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Post by Tiggs on Mar 13, 2008 11:35:06 GMT
Lapping at the small creek, the golden canine sighed happily. Water from the Dead Horse Creek was some of the finest, but in summer is was guarded by man and in winter it was frozen solid. The man at this hut however had been absent for a day, and now night was falling, it was doubtful he was returning.
She'd heard horses nearby, spotted the two fillies investigating the hut earlier in the afternoon. They seemed to be lost, and a little confused. Ammi was trying to remember what it was about them that intrigued her. They had odd colouring, a rare dark pelt and a dazzling mane. Growling to herself, the dingo sat herself on the creek's edge and listened.
She liked to be solitary, maybe taking the company of horses when it suited her. Small animals never feared the herbivorous brumbies, so by hiding in their midst, surrounded by their scent, catching food was easier then when hunting alone.
She'd heard rumours of a new King. The old King had faded, perhaps a harsh winter claimed him or he was captured by man. Either way, Ammi was sure he would want to know about these two fillies, but she could not recall why.
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Post by aya on Mar 13, 2008 12:08:23 GMT
After travelling a little while, Ria was especially happy to see the creek glittering in the distance. She was so elated, in fact, that she broke out into a gallop to reach it.
It was only after dipping her nose into the cool water and drinking her fill that she noticed the dingo watching her. She shied a little, startled by its presence. Ria had had little experience with dingoes and didn't know whether they were friend or foe, so she kept her ears pressed back as she watched it.
Brael hadn't caught up yet, and she felt rather alone here at the creek. She decided it might have been best to talk to the dingo first.
"M-My name is Ria." She said in a high voice.
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Post by Illu on Mar 13, 2008 13:51:25 GMT
”Argh!” came a cry of annoyance, heralding the arrival of yet another moon filly. This one arrived with much less grace, staggering out of the tree line with a mild expletive and shouting ”I got caught in the saltbush!” as though it was the source of all her problems.
Catching sight of her friend and relative, and let’s not forget clean, unrusty water, Brael began cantering over eagerly, and was almost up to them when she finally got a look at what Ria was talking to. With a squeal of surprise, the filly came to a skidding halt and didn’t even bother to straighten up for a moment, wide eyed. The hut was all well and good, it was empty, this, this was different.
Her rationing caught up with her. If the dingo wasn’t attacking Ria, logically they were in no danger. After overcoming the initial shock, Brael began to walk forwards, eyeing the yellow dog suspiciously. ”Does it talk?”
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Post by Tiggs on Mar 13, 2008 14:06:46 GMT
The racket they made trampling through the bush reached her sensitive ears before they stumbled upon the creek. The men had cleared this area of trees long ago, so the hut could be seen up on the hill nearby. The foliage on the far side of the creek from where the fillies came was riddled with tracks from the cattle and the men, yet the two still made enough noise for a fleet of men on one of their drives.
She sat calmly, amber eyes spotting the dark pelt of the more brown mare first. The horse didn't even notice Ammi until she was almost upon her. She shuffled back a little as the first mare shied and raised the alarm. While a brumby might not attack, a flailing hoof of a frightened one could easily crush a dingo. As the second, darker-pelted mare approached, the same white-cream mane fluttering about her neck, Ammi shuffled back a little more, out of flailing distance.
"It? Yes of course I talk." She said, flashing pointed teeth. "I'm not going to eat you, if that's what you're worried about." She wagged her tail to prove her point. "My name is Ammi." She looked over the pair, the evening sunlight oddly absorbed by their dark dappled coats. "I don't mean to be rude, but what are you? You remind me of something."
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Post by aya on Mar 14, 2008 6:39:11 GMT
Ria stayed very close to Brael, so much so that their shoulders touched. The dingo, who called herself Ammi, seemed to not be dangerous at all. She seemed to be rather offended with Brael calling her 'it' - which Ria could understand. Still, Ammi's questions confused her. What was she? What kind of a question was that?! Brael still seemed shocked that 'it' could talk, so Ria answered first.
"What do you mean, what am I?" She bared her teeth a little, "can't you see what I am? Obviously, I'm beautiful. Jeez." She tossed her mane as if to prove this point.
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Post by Illu on Mar 14, 2008 6:52:08 GMT
Okay, so it obviously talked, and Brael was at least sensitive enough to pick up on her offence. Oh wow, they even had names, so they weren’t as dumb as she first thought. Now she reflected it was probably a stupid idea to think only horses and birds where sentient. All she had to do now was keep enough self restraint and stay put instead of walking up and sniffing the dingo all over to see what she smelt like.
Brael wasn’t exactly sure what the dingo meant when she asked the question, and was still trying to work it out when Ria answered. It was then her brain clicked into place, albeit the wrong one and she opened her mouth in realisation. ”Oh, I get it, all the horses up here must be ugly.”
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Post by Tiggs on Mar 14, 2008 8:47:03 GMT
"Yes, oh vapid one, I see that you are indeed beautiful." He looked to the second mare. "You are both more stunning than most fillies in this region, but what I mean is that I wonder where you come from. Where is your herd, who are your ancestors? Your pelts are rare, and I cannot place a name to them."
The two were certainly beautiful, but she supposed what you attained in looks you lacked for in intelligence. No matter, mares were not known for their thoughts. Only the stallions had to keep their wits about them. These two would make a good prize for any herd. If the men did not catch them first.
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Post by aya on Mar 14, 2008 15:37:25 GMT
Ria scoffed at the little dog's next question. How cute she was! Enquiring into Ria's and Brael's beauty like that! She held her tail high as a surge of self-satisfaction swept over her.
"Obviously, we are of the moon herd." She replied in a 'everyone-knows-that' kind of way, "for only fillies of the moon are so beautiful."
She nudged Brael's neck as if to make an example. It didn't bother her at all that she was preening to an audience of one.
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Post by Illu on Mar 15, 2008 1:26:11 GMT
Brael was rather happy with the news she was receiving. If no one knew about the Moon Herd here, and their ‘sheer awesome fantastical prettyfulness’ was just as unusual, they where pretty much guaranteed to make a killing. The only problem was, would there be a stallion here worth being with among the ugly ones? The dingo had pretty much agreed all the other horses where ugly, she hadn’t protested that after all, and that was enough.
Though of course, what constituted ‘ugly’ to Brael was anything short of sheer perfection. Nice personality? What did that have to do with anything?
She nodded in agreement with what Ria said and struck her own pose, one which would have looked awkward for any other mare, but on her, strangely worked. The novelty of the dingo was starting to wear off and she was starting to get interested in the herds around here. ”Who owns the land around here”?
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Post by Tiggs on Mar 15, 2008 12:43:33 GMT
As soon as Ria said she was of the Moon herd, everything clicked into place. Of course! The way their pelts were dark like the night sky, and their mane silver like the moon. She'd herd stories, carried through the bush creatures, whispers of fillies descended from the moon. They told of such beautiful mares, but like all good stories, they failed to mention of their immense stupidity and vanity.
"The King of the High Country, would be who you speak of. He is strong and young." Rumour had it that he liked his mares dull so as not to attract attention from the men. But the newly anointed King might have changed his policy now. Either way, bringing him a pair of mares might earn her some bargaining ground. "I'll take you to him. I can track him far faster than any brumby."
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