Joker's place (please join!)

[naztuki]

Joker laid in the heavy snow. He was now 18 years old, for he was born in winter. His eyes were weary, but he'd live out his life until his last breath. Snow made him sleepy, and it's spell was just about taking over, when he heard a noise. A snap, like that of a twig, then a bustling of leaves. but when he opened his eyes, nothing was there. It could have been a cat. Joker, coming to full realizationg of this, got to his feet, so at least he'd be armed if attacked. But nothing sitrred again in the quiet winter snow, it was just Joker and the world....

(ooc: Since all horses turn a year older in spring, I just thought he's have a slight earlier B-day, and you'll see why later.)

[bullseye14]

(OOC: Gonna use liquid time here, so that our two can finally interact.

Patriot was on his way back from looking out over his territory from his favorite hill when he was brought out of his thoughts by the snapping of a branch- a branch under his hoof, to be specific. At first, he looked around, thinking it was someone else making the noise, and then he realized he was to blame. Relaxing his shoulders and neck once again, he continue to move forward. That was when the smell reached his nostrils. The same, strange smell he had caught a few weeks back- the one that no one else had seemed to notice. When he had investigated later on, he had not spotted anything, even though the smell was very pronounced in one area. He knew he must have missed whatever equine made it and just moved on, despite his curiosity of the smell. And now, he was about to find his answer. Cautiously, the black stallion moved through the trees, breaking through the cover of the branches as quietly as possible. Now he stood face to face with a.... a..... was that really a horse?

[naztuki]

Suddenly, a black stallion appeared before Joker. His figure was distinct in the white snow, and the spots of the ice made his coat shine, but also made him look like an Appaloosa. A puddle of ice glistened nearby, and looking into it, Joker could see his own reflection; and that of the stallion. 'So he is real' thought the mule, looking up again and into the eyes of the horse before him.
"Howdy" was all he said, and the sound lingered through the air.

[bullseye14]

"Howdy." The one word reverberated through the air for several seconds, and after that, Patriot let it hang for a few minutes before deciding on a reply.
"Hello," he replied. 'What are you?' happened to be the next thing to come to mind, but he refrained from uttering such an impolite sentence and instead said, "May I ask your name and business in my territory?" While waiting for a reply, his eyes drifted across the body of the strange equine, sizing him up and judging whether he would be deadly competition. The chestnut equine most certainly would give Patriot a run for his money, but if the other animal had intended to steal mares, why hadn't he yet?

[naztuki]

"I, am not here to threaten you. Wouldn't do much good, I can't have offspring." He said, a flick of his donkey tail across his leg. His size made him larger than most horses. His large ears were keen on the surrouding trees, listening for other creatures.
"If you're wondering," Joker said, seeing the confused look on the horse's face, "I am a mule."
He shook his body for a moment, before going on.
"Which means my mother was a horse, and my father a donkey."

[bullseye14]

Can't have offspring? What stallion couldn't have offspring? Was the stallion yanking Patriot's chain, trying to lure him into a false sense of security? He paused for a moment, contemplating the stallion, not even aware of the steady drip of water falling onto his back. The snow was starting to melt- rapidly. A cool breeze tickled the shedding hair on the black stallion's back. His coat was starting to itch to the point that his concentration was being ruined. He hoped that wouldn't keep him from his duties. The warm winter coat he had grown this year had been nice during the snow storms that raged through the land, but now it was just a pain.
"A mule, huh?" Sounded like a lie to him. What donkey wanted to cover a mare? What mare wanted a donkey?

[naztuki]

Sensing the hesitance and unbelieving tone from the stallion, Joker laid his ears back slightly. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Whoa now, I'm not a lying, you see. My father was a Jack, and my mother a mare. I was born on a breeding farm for creatures such as me. My name is Joker and I am a mule. My ears, tail, and mane came from my father, and the rest of me from my mother. I am a stallion, but because of my crossing, I have no chance of ever breeding. I am a stubborn protector with a strong kick and bite, even for my age of 18 years. I can clear any obstacle up to my chest quite easily. I am surefooted and a very wise animal."
Joker gave a snort, waiting to see what the stallion did now. A mule wasn't one to insult, but a very powerful ally.

[bullseye14]

Patriot eyed Joker skeptically, listening with interest. Now that this mule had mentioned it, intentionally breeding donkeys with horses sounded like something the two-leggeds would do. They tended to do the strangest things.
The black stallion doubted the other equine was lying about his jumping abilities. He was, afterall very tall and appeared to be relatively strong. He was bragging a bit, though, wasn't he? Was he compensating for the lack of his ability to reproduce? That seemed appropriate. When it came to stallions, the ability to produce offspring was important.
"Alright, I'll take your word for it. Arguing this point doesn't seem very productive anyway," he said resignedly. "However, I must ask what you are doing here? I understand that you are not here to threaten me, but for what other purpose would you wander into my territory?"

[naztuki]

"Well, seeing as I have nowhere else to go, I began to wander. Eventually I decided I needed company, so I came about here, which incedintally is your territory. If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here, for I rather do like the apples and the grass." He said looking at the black stallion.
"I may come off rather queer, but do you have any foals running about? I do like the little ones...." He said looking left and right, as if in hopes of catching sight of a young foal frolicking.

(ooc: Only last week a donkey of relatives gave birth so now we have a young black Jack. I did some small training with him for about and hour before releasing his mama and him. No names, and he's probably going to be sold.)

[bullseye14]

(OOC: Do you have any pictures? I would love to see him!)

Patriot raised his eyebrows. Yes, this fellow was a little queer, but he seemed honest about his intentions. And if their friendship went downhill, Parlos was sure to side with Patriot and help him drive the mule out. The black stallion sighed. He was such a push-over.
"As long as you don't cause any trouble, you are welcome to stay here in my territory. My herd is only a small one, so we welcome any friendly company that wants to join us," he said. "The apples are always the most beautiful during the end of summer and the beginning of Autumn. Their a big part of the reason I chose this territory." He shook his mane, ridding it of some melted snow. "And yes, we do have a foal. She's quite the curious little thing, so I'm sure she would appreciate a visit from one such as yourself. Tread lightly around her, though, for her dam is a first time mother and they can be rather jumpy." And Patriot would tear apart anyone that layed a hoof or claw on his new little princess. In the few days the little filly had lived, the large, black stallion had grown very fond of her.

[naztuki]

The elderly Mule nodded his head, though if he had been a 2 year old, he would have ran about bucking.
"I do like the little ones...." He said, waiting to follow the stallion.
"And I don't think you've mentioned your name." He said, walking a few steps ahead before stopping. A breath of the wind, and Joker got the odd feeling that something was going to happen....not now, but soon.....

(ooc: No, I didn't get pictures of the little devil, the camera was out of batteries. I'll try next time I'm up. He was heavy, as I decided to pack him around. Little booger kicked me when I was trying to teach him that lifting his hooves wasn't so bad. I'm pretty sure he's inbred, not purposely, but I'm sure he is.)

[bullseye14]

(OOC: Gotta wait for Swede to come back before we can bring Joker into the picture.... We're kinda at a point that I would have to clone Pat... in the same thread.)

"I am Patriot. I don't believe you mentioned your name either." Patriot knew it would take a while to grow used to Joker's larger-than-normal ears and slightly gruff attitude, but the time would come when they were good friends. He hoped so, at least. The black stallion really did not want to drive the mule out- for more than one reason. Sunshine River had brought out a soft streak in him that made it hard for him to imagine driving a horse away and deeming it homeless, but the idea of the effort it would require to fight off such a large stallion also bothered him; most especially a stallion that was so athletically built.
"Firedancer and Nirvana are this way," he added, nodding his head in the direction of the two equines before taking a few steps toward them, one ear facing behind him, locked on the mule.

[naztuki]

"I believe I did mention my name, but just so ya know, it's Joker." said the graying mule, a cough errupting from his throat. He watched the stallion move off towards two distant figurse Joker had not noticed til now, then slowly moved to follow him. A butterfly flew and landed on the very tip of Joker's ear, and automatically, it swiveled and the light creature fluttered off, Joker's eyes gazing after it.

[bullseye14]

Patriot took note of the mule's name and then trotted off, laboring through the thick mud, his hooves making sucking noises with each step. He knew that soon the ground would harden, but the time when he could freely move about without such effort seemed so far off. The eagerness to return to his new Queen and Princess were enough to push him forward. He didn't bother to turn and look at the mule. Surely the equine would be capable of caring for himself. He was a stallion afterall.

(OOC: Okee-dokey, Naz, you are now free to enter Heavan on Earth whenever you are ready.

[bullseye14]

(OOC: Mods can lock)