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Neutral
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Astronomy • 5 • Lone Mare • M: Luar ~ The liver-colored mare's hooves raked the ground as she walked. Her head hung low, past her shoulders. Lifting her head once in a while to look at her mate, Luar, and the heart of the valley, which they had entered not too long ago. The light breeze blew against her, Astronomy's mane and tail blowing every so slightly in the wind. Astronomy and her mate had been traveling for a while now, a couple of days from their last destination. The mare was starting to feel their whole travel through her aching muscles. ~ She was about to speak up, lifting her head to the stallion beside her when he spoke up, suggesting they stop for a break. She let out a snort of agreement, "I thought you'd never ask.", the mare nuzzled Luar on his neck before lowering her head down to take a large mouthful of the valley's green grass. As the two horses grazed, Astronomy thought of their last home, where the two had first met...where they had left. They both had decided it was best to move on, and they did. To be completely honest, the mare was quite glad they had left, the place she had called "home" had been run down for a couple of months. It was enough to make it easier for her to leave. ~ Taking another mouthful of grass, Astronomy lifted her head up. shook her mane, and took a few steps before reaching a better green patch. Flicking her tail against her back legs she snorted, "We have seen a couple of herds around here...and I have heard about the other loners.". Astronomy lifted her head to look at Luar, "We're going to have to be very careful about where we stay...and how long we stay there for.". The mare wondered what they would do if they ran into an...aggressive loner, or herd at that. A loner, they could defiantly take on, they would be strong enough for that. Now a herd...that could be dangerous. |
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Darkseeker
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Oarlock Plains Herd Friesian Mare || M: Most (Ind) ~ Oarlock was laying in the pokey green grass of the prairie, enjoying some rest. The months before the peaceful three they've stayed in the plains had been choas, thankfully no one was hurt too bad. Except the lead stallion vanishing. ~ Her theory on it: they were peacefully walking when the ground decided to attack, and buried their leader underneath all the rubble and he either suffocated, or succumbed to his wounds and died. It was sad, but it's just the way life can be. Nature is unforgiving. ~ Most of the mares had foaled already, and Oarlock is one of the others who had no foals to bear. She was slightly saddened that she's never once had a foal of her own. At least I'm available to the other mares who need assistance, right? That thought had cheered her up. ~ She lifted her head up and then slowly to stood up to observe the herd. Her brown eyes immediately looked around for the foals. She saw Jasper near Idrun, but Oren and Nadzeya were nowhere to be seen, at least, to her. He's so cute. She thoughts as she watched him for a little bit before looking towards Cicely. ~ The lead mare, Cicely, looked sad. I can't imagine the pain she must feel right now. It's probably really hard for her.. they knew each other for a long time... A wave of sympathy rushed over Oar, but she just looked away. I wish I could help her though... ~ When she leaned her head down, a piece of grass poked her eye, making her flinch her head back up. Her eye was squeezed shut and a few droplets of water formed where the grass poked. She peeled her lips back and started making silly grunting noises as she kept tossing her head upwards until the pain from the poke faded away. ~ Afterwards she looked back at the grass as if nothing ever happened and took a big nom out of one of the clumped up patches and ended up with her mouth too full, so she just chewed it all up before swallowing. Ew, that grass is dry. Oh well. No reason to complain! She thought and took another big nom out of the patch, this time with less grass to shove in her cheeks. |
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Darkseeker
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Kokoro Female | Yearling | Plains Herd | 1 Year 3 Months | Mentions: Cicely, Herd [Indirectly], Chex [Indirectly] The sooty bay filly watched as, slowly, the herd seemed to begin stirring to life. She'd settled down late in the night, curled around herself with her head tucked against her dark legs. She'd been dipping in and out of consciousness for longer than she cared to estimate, the howls of the wolves rumbling through her otherwise uneventful sleep. When Cicely, the Lead Mare of the herd and her mother, began moving, Koko took that as her cue. She made a soft, quiet noise, and jutted her forelegs out in front of her, using them to push her body up into a standing position. The bay stood for a moment, taking in deep breaths of the morning air with her head low, before she lifted her head and did a quick scan for where her mother had ended up. Kokoro had always liked being useful, had always asked and pleaded for jobs, and now, with the disappearance of her father and being the daughter of the Lead Mare, Koko had done nothing but try to step up and help her mother as much as possible. Even if it was just distracting the foals for a while and giving her mother and the other mares a little bit of a break, or if it was to go and round up someone, Koko had been nothing but willing. And so, naturally, the bay began a careful trek towards the chocolate brown mare. She made a soft sound to announce her presence on her mothers outer side, the side away from the herd, and fell into step beside her as easily as breathing. "Do you need me to do anything, Ma?" She asked softly, keeping her voice low for any of the others that were still resting or sleeping. |
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Darkseeker
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Loki | Yearling | Plains Herd | M: Herd (Ind) Ursa (Ind) Kokoro (Ind) Loki tossed his head, wandering about the prarie, glancing at the foals and mares. They didn't really interest him, and he started to look for something else to entertain himself with. Breifly, he missed his mother, and kicked himself. He was too old to be pining after his mum. Trying to distract himself, he dropped his head to the grass, nibling at the softer tips, filling his empty stomach. He huffed contentedly, happy to be full again, and he looked around again. Most of the herd was contentedly grazing or relaxing, which meant there wasn't a lot that he could do. Loki started to look for the other yearlings, hoping to find someone to talk to, or at least have some kind of interaction with. He could see Kokoro talking to the Lead Mare, and decided not to bother her. She was probably going to be helpful, and he hated to be helpful, though he considered the yearling very smart and kind. He wished he'd talk to her more, but he was scared she'd get the wrong idea. He didn't see any of the other yearlings right of the bat either, which surprised him. They were probably all off somewhere together, having a good time. The thought of all the other yearlings playing without him made him slightly melancholy, and his proud stance faltered, his neck dropped, and he brushed his nose along the ground, sad to be left out. He knew the other yearlings weren't cruel,and would never leave him out on purpose. He also knew that they probably weren't playing without him, but he almost liked the hurt that he felt from his thoughts, which only irritated him more. With a sigh, he dropped down into the grass, rubbing his face on his leg, trying to think of something he could do to amuse himself. |
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Lightbringer
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Clover || 1 Year, 3 Months || Mare || Plains Herd Yearling || M: Chex (Ind), Cicely (Ind), Herb Members (Ind) Dawn, or morning rather, has always been Clover’s favorite time of day. For not only was it stunning and serene in appearance, but it marked a new day. A new day meant new things, and new things meant adventure – the best thing to ever exist as far as she was concerned. Virtually nothing could top it. The only thing that could, potentially, was the companionship she received from some of her fellow herd members. But that got a bit much for her at times, with there only being a few exceptions that could never run her attention span into the ground. Shaking her head of these rambling thoughts, the bay mare begins to meander around the herd at a trot – passing and greeting various mares, yearlings, and the odd wakeful foal as she did. Loose blades of grass stuck to her dark coat as she moved about, uncaring of her appearance. There was no time for looking presentable. No point either, if she were to just dirty herself again. Now was the time for adventure. Or, what adventure she could get, anyway. There was no guarantee that she could sneak off with how on edge the herd was after being separated from her father. Speaking of being on edge, a few of her fellow herd-mates – particularly the adult mares – could be observed keeping watch over their foals as well as the herd. Likely due to the, previously mentioned, lack of an adult male and the haunting howls from the previous night. Of these mares was Cicely, who was circling the herd and looking about with her dark eyes. The yearling’s ears pinned back at the sight. She was grateful that the lead mare was keeping a lookout for danger, there was no doubt about it. But this did mean that there would be no sneaking off while the lead mare was keeping watch. It would be too risky, with how close of an eye she was keeping on everyone. Besides, Clover really didn’t feel like being scolded anytime soon….again Releasing a slightly irritated snort, she slows her pace and begins to nibble on some grass – still, somehow, nearly choking on her wee little snack. Eventually, her pathing eventually leads her to the outskirts of the herd. She sticks to its edges as to not draw suspicion (even if she wasn’t planning anything at this very moment) and begins to scan the imminent area for a certain someone who she planned on waking up. |
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Neutral
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Luar || 6 || Batchelor Stallion || M: Astronomy ~ Still munching on grass, Luar let his mind drift, trying not to think too much. The soft wind wound its way through his legs, putting a small chill on his stomach. The flies were also active, flying around, landing on his back and withers. He lifted his head up and shook a little to dislodge the flies. Then he heard Astronomy speak. "Oh, yes." It took him a couple of seconds to register her words. "We will have to be careful, no doubt about that. Herds could pose a threat." Making sure there was no one else around, he continued talking. "I heard about a herd with no lead stallion... if we needed a place to stay, perhaps we could convince them into taking me as their lead?" He was very skeptical, but it was a possibility. ~ Leaning his head on Astronomy's neck, he rested for a little, his mane still blowing in the harsh, steady, wind. His breath was soft in the air, and he nearly fell asleep. This is comfortable... He kept resting, just taking in all the sensory things around them. The chirp of the birds, the sounds of the crickets and bugs, all the different particles floating in the air.... Then raising his neck again, he had the sudden urge to roll, as he was quite itchy from all the flies. "Hey. I'm going to roll, keep an eye out!" Then, with those words, he found a dusty patch nearby, and knelt down, rolling, and stirring up lots of dust. ~ "Uhhhh..." He groaned as he rolled, stirring up lots of dust, and his blood bay coat, that normally would be gleaming in the sun, was now caked with mud. He had completely forgot about that stone in his hoof, but as he rolled the pain came back to him. Getting up loosely, he limped back over to Astronomy, trying not to put much pressure on his hoof. He kicked out a bit, trying to dislodge the stone, but that didn't work. |
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Darkseeker
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Haloma
Lone Mare | No Herd | 6 Yrs | Mentions: None
As she reached the highest part of the path she was on she let out a soft sigh of relief as the full sight of the valley came into view. Her legs trembled for a half second before she flicked her ears with determination and began the descent down the mountain.
It, like the rest of her journey, was slow going for the heavily pregnant mare, each step carefully placed to ensure she didn't take a stumble. She'd made this journey several times though, so she knew what to expect. On the parts where she would slide she'd lean back on her haunches to give herself better control and a safer slide. It wasn't the easiest thing with the bulging sides and low belly, but she was making it nonetheless.
"Not to self," she chuckled to herself, her voice airy as she struggled to catch her breath, "come earlier next year. This was way too much walking to be this pregnant." She made a little hop over a rock that would have been trecherous to step on and grunted with the effort. The twinge in her side returned and she blowed out her nostrils loudly in discomfort. "Almost there, Haloma, almost there," she murmured to herself.
The trek down the mountain was faster than her pace up it, mostly due to the fact that she was able to carefully slide on her hooves down most of it. So when the ground gave way from rocky ground to soft, sweet grass she pranced like a filly and tossed her head back in triumph. She had done it, she had made it.
"Now, to find the perfect spot," she, again, spoke to herself. She knew there was no way she was going to make it another day without foaling so she needed to find a comfortable, and preferably safe, spot to lay down. So her search began, keeping away from the center of the valley, but not quite on the outskirts either. She didn't want to be found by someone just entering the valley, but she didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to herself either. |
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Darkseeker
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Ouranos || 8 || Bachelor Stallion || M: Haloma The dark stallion moved through a sparse forest -- more of a small clump of trees, really -- that bordered his destination of the valley. With each pace he took, the grass blades tickled higher up his legs until they nearly reached his knees. He snorted in mild irritation; the feeling of the foliage swishing against him so lightly reminded him of swarms of flies. It was still spring, but summer was coming, and with summer's arrival came the flies. With the amount of horses that sheltered in the valley each year, though, the height of the grass was sure to shorten soon.
Ouranos was almost looking forward to the arrival of other equines. He'd grown rather bored the last few months by his lonesome. The large stallion had followed the Plains herd from a safe distance but only to keep an occasional eye on his two sisters. He had noticed that Mara had foaled, though he hadn't seen the herd since then. Ouranos was now certain that he had travelled faster than they, since he could neither see nor smell them in the grassy expanse he was headed towards. As all the mares were foaling, it made sense that they would begin to travel slower with the new members.
Breaking into a swift trot, he broke free of the trees and flared his nostrils to catch the scents awaiting him. Young grass, fresh water, wafting pine, mare -- Wait. That last smell was fresher than he'd expected. His gait slowed and his ears swiveled on alert. Ouranos turned to scan the area around him more carefully; had he missed something before? Had the herd beat him after all? But this scent wasn't familiar, and it was alone.
There - somewhere between the tree line and the main body of the valley, he could see a pale horse with a darker head moving rather slowly. Was that the mare he smelled? If so, was she truly alone? Ouranos furrowed his brows and moved forward at a moderate pace; he needed to know exactly what he was getting himself into, and it would be wise to find out how many other stallions -- if any -- would be posing a threat to him. As he drew closer to the center of his attention, he released a short whinny to announce himself before stopping a good several yards away from the mare. He could see now that she was heavily pregnant, and if there was ever something he remembered from his younger years with a herd, it was that one should never antagonize a full-term female. |
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Darkseeker
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Haloma
Lone Mare | No Herd | Mentions: Ouranos
As she moved, weaving lazily through the trees, her eyes locked onto a patch of grass within a dense grove of trees in distance. It would be the perfect spot for her to foal, as it might make it more difficult for threats to not only see her but her soon to be born foals.
Her hooves thudded quietly against the ground, the softer earth doing its best to muffle her heavy steps. Hal's head hung a bit as she walked, her sides shuddering now and then as the impending labor began to take hold. She knew she had been cutting it close, but she was a bit surprised to feel it taking grip over her so quickly. Still, despite the discomfort, the mare was vigilant, taking in the sights and scents around her as she walked.
The feeling of being watched caused the mare to pause, her head lifting causing her mane to sway with the motion before sticking to her neck. The fur along her body was beginning to grow slick with sweat, adding a shine that might have glinted in the light had it not been accompanied by, well, everything else. Her pale eyes scanned the trees around her, her sights settling upon the figure of a dark horse just as said equine whinnied to her.
Pinning her ears back, she glanced around nervously, not knowing exactly what their intentions were. Hesitantly she let out a soft neigh, before urging her hooves to move again. He was standing between her and the grove she had her sights set on, so she figured this was not something she could avoid.
"I'm alone," she finally spoke, calling out to the horse as she approached, her muscles trying to tense through the discomfort in her abdomen. She knew annoucning she had no protection might backfire, but she hoped it would prevent any possible aggression, as a protected mare could be a threat to another stallion who might approach.
"I-Im just trying to get to the grove over there," her voice waivered and she turned to nip at her sides in aggravation. She warily eyed him as she got closer, her ears remaining pinned against her head. He was larger than her, so if he decided to be aggressive she would have no chance of fighting or running away. So she could only hope his intentions were good. |
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Darkseeker
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Feanor
Bachelor Stallion | No Herd | Mentions: The Plains Herd [Ind.]
Breaths came quietly from the stallions nostrils as he walked through the valley, hooves thudding against the ground lowly. His bright, roaned physique stood out like a billow of flame among all the greenery of the valley, the red of his coat practically glistening in the sun. Feanor blew out loudly, and tossed his head up, his movements proud but calculated.
He knew the Plains Herd, a small to medium sized herd of mares, yearlings and foals were nearby, and he also knew they were without a stallion. However, despite that, he did not have the desire to takeover the entire herd, no, that woul draw too much unwanted attention to himself, as he knew several others would be gunning for the lead position of that herd. Not to mention, if the original lead returned? No. He had different plans.
Feanor had been watching the herd from a distance for some time, taking in their movements and studying the figures within the herd quietly. He hadn't gotten close enough to even be noticed let alone viewed as a threat, but he had different plans today. Instead, he would tow the line, crossing it just enough to test what they would and would not tolerate. He'd decide which mares he wanted, and then, at some point, he would try and steal them.
Despite being a rough stallion, Feanor had decided to try and present himself agreeably to the mares in the herd so that when he came for them, the ones he wanted would willingly follow. He was a brute, but he wasn't such a monster to force someone to go with him if she didn't want to. Though, heh did hope that their foals being safe with him, and him offering protection over them might be enough to convince even the most stubborn of the mares to follow. For now, though, he just intended on making himself visible, see which mare was brave enough to be curious about him.
Trotting forward, the stallion set his sights on the gathering of mares and their offspring and whinnied loudly, though not directly at them, more so just to draw attention to himself. Before his goals were to be invisible, but now? Now the stallion wanted to be seen. So he pawed at the ground, and arched his neck, allowing powerful muscles to ripple beneath the gloriously red roaned coat of his. He did not draw nearer, but he kept his eyes on the mares, curious to see their response to his sudden appearance. |
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Fall 
Day Weather: 
Heavy Rain
