Summertime Living |open|

[Li<3]

The grass swayed around the mares strong legs as she moved easily through the meadows. The bright morning sun rose behind her and warmth stretched across her back. Her long black shadow reached before her, pointing her in the right direction. A few other horses dotted the landscape, but she doubted many others would be up this early. The rough mare stopped and shook out her pelt. Drops of dew showered onto the grass and Ganandurr looked back at the sun.

Half of its face had risen over the horizon and it was easily sliding up into the sky. Her face stretched into a crooked half smile and she dropped her head to the grass. Ana nibbled at the green shafts, keeping her ears alert, but the rest of her body was relaxed. The grass was sweet and crisp in her mouth. She pulled her head out of the grass to looked around for a moment. Her soft eyes scanned the landscape and drops of dew stuck to her whiskers. Seeing nothing of interest, she dropped her head again to lazily graze.

This was the life. No worries, no annoyances, just simple silence and gazing. Ganandurr could live like this all the time, but she knew that in the life of the brumbies, these moments were few and far between. So, she would have to enjoy it.

[E!]

The fire had aged him. At least, it felt that way to Iuk. It had cleansed him of some of his inflictions, clearing his head - if only for a short time. He had not realised the full potential and strength his young body held, for he was in the prime of his life now, at the age of five years old. He could feel the strength in his muscles, the pounding of healthy blood through his veins. And his beauty, he could feel that too. Never before had he looked so.. good. It had always been the opposite - a rough, dirty coat, thin legs and wispy mane.. ugly. But not here.. not now.

He stood with confidence now, his pale blue eyes as cunning as ever, but clearer than they had ever been before. Iuk was released upon the land once more, and this time he felt as if he deserved it. The air was hot and clear, the sounds of cicadas clear in his twitching ears, the scent of other horses wafting to him on non-existent breezes. He moved, walking at a steady, regal pace toward Paddy Rush's Bogong, knowing he would find others there. No longer did he move with jolting, awkward steps.. he moved smoothly, gracefully, elegantly. A stallion in his prime.

His pale cremello coat shone in the sun, sleek from good grazing, clinging to his newly acquired muscles. He was glorious. As he reached the Bogong, he searched with eager eyes for the one thing he desired but had never received - a mare. And there she was. Alone, a young black mare of sturdy stance and a handsome disposition. Others might have looked upon her and thought her plain, for she did not possess that "creamy" quality that was so desired, but Iuk found such a colour rich and beautiful, so dark against his own, awfully pale coat. His eyes flicked to and fro, wondering how to catch her attention. He was very aware of his gleaming coat and position at the entrance of the Bogong - others would be too.

He shifted slightly, moving himself to the edge of the Bogong, knowing that eyes followed him as he moved. He ignored them. He gave a slight whicker, raising himself consciously into a half rear, tossing his pale mane as he hailed the black gem alone in the crowd.

[Tiggs]

One pair of eyes that followed the pale stallion were those of a colt. He too was out on the Bogong for the same reason; to find mares. Success had been limited. While the daughters of the Bogong stallions were intrigued by Kolya, the dark dun colt, their fathers were infuriated by his presence. The closest he had got to a filly all season was a mild little bay who had almost come away with him. He’d brushed his mottled black muzzle against hers, and then her father has rained down on him with furious bites and he’d been forced to flee and nurse his pride.

He hoped that at the crack of dawn, the stallions would be less vigilant, and he would be able to sneak away with their daughters before they woke. What he found today though was a stroke of luck; a black filly stood all alone out in the grassy meadows. She must have wondered from her herd, and now was his chance to start his very own herd.

Luck was fleeting, however, and before he could make it to the black and white filly, a creamy shape came out of the lingering night. The colt pinned back his ears as the ghostly stallion saluted the mare with a rear, sure that the stallion was mocking him.

At two years old, Kolya was hardly in his prime. He was tall, but had yet to fill out. This wraith of a stallion was a comparative beast, with a strong rump and a thickly-corded neck. Kolya should barely stand a chance against him, and by rights, should turn tail and run. But the brown colt had had quite enough of defeat, and he decided to make a stand for himself.

Tossing his dark head, he whinnied to the filly and came high-stepping toward her from the opposite side to the cream stallion. Where the other stallion seemed to glow in the dawn sun, Kolya’s dark coat seemed to keep him in the shadows. Coal-black mane, getting longer by the season, bounced against his neck. His tail, held high and proud, caught on the long grass at its tips and he flicked it from side to side to stop it tangling. The strengthening light brought the dark brown barring on his legs into stark contrast with the fawn-brown of his body, and a clear dark line ran down the length of his spine from withers to tail.

He came to a halt, the filly between him and the other stallion. With a half-rear of his own, he too greeted the filly, nickering to her with his best and deepest stallion’s voice. It needed a little work, as did the lean muscles bunching under his pelt but Kolya seemed confident in his ability to woo the filly. She would see the strangeness in that ghostly stallion and decide she would rather come with him, the dark mysterious colt. It seemed to completely bypass the colt that the stallion was more than twice is age and could easily crush his little rebellion. But Kolya had his mind set on her, and he was stubborn to the core.

[Li<3]

The black and white mare had been enjoying her peaceful time tremendously, but at the sun showed its full face, her grazing was interrupted. Ganandurr's ears had noticed the stallion before he revealed himself to her. When he came forward she paid him no mind. The whicker called her head to turn toward him and she watched as he reared. He was like a golden angel in the sunrise, but the sparkle of his antics didn't cause her very ordinary and slightly bored expression to change. She looked at him for a good long moment before dropping her head to graze once more. It was the colt that caught her attention.

The young stud came up from the other side of her. Ana watched him rear and do his dance and try to impress her. She snorted amusingly. A colt his age challenging a stallion was either brave of stupid. Ana went with stupid. She shook her head and nearly giggled, dropping her head to graze again. She flicked her mixed tail against her hide to flick off some of the awakening flies. She continued to graze for a few minutes, and as the sun rose higher, she could tell that the tension in the air was building between the two males. She quickly snorted and walked forward, toward neither of them and turned around to look at them.

They stood in a triangle now with Ganandurr at the point. She pawed at the ground and whinnied to both of them. She wasn't interested in which one of them was stronger, she could take care of herself. She flicked her rough mane out of her eyes and snorted. Ana knew that she wouldn't accept a male who tried to overpower her. She just wanted a stallion who could keep up with her and would be smart enough to make life possible in the harsh land they lived in. She watched the stallions and knew that the older one would be the more likely choice, but she wanted to see what the colt had. Enough spunk and potential was good in a young one, but he needed to watch other stallions and learn before he could have a mare of his own.

Ganandurr made her decision. She wanted to see how the colt reacted to lose. She slowly made her way toward the creme stallion, keeping a close eye on the colt.

[E!]

Iuk had never had a calm head, and his anger was easily touched, even for the slightest reason. Today was no exception. The mare paid no attention to him whatsoever, only looking and appearing bored at his antics. Was she so blind as to see that he was calling to her? Or was she perhaps just too arrogant in herself to consider returning his boon? Whatever the reason, Iuk was not pleased. He tossed his head, snorting irritably. And as if that were not enough to make his blood boil, here was a pestering colt, come to try his luck against him! He would have let this go, had the colt not been given more interest by the mare, no, his mare.

He watched, silently fuming as his prize tempted the both of them, moving so that she stood before them both, at the head of a rough triangle. Iuk's pale eyes glared at the imposing colt, lips twitching, itching to bare his teeth. It was all he could do not to squeal and chase the younger horse off, but he knew that he could lose the mare doing so - for she looked as if she would hardly glance back if she chose to leave now. His eyes, greedy, laid upon the mare and narrowed at the attention she gave to the colt - her favour had obviously already been won. But why would she want a puny young thing like him, when she could have Iuk, in all his glory!? The thought itched and scratched at his brain, threatening a lapse in his control.

Hell, Iuk would chase off this colt and take the mare for himself! Even as she pranced toward him, sultry eyes still on the younger horse, Iuk paid no attention to her, rather pranced toward his opponent, tossing his head and squealing a challenge. If Kolya wanted to learn a lesson on fighting and how older stallions worked, Iuk was not the best model. It was not that he was an unskilled fighter, for he had cunning and now strength, but never did he have a clear head or sense in what should provoke a fight. His temper was quick to flare, and in the heat of battle, he was known to go too far.

The mare was forgotten, though no doubt he would search her out at a later time - he had never been good with losing, and he would want a prize. Iuk could feel himself recessing rapidly into his old ways and embraced it, for madness lent him strength, though rid him of his boundaries and sense.

[Tiggs]

Kolya could not believe the mare’s calm reaction either. Two stallions seeking after her! She should be flattered. Instead she moved out from between them and assessed them both with cool detachment an equal distance away. Kolya squealed and bucked, whinnying to her again. He wanted her attention!

It seemed he had the stallion’s attention too, and the brute seemed not to care for the young mare even when she made her choice. The filly turned and started toward the pale stallion, and Kolya’s bellow of frustration followed her. He reared and bucked and stomped in place as she walked away, a petulant colt, not taking the loss graciously at all.

But wait, was she looking at him? She chose the creamy yet she still looked back at him. Taking this as all the encouragement he needed to persist, the dun colt reared up high, kicking at the air with his fore hooves. The other stallion was on his way over, the threat of violence ramping up intensity with every step.

The more lightly-built male took off at a dead sprint, curving a wide arc around the filly and keeping out of the stallion’s reach. Bucking again in his youthful exuberance, Kolya called to the filly again and again, trying to tempt her while the pale stallion chased after him. He knew if that stallion caught up to him, he would feel the pain of teeth and hooves on his hide. But while the black and white filly was here, and the stallion was too distracted to take her away, Kolya believed there was a chance she might change her mind.

[Li<3]

Leave it to stallions to take everything the wrong way. Ganandurr had never intended to leave with the colt, she had merely wanted to test their skills. She wanted to test the stallions patience, levelheadedness, and focus on his goal in a tense situation, and she wanted to test the colts ability to take defeat when he knew he was beat. Instead she got an angry stallion chasing a colt and completely forgetting about her and a young colt refusing to give up and still calling to her. Ana snorted and shook her head, going back to grazing. At this point she wasn't entirely thrilled to go with either one of them.

Her dark muzzle snapped at the cool grass for a few moments before she looked up again. The stallion was closer to the colt, and she knew is he caught the dun that there would be bloodshed. She snorted irritably and cantered out to the circle they had been running and broke into a gallop next to the cream stallion. She gently nipped his whither and skidded to a halt, waiting for him to turn around and face her in this fury. It wasn't her brightest idea, but she had a thing or two to say to him. She would leave with the stallion today, but she wouldn't stay with him long if he continued these antics.

[E!]

His squeals and snorts of rage filled the air as Iuk pranced forward, stopping now and then to paw the ground in frustration. And then the dun ran! Iuk took off after him, heavy hooves thudding against the ground and setting the tempo for his anger. The youthful display of energy and strength from the younger colt teased Iuk, enraging him further. He was heavier than the young stallion, and less agile, but if he could get the other into close range, Iuk was confident he could give the younger stallion a beating he wouldn't soon forget.

His eyes were set on Kolya, muscles rippling as he surged toward him, heart thudding powerfully. And then someone was there, beside him. A sharp nip on his wither caused him to toss his head angrily, and he jolted to a stop, lifting himself up into a rear, his heavy hooves flailing before him. Dropping to all four hooves, his keen eyes picked out the mare before him and he tossed his head. His head still pounded. He pranced forward heavily, ears flat and tail flicking irritably. What did she want! He had been so close to catching that insect of a colt! His chest heaved as he stared, coming a stop before her, but saying nothing.

He could hear the young fool dancing around still, making him long to take up the chase again. But as his heart slowed, so did his anger. It still niggled at him, and he was as grumpy as a pregnant wombat, but he was able to restrain himself - for now.

[Li<3]

((OOC: Tiggs said to skip. ^-^))

The dark mare snorted and watched the stallion. As he reared and turned toward her, she could see the fire in his eyes. Ganandurr planted herself firmly on the ground in a wide stance and pinned her ears back, giving Iuk a stern gaze. He pranced toward her and she flicked her tail, ready for what might happened, but he stopped and calmed. Ana snorted and looked the stallion dead in the eye with a hard look from her chocolate eyes.

"It is irresponsible to lose yourself like that," she said. Her smooth, dark voice shockingly deep. "Not to mention incredibly cowardice to take on a much lesser opponent that you would kill easily. With that said," she turned her gaze to the colt. "It is incredibly stupid to take on an opponent who could kill you easily. You need to learn when you're beat and run." Ana turned back the the stallion and snorted, shaking her head.

After a few moments of her keeping eye contact she dropped her head to the earth once more, nibbling on the strands of grass, an ear aimed to the stallion to await his reply.

[Tiggs]

With the stallion chasing him, Kolya was sure he could almost feel his hot breath on his rump. But the stallion could not keep up. While he was still young and light, Kolya had the speed advantage. He bucked as he ran, whinnying a mocking taunt to the queerly pale stallion. He would never catch him!

Kolya felt like he could run rings around this mare all day, but suddenly she was off toward the older stallion and tempting him out of the chase. Kolya too skidded to a halt and turned to watch the proceedings from a difference. Snorting angrily, the colt pawed the ground before stamping his hoof down.

What was the meaning of this?! She teased him by going to the stallion, as if she knew it would enrage him! She was playing a game with him? She called out to him, calling him a fool for leading the stallion a merry chase. What nonsense! Couldn’t she see how brave he was, facing a stallion more than twice his age? She’d do well to learn some manners.

Of course, she was right. Should the stallion catch him, he would be beat, but Kolya would never admit this. Tossing his head, the arrogant colt snorted, “You are only a filly, you don’t understand what you’re talking about! I wouldn’t want a filly as stupid as you anyway.” And with that, Kolya felt vindicated to leave. It wasn’t her idea for him to leave, it was hers. The day he let a mare get her way was the day his heart stopped beating.

Wheeling around, Kolya cantered away holding his head high with pride. He was not a beaten colt. No stallion had caught him today. That creamy could have that stupid mare, there had to be more intelligent mares out there who knew when not to question the ways of a stallion!

OOC: Lols. he's such a princess. I wonder if Iuk will have any more luck! XD