An Arrival Announced Behind Blue Eyes

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"Aha!" the loud proclamation announced the black stallion that trotted through the snow. His white capped black tail flagged behind him as his eyes roamed over the land. He had dreamed of his return and now here he was, but he was certain that no one would recall who he was.
Slowing, he came to stop near the river and snorted deeply of the free scents that drifted in the air. Ah, yes, horses still resided here. A stallion's scream echoed from his muzzle as he rose onto his hind legs and lashed the air with his solid front hooves. Returning to the land once more, he turned a now blue eye towards the other lands. His muzzle curled into a sinister sneer and he gave a dark chuckle. This was his land and he only need to find a mare and await a land to claim.
A mare and a stallion strode in behind the black, both seeming to be following him. But it seemed as if old enemies were now aligned. Both of these horses had been born in these lands and both were descendents of horses that opposed this black steed. But yet here they were.
The mare, a lovely black mare with a star and two hind socks, strode up beside the stallion confidently,
"Cryptic, you can't just expect everyone to remember you. You don't even look the same anymore. If Ash's son, Pecol, hadn't give up his life, you wouldn't be here to return to these lands." her ears flattened as she spoke to the stallion called Cryptic. She, herself, was former tenant of a herd here in these lands several years ago. Fury always knew that she would return here, just not under these circumstances. Her tail swung behind her as she stirred in the snow.
The other stallion remained silent, but came up on the other side of Cryptic. The bay roan son of Celestial Tiger and Regality had returned to his place of birth also. His black- tipped ears flicked back and forth as he surveyed the land with soulful eyes. Turning a blazed face towards Fury, he tilted his head slightly. Daystar was a stallion of few words, in fact he had not spoken at all in the three years that Fury knew him at all, but he was a stallion that got his point across easily. He pawed the ground three times and looked over his shoulder before returning his gaze back to Fury. Three days before they had to move on or fight.
Long ago, the Dark Herds had been disbanded and scattered over the plains. Cryptic's once iron tight rule was taken from him in a huge battle. Now he was a ruthless stallion that was never the same horse from hour to hour. It could be said that he was insane. But it now could be said that the hunter had become the hunted.
...Enter The Reaper into the mix now. Three days behind this band of horses, the white stallion tracked them ruthlessly. He seemed to not tire s he kept up trot towards their scents. His blue eyes shone with a fire from within as he slowed to a stop to drink,
"You will never be safe, Cryptic. Your rule is over and you are the last one needed to end your rule." He spoke softly as he once again started towards Sunshine River....

[Captain Stumpy]

Winter was Spiders best season, a low weak sun usually blocked by clouds. He had the world to walk again. Time to get out of the shadows. He'd taken his little family out of the forest and onto open grasslands. Munching on the wilted grasses without a care of the sun interrupting his meal, he had his Strasny at his side and two beautiful daughters. The day was peaceful and the fillies played happily even in the cool weather. He moved closer to Strasny, daring to give the red mare a loving nuzzle on the neck. "I do so love a nice winters day" He said to her with a smile.

Arachne smirked as she pulled on Carodejnia's mane, "Play with me, Play!" she demanded, they were both nearly yearlings now and Arachne was starting to enjoy her independence. Ara darted off, she wanted to play the 'chase me' game, and just expected Caro to want to play too. She made it to the other side of the clearing in a over-exuberant gallop, Slowing before going through some rough and tree's. Still not checking where her sister was she splashed through the shallow of a smaller tributary river, the water was cold, she hoped into the opposing bank threw the reeds. She turned to wait for her sister when a stallion's rawr jolted her attention. A black stallion larger than the black yearlings sire stood still with 2 other horses round him. She had a mix of fear and curiosity, Spider had made them keep a distance from other horses, even when they saw there uncle. Spider only let them 'see' him. Curiosity won in the end, using the dull green and brown reeds as some sort of shield of invisibility she crept a little closer to the other horses, hoping to catch what they said.

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Daystar's ears and eyes were quite keen and he ignored the other horses as he turned once more to Cryptic. His muzzle pushed up against the black's side as he indicated that they should drink after such a long trek here. His own black hooves started towards the river's edge as he did not wait for Cryptic to come behind him. The black could take care of himself, he was sure of it. Reaching the river, he lowered his muzzle and drank deeply, closing his eyes in rapport.
Fury snorted softly towards Daystar and made her move way from Cryptic a bit. But she did not head down towards the river to drink. No, she began to graze. Though winter was upon them, she was trying to gain weight to feed the foal that she hopefully still carried. Foals were a tough business and all of this travelling was not good for her or the foal. But she almost did not care for the life inside of her, rather she made care to watch Cryptic and Daystar. There would be other foals in her life, but all she knew was that Cryptic demanded offspring and he demanded it yearly.
Cryptic paused, a neigh echoing from his muzzle. Sure, he should be hiding, but he was not a stallion to just hide and do nothing. He needed to be known! It was his major flaw in his life! Of course now he had a ton of major flaws. Like a lame step whenever he trotted and well, sometimes the voices just never shut up. Oh, the voices. They could go on for hours about random things and bore him to death. It used to be that the voices only appeared when he was thinking of a mare or of a fight, but now, now they appeared all the time! He could not get them out of his head!

[Snappin' Turtle]

The chestnut mare was glad that Spider had decided to come out from the forest, though there was more snow out in the open. She raised her dished face as he nuzzled her neck happily. "Yes, and I'm sure the little ones do, too." Strasny agreed, shifting on her hooves slightly. She watched as the black filly took off, Carodejnia following behind at a more sedate place. Their personalities were starting to show more. both loved being independent, though Arachne was more likely to place than her twin was.

She sighed as her sister tugged at her mane, snapping at her shoulder as she took off. Caro followed after her twin at a trot, though she stopped on the bank of the river. She wasn't sure this was a very good idea, there could be strangers around, and they might not be friendly.. Finally, peer pressure pulled the little filly to cross the river, sneaking up to come up behind her black sibling. She let out a quiet squeak as a loud stallion's call broke the silence. "Ara, we should get back." Carodejnia whispered, stopping beside her sister, casting fearful glances around as if the stallion would appear out of thin air.

[Captain Stumpy]

"Gah" Ara jumped as Cara's voice came up behind her. Her attention was so fixated on the new horses she didn't even notice her sister. "Don't worry Cara" Ara said boldly with a swish of a tail and her head held confidently aloft. "They look harmless enough" She said, her back to the river and the stallions as she pulled a cocky smile at her understandably nervous sister.

Spider watched Cara break into the tree's before giving his whole attention back to his mate. "I'm glad they do, I feel like I can be closer to them in this weather, summer i'm always pinned in the shadows" He said with a sigh. He looked back up to were the filly's had raced through. "S'pose we better see where they got too" He said after a pause expecting them to race out again.

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Cryptic tossed his head and looked over his two companions then back over the land, oh what a place this truly was. He let his tail fly behind him as he raised his head and sniffed the air. Horses! Oh, they were already coming to see him. Yes, let them come. Maybe he could find someone in which to start a herd with or perhaps he could meet those foals that were his from previous breedings. He let a call fly into the air as he turned away from Fury and Daystar,
"Hello! Come out and meet me." His voice was deep as he spoke, but it wavered a bit. He was not nervous, rather he was a bit wary from the one that he knew was hunting him.
Daystar rose up from drinking and stepped beside the black stallion. Foolish. Was he completely insane? Oh wait, he was and Daystar should have remembered that. Sighing, he took up a position next to the stallion and waited, waited to see if it was The Reaper or not.

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(ooc: Cryptic has taken himself to claim a land in the Ridge. Follow him there)