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Post by parlosdream on Jan 9, 2008 22:57:27 GMT -5
Dream cantered into the Alley, shaking her head and snorting. She had passed by a place that she had never seen, nor wanted to. It was filled with the scents of a horrible animal. She let out a call, rising high into her haunches. Oh she had smelled that scent before. Just after her mother died, they came to her body. To feast on the delicacy of horse meat. She lashed out, memories driving their forces home in her head. She graced the ground, head still shaking again. But the one scent of that horrid place drove her nearly mad. Her own lead mare....the lead mare of this very herd...was slain. She let out a mournfall call, eyes closing but ears remaining upright. She knew her scents and nothing was mistaken. But something was coming...something large...
Parlos trotted in, slightly winded from the battle, but his old bones were not through yet. He let out a soft call to his daughter, trying to comfort her in any way that he could. He reached her and stopped, nuzzling her black body with his grey muzzle. Yes, his daughter turned out to be a lovely mare, one that he was proud to call his daughter. But what was this? A sad day, her breeding time? No, something had to have happened to make this terrible. He murred to her, speaking in Russian as she did understand some. What was said was never heard, but it passed between them and Parlos nodded his regal head, vowing his protection over her and this herd if need be.
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Post by whisper on Jan 10, 2008 1:14:56 GMT -5
Oceana
Her eyes scanned the terrain, it was bare, nothing around the lands but the beautiful apple arbors just finishing their bloom and becoming delicious apples. She was beneath a beautiful apple tree, staring up through the branches, towards the sky. Wondering just for a moment what it was to look through the view of a bird. Her orbs scanned the land once more before seeing nothing and dipped her crown back to the ground as she began to chew on the off yellow colored blades.
Getting her fill in just a matter of moments, for the dry grass was not as tasty as she thought. Her gaze turned towards back to the branch as she wondered if she could reach the apple if she jumped high enough. She turned around, thinking that she heard something, but no equine- no sign of true life was around her.
Oceana began to use her hind legs as a lever as she began to jump towards the branch, stretching out her boa and opening her jaws to even nip the apple, but as she realized that her body was falling and her dagger hit the lithosphere with a thud. She whinnied a little as she tried once more, again using her back pillars as a lever, and this time, she put to much power and her crown hit the branch; about 6 apples fell to the ground.
She felt gravity taking it over and again, her dagger hit the ground with a thud, leaving four hoof marks into the ground. As she smiled, she heard a call and turned around to see Parlos. She reared as she lifted slightly off the ground; and then fell back as she picked up two apples and ran to the mare. She had heard tragic news about Mystical Illusion. She smiled as she looked at the mare and lowered her crown as she dropped one of the apples at the mare’s daggers before she began to chew on her on. She lifted her crown as she looked at him and smiled.
She then swallowed her apples as she turned towards the mare and said ”Tis it true?...Mystical Illusion has been murdered, a mare is walking around with the blood of our Queen upon her dagger..” she sighed as she looked at the mare and then said ”Does Patriot; our king know?” she asked. If not...she would break it to him..atleast a member knew..not a stranger..
She then quickly turned around to see a stallion, her auds widened as she looked at the two, the had some of the same features, seemed to stand the same way. Her auds perked up as she let her kissers part as lyrics poured into the lithosphere "So sorry, I never intended to mess up the family reunion..or just the reunion" she said slightly embarrsed, she wondered how Patriot was holding up
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Post by parlosdream on Jan 10, 2008 1:36:30 GMT -5
Dream raised her head from her sire's side, and nickered softly. "Tis true that our esteemed lead was murdered....but the blood runs in the jaws of a Cat. A truly vile predator from the mountains. We needs be careful now since at least one roams this land." She nickered softly, straightening up her body and shaking herself all over. She let her black tail fly behind her as she shook her head, looking back at her sire. He seemed to be giving her strength.
Parlos nodded slowly, his greying muzzle rippling with a snort. His white mane and tail rippled as he moved slightly, taking up a position to guard the two mares by instinct alone. He stood ready, his sharp eyes alert and his ears upright, listening. He let his tail fly every now and then, soft breaths blowing from his muzzle as he watched the land for anything.
Dream raised her head to the apples above her. A rear, a high jump and a brush against the branches knocked two down for her. She munched on one, while pushing the other over to her sire, "No, kind mare. We already had our reunion. But the battle is over now and we can relax somewhat."
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Post by Swede on Jan 10, 2008 17:22:21 GMT -5
Firedancer walked in, head low, beside Patriot. She hadn't believed the sparrow at first, but the birds never lied. Patriot had been devastated, when they heard the news back at the canyon. Mystical Illusion... how could she have been killed? A terrible twist of fate was the only reason she could not have escaped. Tired, lost, taken unawares... who knew? Patriot seemed tempted to go look for the body, to kill the cougar, but he was too wise for that. Wandering into a cougar's territory was a death wish. With Mystical Illusion, it was probably just an accident, but Patriot knew they would be there, and it would be foolish. She leaned her muzzle on his shoulder, reassuringly. He needed time to mourn; but meanwhile, life went on. They could not change the past; but they could look to the future. Firedancer sometimes acted like a filly, but she was incredibly strong of mind and soul, and Death was an old friend of hers. She had dealt with troubled times before; all she could do was be a support for her stallion if necessary.
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Post by bullseye14 on Jan 10, 2008 20:38:29 GMT -5
(OOC: New posting order- Dream/Parlos Firedancer Patriot Night Star)
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Post by bullseye14 on Jan 10, 2008 21:17:08 GMT -5
Shock, anger and sorrow were proving to be a painful combination. Patriot tried to push them to the back of his mind, though because he needed to stay alert. He needed to be sure all of his other mares were all right and he needed to make sure they stayed that way. Security was going to need to tighten- especially with foals on the way. A whiff of the wind told him that most of his... surviving mares were in Apple Alley along with Parlos. 'When did he get here?' he wondered. The presence of the fatherly grey stalllion was welcome- Patriot knew his mares were safe with him. As Dream, Parlos and Night Star drew into view, Patriot read the expressions on their faces. They looked like they were feeling the same emotions as he was, even if they didn't appear to be quite so strong. The part of this that was confusing him the most was the fact that he had lost mares before and not felt this way. So why was this loss hurting him so much? Because she was the first mare to choose him in his new life? Because she was the first one here in Sunshine River to want his foal? Or maybe, because all of these mares had stolen his heart and now he felt like a piece of it was missing? His instincts told him it was ridiculous to feel this way, but his heart disagreed. He sighed, exhaling some of his emotions. "I'm glad you made it home Night Star and Dream. Where is Oceana?" He then nodded to Parlos. "Hello. Did you find Cryptic?"
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Post by bullseye14 on Jan 11, 2008 20:19:04 GMT -5
Patriot's ears flicked as the sound of Oceana's call reached his ears. She didn't sound distressed, but he was relatively jumpy now. He turned in the direction of the call. It sounded like it was coming from the Gathering Fountain. Would the cougars dare venture into a place that was sure to be filled with many healthy, adult horses? Possibly, but it didn't seem very likely. Still, he would not ignore his mare's call. "Parlos, could you please stay here and watch my herd for a bit? I need to be sure Oceana is alright." Despite his exhaustion, he turned and promptly galloped out of Apple Alley and headed toward the Gathering Fountain, ready for a fight.
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Post by parlosdream on Jan 12, 2008 0:22:23 GMT -5
ooc: A bit out of order, but letting Parlos answer since he was told to watch over, LOL.
Parlos let his head nod, "Aye, I did find Cryptic and he has fallen. And certainly I will watch over your mares. Not a problem at all." His voice was thick with his accent as he set himself up to watch the mares, ears upright and attention scanning every possible horizon. His tail swayed behind him gently as he stood guard, nostrils flaring to catch any scent in the air that was unfamiliar. A gentle snort come fluttering from his nostrils as he watched, never eating or taking down his guard. His tail flashed against his sides occasionally in the attempt to clear away the biting flies.
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Post by freedomsgirl on Jan 15, 2008 20:06:40 GMT -5
Night Star hung her head as she felt the bad vibe. She felt something must have happened. Then it came to her, Mystical Illusion was gone, gone over the Rainbow Ridge. She felt a large stone settled in her heart. She did not even have the haert to ask who was the new lead mare. She moved close to Patroit and nuzzeled his shoulder a bit. She felt the fear of the cat settle in. Now she would always have to be on the watch. Her foals would never be truely safe. She looked at the others with sad eyes. The world did not seem as perfect anymore.
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Post by Swede on Jan 16, 2008 17:41:35 GMT -5
ooc: out of order again, but I'm assuming that Oceana isn't here, seeing as Patriot ran off to find her.
Firedancer swished her tail. She hadn't known Mystical Illusion well, and mostly just been an utter nuisance, but knew that Patriot had been attached to her. She remembered when she had first met Patriot; when she thought about it, she had known him longer than anyone else. She would have been his first mare, had she not felt like enjoying freedom for a change. Eyes flicking from Parlos, to Dream, to Night Star, she cursed inwardly. Whatever Oceana was doing, it better not be problematic. This herd has troubles enough to deal with. The others seemed a bit down, and she was too. But she had dealt with Death before, and had learned that moping was the worst thing to do. Mystical Illusion was a good horse, and would be missed. But now, they had to worry about the present, rather than longing for the past. Mourning was necessary, of course, but it could not weaken the herd.
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Post by bullseye14 on Jan 17, 2008 19:51:12 GMT -5
(OOC: Okay, y'all Patriot's back. I will edit my post to exclude Oceana from the posting order because she is no longer part of the herd.)
The steady thumping of hooves reverberated on the warm dusk air as Patriot cantered back into Apple Alley. He pulled to a stop as he crested a small hill and looked out over his territory, admiring the green trees- red apples scattered throughout the branches, their order as random as the flashes of Lightning Bugs on a still summer night. Enough sun still shown to warm the air; warm it, but not heat it up to the sweltering temperature it had been earlier. The flies would soon dispense with their buzzing and the mosquitos would take over for them. During the summer, no horse got a rest from bites and buzzing; but Patriot had lived with it for seven years now and refused to let it distract him. Just like he was going to try to refuse to let the death of Mystical Illusion and the departure of Oceana distract him. Oceana seemed happy with Fire and Illusion was.... well, she no longer had to deal with the troubles that life brought. Now it was time to attend to the rest of his mares; the ones that were happy with him or had not fallen prey to a large cat. The first matter of business was to see which mare would claim the position of lead mare. Night Star SHOULD inherit the position because of when she joined the herd, but Patriot guessed that Firedancer would desire the position. As far as he knew, Dream was happy where she was, so he couldn't imagine her fighting for the title. And then there was the business of officially inviting Parlos to join the herd as a lone stallion. There already seemed to be an unspoken agreement that he had taken that position in the herd, but Patriot wanted to remove the 'unspoken' part of it. He swiftly trotted down the hill and rejoined his herd in the clearing. He cleared his throat to get their attention. "Umm, Oceana will not be returning to Apple Alley. At least, not to stay. She uh, she joined another herd." He hated to sound weak in front of Parlos, so he moved on to the next topic without waiting for any replies. "Have you ladies decided on who will take the position of lead mare? By right, Night Star gets it, but I'm sure other mares desire such a high honor." As he waited for a response, he sniffed the air casually. Wait, what was that scent? It smelled like an equine, but didn't smell entirely like a horse. There was another... something here on his territory.
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Post by freedomsgirl on Jan 21, 2008 21:14:41 GMT -5
Night Star turned to the others. "I'll take it but I won't fight. I want a foal too much to risk so much for a position. But bewared that you better show you can be a good lead." Firedancer would do good. Night was not the best in the welcome wagon or arguer. "If somebody else wants it say so. I want second in command at all cost though it not lead." That was all she would say. She stood to watch the others reactions. She did not take her eyes off Fire. If Dream wanted lead Night wuld be shocked. Oceana was a sad story but Night had seen it coming.
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Post by parlosdream on Jan 31, 2008 11:54:50 GMT -5
Dream looked to Parlos, who snorted at her deeply. It was time for her to shine like the mare she was bred to be. Dream stepped forward, her dark coat gleaming brightly. She would not fight of course, her cargo was too precious to loose, but she would stand her ground. "I would like lead, if I could. I am a strong mare, kind and willing if need be. I have watched with sorrow at some things and the loss of our lead mare. My father and my mother were strong horses and they produced a strong mare in my own right. I am fast, eager, kind, willing to please, and ready to fight at my lord's side if the need arises. As for welcoming others, I can do that with graciousness and can deal punishment with an iron hoof if need be. If anyone questions this inquiry, I am ready to argue, but I will not fight as my cargo is too precious to let die because of foolishness." A stamp of a hoof ended her statement. She had just surprised them, she was sure of it. Her ears wiggled slightly as her tail lashed behind her was she waited to see what would happen...
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Post by bullseye14 on Jan 31, 2008 16:33:21 GMT -5
Dream wanted to be a lead mare? DREAM? Wow, this was unexpected. Patriot's eyes flicked from Night Star to Firedancer to Dream. He had assumed Firedancer would want the position, but she hadn't outright said anything and at this point, nothing could possibly surprise him more than he already was. He doubted that any of the mares would engage in a physical fight, but that could make this more complicated than it had to be. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to assist. His current roll needed to be a silent and observant one. He turned his focus to Night Star, wondering what she would think about the new development. She was, afterall, the current lead mare. Would she be willing to step down and let either Firedancer or Dream take the position?
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Post by Swede on Jan 31, 2008 18:41:01 GMT -5
Firedancer snorted softly. She was ready to challenge them then and there. But a thought crossed her mind, and the fight went out of her. She stepped backwards, and lowered her gaze, away from Night Star's piercing eyes. Looking down, she said quietly, "I am content where I am. The wilderness is not my home of birth, nor have I lived in it very long at all. And I am too young to have the wisdom or ability to lead well." A nagging thought crept into her brain, saying Come on, you deserve this, course you can do it, you are stronger than them. But she banished it. Even if she ended up bottom in the pecking order, she could at least be strong of mind. She paced a few steps away, and lowered her head to graze. She wanted to have her thoughts to herself, for a while. It was mostly her independent spirit that made her crave leadership, she knew, and herd life had a tendency to tire her. But she also knew that she was often thoughtless and reckless, and that was not a good thing to be if you were a leader. Nah, you did right. A fool like you is not fit to lead, you know that. Maybe in ten years; if even then... She was a little bemused by their concern for their foals- what harm would a tussle do to a clump of cells that didn't even remotely resemble a foal yet? She for one still wasn't even showing, and though she could understand winter when there was something to risk getting hurt, it was only summer. That's why you can't be lead. You don't understand these things. She shrugged inwardly. And looked to the horizon. Perhaps she could go wandering for a little while, be alone for a bit like she preferred to be. Of course she loved Patriot, and Night Star was friendly, and Dream was quite agreeable, but any time she was in a herd she would gradually grow tense and feel restricted and dull. It was worse when she was in a herd like this- most of them older, none of them quite like her old friends as a foal who would quite happily join her on her little adventures.
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Post by freedomsgirl on Feb 10, 2008 14:55:47 GMT -5
Night Star was truely shocked and puzzled. Fire could have taken them both but the more Night thought she knew Dream would be better. Fire was a bit too antsy and born captive. Dream with her few words, well except for now, could do better. Night herself was more off a mare for running lead than this. This was the longest she had stayed in one place ever. She was best on the run. "Dream, you'll do good. I'll admitt I am a bit floored by this. Just do us all a favor and talk more often will you? It seems like I hardly know who you really are." Dream had followed one of the others here and Night had never really taken the time to get to know her. Now it was early fall and they would probably have more of a chance to talk. Fire looked like she was at war with herself. Oh well that was not Night's problem. "So Dream, how bad do you want this?..." Night grinned mischievously. She was going to have fun doing this especially if she was second in command. They all needed some fun after this dreadful summer.
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Post by bullseye14 on Feb 11, 2008 18:46:26 GMT -5
(OOC: I'm gonna wait for Dusty to post before I do.)
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Post by bullseye14 on Feb 12, 2008 21:42:34 GMT -5
(OOC: Have to post due to inactivity. Warning: I have absolutely NO muse and my energy level has almost reached zero. This will be a bad post. Read at your own risk. LOL)
Dream wanted the position, Firedancer didn't and Night Star was willing to negotiate? Patriot wondered if he was going crazy. The chirping of a sparrow drew his attention away from the three mares and up to the sky. Dark clouds were billowing across the darkening sky. Great, it looked like they were destined to spend the night wet. Of course, if the rain was heavy enough, the small stream running through the territory might fill up once more. The lack of water here in the territory was irritating. He shifted his attention back to the mares and waited for a response from Dream. Hopefully they would resolve this soon and the herd could try to move to a more sheltered area of the forest.
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Post by Swede on Feb 12, 2008 22:56:04 GMT -5
ooc: not as crap as BE's but still crap, lol. need to post or I will lose her. Firedancer swayed slightly in the fresh breeze, and shivered. Something in the air was giving her a head ache, and made her uneasy. I need to take a walk, clear my head. She sighed. It wasn't too late to challenge for lead; but she couldn't. Too many reasons to count, though a couple major ones nagged in her mind. A quick glance to the others told her nothing new, other than Patriot's surprise, which was to be expected. A shrug jerked in her shoulder slightly. Whatever; she needed a break. She could go back to dealing with herd life later. Her legs carried her on of their own accord; she really didn't know where she was going, nor did she care. She just wandered through the dry apple trees, eventually losing sight of the others. The tingling that caused her headache was vaguely familiar, but she could not quite place it. She shrugged it off. Time to deal with that later, too.
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Post by freedomsgirl on Feb 17, 2008 10:55:55 GMT -5
OOC- same as BE and SS
Night Star shifted her weight around a bit. Dream had not responded yet and Fire had left. She turned to Patroit, "Any opinions where she just went, big guy?" she asked nodding her head Fire's direction. Everything was all weird here. Dream wanting lead, Fire leaving. Night sighed and leaned against Patroit. She stooded like that for sometime before looking over at Parlos. He looked proud like a father should. She wiated for Dream to speak.
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Post by bullseye14 on Feb 24, 2008 22:29:01 GMT -5
(OOC: Okay, It's been nearly two weeks since I posted last. I have to bypass the posting order again so that Pat doesn't get put up for adoption. Swede- Not as crap as BE's?! *sniff* I'm hurt! ;-) jk)
Patriot's brown eyes followed Firedancer's progress for a few moments before Night Star spoke. He sighed and slowly shook his head. "She is a complicated mare to figure out. There are days when she seems highly affectionate and others where she seems more like a lone mare than one living in a herd." His puzzled eyes scanned over the chestnut again before he spared a glance at Parlos, wondering if the elderly stallion understood mares any more than he did. He was about to repeat Star's question to Dream when he heard it- a loud.... whinny? No, it couldn't be. At least, it didn't sound like any whinny he had heard before. He sniffed the air and managed to catch a faint whiff of the scent he had smelled earlier. With all the confusion he was feeling, he had completely forgotten about the strange smell. He silently cursed himself and then intently looked in the direction of the noise and smell. 'Check it out, you id_ot,' he thought to himself.
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Post by Swede on Feb 27, 2008 17:33:03 GMT -5
She ambled on lazily, lost in thought, deeper into the trees. Glancing back, she could not see any of the herd any longer. She shrugged. Just as well. Herd life was all well and jolly, but it got tedious and dull. Grazing, sleeping, talking a bit, grazing some more. Lifelessly boring. She cantered a bit, bucking, but even that had lost its appeal. Rather than flying forward, just skimming the grass at breakneck speed, she seemed glued to the ground, slow and heavy. it brought her thoughts to her impending motherhood. How on earth was she supposed to manage that? She was not the motherly type. It almost scared her a bit. And she could not pursue her usual fun activities while she waited for the foal. With a hopeless sigh, Firedancer slowed to a walk again. Her headache had returned, nagging and insistent. Bored, and with nothing better to do, she curled up under a crisp-leafed tree, closing her eyes.
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Post by parlosdream on Feb 27, 2008 21:41:52 GMT -5
"Yes, I want this badly...My sire has said that I would make a wonderful lead mare for this herd and I have to agree with him. I maybe few on words at time, but I can stand my ground and I will hold it. Bring it on...But I will not fight too badly for this foal that resides in me." She snorted loudly, tossing her head as she held it up high. Her tail rippled behind her like ebon flames, her winter coat was starting to appear once more. Its thickness was like her sire's, thick and wooly. She snorted loudly, her eyes bright with life and happiness at the life in her herd. She wanted the lead of this herd more than anything and would fight gladly for it if she was not in foal.
Parlos snorted loudly, his dark grey hide was starting to fluff out like his daughter's black hide. He stood behind her, a protector in this herd of Patriot's. He was a silent figure, something to protect the mares from any danger.
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Post by Swede on Mar 8, 2008 18:18:06 GMT -5
ooc: Firedancer's going to trot off for a bit, so I can RP her.
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Post by Black Magic on Mar 10, 2008 16:28:18 GMT -5
Alaskan Star
Alaskan Star moved easily over the sodden grass; a recent rainfall on the ending summer had sodden eveything. He tossed his head to move his still dripping mane from his eyes; it had only been a small shower recently; but it was still much needed rain.
He shifted his weight easily as he slowed to a walk; he turned to look for his lead mare before moving his eyes easily to pin point Patriot's herd. He lifted his muzzle to the damp air and whinnied softly to the herd.
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Post by flyff on Mar 10, 2008 17:41:28 GMT -5
A small dapple gray mare followed not far behind her comfortingly enormous stallion. She had not been outside their terra for quite awhile now, and was honestly a bit apprehensive at meeting Patriot's herd. They had come during the winter, when she had been feeling most reclusive and unsocial... but it was autumn now, which meant that she had been here for a round year. And yet, she had not made too many friends, a fact that made her feel rather lonely and yet determined.
Now Snowdrift trotted into the other herd's terra with her head held quite a bit higher than she would have before, although she still didn't look like a lead mare. And yet, she was. What a strange twist of fate for such a young, shy mare.
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Post by bullseye14 on Mar 10, 2008 19:44:57 GMT -5
Exhaustion was starting to weigh down Patriot's eyelids. Much had happened to him and around him recently and his body was starting to shut down. He noticed Firedancer leave the territory again, but didn't bother himself with wondering where she was going. He sure had picked a spirited and independant mare to join his herd. His muscles started to relax and his eyes started to shut. Reluctantly, he stamped his hooves and shook his body slightly, trying to rid himself of the desire to sleep. Needing to stay alert, he started scanning his eyes over each horse in the clearing, hoping to trick his mind into thinking it wasn't tired. First, he focused on the mare close to his side. Night Star was quite loyal and cuddly- an excellent addition to any herd. Her need to be close to him was a wonderful thing to experience after losing one mare to another stallion and another to a great cat. Next, his eyes drifted to the other black mare in the clearing- Dream. She was younger than her lead stallion, but that did not matter to her; a good thing in Patriot's opinion, because the mares at Sunshine River seemed to be picky about age. Right now, her head was held defiantly and a slight fire blazed in her eyes. She was passionate about getting the lead mare position- a situation that still shocked Patriot a bit. The black stallion's eyes then drifted to the tall, grey stallion standing behind his daughter. He looked alert and wary- like any good stallion should. Patriot briefly berated himself for not looking so intimidating himself. Then his attention turned back the the braying noise he had heard. He looked around at the others, wondering if they had in fact heard it. Or was he just going crazy? Not much time was given to him to contemplate this new event when an even newer one appeared. Walking through the forest, with a mare trailing behind him, came the regal grey form of Alaskan Star, the lead stallion of the whole of Apple Alley. He and Patriot had not had a chance to talk since the day he accepted Patriot's residence here at the sweet land the black stallion called his home. Patriot whinnied lightly in return and watched as the other horses approached.
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Post by Black Magic on Mar 11, 2008 15:26:35 GMT -5
ooc: In need of a posting order; i dont want to step on anyones toes.
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Post by bullseye14 on Mar 11, 2008 16:24:10 GMT -5
(OOC: Unfortunately, we've just been having to post whenever our week is up. Two of our members are kinda MIA. Still, I will post a new posting order for the rules' sake. Another New Posting Order: Night Star Dream/Parlos Alaskan Star Snowdrift Patriot Am willing to add Naz with Joker to the list, if she wants him to join us. Will add Firedancer once she wanders back.
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Post by Swede on Mar 11, 2008 16:33:45 GMT -5
ooc: Firedancer might jump off a cliff or something, I'm never able to RP her anymore, and she's as depressed as the rest of my characters are. *cries*
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