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Post by tingara on Jan 21, 2009 9:08:40 GMT
Tingara’s good mood was instantly shattered by Nevada. How dare he falsely accuse the king of a crime he was not guilty of committing. He roared furiously at the grey but by then he was long gone. He turned to face his sons, furious. Why had they gone to Nevada’s herd? Did they not know there would have been a good chance it would bring the white stallion down on their father? Now Tingara had to truly worry about the threat of Nevada.
Giving both Prisma and Burnum a hard nip each, the black stallion stormed away. He needed sometime to himself to think. It wouldn’t be long before Nevada would challenge him for his kingship and his mares. Everything he had would rest on that battle, including his life. But, he supposed it was probably the same for the younger stallion, though even if he lost he’d still have his sister.
Tingara shook his head, he didn’t want to think about his uncertain future and, as if the bush agreed with him, a new scent filled his nostrils. There was another strange mare here. She was up on the rise above him. Gently Tingara called out to her, willing her to show herself. What he did not see were two black yearlings staring at the herd with uncertain eyes.
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Post by yaruka on Jan 21, 2009 16:16:26 GMT
Biangri and Baree hastily scattered as Tingara marched over to reprimand his sons. Biangri trotted over to the new yearlings, ears pricked forward in a friendly fashion "Where did you come from?" he asked. Baree stepped after his younger "brother", listening with interest for their answer.
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Wirruna froze as the stallion swung around and stared into the trees where she was hiding. He called gently to her and deciding that she really had no choice she stepped shyly out of the trees, fully aware of how brilliantly white her coat must seem against the back drop of dark trees. She stood uncertainly at the edge of the rise, looking down at the herd below.
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Post by yaruka on Jan 21, 2009 16:20:21 GMT
From the West another stranger was coming to investigate Tingara's herd. The young colt had caught their scent and, his interest piqued, immediately come to check it out. Not that he was planning on stealing any mares, but he just felt like an adventure. He crested the last hill and looked down at them. Seeing a few colts his own age he whinnied in a friendly tone to them "Why do you remain with your sire's herd?" he asked "Are you not as old as me? Come, run with me and we can enjoy a year of independance and freedom as bachelors. Or are you afraid to leave?" he added, as a slight afterthough, a hint of mocking in his tone. The truth was he had been lonely by himself, he wanted to find another group of youngsters to run with as he was really to young to be forming his herd just yet. He hoped his words would goad the others into leaving their birth herd. As for the stallion, Nyauwe paid him no attention at all.
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Post by { Opal } on Jan 25, 2009 7:23:47 GMT
Darel cringed at Tingara's angry scream. He threw a glance at the stallion as he charged toward the two colts; Darel had a twinge of sympathy for them, but it quickly vanished as he saw how upset Tingara was. Darel shook his head, making sure there was plenty of distance between him and the three blacks. Interfering was the last thing he wanted to do. Darel watched somberly as Tingara walked away, leaving the colts alone again. He suddenly grew shy, and diverted his gaze from the two. He was roughly the same age as them, so it was likely that they would sort him out of the crowd to "play". Darel did not want to play.
Suddenly a new figure emerged, and Darel jerked his head up to look more closely at the creature. Another colt had found himself on Tingara's doorstep; only, this one wasn't in Tingara's herd. Darel glanced fearfully at the king, hoping he noticed to intruder. But, to Darel horror, he was conversing with a new mare. Darel glanced at the colt, then back at Tingara. What should he do? Knowing that strange colts where generally chased from a stallion's herd, Darel felt that someone should make a move toward the stranger. But he was the only one that noticed. Darel fearfully took a step back; he couldn't do it. No way. But wasn't that what he was supposed to do? Gathering up some strength, Darel took a bargain and uttered a warning neigh. It wavered at the end, but Darel was proud of the velocity. That should work.
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Post by Tiggs on Jan 25, 2009 10:59:13 GMT
Kimba had been generally not phased by the return of the Princes and the following reprimands, and the two black yearlings the King had yet to notice were of no concern to the chestnut filly. She was quite happily observing Darel. Still not sure why Tingara had allowed another stallion to stay with them, Kimba was utterly fascinated.
As a two-year-old, she was ready to leave the herd but here was a eligible stallion. Why hadn't he tried to take her away yet? She was perturbed by this, and she felt a little hurt. Was she not good enough. Huffing and making her resolve, she strode up to the chestnut stallion. His call to warn off the colt had been a little weak, but perhaps he just needed practice.
Standing up next to him, she purposefully began grooming his withers. Meanwhile, her temperamental mother had spotted the colt and unimpressed by the stallion's meagre attempt to warn him off, she stepped up herself. "Kimba stop that -- you'll encourage him." The withering look she gave the stallion clearly displayed her prejudice against the ill stallion She'd seen him shaking and shivering, and she definitely didn't want him passing that faulty blood onto any foal of Kimba's.
The very pregnant chestnut mare butted between her daughter and Darel, pushing Kimba bodily away. With a toss of her head, she belted out a warning to the colt up on the hill with such fury and velocity that if not for the shrillness to it, her voice would make a stallion proud.
As per usual, the sight of two motherless creatures had spurred Crayola into action. Though they were yearlings, the appaloosa mare couldn't help but try and adopt the two black yearlings. With her own pale yearling daughter skipping at her side, she approached the pair with a soft nicker. |
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Post by tingara on Jan 25, 2009 13:10:13 GMT
Before the strange mare had left the cover of the snowgums, Tingara had already been trotting up a small path the rise on which she stood. When the stranger finally did show herself it revealed her beauty to the black stallion. All thoughts of Nevada and strange black yearlings were pushed from his mind for the time being, all that inhabited his mind was this mare. Gently the stallion whinnied to the stranger. He meant her no harm here under the twisted boughs of ancient trees.
“Please, what is your name?” Tingara asked gently, moving closer as he spoke. Slowly the black stallion offered the painted mare his nose in greeting. The sounds of warning cries distracted him for a moment. Was it still Nevada, the mysterious black or perhaps Maluka? No. Fortunately the stranger was none of those. Ears flat in anger, Tingara reared and trumpeted a warning to the stranger. After pawing the air a couple of times, his neat hooves crashed back to earth with a dull thud. Did this stranger not know the King was in no mood to be trifled with today?
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Yindi trembled from both exhaustion and fear. She wanted to go back to Dilali but that meant Nevada too. He was what the filly saw when she envisioned her fears. He was a cruel and tyrannical stallion in her young eyes. As a strange mare approached, the filly whinnied in fear and attempted to hide behind her brother. Trembling, she closed her eyes but all she saw was Nevada’s face. There was no escape, enemies were all around her. Just as Yindi was about to bolt, a gentle touch stopped her.
The spotted mare meant her no harm; in fact she was showing affection the filly had never gotten before. Curiously, Yindi peered around the kind mare at her daughter. It was then the black did something she hadn’t done in a long time. Shyly Yindi greeted the spotted palomino. The crying of stallions frightened the filly and she felt herself press closer to the Appaloosa mare.
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Yeranda was none too pleased about being driven away from his mother. He was too angry to care whose herd he’d been chased to, all he wanted was revenge. Pinning his ears back at the strange mare, the black colt turned around and began to leave but not before he gave a sharp nicker that insisted on Yindi staying. He loved his sister but where he planned to go was no place for her.
Without looking back Yeranda left the sounds of angered horses behind him. He was now on a journey to find his father, the magnificent black Garrong.
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Post by { Opal } on Jan 25, 2009 21:04:53 GMT
Darel's attention shifted from the stranger as his ears picked up the soft patter of hooves. When he turned to look, he was surprised to find a mare coming right at him. Darel's ears flicked back awkwardly as she stepped right up, and began grating her teeth along his withers. He took a moment to come to terms with what was happening, then sort of relaxed. It felt good, actually. Darel glanced appreciatively at the mare, and studied her with interest. She was beautiful, and even a chestnut like him. Caught up in the moment, Darel began nibbling around her mane. It was a bit out of character for him, but he was happy, and it seemed she was too.
Suddenly another mare, much older than the chestnut filly, marched toward them. "Kimba stop that -- you'll encourage him." Darel quickly gathered the meaning in her words, and her look of disgust made it all the more sour. "I-" Darel stammered, trying to redeem himself, but there wasn't anything to say. He was pushed aside as the mare barged in between them, uttering a scream so loud it make shivers go down Darel's spine. He got the message, and lowered his head a notch. But while the mare was facing away, Darel inched back to Kimba's side. No-one had ever treated him so nicely that way, and he wasn't going to let it go so easily.
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Post by yaruka on Jan 27, 2009 1:33:49 GMT
A barrage of angry neighs suddenly met Nyauwe's ears and the colt shook his head irratibly. Fine then. He turned around and made to leave but stopped as an afterthought and called oncemore over his shoulder to the other two year olds "Think about what I said." Then with a proud toss of his head the colt was off, cantering down the slope and off to who knows where.
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Biangri pranced over again to see what all the action was with the new yearlings. He snuffled at the filly's nose welcomingly "Hello, I'm Biangri." he said proudly "Who are you?"
Baree kept his distance but his posture was quite friendly towards the yearlings. He soon got tired of just watching though and went over to find Burnun and Prisma. Surely they were out of disgrace by now. He trotted over to the rust coloured colt and gave him a not-so-gentle playful nip on the shoulder before skipping backwards and rearing up in a mock challenge.
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Wirruna watched as the black stallion trotted up the rise towards her hiding place. He was certainly impressive, his bunched muscles and sleek coat speaking of a horse in his prime. He reached the top of crest and whinnied gently. “Please, what is your name?” he asked, reaching out with his nose. "I am Wirruna," the skewbald replied quietly "Named for the sunset that paints the sky before dark." She trembled as she extended her own nose to touch the black stallion's but before she could make contact the king had whipped round and trumpeted an angry call to a young colt below. Wirruna lept back in surprise, half-backing uncertainly into the bushes. She gazed at Tingara with large eyes, waiting for the gentle spirit to return before she ventured any closer.
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Post by Tiggs on Jan 27, 2009 10:00:48 GMT
Crayola sniffed the sturdy black filly all over while Kimba leaned her trembling nose toward the other filly's muzzle. Compared the the black filly, Kurrin looked almost breakable. Her pale mottled nose hovered just less than an inch away from the black filly's, only her whiskers brushed the velvet black of her new adopted sister's before she pulled away. With the shyest of smiles, she pressed up next to her larger sister, effectively sandwiching her between herself and their mother.
The appaloosa mare was pleased with her new daughter, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the black colt leaving. She called after him, urging him to stay but it was too late, he was gone. Slightly morose, Crayola set about acquainting herself with her solid new daughter. "What is your name?" She asked as she lavished attention on the black yearling. All mares had a mothering instinct -- Crayola had it in abundance. If it were possible, she might have too much of it. The year before last, she had tried to adopt two other nursing foals besides her own, but another of the mares had to take one before Crayola exhausted her only milk supply. Given half the chance, Crayola would adopt all foals as her own. She loved every one of them as if she had conceived them herself.
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Kimba whinnied softly to Darel, her head and tail held forlornly. Darel made a subtle attempt to close the gap between them, but Fira was having none of it. The fiery chestnut waddled as authoritatively as one could waddle over to the male and gave the chestnut stallion a sharp nip on the shoulder. If she hadn't of been so laden down with the foal, she would have kicked out as she stormed over to Kimba.
Versed in the way of her mother, she knew never to disobey when her temper was up. With one last helpless look over her shoulder, she allowed her mother to bully her away to the far side of the herd. In case Kimba hadn't learnt her lesson, Fira gave her a nip on the rump too. "You will not affiliate yourself with that horrid little stallion. I'd rather you run off with that colt than consort with that defective nag." She gestured sharply up to the hill where the unfamiliar colt had now disappeared from to further emphasise the word colt, gesturing at Darel on the word nag. "Don't you see the way he twitches? He's not fit, and he's not normal. Do you understand? He has bad blood."
Kimba nodded solemnly, thanked her mother with a brush of her muzzle on hers and dropped her head to graze. Satisfied, Fira too stopped to graze but when her eyes were not on Kimba, Kimba's eyes were on Darel. She didn't really believe what her mother had said. Darel was a fine stallion, and she didn't want any other -- not even one of Tingara's sons. |
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Post by { Opal } on Jan 31, 2009 5:30:11 GMT
Darel jumped away, startled, as he felt teeth pinch into his shoulder. He lurched away from the older mare as she charged past, bullying Kimba after her. Darel watched with sad eyes as the two left, and he stood frozen still for a long moment. He couldn't go after her now; that was obviously useless with that mare along. Darel was compelled to give up, just let Kimba slip from his mind, but he couldn't do that. A little tingle went up Darel's spine. He'd never felt like this before.
Darel never moved a muscle, his gaze locked onto Kimba only. And every now and then, when her mother wasn't watching, she even looked back at him. Darel twitched his ears eagerly at her in response, as he wondered if there was any way to get closer to her. The chestnut stallion looked around, blindly hoping that something would hive him an idea. Nothing did. Darel sighed deeply, and let his head drop to the ground. He would meet with her again, when the moment was right, but not now. Darel ground grass between his teeth as he thought.
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