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Post by tingara on Jul 1, 2008 14:39:56 GMT
The sight of water and a place to rest filled the oddly coloured mare with relief. She stumbled through the loose gravel to the side of a small creek and collapsed beside it. Dilali's relief was only temporary, she'd been running desperately for hours but now her grief had finally caught her. She closed her blue eyes and replayed the scene of her daughter's capture. Dilali opened her eyes with a gasp, the pain from the memory was still too fresh, the wound still new.
"Men!" Dilali spat at the creek, "why should we horses submit to become their slaves? What gives them the right to govern our freedom?" Dilali let rip a trumpeting call to the evening sky, one that told of a mother's heartache. It hopefully also gave Nevada a direction to head in, a mare to find and help.
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Post by Tiggs on Jul 1, 2008 14:56:49 GMT
Lathered with sweat, dust caked onto the damp parts of his coat, Nevada looked thoroughly exhausted as he finally made it to Dilali's call. He had not been far away, sheltering in a copse of trees near the base of the Brindle until he was sure it would be safe to return to the Bogong. So relieved to see that Dilali had escaped, the young white stallion loped to her side and rested his head on her withers with a sigh.
It had not escaped his notice that Birubi was not by her mother's side. The men had almost been upon her when he fled into the trees. He had been berating him self since the chase that morning. A stallion should protect his mare at all costs, but he had run at the first sign of the men. The sound of the whip cracking in the air had stolen all sense from his head and he had run blindly into the trees and away.
In a state of near hopelessness, his strong facade slipped. "Oh Dilali, I'm so sorry. You must be regretting leaving your brother's protection. I should have taken more care to hide us." He nibbled at her mane absently, not wanting to dwell on how many of his other mares had fallen victim to the men.
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Post by tingara on Jul 1, 2008 15:10:08 GMT
Dilali's was made to feel slightly better as she saw her white stallion appear. As Nevada's act fell away so did hers. All strength gave way to a feeling of utter hopelessness. She leaned on Nevada, feeling dizzy from the shock of the day. Dilali barely registered what he said as the scenes from the day past began to haunt her vision. She eventually collapsed and the dizziness past.
"No," Dilali shook her head, "well yes and no, of course I regret leaving Tingara and the safety valley now because Birubi would still be with me but how was I to know this would happen? How were you to know?" She struggled back to her feet and nuzzled Nevada, Dilali was so happy he was safe.
"Soon we have to see if the others escaped and see what those primitive animals are doing with my daughter," suddenly Dilali's despair was replaced with determination. She would have Birubi free again if it was the last thing she did.
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Post by Tiggs on Jul 1, 2008 15:27:22 GMT
Nevada nickered to comfort her, but there was regret in his tone. "Dilali, you mustn't. The men will capture you given half the chance! I'm sorry, but I can't let you go to the men's hut. Birubi will be safe enough for now." Dilali was a prize mare, he couldn't risk losing her too. He knew to stop her from going to the men's hut, he'd have to do it himself.
"When I've gathered the herd, and we've found a safe place to graze, I'll make sure that Birubi is safe. I know a wallaby that owes me a favour, I can claim on that and ask to have Birubi watched. We'll get her back, Dilali, but we can't do that yet." A selfish part of him was glad that Aleo's foal was gone, a rivals genes were out of the way so Dilali would be ready for their own foal at the end of this season. But he quickly pushed that cruel thought down. Birubi would have grown to be a magnificent mare and he would never wish such despair that Dilali felt now on any mare.
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Post by tingara on Jul 2, 2008 9:12:11 GMT
Dilali said nothing and just stared at Nevada for awhile. What he had said was the exact opposite if what she wanted to hear but as much as she tried to ignore it she knew in her heart that he was right. Eventually Dilali sighed and nodded.
“You’re right, when they arrive at the hut they won’t be going anywhere for some time,” her words were choked with pain and exhaustion. The day gone was fast catching up.
“When shall we return to the Bogong?”
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Post by Tiggs on Jul 2, 2008 10:17:19 GMT
Nevada nuzzled the mare, nickering softly to ease her distress. He looked to the sky before he answered. "The day is getting old. I think the men will be gone by the time we reach the Bogong. I have not heard their whips or dogs for a long while now." He was beginning to gather his composure. At least he had not lost his wits in front of Brael, that would have earned him a world full of grief.
Touching noses with Dilali, the stallion went to the small stream and drunk deeply. When he was finished, he splayed his legs and shook out his entire body. Feeling a little refreshed, Nevada turned to Dilali. "Are you ready?"
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Post by tingara on Jul 2, 2008 10:28:10 GMT
“I – I think so,” Dilali stammered before standing firmly beside Nevada. To be honest she wasn’t sure about returning to the Bogong immediately but it had to be done. Better to go back sooner rather than later, if she put it off she might never go back.
“Come on,” she nipped Nevada in the rump half playfully half impatiently, “if we’re gonna go we should go now in the dark when it’s safer. Humans are so strange, they don’t like the dark.” Dilali laughed in a snort at how stupid the two-legged creatures sounded.
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Post by Tiggs on Jul 2, 2008 10:50:57 GMT
Nevada gave a nod, stepping over the stream and heading for the path down into the next valley. "That should mean they will have already returned to their hut. We'll be safe, I promise." Nevada planned on going ahead when they got close to make sure that the men were gone. Once Baramay and Brael were back, they would move to find a different grazing area. Hopefully Yooralla had escaped, though Nevada was beginning to see why the Silver brumbies were bad luck.
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Post by tingara on Jul 2, 2008 11:20:14 GMT
Dilali walked behind Nevada sullenly. Thoughts of blame whirled around her head. Dilali knew it was wrong to blame Yooralla for what had happened but she so desperately wanted to. Flicking her bronze tail at a stray fly half-heartedly Dilali soon settled into a plodding rhythm behind Nevada’s rump. She lost concentration and when Nevada stopped suddenly she’d bump into him.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
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Post by Tiggs on Jul 2, 2008 11:27:30 GMT
OOC: *magical zoom to the Bogong!*
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