[aquiladorado]

A half-blood? Baralga backed away from Kurra to examine her further, his head tilted in a curious way. Yes, he could definitely see it. Though it was not something he had noticed right off the bat, and had to look very closely to notice, the young roan could just see the too-perfect build of the mare’s body that could signify a domestic past. It did not bother him at all.

Nickering in amusement, the Bay roan moved back beside the fiery mare without a hint of hesitation. All of a sudden, his curiosity of Kurra had increased – an escaped horse of man certainly said something about character, and the stallion’s ears pricked forward at the thought. ”Your blood does not define who you are; it is solely what you are made of.”[/b] Either way, the Bay mare had just gotten a lot more interesting.

Baralga took the rest of what she had said into consideration, and was delighted with what he found. She’s actually willing to come with me! rang his joyous thoughts, and he pranced around the mare performing a few airs of the ground before returning to touch his nose to hers. The young stallion breathed gently into her nostrils, speaking of the promises he could offer. ”I may be young, and with little experience, but I would lay my life down to protect the ones I care about. My life is filled with excitement, each day bringing with it a warm start – I can share that with you.”[/b] It was almost too good to be true! Realizing that factor, Baralga hesitated. ”You will run with me, won’t you?”[/b] How the young stallion looked forward to starting a new part of his life, to starting a family... But he still needed proper consent to do so.

[stormsnow]

Kurra watched, a little apprehensively, as Baralga took a few steps away from her, and examined her. No doubt he would fine that her body shape was too balanced, too perfect for her to be of wild stock. She was heartened when the stallion finally neighed, ”Your blood does not define who you are; it is solely what you are made of.”

The Blood Bay bobbed her head in agreement, and continued to listen to the roan. When he finished, she snorted and nipped his ear, not painfully hard, but not exactly in a gentle fashion, either. "Of course I will run with you; I said I would, and I do not speak for the pleasure of hearing my own voice," she whinnied in reply.

[aquiladorado]

Ducking his head away from the mare’s grasp, the roan looked up with puppy dog eyes. ”Just making sure,”[/i] he said mischievously. The stallion was filled with delight, and he cantered a sharp circle around Kurra before heading off in the direction of the ridge where the silhouette of Karuah’s stallion had stood. ”Then we shall run!”[/i] Baralga called back to the Bay mare, the long strands of his mane and tail being tousled by the soft wind. ”To the south, for I hope to explore those lands further.”[/i] He gazed affectionately at the mare’s burning coat beneath the sunlight – his mare. And the pair of them left the Bull on the same path, a four-beat gallop with eight hooves, their paces perfectly matched and their footfalls beating evenly on the soft ground while keeping the tempo of the beating of their hearts.

OOC: So basically I suck at finishing threads... but I think that should do it haha. Yay Baralga and Kurra!! ;D

[stormsnow]

OOC: I won't bother RPing Kurra 'cause you've effectively wrapped it up, and you did it very nicely, I might add! Shall we start a new thread with them?