Twilight - the perfect hours OPEN

[KAREE]

He took a step back and looked into Aroona's eyes as she looked at him, “Will you take me with you on your travels?” His eyes popped wide open, it was a reaction that couldn't be helped. He hadn't expected for this beautiful filly to ask him if she could run with him. He quickerly gulped down a dry patch of salyva. He opened his mouth to barely speak, "Yes." He wasn't sure whether she'd heard it or not, but her attetion was suddenly turned to something behind him. Immediately in response his body tensed and he tested the air, identifying two new scents, his head whipped around to where Aroona's was directed.

His ears flickered backwards as Aroona nickered to the strangers, he didn't want to share her, didn't want her to leave him. He caught glimpse of something silver. His fears worsening as he imagined the blue roan dancing away with the silver creature. Turning his body to fully face the two beasts, he let out a louder, deeper neigh, though it wasn't nearly as friendly as it had been before.

[Ehetere]

The lovely blue roan filly called to him as she finally spotted him gleaming in the moonlight. That strange stallion spotted him too apparently and when he neighed also; there was an underlying challenge in his voice. This really did seal the deal for Jirrand; well that and the fact that he was young, cocky and wanted to impress Tallerk. He trotted along the ridge; looking for a suitably precarious way of getting down the almost sheer slope. The poor light meant that neither of the two horses would see his foot holds and he could truly seem like a ghost floating on air as he descended. He nickered quietly to Tallerk instructing her to follow him. He had no doubts now about Tallerk deserting him to the queer stallion and felt that she should be down there with him.

Aha; there was a little platform a short drop from the edge of the ridge, and then another drop to a small wallaby track down the remainder of the cliff. Easy. But not for poor Tallerk whose eyes were rather useless for details in the moonlight. “Go down and around and meet me at the bottom,” instructed Jirrand quietly. He then stepped unerringly off into space.

There was the dizzying fleeing of falling through space for a moment before his hooves landed squarely on solid ground. Swaying for a second, Jirrand then dropped down again onto the wallaby track before he could lose his balance. It was easier to keep his feet here and he trotted smoothly down what appeared to be the sheer face of the cliff. When Jirrand’s hooves hit the snowgrass in the Valley; he loped towards the filly and the odd stallion with graceful dancing steps; not sure whether he was trying to be a silver brumby or a Nightrunner. He came to a stop with his hooves square and his head thrown up to make himself appear taller; since the big stallion was quite a bit taller than him and much heavier and stockier.

“Greetings to you; glorious filly of the moon and stallion of the night,” Jirrand nodded to both the queer stallion and the filly, his gaze lingering on her for longer though. His tone was light and friendly, but at the same time provocative and teasing. He was not going to rush into battle here; he was not even sure he wanted to just yet. There was no point getting bruised and cut over a filly who does not want you anyway. Jirrand was determined to assess the situation thoroughly before making his next move. He was calculating and planning ahead; maybe fighting this stallion was not such a great idea after all. The filly was fearful of him; and really he had been foolish to think other wise. Tallerk had been blinded by her own sorrow when she had fist met him; so he had a chance to prove himself to her before she judged him on his appearance. If only more brumbies were like her; then he would have no problem with being feared. But that was the way of the world as it was, and noting was going to change that any time soon. He did not want to scare the delicate little roan out of her pretty skin. But then again, maybe his appearance already had.

[{ Opal }]

Tallerk felt a sense of pride as the two brumbies, down below, spotted Jirrand. She, herself, was probably too dark to be easily spotted, with her seal brown coat and blackened legs. Suddenly Tallerk heard a nicker of curiosity come from the filly, and she couldn't help but prance excitedly. Was the beautiful roan coming? But that innocent cry was followed by a screaming roar, and Tallerk winced, recoiling slightly. Movement by Jirrand caught her attention, and she slunk alongside him in the shadows, needing no encouragement on his part. Tallerk was getting worried, as there was no apparent way to descend, and she didn't want her stallion to try something foolish. So at Jirrand's words, “Go down and around and meet me at the bottom,” Tallerk felt a bit hesitant. But in the end she put her trust in the nightrunner and left him to his own, but not an without encouraging nuzzle. Then off Tallerk went, her pace a breezy trot, her steps light and her nostrils quivering with exhilaration. She could sense an approaching conflict, and dearly hoped the roan filly would choose Jirrand.

When Tallerk paused to look back, her body tensed, as she saw Jirrand making his way down a fearsome slope; what wold happen to him, if he slipped? For a moment the horrible scenario flashed before Tallerk's eyes, but then she forced herself away from the worrying sight, and continued forward. And, picking her way along the ridge, she searched for the way down, ending up farther away from Jirrand than she would have liked. But she had faith in his judgement and continued on, finally finding the ridge descending, to become level with the ground. Worried she missed something, Tallerk broke into a fast-paced canter, the long grass whipping at her legs as she raced across the land. As the hazy silloquettes of three brumbies came into view, Tallerk relaxed, and slowed her pace. No fight had started yet, but it could only be expected, and the tension in the air was stirring. Unwilling to approach quite yet, Tallerk hung back in the outskirts, though she knew that the moonlit grass would make her dark pelt obvious.

[tingara]

Aroona’s heart skipped a beat and then soared. Jiemba would take her with him, she would run with him. She would be the mare of the most handsome stallion of the High Country. He was not a silver or some other legendary colour but he was her stallion and he was indeed the most handsome. Affectionately she nibbled his oddly coloured mane, quivering with excitement. The filly relished this new feeling inside her, the urge to run with someone who was not her family and the urge to bear foals for her stallion.

Just when Aroona thought this night could not get any more exciting, the ghost horse was suddenly in front of her. Again she quivered but this time it was not just in excitement, there was fear there as well. He was handsome and so surreal, he was the stuff of legends and not something Aroona had ever expected to see in her life time. She stared up at the silver white ghost wide-eyed and wary but also curious. His voice was as silver as his coat and the filly found herself fascinated by him. Unaware of Jiemba’s disapproval Aroona extended her muzzle in greeting, her nostrils quivering..

“Greetings O ghost of the night. Tell me are you real?” it was a strange question but not a totally random one. The way this strange stallion had appeared and his ethereal beauty made his seem anything but real.

[KAREE]

Jiemba shifted closer to Aroona, so he could feel her body heat radiating off of her. He stole a glance at the blue roan that nibbled affectionately at his chestnut mane. He felt his heart shudder before galloping away deep in his chest. She was his. His. He couldn't believe it. It felt so surreal. Movement from above made him turn away reluctantly and stare up at the ghostly figure that catavaulted down a steep rocky fall. Hopefully he hurt himself. Thought Jiemba, not wanting to wish death on anyone, but his deep burning jealousy for the other stallion grew stronger as he landed swiftly on his feet, without so much as a scratch on him.

His ears flickered backwards, but he kept his face solid and straight. He would not give away his deep desire to do damage to the stallion. The light of the full moon made it easier to see in the darkness, Jiemba could just make out the other's features, catching the hint of a red sheen where one of his eyes where meant to be. Who was this freak of nature? Even though Jiemba's colouring was odd, and extremely unordinary, he knew he wasn't as weird as this stallion. Then he spoke, “Greetings to you; glorious filly of the moon and stallion of the night,” Jiemba bit back a snarl that threatened to rip through his lips. He certainly noticed when the glowing stallion's glance lingered on Aroona.

His dark head whipped around as movement from the side of the ridge caught his attention yet again. The dark shape lingered, closing in on them all. It was quite obvious that this stallion would also have a mare with him. He watched the shadowy figure for a moment, then glanced down at Aroona as her curiousity got the better of her, “Greetings O ghost of the night. Tell me are you real?” Jiemba looked back at the ghostly figure, knowing the answer already. He blew heavily out through his nostrils, wanting to take the filly away, to make sure she was never in harms way again. But he couldn't do that to her. She had her own will also. He would not make her do something she didn't want to do.

[Ehetere]

“I am real for those who wish it to be so,” replied Jirrand cryptically to the lovely filly, extending his nose to hers in greeting. He heard Tallerk come up behind him, and felt a little more confident in her presence. He could not take his eyes off the filly however, or it seemed the dark stallion, whose hostility was palpable. Fury burned in his eyes; and there was a possessiveness in his gave that told Jirrand he had claimed the blue roan as his own. She however seemed oblivious to the tension in the air, and Jirrand decided to keep the tone of conversation deceptively light. “And what are two horses such as yourselves doing frolicking through the twilight and into the evening? The night-creatures were made for the dark hours, and since brumbies usually cannot see very well at night most avoid it. It is rather unusual to see other horses out at this time.”

Jirrand cocked his head curiously, taking in the filly’s fine features. She truly was a beautiful mare, and Jirrand was disappointed that he had not gotten to her first. That might have prevented any form of confrontation. His mind was now weighing up the situation and examining it from every angle. He was unsure whether it was actually worth having a fight over this filly right now. Sure; she was friendly and pretty, but Jirrand could always shadow her and that stallion and steal her away in the night. She was not afraid of his coat; the opposite it seemed, and for this Jirrand was glad. He could see that the stallion on the other hand was looking at him with fear and bias as every other stallion he had met so far had. Well, maybe not Kalti; but he had had to beat that out of him first. Did he have to beat the sense into every stallion in the whole high country or something crazy like that? Was it too much to ask not to be gawked at and feared by every brumby he passed? Apparently so; well for stallions anyway.

[yaruka]

Through the bush walked yet another horse on this strange night. The pretty filly was all but lost, though she recognised the landscape about her she had been seperated for the last season or so from her herd and was desperately alone. The sound of other horses caught her attention and cautiously Kalari creeped closer, careful to keep to the shadows so that her silver and creme coat did not glow too brightly. It was a lost cause really, being a pale honey coloured and white pinto wasn't exactly conducive to moving discreetly. Her colouring was bright even without light it seemed, if a human had been viewing her they would have likely said her colouring was like cheese cake, or custard.
Finally Kalari caught sight of the speakers, snorting in surprise at the unusual scene before. The palest of them, a powerful looking stallion, seemed like something right out of a legend. Infact, the other stallion was quite an usual colour too, and listening to the conversation Kalari was anything but reassured. “I am real for those who wish it to be so,” said the cremello to a blue roan filly and Kalari trembled with the strangeness of it all, this night time meeting. The tension in the clearing was almost palatable and the timid filly's next instinct was to flee. But in her haste she brushed a branch as she turned, the sound of its swing seemingly magnified in the queer stillness of the night. The pinto filly froze, hoping that maybe, just maybe, the others would not notice her, and that she was somehow camouflaged in the dark brush.

[{ Opal }]

Tallerk was enthralled by the conversation happening between the roan filly and Jirrand, though the tension between the two stallions was unnerving. But suddenly Tallerk's focus on the scene was interrupted, and her head came up, ears pricked, flicking back and forth uncertainly. She had heard something... the swishing of disturbed branches, somewhere behind her. Tallerk felt a cold chill creep down her spine, but she turned to face whatever made the noise, with her body tense and rigid. Her eyes caught sight of a strange pattern, which she recognized to be the figure of a fellow brumby. The horse was something of a pale sandy palomino, but it was splashed with bold white. Tallerk, herself, had never seen such an exotic pinto before, and found the color quite striking.

After overcoming her surprise, Tallerk made sure to sniff the cool night air, and discovered that the brumby was a mare- and about three years old, making her mature. But Tallerk could tell that the poor mare was frightened as well as alone, and she sympathized; this ominous meeting was less than cordial, and Jirrand must seem fearsome to those that didn't fully know him. Not wanting for the newcomer to slip away, Tallerk gave her a soft, reassuring nicker, and hoped the sound would encourage her to stay. Stepping slightly closer, and lowering her head to appear non-threatening, Tallerk whispered, "Come, don't be afraid."

[tingara]

Aroona watched the mystical white stallion with eyes wide open. He and Jiemba certainly rivalled each other for looks, both were so beautifully coloured and tantalisingly mysterious. The filly studied the strange white stallion closer and it did not escape her attention that one of his eyes was the colour of the sky at sunset, a rich red. If her eyes had been wide before they were even wider now. She’d heard the stories from her mother, father and the other horses of her birth herd but never for one moment had she thought they were true.

”Nightrunner,” Aroona breathed in wonder.

Interestingly she felt no fear at this legendary stallion, maybe it was because he couldn’t be one. He only had one red eye but still she couldn’t help but quiver with excitement at the thought he was connected to the legendary herd of the death omens. The blue roan filly did not answer his questions; instead she sidled up to him fearlessly. She peered closer at the red eye, such a curious colour.

It seemed she had forgotten her place, she was with Jiemba, and he was the one she would run with. Aroona was not disappointed in her choice of stallion but she couldn’t help but think what if she’d seen this stallion of the night first? Would this situation have been reversed? Aroona might never have chosen to run with the strangely coloured chestnut but she was glad she did. He was a good stallion; she was not following him on his looks alone like she might have the white stallion.

The apparent arrival of another made the blue roan filly jump and squeal in surprise. She pressed close to Jiemba enjoying the feeling on his warm flank against hers. She called out to the stranger, willing them to come out and join them. Her invite was most certainly a lot less subtle than Tallerk’s. Aroona couldn’t believe that she had been alone for so long and had now met so many other horses on the same night.

[KAREE]

"I could ask the same for you, O silver stallion." He blinked, then quietly looked over Aroona. Feeling somewhat proud that he had gotten to her before this stallion had. But then again, Jiemba might loose the blue roan filly if he had to fight this odd stallion. Something just didn't seem right about him. "What is it they call you both?" He asked. Just then Aroona spoke, seemingly distracted, "Nightrunner." This made Jiemba look back at the stallion and pay a little more attention to what he must have missed earlier. While Jiemba was taking in the stallions finer details in the poor light, Aroona siddled closer.

The odd chestnut stallion tensed immediately, ready to pounce at the stallion when he decided he would take her away. He watched her nerviously, nickering softly for her to come back to his side. He didn't even want this nightrunner or what ever he was around his only mare. Then after a tense, long moment, Aroona jumped back to his side and Jiemba caught yet more movement out of the side of his eye. Looking over he saw the silver's dark mare appear out of the darkness like a shadow, behind her another mare. She was also oddly coloured, though she was not in the way the nightrunner and Jiemba was.

OOC|| Sorry its a really crappy post xD I really needed to get this done so yea. Sorry!!