paperboat
Yearling
Alias KesiLegend
Posts: 249
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Post by paperboat on Sept 5, 2012 15:45:00 GMT -5
((The mare is Hyrra, an Icelandic Horse 83))
The land was vast and the valleys plentiful. A large river ran its course down the middle of one particular valley, the valley of the Ancients the humans called it once, when the land was theirs. Now nature had snatched it back, and it grew wild and beautiful once more. There wasn't much life there, save for the rabbits that seemed to be everywhere on the terrain, until the mini thunder storm began to shake the earth.
The small hooves, black as midnight, thudded into the soft ground and the nearby rabbits fled into their burrows. Her small figure barely cast a shadow, but the presence of something larger than the them made them worry.
The mare was chocolate coloured with small light dappling her thick coat, and as she skidded to a halt her little nostrils flared and her eyes shone brightly. Hyrra was a loner by nature, and this small but beautiful territroy she had made her own. She needed no herd or stallion, not to her knowledge anyway, and she made the birds and the rodents her own companions. She reared up dominantly, scraping the air with her hooves before dropping back down with a small snort, satisfied. She then trotted over to the river for her morning drink. This perimeter scouting was thirsty work!
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Post by Kagome Higurashi on Sept 5, 2012 21:47:40 GMT -5
A ways down the river, Flare was scolding her colt yet again. He had to learn not to be so reckless. She was, however, being a bit of a hypocrite, for she was much the same way before he was born. Watching him as she lectured, she noted that his ears that had been pinned back in at least some semblance of humility, now flicked a bit, as if picking up more interesting sounds. She snorted and stomped a forefoot, "Tusk! Are you you listening to me?" "Wha-- Oh... yeah mom..." She didn't buy it, but it wasn't as though she could make him listen, and she let out a big sigh, not for the first time by any means.
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paperboat
Yearling
Alias KesiLegend
Posts: 249
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Post by paperboat on Sept 6, 2012 14:06:32 GMT -5
Hyrra trotted up to the river without a sideways glance, and dipped her small muzzle into the clear, fresh water of the river, her tail flicking out behind her to ward away the pesky flies that were buzzing around the humid air. She drank well and long, and only moved away when she saw a familiar flash of silver weave past her. She smiled wistfully and snuffled at the colour. "Salmon", she said softly, in a rather heavy accent, "I didn't think it was their season yet." She watched the rather fat fish meander down the river like a lazy snake, and flicked ehr ears forward with interest. "If you are early, you know, you won't get the babies little salmon!" she called after it, and snickered. Talking to fish, whatever next! The little mare then walked away from the bank and made to canter off, but another sight stopped her in her tracks. She jammed her hooves into the earth and skidded to a halt as she picked out the shape of two forms a little further down the river. She snorted in surprise. "Well, that's peculiar..." she said, frowning as she turned to look at them more closely. They certainly didn't look rabbit-sized...they looked far bigger, and now she looked at it... "Horses?" she exclaimed, and she flattened her ears. She decided she had to see to these intruders, and and there was nothing that could sway her. So, rather stupidly, she bolted towards them at a breakneck speed, letting out a shrill neigh as she did so.
((Oh Hyrra, you silly mare...she doesn't realise they're bigger than her, bless xD))
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Post by Kagome Higurashi on Sept 6, 2012 14:17:48 GMT -5
Both mare's and colt's heads jerked up at the sound, ears forward, and while the mare did not intend to move, her foal took off for the shape that was moving toward them, so of course his mother had to go after him, "Tusk, no! What did I just tell you?!"
Bah, his mom worried too much. What could possibly harm him? He was a strong and brave stallion after all. ...At least in his own delusional little mind.
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paperboat
Yearling
Alias KesiLegend
Posts: 249
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Post by paperboat on Sept 6, 2012 14:35:53 GMT -5
Hyrra neighed again, calling out dominantly as her hooves struck the ground again and again. She hdn't seen other horses in so long, and she didn't like the idea of seeing them again. Then again, the last horses she had seen had been mindless, violent bullies. The thought of them made her cringe. However when she saw a shape hurtling towards her that was clearly a foal and she swerved to the right to prevent herself from crashing into the young blood. She scrambled to her feet and snorted with surprise. That was a big colt! She snorted again, ears back as she realised he was probably about the same height as her, if not a little taller, and she couldn't help trembling slightly- with fear or anger, it was hard to tell. She looked back from where it had come, and saw its mother hot on its heels. She backed up, tail clamped tightly to her haunches and ears flat back. Sure, it was a mare and mares were a little safer to her, but they were still bigger than her and that unnerved her slightly.
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Post by Kagome Higurashi on Sept 6, 2012 14:46:33 GMT -5
Tusk pranced in place while she got up, buzzing with a boundless enthusiastic energy that was almost exclusive to foals, "Hi there!"
It wasn't but a moment after he spoke that Flare was there, and she clamped the base of his scruffy mane in her teeth and pulled him back. She the addressed the pony, "I am so sorry... He doesn't listen to me sometimes, and gets away from me... You're not hurt, are you?"
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paperboat
Yearling
Alias KesiLegend
Posts: 249
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Post by paperboat on Sept 7, 2012 5:27:47 GMT -5
She shook herself hurriedly and scowled at the foal for frightening her. Hyrra did tend to scare easily, but she wasn't particularly proud of it. She looked up at the mare and gulped. "Er..." words seemed to fail her as she stared. She hadn't seen such a big horse for years, and even then they had been brutish stallions, not mares. She was a little confused as to how to approach them. She tried again. "I'm not hurt..." She looked back to the playful colt and snorted distastefully. "But I suppose, boys will be boys..." She looked back at the mare and puffed herself out in an attempt to look dominant. "Have you been travelling through this territory long?"
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Post by Kagome Higurashi on Sept 7, 2012 13:12:55 GMT -5
"Oh good." She did seem quite relieved to hear that the little equine was not hurt, and she bobbed her head, "Yes, you're right, boys will be b--" She cut herself off as she saw Tusk about to approach the pony again, probably bored with listening to them talk, and she snagged his tail, pulling him between her front legs to hold him in place. "...No, we haven't been here long. In fact, we've only been wandering since shortly after Tusk here was born."
Said colt squirmed for a few moments, but he could not budge from his mother's grip, so he stilled, temporarily resigned, ears sagging a bit, and somewhat frustrated.
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paperboat
Yearling
Alias KesiLegend
Posts: 249
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Post by paperboat on Sept 8, 2012 9:55:01 GMT -5
Hyrra gazed at the little colt with great interest, and then looked back at its mother. "It's alright", she said, relenting, "you can let him go. I've had a few foals myself in my years. I know how to keep them in place." She lowered her head and snorted. They hadn't been travelling that long? Well that was slightly more comforting. If they had been in her territory for a long while she would have had to scold herself for her failure in tracking them... "Oh, well, this is just my territory, so..." she trailed off as he realised she had no hope in the world of chasing the mare off: if she so much as snorted at her she could get squashed by her hooves. "...you can stay here as long as you wish. You're lucky you didn't go through the territory near here; that's owned by a stallion, and he wouldn't be quite so accommodating."
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Post by Kagome Higurashi on Sept 8, 2012 13:10:41 GMT -5
As soon as his mother let go, Tusk was bouncing around Hyrra, sniffing her from time to time, much like a curious puppy.
"Thank you. It is because the her I was in was taken over by a stallion I didn't like that we are on our own." She then looked amused, "And I certainly didn't expect to com upon a seemingly herdless pony claiming an area of land is hers."
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paperboat
Yearling
Alias KesiLegend
Posts: 249
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Post by paperboat on Sept 8, 2012 15:35:48 GMT -5
Hyrra watched the colt a little warily, but slowly accepted the fact that he was going to bounce around her and tried her best to ignore him for the moment. "Stallions are brutes", she said shortly, and looked at the colt again. He seemed harmless enough; he just didn't know his own strength. And for a pony facing a horse, it was a little daunting to know that. She laid her ears back at the mare's words and snorted. "I had a herd once", she snapped, whisking her tail irritably. "These lands belonged to my father long ago, and I wasn't going to abandon it."
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Post by Kagome Higurashi on Sept 8, 2012 19:36:00 GMT -5
The small one's body language was easy enough to read, "I was just saying is all. It's not like I was going to put up a fight about it or something.
bored with the talk, Tusk poked Hyrra with his nose, "Stop talking to Mom, she's boring... Let's play!"
"Gee, thanks Tusk..." She sighed, "Just because she's about your size doesn't mean she's a foal too."
"So what? She can still play, can't she?"
She sighed again and didn't answer him, "...I really am sorry about him... My name is Flare, by the way, and the little trouble maker is Tusk..."
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paperboat
Yearling
Alias KesiLegend
Posts: 249
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Post by paperboat on Sept 10, 2012 7:50:27 GMT -5
Hyrra snorted, and then lowered her head. "I...I'm sorry", she apologised. "I'm just not used to company. I've been alone for a long time, and I've got used to that fact." She watched the colt prance around her with interest, and she nipped at his heels playfully. "I don't really do playing", she began weakly, and then the memories came flooding back of her many playtimes with her son, a strapping young colt who disappeared from her grasp many moons ago. She flattened her ears, and then looked back to the mare. "It's okay, my own was just as hyperactive. It's nice to meet you Flare, and your son, Tusk. My name is Hyrra, and these are the Steppes."
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Post by Kagome Higurashi on Sept 10, 2012 13:10:42 GMT -5
Tusk let out a little squeal of delight, and attempted to turn it into a 'catch me if you can' sort of thing.
Flare's expression softened, "And it's nice to meet you as well, Hyrra. We haven't had company ourselves since we left our herd." She watched her colt a moment, "Which is probably part of why the little monster is so excited." But there was humor in her voice; there was no bitterness in that comment.
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paperboat
Yearling
Alias KesiLegend
Posts: 249
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Post by paperboat on Sept 11, 2012 7:16:59 GMT -5
Hyrra smiled wistfully and nipped at his heels again, making sure it was gentle in case she snagged the colt. She flicked her ears forward and whickered at the foal. "Is his father the ex leader of your herd?" she inquired, looking back to his mother. She wished that she had had a mate, once- a stallion that didn't force himself on her and made her birth large colts for her size. She tossed her head up to rid herself of the memories and snorted softly, her small nostrils quivering. "You...are welcome to stay as long as you like", she said absently.
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