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 Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:41 pm
Now that got a full on roll of the mare's eerie yellow eyes, the whites actually showing this time. "You're exhausted", she stated blandly, almost matter-of-factly. Well duh, how could she have over looked the telling signs of tiredness when they were so plainly in front of her. Its not like he was being subtle about it, despite the fact he was trying to act tough... for some reason. Of course the little hip bump hadn't gone unnoticed before, but the mare was trying her hardest not to get attached to the little beast. He must have someone out here to take care of him- oh, right. Hadn't he said he was alone? With a deep sigh and a shake of her head, the mare turned herself around to face the dun colored colt, scarred hide twitching as she made her decision. She supposed it'd be cruel to make him continue in this condition.
"Tell you what. You go ahead and take a nap, you look like you're about to keel over any minute now." She watched as the colt was about to open his maw, more than likely to refute what she just said. Scar didn't let him get that far, she stomped a forehoof firmly into the ground and snorted to push the point. "Don't worry, I'll wait. You take a nap and when you're feeling rested we'll have a little talk. Alright?" Yeesh, what was she getting herself into?
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Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:53 pm
What was the colt to do? He really, really liked the idea of a nap, but he didn't want to fall asleep only to wake up and find out the mare was gone. Would she do that? Shiloh honestly had no idea if she would or not, but he was unwilling to leave her company no matter what. He had had enough being on his own, and he was darn tired of the things that had happened to him over the past week or so. So the dun colored colt pinned his ears back in distress and determination, keeping his chest puffed out as he retorted with a snort of his own. "How do I know you won't just leave me once I'm asleep?" Oh he was very serious on this matter, and certainly wasn't about to fall for such an amatuer trick. Although the more he looked at the Scar... the more he wished he would have added an extra 'please' to the end of that sentence. She may not have been mean thus far, but she still had all those scars all over her, and she did look pretty strong- for a mare he supposed. Obviously he had seen stallions with more muscle tone than she possessed, but still the way she held herself and how taunt her hide stretched over the defined muscles he wasn't so sure he'd want to mess with her even as an adult.
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Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 11:27 pm
Oh-ho-ho, so the boy had guts did he? Good. At least he wasn't as terribly pathetic as she had orginally thought him to be. Not that Scar really meant any ill-will towards the boy, its just the fact that she had no experiance in dealing with foals. Hell, she certainly hadn't had any of her own. Weren't they just suppose to listen to adults or something? It would be so much easier if that were the case, but from the looks of it Shiloh wasn't going to be such a foal. Luckily for him, Scar was rather amused by his show despite how obviously tired he was. That however did not stop the mare from stepping forward and shoving her nose into his chest, gently so as not to hurt him, but firmly enough to prove her point. She watched as the dun foal toppled over, easily losing what had remained of his balance.
"Because", Scar responsed, reaching down to n** playfully at the tuft of hair between his ears. "I promise I'm not going anywhere any time soon. You're just going to have to trust me on that." That much was true. She couldn't rightfully leave him out here on his own now could she? Scar was mostly a mare of her word, especially when curiousity was involved. And boy-howdy was she curious about what Shiloh might tell her once he was rested and strong enough to make it the rest of the way to the rapids with her. "Got it?" she pressed, raising her brows at the young colt, as if she expected some form of retort.
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Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 11:47 pm
Shiloh let out a surprised squeak as he was pushed over so easily, finding himself lying flat on the ground in no time at all. That's really all it took? He knew he was stronger than that! Or at least he had been before. Maybe not getting enough sleep was really bad for you like that or something. It made sense. He turned his attention back to Scar as she stared him down and the colt fidgited under her gaze. What could he say? It really felt good to be laying down for the first time in several days, and he wasn't certain he'd be able to get up even if he wanted to at this point. "I... I guess", he responded uncertainly, already feeling himself starting to drift into sleep. He didn't want to. He wanted to keep his eyes open so he would be sure Scar would stay right beside him, but the longer he allowed himself to stay lying down the easier it was for him to give up on staying awake. Soon enough, the colt's blue eyes glazed over with exhaustion and he finally had to close his eyelids. "Promise..." he mumbled tiredly as his voice trailed off. Sleep found him quickly, taking over his body the moment he felt just the slightest bit of comfort. He supposed he had Scar to thank for that, seeing as how he was no longer plagued with the thoughts of his comrades with her to take up his attention.
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:49 am
There, that was much easier now wasn't it? Heck, there was almost nothing to this 'taking care of foals' thing, you just got to be firm. And Scar was certainly going to be firm enough to get her point across with Shiloh- wait a minute. Why was she thinking she was going to get involved with the little dun beast? She'd just agreed to take him with her to the rapids, that was it. He was cut off after that. Right? ... Right. Maybe. Wow! Yes, no maybe. Yes was the answer. The chocolate mare snorted at herself, flicking her ears in a mental shrug. Maybe. First she had to talk to him though, and find out just what exactly was going on with him right now. Maybe she'd be lucky and he was just lost, it wouldn't be too hard to find his parents or herd, would it? She could at least do that much for him. But... what if he was truly alone? What then? That was the scary unknown part for Scar. She didn't want to just leave out in the cold or anything, but... oh whatever. She'd cross that bridge when she came to it.
The muscular mare glanced down at the little sleeping body and she wondered just how old the colt was. He was much bigger than a newborn, and somewhat filled out so he wasn't as gainly as other foals. On the other hoof he had just looked so weak when he was just standing there, but that could have been caused by little sleep and little to nothing of eating. So, judging from size alone, he must have been at the least half a year old. So why was he on his own? Scar personally hadn't left the care of her dam until she was a year and a half, maybe even two years old. It kinda made her wonder just what exactly Shiloh was going through.
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:59 am
Scar stood and watched over the colt for quite awhile, megerly flitting between starring down at him and wondering over what he was going through, and her own little plight with life at the moment. Sure, she had escaped her death experiance, but with the barely the flesh from her hide. Wolves, she remembered them as clearly as remembered Desmona and her brother. Perhaps that was also another reason why she wasn't going to just leave Shiloh on his own, especially while he was sleeping. The thought of those beasts coming out of the woods to devour the colt set her blood ablaze, and she swore to herself that while Shiloh was in her protection nothing would happen to him. Nothing. Not even so much as a hair on his hide would be harmed, and would see to it personally that he got to where ever he was going to. Apparently with her, for the moment, but who knows when he might decide to go off on his own? The yellow-eyed mare flicked what remained of her tail and cast her gaze at the area around them. Her ears flicked to catch any stray sound and her muscles remained tensed, prepared incase she needed to spring to action at any moment. Is this what it felt like to have foals of your own? She wasn't sure, but it felt oddly instinctual.
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:07 am
-----------------
The colt awoke with a start, jerking upwards as the last image of his comrades flashed before his mind. For a moment he wasn't certain of where he was, or who he was with, but slowly the earlier events of the day came back to him. Shiloh blinked the haziness out of his eyes and hurriedly looked around for Scar, spotting her off to the side no more than five feet away. She really had stayed with him this entire time? To be honest he didn't think he'd wake up to find her still with him, which may have contributed to the fitful dreams he had been having, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise to see her standing there. That was a thought which came rather strangely to the colt, for he still couldn't believe her grizzly appearance.
With a yawn the colt willed himself to roll over to his belly and tiredly shook his head. The nap had done him some good, but it would take several nights before he could regain his strength fully. Not to mention he really hadn't had time to eat much of anything for a long while. He definately missed the oats and the hay he had gotten from the two-leggers, the nice ones, not the scary pale faces. Still, he smiled towards Scar. "I can't believe you really stayed", he told her, partially astounded by the feat alone.
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:16 am
"I said I would", the mare answered non-chalantly, merely stating fact and nothing more than that. Did he really think she was going up and leave him after promising not to do so? That was called betrayal, the one thing the mare hated above all else. At least recently that is. She certainly wasn't going to betray the trust of anyone if she could help it, and if all came down to protecting those she cared about she'd do it to the best of her ability and then some. As much as she hated to admit it, she really did like Shiloh, and some small part of her was nagging at the back of her mind, telling her that the colt needed her. Well, first things first she supposed.
"I'm curious Shiloh, you never said why you're alone", she let him know, nudging at his shoulder with her nose as encouragement to get up and start waking up. They still had a ways to go until they reached the rapids, and Scar was eager to see their splendor once more. If not for her own selfish reasons than to at least have a semi-safe place to stay. Very few mustangs or predators made the journey to the rapids, and fewer still during the winter time when the fish were gone. If they were lucky, they'd get away with having the spot all to themselves for awhile.
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:03 pm
"Oh... yeah," he muttered, not too enthusiastic about having to bring any of it up. Then again, who said he had to? Why should he trust Scar with the truth? For all he knew she might judge him poorly about leaving the other mustangs in the hands of those evil pale faces. Even worse, she might leave him knowing that he was coward. That's one thing Shiloh couldn't stand to have happen, not after finally finding someone to spend time with. Okay, there was more to it than that. To be honest the colt was rather wary about being out in the plains by himself, and didn't quite have it in him to be alone. He certainly wouldn't be able to defend himself, and what was he suppose to do when it got all cold and chilly at night? The nicer humans had given him blankets and warm food, and he doubted he'd be getting any of that out here. To say the least, the foal had been taken in by the humans at an early age, and was use to dealing with them. Now that he was suddenly thrown out into the wilderness, alone, it quite frankly scared him.
"I, uh... well, my mother was taken by the humans", he started, piecing together a story that was both true and a lie at the same time. "We got seperated a long time ago and I haven't seen her since", he told Scar, knowing full well that it was a bad thing to tell lies like that. He couldn't help it though, he really didn't want Scar to see him as a spineless coward that would leave his friends behind when they needed him. Hopefully she wouldn't catch on to the lie. That thought alone was enough to make his skin crawl and shiver.
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:35 am
Humans. She should have figured those beasts had something to do with it, especially after her last encounter with them. The chocolate colored mare gave a fiery snort at the very thought but restrained herself from making any further actions that could possibly startle or injure Sihloh. That in itself was difficult for her to do though, considering how she felt about them. Scar's hide twitched and shuttered as she withheld herself from any reckless action, causing her muscles to tense as she fought back the urge to strike out with a forehoof or paw at the ground. "I'm sorry to hear that, Shiloh", she told the colt, instead reaching down to n** at his mane once more. She felt for him, that much was for sure.
More than likely he wouldn't be seeing his mother ever again, and though Scar did not want to tell him this, she certainly didn't want to give him any false hopes about the world. "Come on, we gotta keep moving", was the only thing she could think to say, and even as the words left her mouth she realized how insensitive they were. However, Scar did not hesitate to step over Shiloh, carefully so as not to knock him with a hoof, and continue on their way to the rapids. She fully expected the foal to follow her, and quite honestly she didn't mind. It was obvious that he needed protection- well he needed his mother, but Scar would never fullfil that roll and she knew it- so the best she could do was keep the colt alive until he was able to take care of himself.
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:44 am
He couldn't tell if Scar believed him or not, but at least she wasn't throwing him away or telling him not to follow her. That was the best outcome he could have hoped for, and so with renewed enthusiasm the dun colt struggled to hooves. He was about to follow directly behind Scar when he glanced in the direction he had come from. His comrades... what about them? Were they going to be okay? A sinking feeling in his chest caused him to shiver, but there was nothing he could do about it now. They had told him to run, and so he had. Though those thoughts didn't make him feel too good about it, they allowed him at least some peace of mind.
Turning back in the direction of Scar he noticed the mare had neither stopped nor slowed down to wait for him, and so the colt quickly sprang forward with a make-shift lope. If she did know he was lying, she didn't seem too angry about it. Maybe. It was a little difficult for him to read and understand the adult mare's reactions at times, but she was better than nothing he reminded himself.
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:51 am
The journey to the rapids took longer than she had expected, but maybe that's because Scar was moving at a much slower pace with Shiloh by her side. Its not that he was slow... well, he was slow, though that wasn't the reason exactly. Scar was deep in thought for most of the trip, hardly saying a word to her young companion as she led them in the direction of her destination. What exactly was the young female thinking about? Deciding to protect Shiloh might have been one her most natural decisions in her life. Its as if instinct was guiding her in her thought process, demanding that she take care of the little thing. But how could that be? She didn't know him, she didn't really understand him at all. She supposed it was due to the fact that his plight had struck a cord with her, but she couldn't be certain. All Scar knew is that she would do everything in her power to keep the foal safe, for as long as he needed her to do so.
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:56 am
Shiloh did his best to keep up with the full grown mustang, but that wasn't too hard at this point. He noticed after awhile that Scar seemed to have a bit of a stiff gait, even for adult standards. He wasn't exactly sure as to why, but he kept his maw shut about it. To tell the truth he had his suspsions, one of which being that those scars were fresher than he thought. Perhaps she had been injured recently? Either way he wasn't going to bring it up, somewhat fearful that she would snap at him for doing so. That being said, he felt somewhat safe with the flaxen-maned mare, even she did look like a monster. At least she didn't shun him or turn away from him.
------------
After some bit of travel the colt couldn't help but wonder just exactly where they were going, and when they were going to get there. They had been walking for some time and he was eager to lay down again, still quite tired from the week's events. That nap had done him good but it didn't bring him to full strength, not by a long shot. "When are we-"
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:01 am
"If the next words out of your mouth are going to be 'going to get there' I swear", she paused, letting the threat hang there for a moment before continuing "I'm going to tell you we're already there." Okay, she couldn't help her bit of sarcastic humor right there. She had heard that foals could be quite impatient and annoying to deal with. so she was prepared to use sarcasm to get her point across. The mare chuckled to herself. Oh she definately would not make a good replacement for the colt's mother, she just didn't have that... mothering instinct. It was quite hilarious really. With a gesture from her muzzle Scar pointed to the rapids to demonstrate what she meant. "We'll be staying her until you and I both can gather our strength." No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:04 am
Shiloh quickly shut his mouth, ears flicking back in both surprise and disbelief. Did... did she just make a joke? He wasn't very sure, but he definately wasn't going to argue with the mare, not by a long shot. With a flick of his stubby tail the colt looked in the direction she had pointed out and for a moment he was stunned at the sight. He had never seen the rabids before, but he was certain he was going to like it here just fine. "Okay", was the only thing the colt offered to Scar's comment, not worried about retorting it in any way.
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