Silent Hooves

[Cheyenne]

Maia

The silver mare's quick breaths brushed quietly against her velvet lips as she cantered slowly towards the brindle bull, doing all she could to leave no marks behind her - it would have been best if nobody knew she was near. The soft thuds of the gentle rain patted against her pale coat, running all the way down her long face and dripping off the end of her nose - it felt good.

A small group of candlebarks that were huddle together in the gloomy evening provided the ideal hiding spot. Pushing her body inbetween the two palest trees, Maia sighed a sigh of relief and dropped to her knees. Her lips worked their way around a small clump of grass that stuck out from in front of her.

Maia had only just managed to escape a mad stallion who had thought that her beauty and pale coat would be the perfect addition to his very small herd. He had tried to round her up, using his strong body to keep Maia moving towards his two mares who seemed terrified of him. The filly used all the speed to get away from the heavy bay and sliped through the trees and galloped effortlessly towards the Brindle Bull - a place she knew well.

The gentle wind tickled her long mane as it brushed past, trying to take her silver hair with it as it sweapt in and out of the trees, weaving through the fresh grass that had only just sprouted through the wet ground as winter died and spring took over the quiet lands.

[Rivre]

OOC; Mering is still in the thread where he claims Embar, but this thread is set after that one, where he has hidden her to go for a wander =)

bic;

The rain was a welcome thing to an already almost invisible grulla stallion, as he trotted keenly towards the shaly track incline, pale grey hide appearing nearly silver in the queer light which threw odd against the pale ribbongum thicket in which he wove, silent. Lobes flickering, brown orbs gazing melancholy through the whipy branches, Mering traveled up towards where he had left Embar, his first and oddly beautiful paint mare, muscled neck arched against the storm which threatened to rein above.

Every so often he would glance into the openness of the lush snowgrass glade beside himself, his hiding place, nostrils curling at the scents that traveled on the stuffy breeze, teasing him. The grass looked sweet, and plentiful - but there seemed to be other stallions here, other horses. For why would that rare pale filly dance across it with such openness? Was it that she did not know him to be here? Perhaps she would come to him, if he called? What did it matter if had to fight the one who owned her?

Throwing back his head, he threw his wild call to the massing heavens, a call filled with all of the energy, the life and love it took to run with him, full of the excitement it was - but forever remaining hidden in the washy barks, a covering of waxy leaves. A silence which was not quite silence warped the tense atmosphere of the bush, creating a sudden and electric energy which seemed to call the winds, flying through the thicket and whirling up around the huge stallion, cream and grey hair whipped from neck and from flank to blaze in the air around him.
"It is I! It is I!", echo after echo after echo of a ghost horse...

[Cheyenne]

Maia stiffened as she heard the call of another horse - a stallion! She had only just managed to gallop away from one. Would she have to race away from another who wanted her as a prize? A stallion that would never love her but only want her for her rare coat? She stod silent in between the gap of the candlebark trees, holding in her breath, staying as silent as the trees themselves.

Peeking out from her hiding space, Maia took in the appearance of the stallion. He was a well built horse with a strange colour that she had never seen before, a colour of grulla and silver mixed into one - it was beautiful. Maia pulled herself out of her amazed emotions and put herself into one of cautious and wariness.

Her body trembled while she kept her eyes watching the stranger. A small bird in the tree above called loudly to his mate making Maia jump and bolt fromher hiding place, ears back and the whites of her shiny black eyes showing. She had been concentrating so much on staying silent that she hadn't been wary of the nature around her.

As Maia tried to escape the sudden noise and almost crashed into the stallion, digging her heels quickly into the soft ground just in time.

[Rivre]

The call seemed to echo for a while before anything stirred in the thicket which he peered into - although stirred may be too weak a word. The call of a currawong alerted Mering to the fact that not everything was safe this spring, not everything was wanted - but he had little time to dwell on his latest revelation, for the cream and silver streak of a mare came plunging from her cover, just avoiding a scrape and slide into his own grey torso.

Head thrown back even further in surprise, he eyed her with wide brown gaze, finally breaking the awkward silence with a huff of amusement on his part. Lowering his head so that his was below her own, he offered quivering dark grey nose in greeting, amusement in every line of his features as he awaited her reaction.
"What is it that you are running from 'O sweet mare the candle barks? For there is nothing for you to fear when I see nor hear nothing, I am Mering - named for the earth, as you may know."

She was indeed, beautiful, even in this bad light her coat shone with a perfect radiance, glowing almost as the soft thudding rain washed away sweat from both their hides. He was not one for merely the rareness of a coat, it was more the personality than anything - plus the fact that he knew creamies to be more than bush-wise, as was the way of his herd. He found this little mare in particular to be quirky, suited to the life of the bush, but something had clearly disturbed her and he wanted to know what.

[Cheyenne]

The stallion huffed in amusement at Maia's dramatic enterance and the silver mare couldn't help but let out an embarassed giggle - it wasn't often that something caught her off guard and send her galloping away, she had been so focused on staying hidden from this stranger who, now, didn't seem such a big threat. The stallion offered his soft velvet nose in greeting which - before hesitation for a few seconds - Maia took, reching her nose to touch his as if to say I'm so sorry about that. After all, she did almost crash into him.

"What is it that you are running from 'O sweet mare the candle barks? For there is nothing for you to fear when I see nor hear nothing, I am Mering - named for the earth, as you may know." The stallion's voice was relaxed, smooth and calm. "I was trying to escape from an innocent bird," she said, with a little giggle, trying to hide her face from the embarassment. "Well, actually I was hiding from you." - she decided to come out with the truth. It all seemed so embarassing now. - "I only just managed to escape a stallion who tried to force me into his small herd. I decided to come here and was anxious when I saw you because I thought you would try to herd me away aswell. A bird called from somewhere above me which caught me off guard as I was trying so hard to stay silent. I am sorry for the misunderstanding for you seem like the kind of nice stallion who I can trust.

"My name is Maia, meaning illusion and desire." The tension in her body seemed to relax now. There was something about Mering which Maia couldn't work out - like he was a one-of-a-kind type of brumby. Maia shuffled her feet and watched the ground with her shiny black eyes, her pale coat reflecting off the raindrops that dotted her back.

[Rivre]

Mering watched the little cream mare become more and more embarrassed, beginning to feel a little stupid himself for asking such a question. She had been hiding from him? Blowing softly through his nostrils, he shook the gathering droplets from his mane and forelock, whickering as he did so. Why would she be so confused as to hide from every stallion who came across her? His question was answered in her long explanation, and he let out and indignant snort - angry that someone should molest such a timid thing.

"Maia, the name suits you well. You can fear not whilst in my presence, I will protect you" he nickered, taking on a tone of mock nobility at his last statement, although he knew that in someways he meant it. She was a curious thing, a little light which seemed to brighten his rainy day -his own personal sunshine. A smile spreading slowly across his features, he played gently tugging at her own wispy mane, threads of silver caught between soft grey lips.
"He could not have been a good horse to bully one such as you, but maybe I can make-up for it?"

Shuffling a little closer, so that their shoulders almost touched in their closeness, Mering moved his muzzle to her withers, using his teeth to satisfy whatever itches she might have from the invading rain. Big drops of the wet fell from the wax-like leaves of the candlebarks, landing square on his hide and sending buzzes of cold throughout his lean frame, but all the while the warmth of his proximity to Maia remained.

[Cheyenne]

"Tell me more about yourself," Maia asked, curious to know more about the stallion who was grooming her silver coat happily. "Where did you grow up?" She wanted to know his past. Wanted to know more about him and why was the reason they stood here together talking. She flicked her tail at an itch on her rump which Mering had missed.

"Yes," Maia said, shaking her body to rid herself of the cold raindrops that ran down her pale coat, staining it as they went. "Perhaps you would like to race the wind with me?" she asked, hoping that the stallion would agree to gallop beside her in the steady rain until they tired.

OOC: Sorry for the short rubbish post but my brain had gone in to stupid mode today and I have no idea why lol

[Rivre]

Mering grazed his teeth gently over Maia's hide, moving so that he could satisfy the itch on her rump, the flecking of her hide indicating her discomfort. He stood with a curious openness to his frame, neck bent, working over the mare with friendly admiration as she inquired about his past. Chuckling good humorously, he rubbed his nose along her flank, stopping his work so that he could talk.
"I was born on the Ramshead at the end of the Winter months, and there with my mother I stayed while we waited out the snow. Her milk was good," he nickered, snorting in amusement as he remembered the sweet tasting substance as if only having had it yesterday.
"I have lived three summers and intend to live many more, along with my mares and foals. Perhaps one day with you..." he answered shyly, neck arched as he subconsciously puffed out his chest, silver hide flashing in the sudden sunlight which pierced through the canopy of leave above, ricocheting off the raindrops like snow melting in the spring.

"Perhaps you would like to race the wind with me?" Nodding sagely, he felt a energy like a bolt of lightning striking into his limbs, rising in a half-rear under the pale trees and barks, tossing cream and dark grey banner to the sky, now wet and clinging to his neck as it fell, blinking away the rain-drops.
"I will happily join you, for it is in this weather that I disappear, like a ghost horse; are you one that travels silently? For if you are, we could lead so many a wild chase through the bush!"

OOC; Don't worry Chey xD I have it all the time.

[Cheyenne]

The silver mare listened as Mering told his story. It sounded like he had a good foal-hood that any wild brumby would have wished for. Maia too also remembered the sweet taste of her mother's milk as it had ran down her throat and satisfied her hunger. The story of when Maia dwelled as a foal was completely different to Merings. Hers was a story of love and knowledge that soon turned into one of fear and survival.

Maia smiled. "I travel as silent as a dingo is when he hunts," she answered him as he raised himself into a half-rear. The silver mare copied and bolted off from under the trees and through the open lands. The smooth beat of her hooves thudded lightly as she left no sign of where her hooves had landed on the soft ground. A light breeze twisted through her silver mane and as it followed behind her.

Maia loved to gallop. It was one of the rare occasions when all her worries and fears were left behind here as she raced through the trees and leaped over rocks. The small blades of grass tickled against her lower legs. Her small ears flickered to face behind her, listening for the sound of Mering to see if he had followed.

[Rivre]

Once again Mering was reminded of the hustle and bustle of the silver herd as Maia flew out into the open, a silver wil-o-wisp of cream and streaked hide, a beauty and a sight for sore eyes. Twisting in his half-rear, he leaped into a gallop behind her quickly fading hide - both of them soundless.

She was quick, he would give her that, but he had the power of the wind and steel stallion muscle to propel himself across the open grass glade, blowing quietly as he stretched his legs even further, eating up the distance. Whinnying his wild and breathless joy, he leaped a few of the randomly scattered shrub bushes, relishing in the wet that dampened his coat and now darker grey hide - flank to flank with the silver mare, running the race of time. Had Thowra done this once with his illusive cream mares? Maybe so, but Mering was sure that he would never follow in this filly's great grandsires hoof-steps. Yes he had the ambition, but right now he had nothing but the hope and determination to get him through the summer, let alone begin fighting again.

They were nearing the opposite tree-line now, a rising tide of pale candlebark and snowgums trunks, woven so closely knitted that it would be impossible to penetrate - if one did not know the way. Putting on a last energy using burst of speed, Mering forced his way past Maia's flightly form, ducking to the right so that his slippery hide could wedge his way between a gap in the branches; it led into a smaller and canopy-bearing clearing, one that Mering slid to a halt in, waiting for Maia.

Once again touching grey nose to silver, he nickered softly in reply to her earlier words of the wind and races, it had been fun.
"Perhaps you will come with me? I have shelter and protection, and if it is only that you seek it is only that, that I will give. But I can also learn to love, like any if given the chance."