Seasons Come & Go..

[Snappin' Turtle]

But the fury stays red hot, burning intensely.

The bay roan stallion looked at Slade and Lia. He blinked and flicked his tail in annoyance. He glanced over at Kaidence. She had been silent for a while. Would she think he was weak if he let them leave? "Go." War Bonnet said finally, dismissing them. He turned back to his new mare, ignoring Slade and the little beaten pony totally. "Lets go meet the others." he said, leading her past the couple and into the field. He looked over at her and smiled slightly, touching his nose to her neck. He looked over at Firedancer and then Cavi. Both would be having their foals soon. His penetrating gaze turned upon Glacial Outcast. He was a yearling now, and he should have to leave. Though maybe he would be of use to him... A little toy soldier in his games.

The dark bay colt nodded, looking over at his mother. He sighed slightly as Firedancer nudged him. Why was his mama spending time with that little dun colt? She wasnt Grace's mom, she was his. The thoroughbred colt stomped his hoof and flicked his short tail before putting his maw to the ground and taking a bite of grass. He quickly spit it out, however. How did the adults stand that stuff? It was terrible; milk was much better. Outcast looked over at War as he came out of the trees with a new mare. Who was she? He piqued his curiosity. He walked over to them, not knowing what the consequences might be. "Who are you?" he asked innocently, looking up at the mare.

Cavi nodded and smiled down at the dun pony. She really should be getting back to Outcast. He would need his mama. The dark bay mare was about to take her leave when her water broke. She winced slightly. "I gotta go.." she said, scurrying away from grace. She trotted into the trees and lay down, the contractions hitting harder. The thoroughbred mare cried out slightly, the pain was worse than Outcast's birth. There had to be something wrong. After what seemed like forever, the bay foal slid out. Cavi stood and swayed slightly from side to side. She nudged the little wet bundle. Why wasnt she moving? The thoroughbred nudged her again, more frantic now. Tears slid down her pretty face. Why did her foal have to be dead upon birth? What did Cavi do wrong? Her sides racked with the sobs, she slid to the ground, resting her muzzle upon her stillborn daughter. The same question repeated in her mind: Why did this happen to her, the foal was so anticipated, so wanted..

[Swede]

Slade waited until War had passed by, before exhaling a tiny sigh of relief. That had gone well; typical that the darn mare had come along and stuck her nose into things, but luckily it had worked out well enough. He had to drag her along now, though, which might prove to be a hassle... but, she was his mare, so logically she ought to stay with him anyway. Hehehe... his mare. All his own. He wondered what his sister would think about that; probably tell him he was being stupid, she always did. Where had his family gone off to, anyway? The last time he saw them, they had been accompanying some random stallion, which had disgusted him enough to leave. Maybe they were still there, or maybe they had been pawned off elsewhere; nobody seemed to stay interested in his mother for long, and his sister was too much work for most stallions to bother.

Tossing his head, he glanced over his shoulder at Lia. "Well if you're going to come along, we'd best get moving," he said briskly. In truth, Slade didn't really know where to start looking, but it didn't matter; Valentine was out there, and thus she must be found. More likely than not, she was in the mountain areas; he had last seen her by the misty falls, which were comprised of the spurs that descended from the lower ridges of the range, and though that had been a few years ago, it was still his best bet. Shrugging to himself, he set off at a rapid walk among the trees, eager to get started on his mission.

The birth was not particularly difficult; Firedancer had some experience in this department, so when the initial contractions began, she knew precisely what was going on, and moved a couple hundred yards away from the others. The mare was still close enough to the herd to be able to call for help and be heard, if the need arose, but the distance was still plenty to give her some peace and quiet. She might live in this herd, but she wasn't really closely bonded with any of the others; just like the last band, they were just the horses she happened to live with. Things had been different when she was younger, with Patriot at her side and with Dream and the others as her friends, but life changed and there was nothing to be done about that.

Firedancer switched her tail in annoyance. No, it was no good to lose herself in old memories. She had done enough of that in the last herd, until she was practically a robot. She wasn't really much better these days, but still, she had a foal to bring into the world. With a final heave, the newborn was greeted by the bright spring sun for the first time. After taking a moment to catch her breath, the chestnut mare pulled herself up onto her feet and turned to investigate the results of her labors. A colt; after three fillies she had failed to raise properly and who were probably dead or lost somewhere, she now had a colt to screw up with too. Firedancer wondered if it were any different, raising a male rather than a female; she would find out soon enough. Licking him dry, it soon became apparent that while he was the same burning red as his dam, he had also inherited the intermixed white hairs of his sire. What to call him, what to call him... Nirvana, Amaranth, Avory... might as well continue with the A's of her lost years. Nirvana had been during Patriot's era, but since then, she had been astray, and one might as well keep to the theme. If life changed again, perhaps it would be time for a new letter. A is for... Arapaho? Firedancer blinked. Of all the words her brain might have come up with, it was a rather odd first thought. Eh, good enough though. "Right then, we'll be calling you Arapaho," she said decisively, giving the colt a nudge. Maybe he would need a nickname later; Arapaho was a bit long, and he was bound to stumble over the letters, at least while he was still young.

[Priceless]

Lia watched as War went, leaving them to their own devices. The young but hardy mare let out a sigh of relief and a breath that she hadn't known she had been holding out- they were free to leave. She was quite certain that Slade wasn't expecting her to butt into his business and take it upon herself to become his traveling partner. She wasn't sure what Slade thought of her, and she wasn't sure what he would do to her if she disobeyed him like she had War, but she could live with it. As long as she got out of this land, she would be free of the disdainful looks of War and her little brother.

She nodded at Slade at his suggestion to leave but paused when she heard the wailing of a mare. That mare, Cavi. That stuck-up horse with brains as big as a peanut who thought she was so high-and-mighty because of her affinity with War. She cast a glance in that direction, feeling the pains of childbirth coming upon her. It took Lia a moment before giving Slade a look, "One minute. I have something I need to do."

Without even bothering to gain her stallions consent, the tiny mare trotted her way to a grove of trees. Without much ceremony the young child was born. She had give birth close to Cavi, and cast the mare a look throughout the tree cover. She gently licked the small child and only a few minutes later the seemingly hardy young filly managed to bring herself to her feet and take a few steps. Lia moved away from the babe before she could suckle, and quickly she nudged it towards the weeping Cavi.

She would give her one final push, causing the babe to tumble through the bush right into Cavi's line of vision, as if the babe had come from nowhere. Lia watched a moment before slinking away.

It was only a half-hour after leaving Slade that Lia returned, breath a bit caught but otherwise in good shape. She looked slimmer then before, but seemed to ignore it as she watched Slade, ready to tromp whatever they would.

[Snappin' Turtle]

He swished his short tail, looking up at the mare. Quickly he grew bored, however. Outcast turned and looked around for his mom, now where was she? The thoroughbred colt snorted and trotted over to the dun colt, stopping and sighing slightly. "Do you know where mom went?" Glacial Outcast asked, looking around and shifting on his hooves. "I hope she's alright.." he said, worry crossing over his face. "Your names Grace, right?" he asked, hold back a snicker. What kind of name was that for a boy? It was along the lines of 'Hope' and 'Serenity'. Yes, 'Glacial Outcast' was much better.

The black mare sniffled again, raising her head slightly. Her eyes widened as a bay foal tumbled into the clearing. Cavi snorted and stood, hurrying over to the filly. "Oh sweetie.." she cooed, nuzzling her. "You're alright.. its okay.." the thoroughbred mare said, nuzzling her. "Just one second.." she said, moving over to her stillborn and burying her quickly in a shallow grave. "Okay.. come now, dear." Cavi went on, leading the filly away. Already her mind was moving past her own daughter and onto taking care of the new one that had literally stumbled into her life. "Oh there you are." she said, smiling and nipping her son's shoulder. "This is.. is.. umm." the thoroughbred mare said, mind going blank as she looked at the small bay filly that obviously wasnt hers.

[Swede]

Slade cast an odd look at Lia as she ran off. If she wanted to come so bad, why did she insist on causing delays? Typical mares. Heaving an irritated sigh, the young stallion lowered his head to graze for a bit. Might as well keep his strength up the for the journey ahead. As time passed, he quickly became bored and restless; what was that mare doing?? He would give her five more minutes, and then he'd go on without her. Hmph, why was he even waiting, anyway? It wasn't like he'd planned on bringing her along, so really he should just get going. Still, for some reason he remained impatiently. At long last, Lia finally showed up again, and Slade lifted his head abruptly. "Well, let's get going then," he said bluntly, turning and setting off at a brisk pace. He looked like he knew where he was going, maybe... but he certainly didn't have any actual clue. Mountains, mountains... right, that horizon over there looked a bit spikier. That way, then.

[Priceless]

Lia nodded at Shade, not even casting a glance towards the direction of her newborn daughter or the probably thrilled new mother. The mare wasn't with her choice; she couldn't go trespassing with a foal to who-knows-where; it wasn't practical, and Slade wouldn't have approved, she was certain of it. The stallion already seemed a bit tense and she didn't want to put anything else on his shoulders. He already had one unwanted pest to deal with, he wouldn't have two.

The mare nodded quietly and began a elegant trot after Slade, absently wondering what awaited them outside the terra of the blood-thirsty king.
------------------

Grace cast a look at the annoying little foal Glacial, shrugged his shoulders, "I think she went to give birth to your brother or sister, Outcast. It's what mares do this time of year. Shes probably alright; War wouldn't let anything happen to her, and my real name is Jason, actually. " and at least I'm somewhat wanted. He thought to himself, sizing up the youngster before him before hearing a rustling in the bush. He turned his head and watched as Cavi, the mare he had set his sights somewhat on coming towards them. Behind her followed what seemed to be a little filly that obviously wasn't hers. It looked more like him then it did Cavi, and finally Grace noticed that his sister was gone.

He gazed at the foal with like curiosity. So Lia really had left the babe. He remembered the heated discussion not too long ago with his wayward sister about the foal; she had asked, no, demanded that Grace watch over her because Lia had been wanting to leave for some time and was waiting for the right moment but didn't want to endanger the foal. Didn't his sister understand that leaving the foal here was more dangerous then anything the mare would deal with.

He looked up at Cavi with a light smile; he wouldn't let on that he knew where the foal came from,. and instead suggested the name that her sister had said in case it was a filly, "How about Nagiisa, Cavi?"

The filly looking up at Cavi with a light frown creasing her face. She didn't understand what was going on, who these other horses were, but she was hungry. She moved towards Cavi and nuzzled around, searching for her milk.

[Snappin' Turtle]

War Bonnet looked away from Kaidence and saw Firedancer emerging from the woods with a small form in tow. So she had had their foal? He snorted, nodding his leave to the mare before trotting over to his lead. "Hello." the bay roan stud said, nodding to the chestnut mare. War lowered his head to inspect the colt. A colt! Which meant and heir. A smirk drew across his face and he nodded happily, nudging Firedancer slightly. "Whats his name?" the stud asked, flicking his tail and looking over his herd. Cavi also had a foal, but it looked pretty small..

The dark bay colt snorted, outraged. "Dont talk to me like that." he said, stomping a hoof and flicking his tail. "Your names Jason..?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "You're just making that up so I dont hurt your pitiful little feelings." the thoroughbred yearling sneered, chuckling happily. "Hey mom." he said, smiling as the black mare came over. "Thats my sister?" Outcast asked, crinkling up his nose. "She doesnt seem very big, or powerful looking." he said, shrugging as if it didnt matter. The colt lowered his head to nip off a few blades of grass, taking a step towards a patch of clover.

"Hmmmm." Black Caviar said, mulling the name over. It definitely wasnt something she would choose, but it sounded nice. "Okay." she said happily, smiling as the bay filly searched under her for milk. "Are you two getting along okay?" the thoroughbred mare asked, looking from her yearling son to Grace. "I knew you would be the best of friends." the black mare trilled without waiting for an answer from either of the young males. She swished her tail, shifting her weight slightly. She looked across the field for War, he had to come meet his daughter!

[Swede]

Firedancer halted as the lead stallion approached, nodding her head in answer to his greeting. War was a bit of a loose cannon, and she wasn’t sure he was particularly reliable, but she didn’t think he was the type to harm one of his own offspring. Still, she kept a watchful eye on the two as they were close to each other, just in case. The colt was of course as spindly as any newborn, and any physical resemblance to his heavier father would probably take a couple years to show through, but his coat had the same flecked roaning, just with a red tail rather than a black one. “I named him Arapaho,” she said simply. “It might be a tad long, but he’ll grow into it.”

The colt snuggled close to his mother’s warm side, looking up at the giant stallion with curious eyes. Firedancer glanced down at her son, before scanning the rest of the herd. Cavi had foaled? It looked like a rather runty little creature from this distance, but maybe it would have a growth spurt later. “Slade and Lia have left then?” she said musingly. They were an odd pair, those two; one a subordinate, War’s Rottweiler on a leash, and the other scraps from the master’s table passed along to the dog. She had difficulty imagining that story would end well, but stranger things have happened, and few things truly surprised her these days. In any case, she didn’t mind Slade being away for a while; he was hardly a charming fellow. No doubt he would be back sooner or later, but in the meantime, maybe she could minimize the bad influences on Arapaho for a bit.

[Snappin' Turtle]

He glanced back up from his son's curious expression and nodded slightly. Arapaho, it was a good name. Though he would have prefered Battleborn or Victory, Arapaho was fine, though not War's first choice. The little colt had the roan speckling of his sire, that was for certain, though the base chestnut of his mother. He would be a handsome little thing when he grew, and grow he would. "Yes." War Bonnet replied, nodding his head once, sharply. Lone stallions in a herd were good for protection and such, though there was the problem of too much testosterone in one herd. Whcih, thinking of it, Outcast would have to be heading on his way soon. His brown gaze flicked over to the colt and his mother, the little foal and Grace. Grace must leave, also. War didnt care about insulting Lia andymore, she could fall off the face of the Earth and he wouldnt care. The bay roan stallion snorted at the thought and lowered his maw to the ground to bite off some blades of grass, flicking his black tail thoughtfully. It was the middle of summer and he hadnt yet bred any one of his mares. Cavi would go along, like always, but would Firedancer? She hadnt exactly been enthused about the conceiving of Arapaho, so maybe she'd need to just 'focus all her attentions on one foal at a time'.

[Swede]

Firedancer watched the stallion alertly as he inspected the colt, but it seemed that all was well; War appeared to be in nothing but a good mood, at least as far as the foal was concerned. Past stallions she had lived with had been quite soft-hearted individuals, and nothing to worry about, but she knew that the more aggressive types, a category where she would certainly place War, could have fewer scruples if they weren't satisfied with a newborn. Still, it was perhaps wisest to not keep Arapaho too close to War for too long; even if the stallion didn't intentionally attack the colt, accidents could easily happen if he was suddenly angered by something and the foal got in the way. At any rate, Arapaho preferred to stay close to his mother at this young age, and toddled to her side to nurse. "I think Cavi has foaled as well," Firedancer commented, assuming War would be interested in greeting that foal too, before lowering her head to graze.


She was clever by nature; a trickster, even, or at least in happier times when such mischief wasn't potentially lethal. Growing up in Cryptic's herd, only to be shunted under Ichirou's rule, meant she had spent a lot of time around stallions who were best left undisturbed. However, Nina always kept her wits about her, and would probably do quite fine on her own; it was her family that caused the problem. Fala and Dane got along by taking turns using the one brain cell they had between them. Abandoning them was unthinkable, though, and thus Nina had spent most of her short life cleaning up the messes they got into. At least now they had finally managed to escape Ichirou; there were many sharp eyes in that herd, but with the cover of night, the other mares distracted with their own foals, and Ichirou across the territory, it had been manageable. Outwitting Rin and Masaru wasn't a difficult task, and even Fala had the sense to keep her mouth shut once she too realized it was a bad herd to be in.

Now, though, the buckskin mare was chattering away happily, as she always did. Nina barely listened anymore, though Dane always seemed attentive to his mother's words, no matter how trivial the things she said were, as they walked through the trees, putting more and more distance between themselves and Ichirou. Perhaps they should have stopped to rest, or perhaps Nina shouldn't have let Fala's droning wear her down so much... perhaps then she would have noticed the dangers quicker. Unfortunately, it was Fala who caught sight of the distant group of horses, and immediately said, "Oh look, there's someone over there! Perhaps they are friendly, maybe they can help us!"

"No, wait-" Nina said hurriedly, trying to stop her mother, but it was too late. Fala picked up a trot, moving towards the strangers. "Hello there!" she called out cheerfully, and Nina cringed. It was too late now; there was no way they hadn't been noticed.

[Snappin' Turtle]

The roan stallion nodded at Firedancer's words, his eyes going over to where the pretty black mare stood chatting with Grace and her son, the little one at her side. And the foal most certainly was little, perhaps it was a runt or something. War Bonnet turned to head over to his thoroughbred mare, black tail lashing his heavily scarred sides as a horsefly dared to bite him. He stopped at a call, large head swinging over to face where the voice had come from. Strangers in his territory? Obviously they didnt know what the lead stallion was capable of. But, the voice had sounded femenine, and War couldnt help but smile as he cantered off in the direction of the sound. He slowed to a stop and then a walk as the buckskin mare trotted closer into view. "Hello." the bay roan said, standing up to his full height of sixteen point three hands. He looked at the other mare and colt behind the buckskin, there always seemed to be strings attatched. "My name is War Bonnet, may I question as to why you are in the territory?" he asked, looking down at the buckskin.

[Swede]

Fala's face lit up like a Christmas tree when her distant greeting was heard and answered. She was a highly social mare by nature, not particularly clever-minded but she loved the simple things in life: pleasant company, grass to eat, water to drink, and a handsome stallion to keep her safe. Wandering around in the wilderness was not her preferred lifestyle. Nina was less pleased when they were noticed, however; the stallion didn't look friendly, and she judged him to be more likely a threat than a friend. Biting her lip in frustration over her mother's idiocy, she quickly stepped forward to cut off Fala's words before the older mare could ruin things properly. "We're just passing through," she said carefully, "We didn't mean to intrude, we'll be out of your way in no time."

Fala cast a disappointed and pleading look at her daughter. Why could they never stop and chat with strangers? "We've been traveling for quite a while, and frankly I think we might be a bit lost to be honest," she interjected with a meaning tone.


Firedancer followed War at a slower pace, taking her time as she walked partially to ensure Arapaho could keep up, and partially because few things were worth rushing for these days, and she figured a few seconds here or there did not matter. "Found some new friends?" she asked War casually as she caught up, standing beside him.

"Oh goodness, your colt is just adorable!" Fala squealed when she caught sight of Arapaho. "What is his name? Oh but forgive me, I'm being rude, let me introduce ourselves. My name is Fala, and this young lady is my eldest daughter Nina; and that's my youngest son Dane. I'd introduce you to my other son but he decided to travel on his own a while back so he isn't with us right now, but-"

"Mom," Dane muttered quietly, giving his mother a gentle nudge. He had inherited all of Fala's sweet nature but also her lack of brain cells, but even he could tell that she was being a bit too overbearing.

Firedancer smiled politely. "Well it is a pleasure to meet you, Fala. His name is Arapaho, and I am Firedancer, the lead mare of this territory."

[Snappin' Turtle]

Before the older buckskin mare could say anything, the younger one cut in. The bay roan stud nodded slowly, his mind working at a breakneck pace. Two mares, wandered in of their own accord? Well, the colt screwed up the whole 'gift on his doorstep' thing, but he wasnt exactly old enough to be a threat just yet. "Well, dear, you may stay as long as you'd like." War said, nodding his head to Fala once. It would give him time to win them over, add them into his herd. He looked over as Firedancer came up beside him, Arapaho at her side. The roan was cut off in his answer to her by Fala fawning over the little one. It made a small smirk creep across his face, perhaps she would be interested in one soon enough, also. Her torrent of words did not deter War fom his thoughts of adding the buckskin to his harem, not at all. He rather liked it, she would get along with Cavi swimmingly, and she provided a nice contrast to both Nina and Firedancer's silent ways. "Would you like to meet the others?" he asked, cocking his head to the side questioningly as he looked down at the oldest buckskin.

[Swede]

A broad grin split Fala's face at the invitation to stay. "Oh, thank you, that's very kind of you to let us stay! Isn't it, Nina? Oh, don't look at me like that, we'll just rest our hooves until we figure something out; I bet that once you're feeling rested you'll be much happier. Anyway, I would love to meet the others!" she bubbled, sidling up closer to War. "Perhaps you could introduce me to them..?"

Firedancer glanced sideways at the stallion, and then rolled her eyes discreetly. Fala wasn't making any attempt at being shy or bashful, and no doubt she would be occupying War's attention for a while. While Fala chatted happily with the stallion, Firedancer instead took a step away, towards Nina. Though younger, this mare struck her as having a bit more sense than her mother, and in any case Firedancer supposed she ought to try to get to know the newcomers as best as she could, as part of her job as lead mare. Fala was clearly too busy for an interview, and Firedancer suspected that all there was to know about Fala was revealed within the first five seconds of meeting her anyway- there didn't seem to be any deeper layers in her.

"Don't worry," she said, shrugging lightly as she glanced towards Fala and War. "You aren't in any danger here. War won't even mind your brother so long as he behaves himself." Nina looked at her dubiously, but then shook her head slowly and answered, "I'm not worried about that. We just really ought to keep moving on, is all."

"Oh? No time to rest your feet a little?"

"Time, sure. But knowing my mother, it won't just be a little break from travels; to be honest, it's the breaks we need to get away from. But not much to do about it, I guess," Nina said carefully. She had a lot of opinions, and could talk plenty about them, but she was a bit wary since she had only just met this mare, and in any case even though the others were busy with their own conversations and whatnot, she figured some things might be better said in a more private talk.

[Snappin' Turtle]

A smile split her face and she rambled on enthusiastically before sidling up to his side, inquiring after whether he would introduce her or not. "Of course." the bay roan replied easily. He nodded to the other four grown horses and the small colt before striding over to where Cavi and Outcast stood. "The mare is Cavi, the colt is her son, Outcast." War Bonnet explained to Fala as they neared the pair. His tail flicked against his scarred sides. Two young males in the territory now, including Slade whenever he got back. One thing was clear: someone would have to go, preferably all three, but War was realistic enough to know that wouldn't happen.

The thoroughbred mare raised her head from the grass at the sound of voices. "Hello, War." Cavi nickered, smiling happily at the bay roan before turning her gaze upon the buckskin mare at his side. "Who is this?" the black asked, cocking her head to the side. More mares? She understood the whole masuline reason behind gathering them, but more, really? Wasn't she and Firedancer enough, not to mention that other mare, wherever she had wandered off to.
The colt looked from the buckskin to War, nodding to them. "Im Glacial Outcast, but everyone calls me Outcast." the thoroughbred explained, smiling at the new mare. He turned his gaze upon his mother, wondering what had suddenly gotten into her. "Where'd Grace go? And Nagiisa?" he asked, brow furrowing. The absence of the colt didnt matter much to him, he was glad that little runt was gone.

[Swede]

Fala ambled alongside War as he escorted her to meet the rest of his herd, happy as a child in a candyshop over being able to socialize with others, not to mention being in the presence of such a majestic stallion. She listened attentively as he introduced a mare and her colt. "Hello!" she warbled, utterly oblivious to the other mare's slightly dubious reaction. "My name is Fala, it is absolutely wonderful to meet you Cavi. And what a friendly son you have! That's my youngest son over there, his name is Dane, and then that's Nina, she's my eldest. Dane, come here please, darling!" she called to the young stallion, before returning her attention to the other adults. "We've been traveling for some time now, Dane's father used to be quite charming but he recently took a turn for the worse, morally speaking. Fighting with his brother and getting quite ridiculous, it really wasn't safe there anymore. Nina's been a huge help in sneaking us out of there and keeping a sharp eye on our journey, she's a bit cautious around strangers I'm afraid but she really is a good soul, bless her."

The three year old buckskin roan obediently trotted forward at his mother's call, halting within the vicinity of the others. Were they going to stay here? He wasn't really sure; Nina was always insisting that they keep moving onwards, and she never liked it when they stopped and talked with others for too long. Even Dane could understand her reasoning; their mother could be a bit overwhelmingly foolish sometimes. Dane wasn't a clever sort- being the son of Fala and Ichirou, there were no intelligent genes for him to inherit- but at least he knew to be more careful than his mother was. Alas, Fala always believed the best in everyone, to such a naive extent as to potentially get her in trouble; moreover, she was a social butterfly and never passed up a chance to meet new faces and have a chat. "Hello," he said politely, nodding to the mare and colt in front of him. It was difficult to get a word in edge-wise though, with Fala's ceaseless rambling.

Firedancer tilted her head around, eyeing Fala as she happily became acquainted with the rest of the herd across the meadow. "Well, it seems to me you don't have much of a choice," she commented drily. She had barely met Fala, but it seemed there weren't too many deeper layers to discover in that mare.

Nina sighed. "I guess I don't," she muttered, shaking her head helplessly. "You'd think I'd have gotten used to it by now, but she just drives me more crazy with each passing day."

"Oh? Why don't you leave then? Go live your own life?" Firedancer questioned.

Nina seemed taken aback by the question. "Who else is going to take care of them if I take off? They might be blockheads, but they're still family. I don't want anything bad to happen to them."

Firedancer shrugged; it had been a long time since she had really cared about anyone. They always seemed to disappear no matter what you did, no matter how much you cared; so it was easier not to. "Well, I suppose you might as well meet the others too, and then we'll figure out what to do about the situation. Come along Arapaho," she said, nudging the colt forward. Nina followed the chestnut mare with an air of resignation as they approached the others.

[Snappin' Turtle]

The bay roan stallion could tell Cavi wasn't exactly enthused about the newcomers, but they were here whether she liked it or not; not like she'd leave or anything. In reply to Outcast's question, a mere shrug of War's shoulders sufficed as an answer. He had no clue, but Grace was gone? That, at least, was one less colt he'd have to kick out of the territory. He nodded slightly as Fala went on with an explanation about how she'd managed to come across his territory. "I'm terrible sorry about your last stallion, but you got away from him, isn't that all that matters? And you have company once more." the stallion toned, putting a grand smile upon his maw. He turned as Dane, Firedancer, and Nina came up, slightly miffed that he hadn't gotten more time to woo Fala, but there'd be time later, he was sure.

The thoroughbred mare sniffed slightly, though Fala's warm greeting and general demeanor easily won her over. "Yeah, that sounds quite dreadful, but at least you're here now. I'm sure you'll like it here, the territory is quite large and there are virtually no predators to speak of, though if there were I'm sure War could easily handle them." Cavi rambled, a broad grin on her pretty face. She looked over as the others came over and nearly squirmed with delight. "You must be Dane and Nina. I'm Black Caviar, though you can call me Cavi." the black mare bubbled, taking a couple steps forward to hold out her nose to them.

The young colt scuffed his hooves through the grass, unhappy at being tossed to the side as if he didn't matter. Glacial Outcast edged over towards Firedancer. "Is this your son?" he asked quietly, peering down at the foal curiously. He glanced up at his lead mare, not wanting her to bite of kick him or such for getting too close to her son.

[Swede]

Fala nodded appreciatively. "You're quite right, it's important to be optimistic and count your blessings, and look to the future instead of dwelling on the past; that's what I've been telling Dane and Nina to help them keep their spirits up. Chin up, best foot forward, and things will work out in the end," she said, quite pleased to have come across individuals who seemed to share her world view. "It's so nice to meet such a welcoming herd, some types are just so rude and standoffish, it's really quite disheartening," she continued.

"Nice to meet you, Cavi," Dane answered courteously; he might not be witty or clever like Nina, but he always made sure to remember his manners, something his sister had a tendency to ignore. He sneezed abruptly as a stray snowflake tickled his nose unexpectedly, and took a sheepish step backward. Nina extended her muzzle for a brief moment in bare-bones greeting, before turning away quietly, giving her mother an irked glance. Fala was clearly doing her best to make sure they would stay here for ages, and it was extremely annoying. Nina wasn't blind, either; she could see the way that stallion looked at Fala. Clearly pleased as punch at having lassoed a new mare so easily, and knowing her mother, it wouldn't be long before she had more brain-dead siblings to babysit.

Firedancer glanced up as Outcast cautiously approached. "Yeah, his name is Arapaho," she answered, looking down at her colt. "You can play with him if you want, get to know him, as long as you aren't too rough." Arapaho wasn't really such a newborn anymore, he was tough enough to unglue himself from his mother's side for a while. She had never been an extremely maternal mare, and particularly in recent years had given up on the over-protective mom act. When she tried, they turned out to be little monsters or lost daydreamers; that, or they just disappeared without a trace. Nah, Arapaho wouldn't take any harm from hanging out with the older colt for a while as long as they stayed inside War's territory, fretting over him wasn't going to help him any in life.