Move Along

[minerva]

Ryan had been quiet ever since the day she had to take out Mojave she wasen't sure Warrior trusted her or she even trusted herself much anymore. Both her sons were over a year old and she had another foal on the way. She knew very well that she was getting on in her years and there would not be many more foals,if only she had met him sooner.

The mare sighed and continued grazing on the grass her foal was late overdue by two weeks now, she was starting to get worried. However Ryan was never one to show her feelings.

Nearby the young stallion Thane stood nearby his mother always being very loyal to both his parents he had been very worried about her. He looked up and saw her deep in thought walking over towards her he nibbled on her mane and nudged her cheek " you okay mom?" he asked watching her with his soft eyes. Ryan nodded sullenly and continued to graze.

The youngest of Warrior's sons from Ryan stood with Pumba Mojave's only child to have with Warrior they were both strong and growing everyday. Play fighting they got in the way more then anything and sometimes Warrior would have to put the two in their place. Thane was the smartest at the three hoping to blend into the herd more so he would not cause his father trouble and make a reason to get thrown out.

[Saz]

Silence. It was calm, peaceful, gentle. It seeped into the yearling's heart and head as he stood in the shadows, withdrawn into himself after he had witnessed his mother's murder. He watched Savas and Pumba with a hint of jealousy, his teeth baring slightly before he found himself glaring at the duo. Shaking in fright at his unusually aggressive actions, he turned and disappeared into the mist that surrounded the terra. He skulked through the mists, weaving between the trees and allowing the silence to seep into his bones. It calmed his inner turmoil. The visions that haunted him were swallowed by the calm mists and dark shadows that were cast in the misted sun. He smiled slightly, closing his eyes momentarily and breathing in deeply before continuing to wander around the boundaries of the terra.

--

Hope watched her younger brother with soft eyes, she sighed deeply as he seemed to be frightened of his jealous reaction to the playful antics of Savas and Pumba. She shook out her russet mane and glanced toward Thane, a smile crossed her maw almost immediately, the painted stallion was certainly not hard on the eyes. Not to mention he was gentle and kind. She had merely thought of Thane and Pumba as brothers, that was until they had matured over the past year. Still she favoured Thane over Pumba, though she adored the bay, but far more as a close friend than a possible mate. But perhaps that was how she felt about Thane too, time would only tell. After all, who knew what the future would bring?

[Swede]

The grizzled buckskin didn't like leaving his territory unguarded if he could help it; but with the herd being so diminished lately, he had felt it was necessary to try and find new mares. Better sooner than later, at least- winter was on its way, and that would be a terrible time of year to seek out new herd members, when basic survival was enough of a struggle. After that came spring, and that was hardly any better, when most stallions were feeling extra aggressive and spirited, and one was more likely to stumble upon a rival. No, in spring he definitely wanted to be here to protect the herd from roaming opportunists looking to snatch up the mares of a careless stallion.

As Warrior reentered his homeland now, he sifted automatically through even the tiniest scent that slipped past his nose; however, he could not catch the smell of a stranger, nor did he see any unfamiliar hoofprints in the vicinity, or indeed any sign at all that anyone had passed by who wasn't supposed to. Hmph. Good. Lifting his head, Warrior whinnied loudly, announcing his return to his herd as he made his brisk way amongst the trees towards the more hidden inner regions of the territory. Glancing back over his shoulder, he nickered a little more softly to Golden and Snowy. "Welcome to Misty Falls, my herd should be right up ahead this way," he said reassuringly.

[Dusty's Girl]

Snowy and Golden took in the sights of their new homeland but to be honest it felt good to them as well as over whelming in a way. Golden took the lead in front of her best friend and replied. "It is wonderful here and we look forward to meeting your herd." Keeping one ear flicked back to Snowy, who was taking her sweet time behind her and Warrior but Golden could not wait to actually get to know everyone.

Snowy held her head low and relaxed as she watched Golden's head swerve all around them; taking in the sights and sound of the others and the land. Snowy smiled to herself as right now, alone and just watching, she was relaxed. She couldn't figure out why she was so relaxed with this stallion that they were following. Shrugging she once more smiled to herself at Golden's eagerness. "Golden, settle down for now." she said with a laugh which just got her a twitch of the ears and a flick of the tail.

[Saz]

The introverted yearling slunk silently from shadow to shadow. Occasionally pausing to watch the sunlight filter through bronzing leaves and leave incredible patterns across the forest floor. He roamed the borders of the terra, occasionally glimpsing members of the herd next to theirs, but rarely did he ever come into contact with anyone from the quiet herd. His peaceful roaming was shattered by the loud whinny from his sire. Pricking his ears, the gangly colt picked up a jog and then moved into a slow lope. Perhaps Warrior had managed to find others that were willing to join their family. If so, he would like to meet them. After all, if everyone else got there first, he would be forgotten and sink into the background like any other time. Shaking out his long, dark mane, the yearling wove through the trees before he spotted the familiar scarred pelt of his sire. He announced himself with a quiet nicker and moved out of the shadows to get a good look at the two new mares.

He glanced over each of them with an impassive gaze before he glanced back to Warrior, "Ryan and the others are in the main clearing." He spoke quietly, voice barely above a whisper before he turned his gaze back to the two mares. He dipped his head in a respectful manner before introducing himself, "I'm Topaz. It's lovely to meet you." He murmured before continuing to watch the mares with open curiosity. He had never met anyone outside of his homelands. And now to have two new mares who were of such bright colouring; well, his curiosity peaked and reached new levels as he gazed at them. He easily fell into step beside his father as they continued to move toward the main body of the herd. And though no words passed between them since the murder of Jewel, he understood that Warrior was sympathetic toward him. Breathing out heavily, he glanced back at the two brightly coloured mares before nickering to his sire. "So where did you find them?" He asked quietly, curious about their new herd members.

[Swede]

Warrior nodded in greeting as Topaz emerged from among the trees. The colt was not nearly as bold as his half-brothers were, which occasionally made Warrior a little worried- how would he fare as an adult stallion if he was so withdrawn and submissive? On the other hand, he did keep out of trouble, and he seemed to be smart enough. He supposed he couldn't expect too much of Topaz just yet... he'd been quite young when he lost his mother, and that had taken a toll on the entire herd, let alone the orphaned son. "Good, then that is where we'll go," Warrior said with a nod.

Motioning to Snowy and Golden, he adjusted course slightly as they continued moving forward, falling into a relaxed pace where it was still easy to hold conversation. "They were up by the river. Place was surprisingly quiet, usually you run into others more often in those parts, but I suppose everyone's bunkering down for winter. I'll have to take you there sometime, good for you to see something outside the territory." He was quite pleased with Topaz' polite behavior; since he had introduced himself directly to the young mares, Warrior fell silent so that they could introduce themselves as well. They were their own individuals, after all, and it was better that they introduce themselves as they saw fit, rather than him talking on their behalf.

[Dusty's Girl]

Golden watched as the young colt introduced himself to them, but Golden answered like always. "I'm Golden Light, the more out going on, this is Snowy River, the shiest out of the two of us." she said as she motioned over to Snowy who stood beside her now. "Very easy to tell how we got our names." Golden sort of added with a laugh.
Snowy watched Warrior and Topaz, but never moved another inch from Golden's side but her eyes wondered all over the land, taking in all the sights still. She was amazed at how the land looked and decided even more that they had come across a good stallion.

[Saz]

Topaz smiled gently at the two mares, nodding slightly before speaking once more, "It's lovely to make your acquaintance, Snowy River and Golden Light." He nickered sweetly, glancing between the two before returning his attention back to his sire. He listened carefully, eyebrows arching up in mild surprise, Warrior had never taken any of the others out of the terra before. Swishing his tail in mild deliberation, he nodded thoughtfully, his mood greatly improved, his previous jealousy over Pumba and Savas now forgotten at the mention of the outlying territories. "Yeah, I bet. The nearby terras are starting to fill up and others are returning." He snorted, shaking out his dark mane as they began to near the rushing waterfall. He glanced behind him and smiled slightly at the wondrous expression on Snowy's face, "If you want to see something really beautiful, you need to see the waterfall; it's crazy how amazing it is." He nickered to the two mares, grinning at their faces as they took in the beauty of the lands.

Turning back so he could see where he was going, he glanced at his sire once more, he wondered what else was out there, along side this river where he had found two beautiful mares. He knew that his mother had only met Warrior by chance in the canyon, and that she had come back with him to these herdlands. But he internally wondered where else his sire had resided, who else did he know outside of these lands? His curiosity was insatiable at such a young age, and if he were bolder then Warrior would undoubtedly have any respite from his questions. "Sunshine River... where else is there?" He asked, cocking his head a little as he glanced sideways at the beaten and scarred stallion that he knew was just as tough as he looked these days.

[Swede]

Warrior chuckled at Topaz' question. "The world, son. Vast and varied beyond imagination. You think these mountains are tall? There are ranges twice as high, perhaps even more; enormous deserts, endless grasslands, forests with trees so ancient they were already mighty even generations of your ancestors ago. Waters so wide you can't see the land on the other side... perhaps there isn't any, just endless stretches of blue waves. I wouldn't know; a horse can travel all his life and not see the half of it, and it's been many years since I did much traveling."

Turning his head, he nodded towards Snowy and Golden. "Perhaps you ladies can regale us with tales of your homeland, or of places you've seen on your travels?" Hopefully they were not too shy; it would be interesting to hear more about their past, and no doubt Topaz would be fascinated. Warrior's own tale was a long one, and not always a happy one either, and he wasn't the sort who enjoyed monologuing much, especially not about himself.

[Dusty's Girl]

Golden smiled. "There really isn't much to tell. I mean Snowy's mom was a prize filly when she came to herd.My mother on the other hand was just a common pale golden mare and she had caught the stallion's because of her color." Golden said as she looked at both Warrior and Topaz. "Snowy may have more to tell since she was the leader out of the two of us." she added as she tossed her head over to see Snowy.
Snow smiled. "To even find a place like this, we traveled across the desert, which I do not suggest ever having a herd there, it is a fight to find food if you were not raised there." Snowy smiled as she thought back to their travels."The land by the shores is nice, but not to much of this filly's liking, but I have to say I would have kept looking until I found a place as nice as this one." she said with a gentle smile.

[Saz]

The seal bay yearling watched his sire with amazed, widened eyes, a grin brought the corners of his mouth upwards as he imagined the glorious lands that Warrior spoke of. He glanced over his shoulder at the two pale coloured mares that followed behind them as the buckskin stallion directed a question at them both. His ears pricked, eager to catch every word that traveled to him from the two new mares. He nodded slightly, pondering their words before he spoke again; Didn't dad spend the first part of his life out in the desert? Ah, what had he called it... The... the... the platypus? No, no, that didn't sound right... The plate? That sort of sounded right... He mentally shrugged, it would do for now. No doubt Warrior would correct him if it wasn't right, which it probably wasn't. "The desert, huh? Dad lived there when he was younger... Well, it was a sort of desert, what did you call it dad? The plate? It was something like that..." He trailed off, blushing slightly as he realized it wasn't right.

Sighing slightly, he watched the two mares with a half-smile, 'Mom would like them... She always got along with everyone...' He thought softly before a sudden dark cloud descended upon the youngster and he fell silent as they reached the clearing. He glanced at his sire before nodding respectfully to the two mares and moving off to the side, nearer to the trees, his usual hiding spot. Maybe he would go skim the borders again. Perhaps he would catch a glimpse of the neighboring herd, though he hadn't seen any of them for a while, so perhaps it had fallen empty once again. Lashing his tail from side-to-side as he thought about what he should do, he had not been paying attention and Hope startled him slightly as she appeared beside him. He shied to the side, ears flattened at the young mare before he realized who it was. He blinked slowly, realization dawning upon him and then he ducked his head a little, embarrassed at his slight overreaction.



Hope had grazed in the clearing for a good half hour before Warrior's call finally rang out, announcing his return. She glanced toward the others before shaking her mane and taking a slow, meandering walk in Warrior's general direction. She appeared just as the buckskin stallion came to a halt, Topaz had found him first, it seemed. But the scarred buckskin wasn't alone in his return, two beautiful mares accompanied him. One palomino and one grey. The young mare greeted the small group with a nicker, halting beside her brother who spooked before looking embarrassed at his reaction. She gave him a gentle, affectionate nudge, nibbling his mane before smiling at the two mares and the grizzled buckskin. "Nice to have you back, Warrior. I see you've brought friends too." She paused, observing the stallion much like her mother used to do before turning her attention to the new mares. "It's lovely to meet you, I am Hope. Who might you be?" She asked sweetly, ears pricked as she waited for their answer.

[Swede]

Warrior laughed shortly, acknowledging his son with a nod. "Plateau, child. Imagine a desert, stretching as far as the eye can see, and then farther still. Now, right in the middle of that desert, you've got a big flat rock. That's where we used to live, when I was young. Twigs for breakfast, scrub for dinner, dust if you were feeling peckish in-between. Snow is correct, it's a nightmarish sort of place to live if you aren't prepared for it. But it made me tough, and shaped me into the stallion I am today. The benefit of such a place is that everyone is too busy fighting nature to do much petty squabbling amongst each other; since moving to these lands, I have passed by many pointless fights, heard rumors over wars between herds for reasons I can't even fathom. If we ever had trouble, we beat each other up and then called it a day after that. Tough life, sure, but an honest one." Warrior sighed, looking ahead across the beautiful land he called home these days. He didn't necessarily miss the plateau; surviving there had been difficult, and the events that forced his departure were unhappy memories indeed. But sometimes he wondered whether hardship was necessary for the soul, in order to maintain a good perspective on things. "Be happy that you have the luck to grow up in a place like this, boy; but don't take it for granted." The buckskin watched as Topaz wandered off. Of course, he didn't need to remind the colt that life could deal out harsh blows sometimes; even though he maintained a pleasant attitude, the loss of his mother had clearly hit him hard.

His thoughts were distracted slightly as Hope appeared, and he greeted her with a nod before taking a step sideways to allow the three young mares to converse with each other. He wouldn't be surprised if Snowy and Golden were tired of male company now; it was probably good to have some confirmation that there were in fact other females in the herd for them to chat with. It seemed Ryan was wandering somewhere else for the moment; but no doubt she would come and greet the newcomers when it suited her. The mare had a lot to think about, he was sure; and though he hadn't necessarily forgiven her actions, he understood that she had felt they were necessary, and accepted that they would simply have to continue moving forward in life. The other colts were absent as well, but that didn't bother him nearly as much. They were starting to get a bit too old for his liking, and he didn't want them hanging around any new mares too much. Probably time to start nudging them outwards into new lives of their own; but with winter coming, it didn't make much difference, so there was no problem with waiting until spring before sending them off. As long as they didn't cause any trouble, of course.

[Dusty's Girl]

Golden and Snowy both looked over at home, but it was Snowy who walked to stand in front of Golden. "You may call me Snowy, for my name is Snowy River and this is my life long friend Golden Light or known as Golden." she said, but watched as Warrior moved away from them a little. She knew he was giving them some space and was thankful for it. It showed he knew what he was doing with those of his herd. "So far this is a very welcoming place." Snowy added as she once again looked around the land.

Golden smiled as Snowy had taken charge and decided to take her time with things, she didn't want to ruin the progress that Snowy had done so far. Watching her best friend, Golden had come to the conclusion that this was the best place that they could have come to. "Snowy I will be back." she said and nodded to Hope before she walked over to get a drink of water. As she lifted her head once more, she smiled. "This place is a dream come true." Golden knew though that no place was always peaceful, every herd had their moments and in those moments she would be right beside Snowy, keeping her from getting in the middle some how. Looking over her shoulder, she watched the snowy white mare who was finally letting go of that fear of a herd. Golden took her time looking over the herd. So far everyone was nice and welcoming, but she wondered what the years to come would hold for them both. Shaking her light colored mane, she laughed at herself. She knew she was over thinking things that had yet to come or may never come.

[minerva]

The young stallion approached the herd with caution, he rarely returned to the herd only to greet his mother and stayed as far from Warrior as possible. His forelock and mane were knotted and he sported a new wound along his shoulder. He stopped on the other side of the water and gave a look over the new golden color mare; he had never seen her before. " who are you?" Thane asked bluntly. He was being good so far not to much of a worry and since he was still young he only looked at his fathers herd. However everyday he grew older.

It was not long after Thane's arriveal did his half brother show up; Pumba stretched his neck and sniffed the air holding his top lip up , the bay stallion was way more docile then Thane and never showed a threat. When he was younger he was a trouble but that was only because of his mother; now that she was gone he could make his own decisions. " Come now Thane lets not scare the little mare" he smiled and gave a wink to Golden.

[Dusty's Girl]

Golden lifted her head slowly and looked at the two. "Hello boys." she said but lowered her head to the water once again. She decided that these two would be alright to be around, but the one would be a trouble maker. After she had her fill of water, she said, "I am Golden Light, but you can call me Golden. I am new here and just settling into everything around here." Standing with her head held high; she smiled at the boys. "Only thing I wish you would listen to me about is, my best friend is very shy and if anything happens to her, like she gets scared, you'll deal with me." She looked more at Thane when she said this, but held a soft look on her face. "Other than that, I think we'll be fine to be around though."

[Saz]

The painted mare smiled brightly as the two mares introduced themselves, "Lovely to make your acquaintances, Golden and Snowy." She replied, before pausing and nodding slightly to the palomino as she moved away to have a drink. Her attention then returned to the grey as she spoke once more, "I hope so, I'm glad we've got more members, it got a little lonely around here for a while." She nickered sweetly, forever the sweet filly she had been as a foal. The only differences now was that she was a grown mare, and wasn't afraid to throw her weight around should her brothers, or any stallion, decide to pick on her or her friends. And speaking of stallions, Thane and Pumba seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Her ears flattened slightly at the look Thane and Pumba gave the two new mares, and decided it would be best if she stepped in before Warrior had to. "C'mon, you may as well meet the local idiots whilst they're here. Thane and Pumba are Warrior's eldest. I'm not actually related to Warrior, he found my mother when she was pregnant with me and was happy to provide a home to the both of us. Topaz is my only sibling through my mother and Warrior, my mother passed away earlier in the year." She explained quickly to the grey mare before taking a deep breath and jogging toward the two young stallions. "Leave the mare alone, boys. You know full well that Warrior'll kick both of you out in a heartbeat should you sniff around any of us." She snapped at them both, a full on glare for Thane and a softer half-glare at Pumba. She had begun to much prefer the bay stallion to his painted counterpart, Thane had become cocky and arrogant, whereas Pumba was far more laid back and kind.

Sighing deeply she then glanced to the palomino and then behind her at the grey, "Golden, Snowy, this is Thane and Pumba, Warrior's two eldest sons. You don't have to worry about them because they know not to step over the line." At this, she paused and glared at the two young stallions again before resuming speaking to the golden mare. "And if they do, then Warrior will teach them a thing or two about life and its hard lessons, I'm sure." With this said she tossed her head a little, and glanced around to look for the grizzled buckskin that owned this terra. As her gaze returned to both stallions she looked them both up and down briefly before glancing at the other mares, she would most likely leave come spring, perhaps wander for a while before settling down to find a herd. Instinct told her that none of the stallions that resided within the terra would make suitable mates, Warrior was like a father to her, Thane and Pumba were like her brothers, the latter more so than the former, and Topaz was actually her brother. And in any case, after growing up in the same herd and the same place, everything gets boring after a while. Smiling to herself, the young mare glanced back to her fellow mares before gesturing in the direction of the main clearing. "The main clearing's that way, Ryan should be somewhere there. Then you'll have met everyone." She spoke smoothly, paying no more mind to the two young stallions that were stood mere feet away.

[Swede]

While letting the new mares get acquainted with Hope and their new home, Warrior grazed quietly to the side, content to take a moment of peace and mental solitude to mull things over without any stress. Winter had been a wild one here, at least; it hadn't even been cold enough for the falls to freeze, though the mist did add a somewhat unpleasant chill to the air. But not much snow had fallen to obscure the grass left over from summer, and the elements had spared the herd from any genuine hardship. The buckskin was glad over finally being dealt a stroke of luck rather than misfortune for once. The best they could hope for now was a mild spring and a rainy summer- it would help keep the edge off the season's hot weather, and make up for the lack of snowmelt to keep the creeks flowing. And if they received a drought instead, well, they would survive. The river that fed the waterfall was a strong one, even in a bad year it wouldn't dry up entirely.

He lifted his head as a thoroughly familiar scent drifted past his nostrils. Hmm. The boys were back it seemed; these days they wandered farther and farther from the herd, which was totally fine by him. It was when they came back that he became wary. Sooner or later they would need to leave entirely, and sooner was always nice. Spring was so near he could practically taste it; the few patches of snow were slushy and wet, and the sun felt warmer on his back these days than it usually did. When the weather brightened up, the young stallions would be fine on their own, and not particularly welcome near the rest of the herd.

Snorting softly, Warrior strode towards the gathering of younger horses, making his presence impossible to notice. "Getting into trouble I see, Thane," he said, nodding at the wound on his son's shoulder. A few hard knocks early in life were hardly a bad thing; it toughened them up, and made them smarter so they could avoid repeating the mistakes that led to such injuries. "You wouldn't happen to know where your mother is, hmm?"