The Morning After the Night Before

[tingara]

A black shape flitted into view and for a moment Sam recognised what is was before it disappeared. It was that bloody crazy black mare that had refused to leave the carrot-top colt. What was with the brumbies these days, the ones he’d encountered so far seemed to be have a few screws loose that was for sure. Now that the black mare had disappeared the colt stop seizing and started rearing in what seemed to be a playful manner. The body language of the colt was confusing at best. Jason could have the neurotic horse; no way Sam was touching it with a 10ft pole.

Eyebrows raised and muttering to himself, Sam turned back to the golden palomino mare. In the morning sunlight she was beautiful; although not ‘silver’ she was still pretty. He smiled as she ate, it was a good sign. Already he could see that she had a lot of character, he’d be laughing about her playing submarine in the trough for weeks. Once again he ducked through the fence and stood in the pen. The mare and her yearling needed to get used to him and now was the time to start.

[Tiggs]

Thalera spotted the man clamber into the pen and abandoning the other colt, he wrangled his head back out of the fence and peered over at the odd creature. He hadn't brought any food this time, so Thalera wondered what he was doing. Ignoring his mother -- he was becoming increasingly insolent since they had been captured -- he started venturing toward the man.

Kessa watched in horror, trying in vain to call her son back. She'd forgotten the hay, and she quivered in indecision against the furthest fence. The Man was an object of old and well-founded fear. Brumbies lived in the Man's shadow, constantly trying to invade their ropes and homes. She should never have come here, but her need for company had been great and the only sure place to find a horse had been here in the stock pens. Oh she regretted it fully now, but she still longed to be free of these fences.

With wide eyes and a heaving chest, the brumby mare plucked up her courage and started toward the Man. She got half way before she shied and returned to the far side of the pen. She paced the line of the far fence, her head low. All her senses told her Thalera was in danger, but she couldn't approach him or the Man.

Thalera might have rolled his eyes at his mother if he could of. What was she so frightened of? Men were hardly impressive. Really, they were quite small. As a yearling, he easily outweighed this creature. It looked like one solid kick would be enough to hurt it, maybe kill it. With an indignant snort, the sooty palomino yearling strutted forward, thrust his nose out and took a good sniff of the man.

He smelt strange and different, but he did have an undertone of horse about him. Thalera decided the man was no threat, and continued to stand close enough to touch while he eyed the man up. Kessa meanwhile continued to pace, occasionally making a feeble call to her yearling son to call him away from the frightening Man. A less defeated mare might be less timid about it all, but Kessa was at a loss.

[Tex]

The 'carrot-top' colt landed on all four hooves again, pleased with the way he had fooled the Man. He hadn't tried for his favourite mare, and nothing bad was happening to him. Now, to find a way out of the pens and escape.
The colt trotted around his pen, sniffing at the walls and particularly the gate. It seemed that they always entered this way, and he decided to watch for it, in case he could get out while the gate was open. He put his head over the fence, and whinnied folornly to the wilderness, pawing the ground nervously at the same time. After a while, he puleld his head back and strode over the mare thaat was avoiding the Man.
"Don't be afraid of him. He's weak. All humans are weak, without the help of horses," Ru told her, now acting very calm.