Post by Corowa on Dec 3, 2012 21:12:50 GMT
The old brumby mare paced back and forth along the stockyard fence. Her sides were streaked with sweat and dirt, for she had fought savagely against the rope and whip. Her eyes rolled wildly, showing the whites each time the acrid smell of wood smoke filled her nostrils. As a stockman approached, the mare banged blindly up against the fence at the far end of the yard. The fence was too high for any horse to jump over, and at last the mare turned away.
Tom limped towards the yard, sore after a long day spent in the saddle. The stockman’s expression was troubled as he watched the mare crash into the fence in a frenzy of fear. In all his years, he’d never had a brumby fight so violently for its freedom. It seemed an ill-omen, but by God he finally had her! One of the prized silver brumbies! Tom felt a sort of boyish excitement as he ran a keen eye over the mare. Jack was no nag, and she had nearly run the legs clean off him. She’d gone like the clappers, and he’d lost her once or twice, on the way down through the head of Dead Horse Gap. His hands had been badly burnt from where the rope had been pulled through them.
Tom spoke quietly to the mare as he got nearer. If only he could break her, what a stockhorse she would make! She was mad as a cut snake now, but Tom reckoned if he took his time with her, got her gentled and going quietly she would be as good a mount as any. It had been years since anyone had roped a creamy, and he grinned when he imagined the look on Jason Mannering’s face when he saw that it had been bloody Tom Rawlinson who had managed to bring in one of the legendary silver brumbies.
Wilgee shied away from the stockmen who stood on the other side of the fence. There was foam at the corners of her mouth and lather flecking her coat as she plunged off at a stiff trot. From inside the hut, a dog barked and panic seized the mare. For hours, Wilgee went round and round the stockyard. The light slowly faded from the day, and after a while the stockman returned to his hut, leaving her alone.
It was only then that Wilgee sunk to the ground, completely exhausted and unable to go on. By the time darkness fell, the mare slept fitfully. Even in the depths of sleep, the horrors of that terrifying chase still haunted her.
OOC: I wanted to bring Wilgee across into the new game but didn't want to have to have her as a brumby. So now she has been captured and I will decide whether to let her get loose or stay tame later on.
Tom limped towards the yard, sore after a long day spent in the saddle. The stockman’s expression was troubled as he watched the mare crash into the fence in a frenzy of fear. In all his years, he’d never had a brumby fight so violently for its freedom. It seemed an ill-omen, but by God he finally had her! One of the prized silver brumbies! Tom felt a sort of boyish excitement as he ran a keen eye over the mare. Jack was no nag, and she had nearly run the legs clean off him. She’d gone like the clappers, and he’d lost her once or twice, on the way down through the head of Dead Horse Gap. His hands had been badly burnt from where the rope had been pulled through them.
Tom spoke quietly to the mare as he got nearer. If only he could break her, what a stockhorse she would make! She was mad as a cut snake now, but Tom reckoned if he took his time with her, got her gentled and going quietly she would be as good a mount as any. It had been years since anyone had roped a creamy, and he grinned when he imagined the look on Jason Mannering’s face when he saw that it had been bloody Tom Rawlinson who had managed to bring in one of the legendary silver brumbies.
Wilgee shied away from the stockmen who stood on the other side of the fence. There was foam at the corners of her mouth and lather flecking her coat as she plunged off at a stiff trot. From inside the hut, a dog barked and panic seized the mare. For hours, Wilgee went round and round the stockyard. The light slowly faded from the day, and after a while the stockman returned to his hut, leaving her alone.
It was only then that Wilgee sunk to the ground, completely exhausted and unable to go on. By the time darkness fell, the mare slept fitfully. Even in the depths of sleep, the horrors of that terrifying chase still haunted her.
OOC: I wanted to bring Wilgee across into the new game but didn't want to have to have her as a brumby. So now she has been captured and I will decide whether to let her get loose or stay tame later on.