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 Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 10:40 am
 The days were shorter, the air was colder, and the flaxen maned mare could hardly stand it any more. After all she was an avid believer in keeping oneself physically fit, but when one's time was spent forging for food underneath frost and snow drifts, there really wasn't much time for running about and playing. Not to mention the fact, it was really, really cold! Kind of made her wish she had gone back to stay with her mother's herd for the season, the whole more warmth for the more bodies that were around thing.
Either way she looked at it, Spook was just complaining to herself, perhaps in an attempt to keep her mind off the chill. Yeah, that was probably it. With a flick of her tail and a shake of her unruly mane the mare settled back into nudging some bits of frost off what she assumed was a mouthful of grass. Weeds. Well, they were better than nothing. Finding the taste bitter and unsavory, the chocolate coated mustang snorted her distaste and lifted her muzzle from the ground to take a closer look at her surroundings.
Well, her wanderings had led her slightly closer to the mountain base, which might have accounted for the lack of tasty foregables. Of course, Spook really hadn't been this close to the mountain before, so it was possible that she was wrong in that aspect. Either way, the mare wasn't too happy with her current situation, and her mood shown through with her partially turned back ears and constant flicking of her tail.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 11:58 am
Rowan trotted through the frost covered meadow, his ears swiveling as the crunching sound it made filled his memories. Ah yes he remembered this time of year well, it was when most horses complained about the lack of fresh grass and how they had to work for their food. They also would complain about the cold. Rowan didn't mind either, he enjoyed the challenge of searching for his next meal and the cold was soothing to him. He always hated the hot months of summer.
The ropes hanging form his face and neck swayed back and forth as he moved along. They were bothersome to him and yet at the same time he was grateful to have them. He would never forget the evil that were humans with these on him. And he would never allow them to get close to him again. He caught sight of movement near the base of the mountain. His head swiveled to get a better look. He spotted a chocolate brown mare picking her way through what little there was to offer to eat here. Well she wasn't from the herd he knew instantly. And not many horses outside his herd traveled to this part of the area knowing what monstrosities took refuge here.
He turned and began trotting towards the mare. Though he really didn't know exactly what he would say to her. He wasn't normally the conversational type after all. And talking of such things are the weather were usually just far too boring to even attempt.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 4:53 pm
Humph. The sooner the weather cleared up and gave way to spring the better. As all mortal things though, Spook had no way of getting it to come quicker, and simply had to wait it out. Perhaps it was her youth that made her so impatient, but the mere idea of simply waiting didn't sit well with her. Well then, what to do?
A snort of indifference left her flared nostrils, leaving her breath visable in the air. No use dwelling on the subject after all, especially when there was nothing to be done about it. Without much backward thought, the somewhat irratated mare gave a final flick of her tail and was about to turn around and forsake the mountain when a flicker of bright color caught her attention. About mid-step Spook swung her head fully in the direction of the bright color, and found herself looking directly at a palomino as he trotted over. As always, Spook was not one to turn away from company, even a stranger's. As to what he wanted? That she was completely unaware of, but the flaxen merely gave a mental shrug at the idea. Whatever the reason, she really wasn't bothered by it.
Pricking her ears and giving her head a toss, the mare turned in his direction and began to move forward at an easy jog. It wouldn't be too nice of her to make him come all the way without meeting him in the middle now wouldn't it? Despite the tall way she carried herself, with head raised and an animated movement, her features and expression were quite open and non-hostile. "Greetings Stranger-" She would have continued coming forward like this, had she not gotten close enough to spot the remains of what she knew to be ropes. Human ropes. Almost instantly, as if by the drop of a single stride, Spook's demeanor shifted gears into a moment of fear. Halting with a sideways jump, back hallowed and legs stiff, Spook literally spooked and took one wild look around the valley.
Ropes meant humans. Humans meant... lots of bad things she didn't want to get caught up in. Tension clearly cut itself visably through her muscled body, as her ears swiveled back and forth uneasily. It didn't look like there were humans in the area, but perhaps, they weren't too far behind the palomino stallion? Right, the stallion. Her now white rimmed yellow eyes refocused on him as she pricked her ears in his direction once more. He didn't seem like he had been in too much of a hurry before, perhaps she had been mistaken?
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:53 am
Rowan really hadn't expected the mare to react like that when he got closer. Her sudden movements caused him to slide to a halt and wonder why she had gotten spooked like that. Of course when his ropes tapped against his neck he could only assume that his unnatural look was what had set the mare off. This was a reaction he was still getting used to. Having only run into a few horses outside of the herd since returning to these lands it was all still a new experience. This must be what Thanos has to go through each time he sees a horse, he thought.
His head turned to look out across the valley as well. Well he was the only horse in sight so he must have been the cause of her spooking. Better get used to Rowan. He turned back to the mare, noticing her obviously tensed body. "You okay?" He asked in a deep and gruff voice.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:31 am
Perhaps she had made a mistake to jump to that conclusion, but the twinge of fear insisted on making sure that there were no humans in the area. Once more the mare's ears flicked back uncertainly as she raised her head to scent the air with flared nostrils. It took several deep breaths for her to be certain that there were no humans in the area- lucky for her they stank and the smell would have been easy to pick up on. Even luckier, their scent was neither present nor did it linger anywhere in the area. Satsified with the sweep and her conclusion that two-leggers were no where to be seen or smelled, Spook lowered her head into a fine arch and snorted heavily. Well, that had been quite embarrising, now hadn't it?
"Yes, I'm alright", she answered after that momentary pause to check the area more thoroughly; a muscle twitched nervously on her withers and caused her hide to ripple slightly. Quite clearly she was not alright. "I appologize for my rudeness, but I tend to avoid humans like the plague." Her eyes focused on the ropes attached to the palomino, and again her ears shifted back and forth uncertainly. "So... uh, why exactly do you have those around you?" she asked, indicating the ropes with a gesture from her muzzle.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:54 am
"A smart move." He told the mare. Humans after all were a menace in this land, they took what they wanted and never gave back. He had only ever had one run in with them and that one had cost him his life. He would do everything in his power to avoid them again. "These?" He asked with a slight shake of his head making the ropes dance around. "Well I was captured once." He told her before falling silent for a few moments
His memories took him back to that fateful day where he had exhausted his energies fighting another stallion while trying to steal his mares for his own. They came swiftly on them, riding their brothers, ropes held in their hands. He had done his best to outrun them, but ultimately fate was against him. They caught him and took him back to their village, tying him up to a pole. The beatings that came after were the worse part of it, and that was the reasoning for his rash act of literally choking the life out of himself. He shook his head a bit to clear that thought, remembering it was one thing, but there was no need to dwell on it. "They are cruel beats those humans." He said with his eyes filled with a hatred. "Never again will they catch me. I won't go back there again." Though he didn't tell her that back there not only meant the humans village but Hell as well.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 12:58 pm
"I'd like to think so." To avoid humans was to avoid complications they created, along with other more disheartening things. There were only two important lessons Spook had ever learned from her mother while growing up by her side, and she planned on keeping them with her until the day she died. The first was to never get yourself involved with humans in any way, shape or form. For her dam had fallen in love with a stallion from one of the human tribes, and even that was more than enough contact with the two-leggers to be comfortable. And the second was to never life-mate with anyone. Why? Well Spook's sire had gone off and gotten himself killed protecting what he called a 'warrior' of the human tribe, leaving her mother heartbroken and half the mare she use to be. It was pathetic. Really.
Having heard the stallion's explanation on the ropes that were around him relaxed her a bit, at least there weren't any humans coming along looking for him. Well, hopefully. With another deep snort to settle her nerves, Spook walked forward to close the gap between, leaving a friendly distance between him and her, but at least she didn't look as stand-offish as she had before. "Yikes, that does not sound like a pleasant experiance, but at least you got away." Surely that was a blessing for the palomino? After all he did have a look of loathing upon his face when he mentioned the cruelty of humans. "By the way, I'm Spook," she added almost nonchalantly, as if it really didn't matter what he called her.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 2:14 pm
Rowan shifted his weight a bit, relaxing his back leg with the rope on it. Should he tell her just how he got away from them. It was obvious to him that she hadn't run into any other members of the herd yet, or else she would be avoiding this area, much like how she avoided the humans. "Oh I got away alright." His voice rasped from his throat. "But only through an untimely death did I achieve such a feat." There he said it, she could interpret it however she wanted.
Spook, that was an interesting name he thought. "I'm Rowan of the Hell Herd." He told the mare, his eyes moving to the mountain for a moment. That was where the herd had came out of Hell, through the weakened barrier. He remember that day well, how it overwhelmed his senses. That was the day he got his memories back, of how he died and why he had these ropes on him.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 8:54 am
"Oh?" she craned her neck slightly in a curious fashion, but did not push for an answer. Someone certainly seemed to be in a poetic mood, to describe one's escape as an 'untimely death'. Surely he didn't mean literally, otherwise he wouldn't be standing here now would he? Ha, she'd have to be about as naive and gulliable as a filly to believe he was some sort of ghost or demon from the past. At least that's what logic told her anyway. For some reason she couldn't quite get rid of a chilled feeling that traveled down her spine, causing her hide to twitch slightly. Perhaps it was just the cold?
"Well met Rowan. Although this is the first time I've gotten wind of a Hell Herd." Normally she liked to avoid large herds, but she had to admit with a name like that it piqued her interest. What kind of a herd would name itself after Hell anyway? "If you don't mind me asking, could you tell me a little about this herd of yours?" Perhaps they were some kind of warrior herd? Or maybe they were just cruel and merciless? Either way Spook was up for hearing the details, for nothing more than sating her curiousity. Another thought crossed her mind however, and the mare gave an uneasily look around them once more. "I wouldn't happen to be in your herd's territory, would I?" Now there's a situation she would not like to deal with. After all, she'd learned the hard way that some herds were fiercely protective of their boundries, even to a lone mare.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 9:22 am
Boy she was in for a rude awakening he thought. Most horses knew to avoid these parts even though it had only been a few months since the Hell Herd had arrived. They were smart in a way, avoiding the herd, but in the end they would not be able to escape the herd. Rowan stood up tall staring at the mare with semi-hate filled eyes. It would all add to the effect of the story.
"You are in their territory alright. We control everything that touches the mountain, and some lands beyond that. Our border is moving quickly outward, swallowing other herds lands up as we go." Ah yes that was an excellent start to it. Now to add a bit of the truth as well. "As for the herd itself we came from Hell, our bodies cursed by decay, minds turned towards hatred and blood lust. We had all died, each one of us, and now we are back, and we cannot be stopped." He stamped his front hoof to accentuate his point. His eyes continued to stare the mare down, looking for any sign of fear or perhaps hatred in her. Though if she was smart she would leave now, before the others caught wind of her.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 9:50 am
Now that was quite a change in demeanor, the flaxen-maned mare thought as she watched Rowan's body language with keen eyes. Certainly such posture would inspire a lesser horse to shrink away, but not a mare who had held steadfastly to her own beliefs, with more than enough gumpsure to carry it through. Spirited. That's what her mother had called her every time she defied her dam's wishes. Spirited- it suited her well.
Indeed, Spook neither shrank away nor gasped in some horrified manner, but instead held her head on a high arch with ears pricked toward the stallion, much like she had approached him before spooking. The only change she made happened to be at the first of his explanation, as she did not like the idea of already being in the herd's territory, and thus that caused a flick of her ears back and then forwards. It would be a good idea to leave soon, but not just yet. Although his grand gestures and explanations did not extract fear from her, they did inspire a different sort of feeling. The muscled mare tightened her gaze on the palomino somewhat furrowing her brow. She didn't know if she believed the 'hell and decay' part, seeing as how Rowan himself wasn't that bad off, but she did believe the part where he said their herd was expanding. They were hostile then? To other herds especially it sounded like. Lucky her, she didn't listen to mama when she told her daughter to settle down in a herd.
What was this feeling that rose up inside her then? Spook herself didn't quite know, but she felt it flare up and burn. A sense of... hatred? Unexpectedly it was not aimed for Rowan or his so called herd, but rather something she could not quite grasp at the moment. Huh, well she'd have to chew that over for a bit, now wouldn't she? "Then I'll be leaving shortly, and perhaps I'm a bit morbid for saying this, but what is it that your herd is so fiercely against?" For some reason, it fascinated her in a way that she couldn't understand. In fact, it kind of scared her.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 5:52 pm
Rowans ears flickered a bit when he realized that the mare hadn't been scared off by his story or his stance. It was a shame really, but she would eventually learn to fear this herd. If only Thanos was around he though, then she would see what he truly meant by the decayed horses. Perhaps he would get lucky and his leader would wander by soon. He could only hope.
His eyes narrowed as the mare questioned just what the herd was against. That was a long list of things and Rowan didn't feel like listing them all off. So he decided to give the short version of it, summing up the herds hatred all into one. "We stand against all that was and all that is. These perfect lands have stood for far too long unchecked. Now they will be brought into a state of ruin and chaos. The lands will be shaped into our vision and all those who stand against us will be destroyed."
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:21 pm
It was one thing to be told that a herd was hostile and intent on destroying everything in its path, but it was another to be told such things by what Spook considered to be a excentric, if not crazy stallion. At first she had just thought him poetic and with a gift for words, but to even think that a whole herd of horses were wrought with decay? That was something on completely different level. Of course, the more she thought about it, the more chilling the air seemed to be. How odd. And what was with this uneasiness she was begining to feel? For it seemed the sight of the mountain in the distance suddenly seemed more eerie then it had before. Must be the ghost-stories, Spook told herself.
Spook tossed her head and side-stepped slightly as her muscles grew taunt while listening Rowan as he went further into explanation of the herd and what it was against. To say the least she was feeling much more tense knowing she was still within their territory. Not enough to turn tail and run, after all they weren't humans, but enough to put her on her guard. "I'll be keeping that in mind then." No need to go making enemies of an entire herd, that was for sure. Decaying or not. Still... curiousity fluttered across her mind long enough to tempt Spook into giving Rowan a more thorough look over. Sure, he was scarred all over the place, and they each looked pretty nasty, but she still couldn't bring herself to believe that this Hell Herd was plagued by decay. It was just too far-fetched to even consider as the truth.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:45 pm
"You would be wise to heed my words. Do not think for one moment that I would spare you should I find you in my path of destruction. If Thanos says to kill, then I kill. I do not leave anything standing in my way." He told the mare slowly and with added punctuation here and there. She clearly either didn't understand the danger she was in or was in shock and just needed time for her mind to catch up before she went screaming in terror. He hoped she would run away screaming soon, there was something about the sounds of a terrified horse that always sent a chill down his spine. It was a good chill, one laced with blood lust and hate.
Then he thought to add something to make his point even more believable. "If you do not think I speak the truth then travel towards the mountain. There you will see a horse who is a walking corpse. Holes in his body, organs hanging out, face missing. He leads us on our quest to rid this land of it's perfect features." The he looked away for a moment, glancing at the mountain. "Of course he would hunt you down and kill you just for looking at him." He added nonchalantly.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 7:09 pm
For a long moment Spook's yellow gaze stared him down, though she seemed to be thinking something over. Rather than take him for his word, or sticking her nose into a situation that could wind up being dire in consequence by traveling closer to the mountains, Spook raised her head and tilted her muzzle toward the sky. It wasn't humans she was scenting for this time, but the smell of rot and decay. She didn't know just how much further in this so called Hell Herd was, but she should at least be able to get some sort of scent. Unfortunatly for her, there was indeed a hint of decay in the chilly air. Not exactly enough evidence to prove Rowan right, but if by some miracle of a chance he was telling the truth then she didn't want to take that chance.
Satsified, the flaxen-maned mare returned her gaze to the palomino and lashed her tail out behind her. She didn't exactly like to be threatened, no matter how real the danger was. Fortunatly, she had enough sense not to pick a fight with him, for though Spook was indeed a muscled mare with more than enough weight to push around, it wouldn't be such a great idea when they were in his herd's territory. "Consided them heeded, I will not stand in the way of your herd," she responded evenly, flaring her nostrils in his direction. A momentary pause before leaving and she added with a pin of her ears to the back of her skull, "And Rowan, don't think for a moment that I wouldn't do my damnest to kill you first if it ever came to blows between us." That being said, Spook turned to begin the journey away from the mountain, much on her mind.
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