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 Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:43 pm
A pale watery sun managed to peek through the veil of thick fog, like a candlelight behind a skein of silk, just barely sending out weak rays to the land below. Not the perfect start to one of the first new days on this new land, but it was far better than the one that they had almost had the first night night. That night, they hadn’t had much of a chance at all. Any day was better than that.
Donner shook his head slightly, dislodging little bits of ice and snow before looking over the land. The bells around his neck clanged slightly with his movements, a little muffled by the ice that had developed around the clackers inside. Yes. This would be a good place for his herd. On one side, there was the thick forest, perfect for foraging for food. On the other, there was the wide open plains covered with snow, just in case they had to run from… well… anything. They were far more suited to the snows than any creature they had encountered yet with their thick bodies, mighty antlers, and powerful endurance. Well, except for maybe Rudolph… but that was ok. So long as Donner was here to protect his little brother, everything would be fine. And even if something happened to him, there was Blitzen to rely on. She would never let anything harm her brother. She, like Donner, would march through blood, fire, sleet, and snow, just for the sake of keeping the herd safe.
Which was the only reason why Donner trusted her as much as he did. Not that he would relax just because they had found a safe place! Of course not! His life was devoted to protecting this herd. It was everything he had ever wanted, more than that even. Besides, he was certain he had seen signs of other deer around here. They weren’t to be trusted…
Typically, they were ruled by a council of six Outrider Captains, three females and three males, but… well, in the interest of safety, he would overlook that for now. No need to worry any of the others with the burdens of leadership. Not that he even thought of himself as such. As far as he was concerned, he was just doing what was needed.
The dark brown bull always did what was needed, no matter how unpopular it made him. Puffed with pride, he looked over his herd, not just proud of himself, but of every member. They had all done their best to get here. And, against all odds, they had done it. No one could have a better herd than this small group of reindeer as far as Donner was concerned. They had done the impossible and escaped humans and defeated the world's attempts to keep them down. Nothing could stop them now.
...
Well, ok, so there was that one little issue that could keep Donner down. He was aware of his unofficial position as the leader. It was more than a little embarrassing that Dasher had a harem---a harem of one, but a harem nonetheless---but he, Donner, did not.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:15 am
Not worry them with the burden of leadership? Did Donner not thing to ask before he assumed? Perhaps he just wanted the leadership role all to himself. That's probably what Dasher would have thought anyway, and that very outrider bull was strolling quietly through the snow. He knew perfectly well of the position he held over Donner.. the fact that he had a cow and the so called 'leader' did not. Anlach was coming, and would Donner hold his assumed position till the next year? Who knew. The speedy one would defend his one cow at the very least, and try to win more. He had his eye on Blitzen and Vixen, but as far as winning the former.. the chances seemed slimmed.
A mischevious glance was given towards 'ye old high and mighty', one of many nicknames that Dasher had bestowed upon Donner. A bit of a smirk upon his maw. A toss of his antlers was given in his direction... an indirect challenge perhaps or not.
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:23 pm
One ear twitched towards Dasher, but Donner didn’t look all that interested in the younger bull’s movements. Ha. ‘Younger bull’… others had been calling Donner ‘old’ so long that the unofficial leader was almost believing it himself! It wasn’t as if he was even that old. In the prime of his life, not long had passed since he had been a buck himself.
“Dasher,” Donner rumbled, dipping his head momentarily towards the other bull. The fleet-footed bull was probably Donner’s biggest rival in the herd for his unofficial leadership, but that didn’t worry him unduly. This felt like a rather lazy morning, not a morning to rise to challenges that might not even be challenges. It was more of a day for playful banter and Dasher was always good for that. “Aren’t you supposed to be… oh, I don’t know… chasing after Blitzen or something like that?”
Oh, yes, he was completely aware of Dasher’s interest in his sister; Ol’ Speedy didn’t hide it very well. Or at all, really. Donner fluctuated between being amused by it and utterly pissed. He had watched Blitzen grow up and still thought of her as the little gray and white fawn that had fallen over when she first sneezed. It simply wasn’t… right, thinking of her in a harem! Especially not Dasher’s. Especially not since Blitzen hated Dancer, Dasher’s favorite.
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:45 am
A lazy afternoon indeed... Dasher wouldn't be challenging Donner today, so he could feel safe. However, as the older bull spoke to him and brought up Blitzen, he made a face. A bit of a scowl really. Had Donner already heard of Blitzen rejecting him? It really wouldn't surprise him any.
"I'm perfectly content with my one cow" blatant lie... just trying to cover up the fact that Blitzen turned him down. He didn't need her.. nope. He would just keep telling himself that.
"What about you? You just going to stand there and stare all day? I guess that's what you old folks consider fun in your advancing age, eh?" Dasher knew Donner wasn't -that- old.. but it was still nice to poke fun considering Donner was the eldest of them.
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:27 pm
In fact, Donner didn’t know anything about Blitzen’s rejection. No doubt, he would learn of it soon. News traveled faster than a ferret hopped up on amphetamines in this small close-knit herd. Since Dasher’s claim of being perfectly content with just Dancer was a clear lie, Donner didn’t bother pointing it out. That would just be mean…
“Oh, I don’t know about that… If I think my heart can stand the excitement, I might actually be up to walking towards the forest,” Donner said dryly. “Of course, I’ll have to make sure my hips don’t fall off first.” Apparently, Donner was in a good mood that day, and wouldn’t take Dasher’s jabs too seriously. Maybe it was just the effects of a new spring on those ‘old bones’ of his.
If Dasher was hoping for some hints as to which cows Donner had his eyes on, he was out of luck; Donner didn’t like making his attractions too obvious, mostly for the fear of, yes, being mocked.
“What about you? Do you have any plans for the day or do you plan on being lazy?”
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