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 Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:05 pm
 Devastation. Every last memory he had of the past year was filled with it. He had gone from a life of hard work finally paid off, to nothing. A bachelor stallion once more, and at this age? It made him sick. With a disgruntled snort the blood bay returned his muzzle to the grasses below, though its sweet taste did little to ease his bitterness. It was never good to lose your herd to a challenger, but to completely lose yourself and your family to disaster on four hooves with the personality of a wild fire was even worse. It pained him to think what torments befell his companions, but he had also suffered a similar fate. Weeks of battle and constant tiresome travel in an attempt to escape had been the downfall of Aitumn. Eventually they could no longer out run the Red Devil, and he had failed to best him in that final desperate combat. Evil had prevailed.
Now Aitumn was alone; nine years old and in the prime of his life. Too shamed to start over with another herd, and too proud to seek the company of the younger bachelor stallions. Instead, Aitumn had spent the past couple of seasons in solitude, traveling as he desired from valley to plain as it pleased him to do so. It was almost freeing to not be tied down to the responsibilities of a herd, but as soon as he thought of what he'd left them to he bit back those self-gratifying feelings in favor of bitter apathy to his new situation. He hadn't been strong enough to defend his territory nor his status as a herd leader, so what else was there? The blood bay shook his head to such thoughts, sending a wild mane to tangle in the wind. There was no need to dwell on it now, no need to live in the past; or let it destroy you. Aitumn chose the former.
And so with a deep breath to fill his lungs, the athletic stallion allowed his reckless streak to take over, for just a time. If not to keep his mind from wandering to that dark past, then to stretch tired muscles weary from travel. Aitumn's head rose from the grass in a rush, his hooves moved in a fury as he bolted and kicked at the open sky. Today would be like any other, and he'd simply enjoy what he could, no more.
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:08 pm
 As the palomino mare slowed to a halt, a length of rope whose frayed ends trailed by her hooves, her cream-colored ears swiveled in every direction they possibly could as they strained to detect any unusual sounds. There were whispers of wind gently sweeping through the grass around her hooves, snatches of songs from the birds that flew overhead or were nestled in trees - but that was all. No whistles or shouts, gunshots or any other man-made noises - 'sound' was too kind a word for the unnatural, irritating noises humans made - and the realization came with a relieved sigh as her tense posture slowly relaxed. For now, at least, she was safe. She probably would have been safe if she'd stayed with the humans, it was true, but it wasn't where she belonged. No, here was where she belonged.
...now if only she knew where 'here' was.
Well, it didn't matter really, at any rate, as long as she was free. She was born free, though she and her dam had been captured when she was still just a foal, the memories were hazy at best. They had traveled, had been pushed and pulled and prodded along that she was certain they ended up far from where she was born - not that she remembered where that was - but her mother did. Her mother remembered, and she had made sure her daughter did too - or at least told and retold her everything so many times it felt like she remembered. Rhea had fervently impressed upon her daughter these past six years that she - both of them - belonged out in the wild. Being cooped up in stalls or pens with humans trying to groom them or ride them or train them for whatever selfish purposes was unnatural and almost more than either of them could bare - her dam morseso than herself - and had learned early on to bite and kick as much as she possibly could, but at least they had remained together.
But now? Now the palomino hadn't seen her dam in weeks, all thanks to those horrible, loathsome humans. They had sold Cressida to another group of humans altogether, a group that for some reason had every intention of traveling far away - and taking her with them. The caravan had been on the move for weeks, with their new mare fighting every inch of the way, but the constant struggle had worn her out rather quickly. Much to the humans' relief she had decided to calm down for a while, until just a few days ago when they realized that she had in no way given up - she'd just been biding her time and conserving her strength and energy for one final display of her determination to escape. It had been in this last fight for freedom that she had finally, finally succeeded, and had swiftly galloped as far and as fast as her hooves could carry her.
The whole thing was bittersweet, of course. She had finally gained her freedom after six years of captivity - had it really been that long? she wondered as she lowered her slender head to graze, ignoring the rope tied loosely around her head for the time being - but had no idea where her mother was or how to find her again, or if she was still there at all. Could she have escaped? Was she sold off as well? These depressing thoughts, coupled with the swift realization that she had absolutely no idea how to live out in the wild alone, succeeded in making her question whether or not escaping had really been a good idea in the first place.
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 2:53 pm
The fluid motion of the mustang stallion as he threw up his heels to touch the sky was followed by a quick change of pace as he transcended into an exalted prance to crest the little hill he had previously been standing at the base of. The morning had held little relief from the endless urge to keep moving, as he had traveled throughout the night on a simple whim for a change of scenery. Aitumn had gone from the quiet valley he once knew as home, to the dry western plains and then back again not too long ago. Survival had been his only and constant companion on those long days and tiresome nights, but he'd have it no other way. Movement seemed to be the only thing that kept his mind from wandering back to the past, which he could do nothing about. So, it had been a simple decision for the blood bay stallion.
His hooves touched ground once more as he willed himself to stand still, eager eyes mapping the new territory; a temporary home to be sure. Following the near invisible trails worn and carved into the swaying grass by deer or other such creatures Aitumn could detect the possible direction of a water source. Currently it was out of range due to the scattered trees blocking a clear line of sight. Still, the stallion would bet at least something of interest was in that direction, if not water than a common feeding ground or woods for hiding.
Interest peaked; Aitumn picked his way down from the other side of the hill, ears pricked forward in an alert fashion. If this was a popular route traveled by all manner of creatures, the possibility of danger was much higher. Wolf packs, wild cats, and in extreme cases bears might be a problem. But a full night's travel had worn him down considerably, and though he had energy enough to foolishly buck and leap at the wind there was no denying his need for water and fresh grazing. To any wild mustang, the promise of a water source was definitely worth checking out, particularly if new to the area. Worst case scenario? He’d need to make a quick getaway if the area proved to be a dangerous. A lone mustang could never be too careful in that sort of situation.
It was as the stallion traveled that he caught glimpse of something in the distance, in the opposite direction of where he thought the water source to be. Perhaps bad judgment seemed to be the theme for today, or maybe solitude had finally gotten to him, but the stallion had decided it was worth investigating. That brief glance of a golden hide stuck out strangely in his mind, almost like it hadn’t belonged. Whatever it was, Aitumn chose a relatively lively jog to catch up to the golden form, icy eyes straining to catch sight of it once again.
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 3:27 pm
Perhaps, she thought as she continued grazing, she could stay in the area for a few days before heading back towards where she thought her mother was. Or at least... where she assumed her mother still was. Except, of course, she didn't even know where she herself was, so trying to find her dam would be nigh impossible. Crap.. She never was too good at directions - she'd never needed to be - nor did she notice what position the sun was in when they'd left, or in what direction they'd been traveling save for it didn't seem to be straight. Well brilliant, just brilliant.
With a huff she raised her head to look in the direction she'd come from - coincidentally, in the opposite direction from where the bay stood - despite the fact this was the first time in days she'd gotten a chance to graze without worrying about the humans following her. ...well, she was still a bit worried, of course, but she hadn't caught sight of them all day so perhaps they'd given up? Or she'd lost them? Hopefully both. Oh well, at least now she could relax a bit.. The palomino half-lowered her head again, but her chocolate brown eyes traveled down the length of rope wrapped around her head in a make-shift halter. It was almost taunting her - she was free, yet still trapped by this thing humans used. If only she could get it off...
Her ears flicked back as she rubbed one side of her face along her foreleg, immediately disliking the feel of the scratchy material digging into her skin. With a huff she stopped to study it again, weighing her options and what else she could try that might be more effective... Maybe she could pull it off? That seemed more viable than rubbing it, so she lowered her head more, lifted a foreleg and planted a hoof on top of the rope on the grass. Being careful not to jerk her head up too fast - she wasn't sure what that would do, and making it tighter would only make the whole thing worse - she raised it until the rope was taut and took a moment to study it once more. Ugh, stupid humans... why did they have to tie one of these things to her? Her creamy ears pinned back against her head as she gave it a sharp tug, ignoring the pressure the rope exerted. After a couple more tugs she paused once more, finally admitting to herself this wasn't helping at all either. Wonderful. How was she supposed to get it off then?
One ear flicked to the side suddenly as she was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of hooves, and she quickly turned her head towards the source, her heart flying up into her throat at the immediate assumption that the humans had found her and hadn't given up - but no, it was another horse, a bay. She'd seen quite a few back with the humans, but she'd only seen other wild horses in passing. She'd been a bit too... preoccupied to stop and chat with any of them, just like she hadn't stopped to graze properly for a few days either.
She merely watched him approach at first, then when she tried to raise her head she realized it was still restricted by the rope, so she lifted her hoof to free it before straightening back up and turning large brown eyes to the mustang nearby. Should she say something? ...what would she say? Were there any formalities or niceties that wild mustangs observed that she didn't know about when greeting an unknown horse? What if wild horses had no intentions of being nice? He could be malicious or something and she wouldn't even know - her mother never really spoke of life outside the humans settlements, just that it was wonderful and it was where they belonged. A pang of nervousness and uncertainly silenced her, so she simply watched him with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity whirling in her brain, waiting for him to speak first.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:45 am
The path less traveled, or so it seemed as Aitumn supposed there wasn't much reason for many creatures to collectively and frequently travel away from the water source, had certainly led Aitumn to nice clear patch of land. The trees seemed sparse in comparison to the areas around it, the carpet of green grass littered with a variety of colorful flowers and weeds. As beautiful as this open place was, Aitumn couldn't help but realize just how easy it would be to get snuck up on here; If not by strangers at least, than stalking predators at worst. Bringing his neck to a slight arch the stallion took care to pull his knees higher with every stride, on guard for any unwelcomed events to rear its ugly head. That being said, the glimpse of the golden hide should be coming into range soon, and the stallion was sure to find something of at least mild interest to satisfy his curiosity. With his luck, it just may have been the pelt of an oddly bright deer, perhaps catching the sun at an odd angle to produce the unseemly effect of gold.
When the curiosity finally came into view, the stallion could feel no disappoint at the discovery of its owner. Another horse and one with quite the striking coat color. He had seen many palominos without question, but few had ever rivaled sheer brilliance of bright wildflowers or sunlight such as this one. The stallion's pace fell to an easy walk as he approached, completely willing to meet up with the stranger on friendly terms- had he not seen the ropes dangling from its face and getting caught by a hoof. That alone was enough to bring Aitumn up short, vibrant blue eyes taking an uncertain glance around them. Ropes could only mean humans. Whether or not anywhere still in the area remained to be seen, and he Aitumn wasn't keen on tangling with those foul beasts.
The blood bay's ears worked back and forth in an uncertain fashion as he returned his attention to the mare a few yards length away. It was obvious she'd had some dealings with the two-leggers, the rope alone was enough to give that away without the added bonus of their stink that clung to her scent like a subtle wind. Their smell was slight on her, as if it merely lingered from a past encounter, but even that small amount was enough to set off warning signals in the stallion's mind. Aitumn could merely flare his nostrils as he considered further investigation into the matter, or simply leaving before the going got tough; assuming she wasn't alone out here and some of her two-legged friends were about. But perhaps that was a bit prejudice of him?
With a stifled sigh the stallion allowed his guard to drop just enough to let her know he wasn't a threat, sloping shoulders rolling back a bit as his arched neck loosened to a more relaxed position. Might as well give it a shot, it wouldn't hurt to at least speak with the mare. "Greetings", he offered casually, allowing himself the luxury of flicking his long tail in discomfort. What exactly was she doing way out here? Certainly there had to be better grazing than this, somewhere less open to attack. "Not exactly the best of days you’re having, is it?" he motioned towards the ropes that clung to her face, taking the initiative to move a yard or so closer. Color him curious, but it wasn't every day that he met someone who had encountered a human and still had their freedom to boast about. Perhaps, well perhaps he was a bit more suspicious than curious. He wouldn't put it past those devilish monsters to lure his kind in with tricks of pretty mares, it was just too perfect.
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 5:07 am
Her own nostrils flared a bit as he approached, but no scent or smell came to her - the wind was blowing away from her. Golden ears rotated slowly back and forth to try and catch any other sound, but barring the sound of dull hoof-falls ahead of her, there was nothing new that she hadn't recognized a few moments ago. When his posture relaxed, she felt her muscles relax as well, though couldn't help but wonder when she had tensed up in the first place. Still, it was comforting to know he wasn't a threat. Or at least, not right now, at any rate.
"Hello," she replied evenly with a polite dip of her muzzle, chocolate brown eyes quickly scanning the stallion before her. It looked like - and she was sure - that his coat nor his mane or tail had ever seen a brush or had never been touched by human hands. A sudden mild pang of jealousy sprang up inside her, but it quickly ebbed away in her curiosity. But nevermind that - he'd asked a question. Or, rather, made a statement in the form of a question. Either way, her ears flicked back as she snorted and cast a rueful glance at the rope dangling innocently from her head. Her first instinct was to agree, but she didn't respond right away however, evidently turning the response over in her mind before giving a different answer. "I've had worse, I can assure you," not that the humans had ever really abused her - well, no more than capturing her and trying to train her against her will, using spurs and crops as some sort of twisted motivation. "Today is actually quite good, all things considered." Especially now that she had a dark, handsome stallion to talk to.
She paused for a few moments, leaning her weight onto one leg as she kept one ear turned towards him, the other still slowly twisting around so she wouldn't be caught off-guard in case the humans came back. She really hoped they wouldn't, though. "My name's Cressida, by the way. Do you.. do you live around here?" Brown eyes broke away from her company as she turned her head, gazing around them for a moment before focusing on him again. If he was familiar with the territory, perhaps he could point her in the right direction? No, that probably wouldn't work anyway, since she had no idea where the human settlement with her dam was... Drat. This would require a bit of thinking.
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