In the Shadow of the Sun

[Swede]

This was it. His land. And he was king here. No other stallion would rule over him or his mares. And he could live the way he wanted to. The shadow skimmed along the grass, rapidly and silently. As he always did. With a snort that shattered the silence, he pulled up abruptly. The breeze that floated across the open meadow ruffled his mane, sending it cascading across his crest. His tail fluttered unhindered. His ears were pricked, and he stood still, gazing at the horizon. For a split second, his graphite body trembled with anticipation. Then, his forequarters lanced upwards in a tremendous rear, sturdy legs scything through the air. A feral scream ripped through the sky from his maw, and his ears pinned flat against his neck. With a defiant toss of his mane, he crashed back to the earth. Almosa was here. Woe to any who denied it.

[savannahgrey]

Zania was now part of Almosa and Bindaree's herd. Once again, I am part of a family Zania thought happily. She watched as Almosa reared up and claimed this land as his. Zania whinnied,
What will happen if someone else tries to steal our land?
Zania was still naive in herd things, this being one of them. She did not know that if other stallions tried to steal one's territory, the stallion owning that territory would most likely fight them.

[savannahgrey]

ooc: hey, have you talked to withers at all?

[Swede]

ooc: She can't get back until summer. I won't be here all summer. Stinks, doesn't it? Almosa's on break till fall, I guess, trying to slow down.

[blackcatluvr]

ooc:okay. so this thread is basically...inactive until withers comes back and Almosa's off his little break? Oh, and as you can see...I rejoined.

[Swede]

ooc: unless you want to reactivate it. I was almost going to kill him off, since you had poofed and withers was sort of poofed and he didn't get played, but I guess I won't have to now

[blackcatluvr]

ooc: Okie dokie. Let's reactivate this one....but, what about withers? She'll just join once she comes back?

[Swede]

ooc: sure

[blackcatluvr]

Zania walked over to Almosa, rubbing her head on his neck, then looking at him questioningly. I wonder what he thinks? He doesn't talk much....I'll try not to either.

Zania looked up at the clear blue sky, then at her surroundings. She looked at Bindaree and swished her tail, trying to keep the flies off of her back.

Zania sighed, missing her mother and father. Her old home. This is my home now. And I like it.
She looked at Almosa, then Bindaree, who was heavy with foal, Almosa's foal. Zania hoped one day to see a foal of her own in this herd. Her home. She watched an eagle glide across the sky, calling out. She whinnied to it, rearing up before going back down on all four hooves and looking at Almosa. A question that had been itching her since the start bubbled up.
"Almosa.....why...why don't you talk much? Do you believe it better to act like, well, like an animal that...can't talk? Or is it something else?"
She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, waiting to see if he'd talk to her.

[Swede]

The iron grey stallion had been gazing into the distance absent-mindedly. He had been a wanderer for his entire life, and much of him still yearned to chase the horizon, never to catch it but always seeing new lands and exploring strange terras. But he had a home now, and a herd to watch over. It was a turning point in his life, but not necessarily a bad one.

Almosa blinked and came out of his reverie as Zania spoke. He turned to look at her, deep solemn eyes regarding her carefully. For a moment, the stallion considered her question. Then slowly, huskily, he answered, "I have little use for words. I grew up silent- father never spoke, and mother followed suit. After that, I was mostly alone. I've found that a message can be conveyed just as easily with basic body language one would use anyway, rather than speaking a long phrase for a simple concept." He fell silent again, swishing his tail at the occasional insect. She wasn't the first to ask, and most likely wouldn't be the last.

[blackcatluvr]

Zania digested his words. Well, it makes sense. It's true, after all. She lowered her head, cropped some grass, and looked back over to Bindaree. This will be tough, not talking. Ah, well....as long as I'm in a herd, it won't matter to me.

Zania felt the light breeze blow her mane and tail sideways, then leave to go elsewhere. She lifted her maw into the air and smelled it. Alert, she smelled fire somewhere. Hopefully not close. She nickered to Almosa fearfully. She didn't want the fire to come near their newly claimed territory, forcing them out of it. She had never seen a fire, but from what other horses had told her, they were huge walls of red flames, that devoured anything in their path, not pitying any animal, tree, insect, nothing. She had heard stories of foals killed by fires when they fell, running too fast, and the heat too intense, burning them alive. She shuddered.

[Swede]

Almosa watched her carefully. He was adept at reading body language- it was his first tongue, in a manner of speaking. If you preferred speaking, that is. He walked towards her and said lowly, "I force my personal habit on no one else. I have no problem with listening to others, or having conversation with my herd; I simply answer short and simple. Feel no restraint." Having spoken twice as many words as he usually uttered in a week, he moved across the meadow slowly, grazing on the yellowing grass. Autumn was approaching, but even so, this had been a relatively dry summer for these parts.

Therefore, it came as no surprise when Zania moved closer, fearful. He raised his head, scenting the air, and swished his tail nervously. He was intelligent, and was a match for most stallions if it came to fights, and cougars had reason to fear him. But there wasn't a horse alive that could fight off a raging inferno. He flicked his ears back and forth, scanning the horizon, trying to descry where the flames were burning and if they moved closer or farther away. The stallion took three steps back, snorting softly.

[blackcatluvr]

"All right. I'll talk when I want to."

Zania watched Almosa watch the horizon, looking for a glimpse of where the fire may be. Zania did too. "Almosa, do you see anything? I've never seen a fire, only heard about them. Is it true, that...that they can destroy everything, leave the land nothing more than a blackened shell of what it was?" Zania continued looking at the horizon, noticing that the sun fell closer and closer to the Earth, letting the moon take its guard. I hope it rains, I really do. I don't want to see a fire, to see what it can do, what it can destroy. Zania thought to herself. She watched Almosa to see what he would do.

[Swede]

ooc: what do you think- should we torch the valley? Or spare it?

He shifted slightly, blowing the smoky smell from his nostrils. the horizon looked hazy, but whether it was from smoke or the summer heat, he couldn't tell. Another important detail- he did not know if it was freshly started, or had been raging for some time. A new blaze could spread rapidly and overtake them as quickly as they spotted the smoke, because it was still small. A large, older fire would have a vast pillar of ash above it, and be easier to avoid. Either this was a distant, harmless inferno, or a fresh, close one that posed a very real threat. He nodded slowly. "Fire kills. Everything turns to blackened ash, leaving no forage behind. It can pollute water as well." Almosa sighed, musing for a moment, then added, "But it isn't an evil thing. The ash enriches the soil, providing fresh nutrients for plants to grow. It burns dead brush, making wooded areas more open and clearing space for younger, healthier plants. Still, it is a threat to horses." He had seen fire once before, as a yearling with his parents. They had been forced to forge a swift river then, and cicumvent the fire in order to get upwind of it. It had been a dangerous flight, but at least they were alive.

[blackcatluvr]

ooc:Let's torch it! Muahahaha! ha!...hehe

Zania saw something in the distance. What it was, she couldn't tell. It looked to be something orange. Red maybe. She smelled the smoke. She coughed, inhaling too much of it. She listened intently to what Almosa had to say about the fires.
"Oh...um...well, what exactly do fires look like? Are they..." she looked over to where she had seen the colors, "orange and reddish? And do they move...quickly?"
Zania knew this was most likely a fire she had spotted. She looked over again. Yes, it was moving fast. Almost too fast for her liking. She coughed again, the smoke smell being pushed this way by the wind that had picked up some.

ooc:hey, did you know horses cant throw up? lol. Thought you should know that.

[Swede]

ooc: I did know that, actually. Pity, really- if they could, colic wouldn't be so deadly for them.

Almosa's eyes darted across the horizon, absorbing the tell-tale signs. Though quietly wishing this was a mirage, he was not a fool and began working out an escape strategy. "That is fire," he said distractedly, "You don't want to get any closer." He blew the smoky smell out of his nose; it was fogging his mind and making it difficult to think about anything other than breathing. "The smoke's bad. And if it doesn't kill you, the flames will. We need to get out of here, now." He cast his eyes about, searching for water, some river or stream that was wide enough to slow the fire but safe enough to cross. But the valley was devoid of anything but dry grass and three horses in desperate need of a safe place. He reared suddenly, screaming, then dove down, rounding mares together. If someone strayed, their life could be forfeit. They had no choice but to run now, as fast as they could, and pray that the wind didn't shift directions.

[blackcatluvr]

ooc: Yeah, I know. Poor horsies. I learned that this year at the vet class I was taking in my old high school, before I moved and had to transfer.

Zania got closer to Almosa as he confirmed her suspicion. She looked fearfully around, and backed up a little when he reared up into the air, so she wouldn't get hit by his hooves.
"Almosa! What do we do?!" Zania cried out. She had never been near a fire, and the smoke was almost suffocating her. She tried to stay close to Almosa, shadowing him. The smoke was blinding her as well, stinging her eyes. She coughed and looked back at the horizon. The fire had come closer, now it seemed to be less than a quarter mile away. Zania knew they would have to run, and run fast, if they were to keep their lives, or their sanity.

[Swede]

His dark eyes flickered, desperately quelling his panic. Panic would kill them faster than anything else. "Run!" he called to Zania and Bindaree, "Away from the flames- try to get out of the fire's path." They would be able to escape to safety, hopefully. If we're fast enough, he thought grimly, but didn't voice aloud. He had to take charge here, and set the right example. So this was what they meant by leadership- most of his life, he just had to take care of himself, but this would be more difficult. Especially since he had no real plan. Lead by example. He whinnied loudly to the mares, then set off galloping diagonally away from the fire, looking back to make sure they followed.

[blackcatluvr]

Zania heard Almosa call out to her and the pregnant Bindaree to run. The fire would be upon them shortly. I hope we can make it... Zania thought. She galloped behind Almosa as he started running. He galloped diagonally away from the flames, looking back at Zania and Bindaree to see if they were following him. Zania ran alongside Bindaree, behind Almosa. They were running for their lives, and she knew it. If they didn't get out of here soon....she shuddered at the thought of what may happen to them, to the...well, 4 of them. Almosa, Bindaree, herself, and Bindaree's unborn foal.