Two foolish fillies, [O]

[Corowa]

The two white fillies crept through the snowgums, hides prickling, one with excitement, one with fear. When the sheltering fringe of bush ended, one of the fillies propped to a sudden standstill and swiftly nipped her silver-white sister. “Stay still,” Goonama said, ears pricked and trembling violently as the faint smell of smoke reached her curled nostrils. Goolara snorted amusedly, and with a playful buck, galloped down the rough slope of snowgrass.

Goonama gave a shrill whinny and then leapt after the white filly, lighter and far swifter than the other. “Foolish sister,” the filly said, and Goolara propped wildly to a standstill, struck out playfully at her sister. Having kept to the springy snowgrass, their trail would be difficult to pick up, yet Goonama was still deeply worried.

Further down the slope the smell of smoke grew stronger, and Goonama felt it was this that had driven Goolara southwards.

When a plover gave its mournful call, the mare shied and broke out in a sweat. Goolara lifted her head from where she grazed further down the grassy slope, and nickered gently. Reassured, Goonama moved closer to sister, stood close beside her and softly nosed her shoulder. Blowing noisily through her nostrils, the filly dropped her head to the sweet grass. Yet her ears still twitched nervously, listening for sounds almost too faint to hear. While men still roamed the mountains, the filly would be certain to protect her beautiful and foolish sister.

OOC: Men are welcome, so feel free to chase them, watch them etc. you just cannot catch them. Brumbies, particularly youngsters are also welcome!

[yaruka]

Goonama wasn't the only one concerned by the smell of smoke in the air. A large strangely coloured stallion jogged anxiously through the tall snowgrass, sweat breaking out behind his ears and on his flanks. Bunda had come this direction to avoid men, he hadn't been expecting to run into them in this region of the High Country. His ears flickered nervously back and forth trying to keep tabs on any possible human movement so that he was almost upon the fillies before he saw them. Shying violently the stallion tossed his chocolately red head before calming slightly. Eyeing the two pale coloured mares apologetically he back up shaking his head "Uh, I'm sorry," he stammered "I did not see you here. I didn't mean to bother you." He stopped backing up and tossed his head again, long flaxen forelock falling in a curtain over his dark eyes which rolled backwards as a plover gave a sharp cry. Snorting he ducked his head, waiting for the fillies' reponse while still anxiously flickering each ear back and forth, muscles taut.

[Corowa]

It was bad luck that the wind was blowing away from the two fillies. So it was that Goonama only picked up the smell of a strange horse when he was all but upon them. Goonama simply vanished, while Goolara bolder than that elusive white wraith, threw up her head and watched the young stallion with pricked ears and nostrils quivering. “Foolish colt,” the filly snorted. “You are as fearful as Goonama.” Meanwhile through the rough narrow trunks of the stringy barks, Goonama watched the odd-looking colt, whose mane and tail seemed coloured by moonlight. Her own pale coat was hidden in the dense thicket of eucalypts, yet every hair stood on end, and she shivered with fear.

Neighing quietly to Goolara, she called her beautiful white sister away. Goolara’s ears flicked back towards that sweet call, and the filly was loath to answer. “Men are further down this slope,” she said, fascinated by the fine young stallion. His colouring was certainly unusual, and Goolara wondered whether she too should vanish, vanish so that she might mock him from the snowgums, lead him on a gay dance, a romp through snowgrass glades and candlebark forests. Goonama, anxious Goolara would be stolen by this strange stallion, crept through the trees, shying sharply to the side when a curtain of bark brushed her flank.

Stretching out her nose to touch his in greeting, Goolara gave a shrill excited squeal and roughly nipped him. Filled with high spirits, the filly sprang off at a gallop, racing up the slope where the bush thinned and the stringy barks merged with snowgums.

[yaruka]

Bunda was upset to see that he had obviously startled the lighter of the two fillies. Snorting anxiously he was about to call apologetically after her when her companion spoke. Foolish colt, she said You are as fearful as Goonama. Bunda did not deny this statement though his ego took a bit of a beating at being called a 'foolish colt'. He was, after all, four years of age. Not that he acted like it. Extremely uncertain of himself he shifted his hooves uncomfortably. He had no idea what to say. Fortunately the filly spoke again, though her words made him tremble. "Men are dangerous," he replied "You would be best to leave this place," He noticd with some trepadition that the mare seemed intrigued by the prescense of the horrible two-legged creatures, not frightened. He was shaken from his thoughts when she nipped him harshly on his shoulder, jumping about a foot in the air from shock. The filly ran off but Bunda, being as uncertain as he was merely looked after her desperately. The first time he had attually spoken more than two words to a couple of fillies and they both run away from him? Great. Lowering his head miserably he was startled to realize that he was able to just make out the pale figure of the other sister in the woods. Feeling as though he should at least apologize for scaring her he moved anxiously towards her, head still lowered and body position unthreatening. "Um," he called out to her when he was a few feet away "I am sorry to have startled you." He flicked his ears back uneasily, even to himself the words sounded stupid.

OOC: ewww. this is such a bad post. I'm sorry I'm just not really in the right mood to be writing replies I guess

[Corowa]

Goolara burst into view as she raced up the rough slope of snowgrass, coaxed that queer stallion to follow. Goonama pricked her ears and then crept silently through the trees, mindful of her prickling hide, shining white like the candle heath. Then that strange stallion was there, and the filly backed hastily into the shadows of a spreading snowgum. Goolara slackened her headlong gallop, for there was no longer a horse following her. Several gumnuts bounced off her rump, thrown by two gang gangs in the snowgums above and tossing her head, the filly trotted back down the slope.

With a fearful whinny, Goonama cringed away from the stallion, trembling violently. Hearing Goonama’s shrill whinny, Goolara plunged down the slope, neighing to her sister as she went. Beneath a massive snowgum, that strange stallion stood, and for a moment, the filly admired his beauty, that queer quality he possessed. There was nothing menacing about him, and still the filly shivered, for in her fear, Goonama could have bolted. Blowing noisily through her nostrils, Goolara was relieved when Goonama’s scent, familiar as her own, reached her. Unlike the snow for which her sister was named, the filly had not melted away into the thicket of snowgums.

“Goonama is frightened of her own shadow,” Goolara mocked. “I do not know why, for she is as a ghost slipping through the bush without track nor sound.” Goonama’s ears still twitched nervously, but her eyes had lost that anxious look. “I am Goolara,” the filly went on, and this is my sister Goonama. For moonlight and snow we were named, and it is from south of the Tin Mines we have come.” Yet Goonama, worried that her sister would be as entranced as she was with this young stallion, stepped forwards, to where her proud sister waited. Were it merely her whom the stallion had seen, the filly would have vanished as if the smoke that blew from the valley below. Yet Goolara had not her cunning or her fear, and she dared not lose her beautiful white sister.

[yaruka]

Bunda's eyes widened in despair as the pale filly in the bush jerked away from him again and began to shake as though she were a leaf being blown in the wind. His head still lowered he nickered to her gently, trying to convey to her that he truly was no threat. He wasn't even going to try to convince her to come with him if she didn't want to, he only wanted to make sure that he didn't leave on a bad note. Perhaps he should have given up before now, but tact nor relations with others were ever a strong point of the roan's. “Goonama is frightened of her own shadow,” came the voice of the other sister and Bunda turned his troubled gaze on her proud figure “I do not know why, for she is as a ghost slipping through the bush without track nor sound.” Out of the corner of his eye Bunda noted that the lighter filly seemed to have calmed down to an extent. Blowing out softly he raised his head, still careful to remain in the least threatening position he could concieve. The taller of the two mares went on to give their names and Bunda noted with appreciation that they certainly fit the ghostly colours of the two sisters. Pale as wraiths, or the snow and the moonlight for which they had been named. "Those are beautiful names," he said politely, "I am Bunda, named for the frost that sparkles on the grass and that clings perpetually to my coat." His large eyes widened as Goonama stepped closer, in the direction of her sister. Perhaps he might yet suceed in gaining her trust? Her sister seemed willing enough to talk to him, though he wasn't entirely sure that had anything at all to do with him. Goolara radiated confidence and seemed to him to posses a bolder nature than either his own or the personality of her shy sister.