Boredom rising (open/Tom)

[byrch]

Myorli returned Bill's hard gaze, while turning over the mans name in her mind. Tom, Tom, Tom, it kept repeating itself in her head. She almost didn't catch the second part, about him being rough, but never cruel. And that there were worse places to be. She snorted at this, a bit of white peaking out behind her eyelid. This frightened her, more than "Tom" did while chasing her and the others.

The fear, was of the unknown. There were worse places to be than here? It couldn't be, any place where freedom was exchanged for food was a place Myorli didn't want to be. She had to leave, and soon, before the man would "sell" her, what ever that means. She turned away from the two, and lowered her head, gazing at the ground. Her ears stayed at a neutral position, trying to think of some way out. She glanced at the fence, she had already tried to kick and bite it down. It was to high for her to jump it.

Then, her eye caught site of Tom, and her heart gave a little leap. She flicked her ears forward, again watching him. Somewhere, deep inside her, wanted to stay a little longer, her curiosity of man becoming more apparent now.

Shaking her head and giving a loud snort, she turned back to Bill and Nooroo, but kept her eyes down cast. "Is there anyway out?" She already knew the answer, but she wanted to continue visiting with them. She strode over to Bill, and began grooming his withers.

[Corowa]

Bill turned his head around and gently scratched the filly’s shoulder with his teeth. The gelding realised then, how different the two young brumbies would always be from him. He glanced sadly over at the mob of brumbies clustered by the fence. Even now, they did not realise what was going to happen to them. It seemed stupid that they should still be so afraid of man. Here of all places, they must see that there was nothing really to fear.

Nooroo’s ears pricked at the filly’s talk of escape. He remembered how wildly he had fought against the stockmen when they had first brought him here. The colt’s skin flinched, when he pictured again the stunning violence with which the man had swung his great stockwhip. Gradually and painfully, he had learnt to obey. Then one day, he had woken dazed and bleeding, and the fire that had burned so brightly inside him was extinguished forever.

“There is no way out,” Nooroo told her bitterly. “Soon enough you will be branded and broken, and then, escape will not seem so important anymore.” Bill snorted at his words, as if the gelding understood his hatred of man. Yet, how could he, when all the old packhorse had known was what Nooroo feared most?

The colt suddenly felt weary with the strain of everything that he had endured over the last year. He hoped Toowoomba still ran free. He dared not imagine that she too had suffered at the hands of man. He could not make himself think otherwise.

[byrch]

(ooc: this is a couple days later, and sorry for the late response, This should be right before halter breaking)

The sun beamed down on Myorli's back. Many of the other brumbies were gone, only she and the bay mare were left, along with the man, Tom's, horses. Her left hind foot was cocked, her head lowered, taking a small nap in the warmth. Her lids drooped, but never closed fully, always watching for movement from the man's hut. The bay mare had kept her distance away from Myorli, which was just fine with her. Right now, she wanted to be alone, unless BIll or Nooroo were in with them. After Nooroo's response to her talk, she kept quiet about escaping, but her mind kept going through different ways to get out.

Tom hadn't been unkind to her, yet, but she had watched how Nooroo acted around him. She feared for her own hide, not to get scars on her fire like coat. Bill and the dark horse, she still didn't learn his name, seemed to really care for Tom. She was stranded in the middle, not knowing who to believe, the young colt, or a seasoned man's horse. Whenever Tom came, she always watched him, waiting for something bad to happen to her. So far, it hadn't come, only gentle caresses, and the sweet food she had never tasted before.

Movement by the hut caught her attention. She pricked her ears up, eyes opened fully. She turned her head toward it, letting only a whisper of a nicker through her lips.