Let's Go Out Tonight [Open]

[Ehetere]

The sun dipped below the mountains, setting on another sweltering day of summer. The season had been hot as ever, dotted with wild storms and humidity levels that had many a brumby wallowing in creeks to wash the sweat from their hides. In the queer possum light that came before nightfall, the bush creatures were beginning to move about again, revelling in the drop in temperature with the going down of the sun.

Two oddly coloured brumbies detached themselves from the treeline and made their way down to the plain beside Dead Horse Creek. The first of the two fillies blended far better with her surroundings, her coat a peculiar mix of brown and cream, reflecting almost lavender in this light. The pale shadow who followed her shared this same ethereal glow, looking far frailer in comparison with delicate features tapering off to thin points. Both fillies had strange eyes, the brown-cream leader with deep amber and the pale coated one with amber-green. There was no doubt that here were two very unusual brumbies indeed.

The pair were sisters, the daughters of a Nightrunner stallion descended from both the mysterious white herd and the Silvers themselves. They knew well their heritage, though neither fully reflected it in their appearance. They shared the metallic sheen of the Nightrunners, but neither were particularly thin bodied, with definite meat on their bones. The brown cream came to a stop on the creek’s banks, dropping her fleshy coloured nose into the sweet mountain water. The pale filly was a little more cautious, nervously looking around the empty landscape before also quenching her thirst. The sisters had been travelling together since the fire, early in the morning and in the evening to escape the heat and prying eyes. The pale filly Kalili was a fearful creature, and detested the thought of strangers coming after them.

Kooruna on the other hand was far more level headed, refusing to leave her sister alone on her travels. The brown cream mare knew they could not avoid other horses forever, and that they would have to join a herd at some point, an issue that would increase tenfold once they reached maturity next year. But for now, this peaceful life of travelling and exploring was good and fufilling, and she was happy to ensure her sister’s safety.

[Corowa]

The grey mare moved slowly and cautiously through the bush, slipping in and out of the darkness. There was only the faintest suggestion of a fine head, the blurred outline of a horse occasionally glimpsed through the trees.

The grey light was giving way to darkness, and Wurrun found herself trotting now, consumed by a terrible sense of fear. A branch whipped her flank, and the mare flinched, leaping sharply sideways like a scalded cat. Her trembling increased, and it was some time before she found the courage to go further into the shadows. Wurrun did not normally travel at night, but a horrible chestnut stallion had tried to steal her away, chasing her on and on through the bush before she had escaped him.

Now the only thought she had, was to reach the safety of her usual grazing ground. There were sometimes one or two small mobs of brumbies there, and their presence meant safety. By now, Wurrun was nearly gasping for breath, and she could feel her legs ache as she plunged on through the scrub.

The bush gradually thinned to a few rough grey gums, and Wurrun could smell water, knew that the creek was close now. She half-expected to see a mob of brumbies spread out along the flat, but when the mare finally broke from the covering bush, surprise set her back on her haunches.

Two handsomely coloured fillies stood on the open flat near Dead Horse Creek. Wurrun nickered a greeting, and rushed down to meet them. She did not recognise them as belonging to any of the mobs that usually grazed here, but neither did it seem that they belonged to any stallion at all. Wurrun extended her nose to the pale-coloured filly, introducing herself shyly to the pair.

[Tiggs]

The setting sun was a relief to many creatures, Talgarno and his young mare included. The mature stallion found the relentless heat of summer tiring. Everything he did seemed to take twice as much energy, so he and Bootoolgah travelled only at night, grazing and sleeping in the shade during the day.

The bay stallion knew that his young mare was wary of men, but with his confidence, Bootoolgah followed him down to Dead Horse Creek. He had promised her they would go nowhere near the hut, and he would take her away if there was even a hint of man. Her fear was justified, but a little exaggerated for his liking. Fear could be good and bad in the right or wrong quantities, and so a nice gentle exposure to men would hopefully calm her without desensitising her.

Cautiously, Talgarno checked the creek’s bank, deeming it safe before inviting Bootoolgah out of the trees. There were no cattle on this portion of the bank, but he did see a small mob of brumbies not far away. The stallion did not worry if any of them was another stallion. He was an accomplished fighter, and rarely struggled to scare off any challangers. As he dropped his noble head to the creek, he saw that the queerly coloured collection of brumbies were all fillies.

His interest piqued, the stallion lifted his head and nickered to them. Two were young, no doubt fillies who had only just left their father’s herd. The other had a fullness about her that suggested she had a year or two over the russet and cream fillies. Perhaps an older sister? Huffing, Talgarno reassured Bootoolgah with a muzzle on her blue-and-white mottled shoulder. Nostrils flaring, the stallion tossed his head and called again to the other mares, a little louder to be sure that they heard him and that he was calling to them.

[Ehetere]

There was the sound of movement somewhere above, and Kooruna flicked an ear, lifting her muzzle from the stream. Kalili reacted rather more violently, all but spinning around in fright and alarm. Admittedly, the ghostly coloured filly had significantly more to worry about - her darker coloured sister seemed to blend in with the queer half light, and certainly could disappear like a ghost if she wished to. Kalili looked like a strange dead spectre, strangely opalescent fur over pink skin making her stand out like a sore thumb against the dimming landscape.

The owner of the friendly whicker soon solidified out of the gloom, revealing a friendly looking grey mare who held her nose out eagerly to Kalili. The filly met her, though she was still trembling with fright. It was her brown sister who greeted the newcomer though. “Well met Wurrun. I am Kooruna, and this is my half-sister Kalili. What brings you to these parts on a fine evening such as this?”

The brown filly was actually rather glad they had found another mare to shelter with: she was not as at home in the dark as her sister with her pale eyes. Kalili found comfort in the depths of the night and the lingering shadows in which she found shelter. Kooruna was certain her pale sister could see rather well in the darkness as well, but she shared no such skill.

And it was with this in mind that the paly filly spotted the flash of white first. Her head flew up in alarm, ears straight as a post as she gazed wide eyed a little further down the creek. Kooruna also became alert then, casting her gaze about for any sign or scent of danger. She could not discern much from the rapidly fading landscape, but surely her sister had seen something she had not. A deep whicker emerged from the darkness, and immediately the brown filly recognised it as that of a stallion. Her pink nostrils flared, scenting him on the wind. There was the intermingling smell of mare as well, and she wondered if they had somehow stumbled on a herd’s grazing ground.

His call came again, louder and more beckoning. Kalili stood transfixed, fearful of the sound. She and her sister had been the object of fancy for more than one stallion since leaving their father’s herd, and thus far their experiences had been far from favourable. She had begun to view all stallions as one in the same: big, hulking brutes who saw them as nothing but things to collect, like a bower bird finding ornaments to decorate its nest.

Kooruna had a slightly more realistic approach to the potential of a stallion, and called out to him in reply. She had no intention of being rude. Her eyes had adjusted more now, and she could make out distinct patches of white in the dim remaining light. Casting a glace at Wurrun, she did wonder whether it was she and her sister the stallion was after. The grey was older than they, and this was the breeding season.

[Corowa]

Wurrun curiously sniffed the two fillies. She noticed the odd colour of their eyes, and felt a twinge of unease in her belly. Had there not once been legends of brumbies that ran only at night? Brumbies with queer red eyes; splendid white stallions who stole fillies and drove them to their death? Yet surely, those legendary nightrunners had been white, always white. Anyway, it was said that those ghostly brumbies rarely ventured out of the Moyungal Valley. Wurrun knew it had been many years since the drumming of their hooves had been heard this side of the Snowy Mountains.

The darker coloured filly introduced herself as Kooruna, and Wurrun gave the filly a friendly nudge. The mare soon forgot her previous uneasiness. After all, there seemed to be nothing to fear here. “I was lost,” she told them both. “A horrible stallion chased me right down the other side of Dead Horse Ridge, and I had trouble finding my way back.”

Wurrun studied the two fillies closely as she spoke. The other filly, Kalili, was pale like herself, and Wurrun saw how much more they stood out than the dark-coloured Kooruna. She kept wondering if that strange, pale filly Kalili could see in the dark. It would explain why the filly had reacted so violently to her presence.

Before Wurrun had time to think about what all this meant, a stallion called out from somewhere quite close. It was an attractive call, clearly meant for the three young mares. Wurrun froze at the sound. She turned her head this way and that. But it was almost dark now, and she could see nothing through the trees.

The stallion neighed again, and it was Kooruna who replied. Unlike her half-sister, Kalili was obviously unhappy with the stallion’s attentions, and Wurrun rubbed her head along the filly’s neck. The mare had no ingrained fear of stallions. There had been no menace in the stallion’s call. It had been nothing more than an indication of his interest in the three young mares, and a challenge to any other stallion that might be nearby.

[Tiggs]

The reply was encouraging! A younger mare replied, and he nickered curiously. The stallion tossed his head, and beckoned Bootoolgah to follow. Talgarno was not the flashiest of stallions, he rarely made overt displays, preferring to let his honest achievements give his presence more weight. Though he led only one mare as he trotted along the creek’s edge, his pure confidence and strength of being was hopefully enough to convince the mares – and any on looking stallions – that he was a worthy opponent for any challenger.

Nearing the group, the stallion nickered a more polite greeting. The older mare was a grey, her pelt a mistier version of Bootoolgah’s. Talgarno greeted her first, nostrils flaring and upper lip twitching as he drew her scent in deeply. The other two were younger, as he expected, but this close up he could see they were quite unusual. From a distance, one could be a bay and the other a grey, but he could see now this was not the case. He would need sunlight to see them more clearly, but the fillies had an odd paleness about their faces and eyes. The creamy filly in particularly had an eeriness about her that both intrigued him and set the hairs down his spine prickling.

It was the ruddy filly that seemed the more confident of the two, and Talgarno reached his nose out to her next. “Greetings, fillies in the night. I am Talgarno,” the bay stallion introduced himself, his gaze lingering on the nervous ghost of a filly. She was captivating; the stallion had never seen a filly quite so pale. She gleamed as brightly as if sunlight was on her coat, and the larger stallion felt a flush of chagrin that he was clearly scaring the young brumby. Nickering what he hoped was a reassuring noise, he glanced to the red filly, and then to the dappled grey. It was quite unusual to come across a trio of unclaimed fillies, but the stallion was not concerned that he might be poaching them. The grey was delightful, and the two fillies were mysterious. Talgarno would gladly fight another stallion for their company.

[Ehetere]

Kooruna had already decided that she rather liked the pale grey mare - she understood her sister’s fear and she comforted her. Kalili rather appreciated this as well, the older mare’s nuzzles making her feel protected, safe. She shivered at the grey mare’s tale of terrible stallions, who chased and harried fillies they intended to make their own. This was why the two sisters travelled at night, to try and lower the chances of such a creature spotting them.

It was this fear that had her shivering when Wurrun tried to calm her and her racing heart. Kalili had seen what sort of reaction colts seemed to have to her coat - pale as the moon and just as mysterious. Kooruna might have been a curious colour, but for whatever reason she was no where near as coveted, which left Kalili as the target. Try as she may, her sister could not protect her from everyone.

There was a soft thud of hooves against the grassy ground, and the white marked stallion approached. Even Kalili was having trouble picking his features out, his coat almost as dark as the night that surrounded them. The pale filly’s trembling increased, she would have been much more comfortable with a horse that stood out in the dark, not some shadow creature. The strangely coloured mare who followed him was much easier to see, though her presence did little to quell Kalili’s fears.

Kooruna as usual retained her level head as the stallion got closer and solidified out of the gloom. She spied the hint of a handsome head, thick neck and strong shoulders. Most of his legs were white to the knee, and there were small patches of white on his barrel. The cream and brown mare approved. She met his nose as he reached out to greet her, breathing in his scent and remembering it well. Should they part ways she wanted to remember the scent of a friendly stallion to a mean one.

“Well met Talgarno, stallion of the night, and to you mare of the moon,” she replied politely, acknowledging the curiously snow-touched creature following the dark stallion.

”I am Kooruna, and this is my half-sister Kalili.” She nodded in the direction of the still trembling filly, then glanced at the grey mare. She was younger, and wondered whether it was her place to introduce her. The brown filly decided not, if she had been running from a stallion she might not want to be spending any more time with this one.

[Corowa]

The stallion was dark, though bay or black; it was difficult to tell through the shadows of the mountain gums. What intrigued Wurrun most, was the unusual splash of white on his shoulder and the high white socks on three of his legs. He was lit up briefly by the light that filtered through the tops of the snowgums, but it was enough for Wurrun to see he was a handsome horse indeed.

He went to her first, and Wurrun was so startled she did no more than stand very still, bemused by his attention. Surely, those two odd-coloured sisters must have been a more attractive prize to any watching stallion. It was only then that Wurrun noticed the mottled filly that stood a few feet behind him. She nickered a polite greeting to both the stallion and his filly, but it was really only this stallion with his strange white markings that interested her.

Although she had been badly frightened by that jealous chestnut, Wurrun was old enough to know not all stallions were so cruel-tempered. His one filly kept close, as if afraid, but Wurrun sensed it was not the stallion she feared. Kalili still looked miserable, but that darker filly, Kooruna, was less timid. Wurrun wondered if Kooruna had not mentioned her name out of spite, but it was quite clear the stallion was very much fascinated by the two sisters, and so it seemed rather pointless.

“I am Wurrun,” she said once Kooruna had finished speaking. She felt a burning curiosity about this stallion and his mysterious filly. It seemed unusual that the stallion would choose to travel on through the night, even if he had smelt them from some distance away.

Wurrun shook herself. Her mind was full of images of white horses galloping on through the black night. The young mare told herself that she was only being foolish. There was nothing amiss here. “Where is it that you and your filly have come from Talgarno?" she asked him brightly. "I did not think to see any other horses on my way through this place, and yet here I have already met four.”

[Tiggs]

The darker filly was surprisingly mature, and Talgarno regarded her with respect as she spoke. Her voice was pleasing, and the stallion appreciated her adult response. Many fillies were shy and unsure of themselves, but Talgarno was drawn to strong mares; Kooruna would be such once she had a few more years on her.

The bay stallion nodded, “Well met, Kooruna, Kalili, Wurrun,” he echoed, nodding to each in turn, “This mare of the moon is Bootoolgah,” he added, gently reassuring the young mare with a touch of his dark nose to her pale one. “We have come from higher country,” he replied to Wurrun, his dark gaze settling on the oldest of the mares. She herself was still young in comparison to him, but she too had a calm demeanour and the stallion was glad to come across at least two mature fillies.

It was the palest filly that concerned him. Her pale eyes were wide and rolling, and he could smell her fear permeating the air. Her sister was not concerned, but Talgarno felt guilty nevertheless from provoking such a reaction in the young filly. He wondered if approaching or addressing her would cause her fear to increase. He glanced to the darker of the sisters, wishing for daylight so she might see his meaningful gaze. Did he confront her fears, ignore them, or back off and give her time to adjust?

Without guidance of the brumby that must know her best, the stallion shifted his weight so that he stood away from the pale filly, and addressed only Kooruna and Wurrun when he spoke. Perhaps if the filly did not feel as if his attention was on her, she might relax. “I have known the Gap to go from empty, to full, to empty again. With man nearby, the Gap is not always a safe place to graze, but its grass is some of the best,” he informed them, glancing out over the moonlit meadows. Shapes were hard to make out, and the stallion found it hard to pick distant brumby from cattle but there was no sense of men out there, and so he turned his attention back to the fillies. “No doubt that has what brought you out here tonight, fillies of the Gap,” he said, with only the barest glance to Kalili, the most mysterious of the group.

[Ehetere]

The pale filly felt like her heart might leap right out of her chest as the great stallion regarded her. She had not been brought up in a particularly fearful environment, however since leaving the safety of the herd her nerves had gradually deteriorated, only to be advanced by the fire and burning flames. It did not even occur to her that she might find the same peace of her childhood in a herd, all she knew was that her sire had been almost ghostly white like herself, and this stallion seemed to blend with the night. Surely they were of two different breeds entirely, and from that uncertainty sprung her fear.

She wanted to flee. Far away, fast as her fleet legs would carry her into the depths of the night. Her sister didn’t understand her longing to run at a breakneck gallop through the trees, and Kalili barely understood herself the call that had been born into her blood. All she knew was that her brown sister was steady and unmoving, her rock, and as long as the other filly stayed, so would she.

Kooruna felt her sister relax her trembling at her side as the stallion shifted his attentions away from her, and for that she was glad. Kalili would come with them, but there was only so much the nervous filly could take, and Kooruna knew it might be days before she could track her down if she bolted into the night. All this talk of grass and grazing barely interested her, a taste of the mediocrities of herd life no doubt, but she was far from one to complain. Safety and company were far higher on her list of priorities than adventure or intrigue, her values were practical in this way. The strongest stallions had the largest herds, and they could not go gallivanting everywhere over the landscape. It was the way of the bush, sad as that may be.

The brown filly nodded her head in acknowledgement of the dark stallion’s wise words, he surely was no hotblooded fool and she rather liked him for it. ”Aye, both good grazing and no herds are something that is hard to come by. Kalili here really doesn’t do well with crowds,” she replied with a kind glance at her sister, who shot her back a rather alarmed gaze that resembled a deer in the headlights. She knew what Kooruna was trying to do; bait her into conversation. Her brown sibling meant well, and she was always trying to draw the ghostly filly out of her shell, but to date it was only partially successful. She was chatty enough when it was just the two of them, but the combination of the call of the night and the imposing stallion rendered her mute as usual.

Admitting defeat, Kooruna turned away with an inward sigh, knowing that getting her sister to say even a word to the stallion could take weeks. “We also came simply to see the land - we’ve never been to the Gap before, and wandered down here for a drink.”