Finding The Others

[Star]

Yhi snorted softly and made her way to the main valley of the Cascades. Finaly her mother had let her leave, having made her swear not to go along with Arrow and Thowra, but to go right away from these lands. 'And the old mare expected me not to stay..' she thought to herself as she cantered through the trees. Ever since Yhi was born, the small dun filly was kept away from everyone, due to her mothers weirdness. Yhi shook her head and slowed to a walk as she reached the valley, but still stayed in the trees. Was the group even there? Tossing her head high, the dun filly steped out into the open, her eyes glancing around for the onces she searched for. 'They are not here..' she mumbled, dropping her head to graze and look inconspicuos. She would wait here till they came...

[Brolga]

It was interesting to see how the clouds in the sky remained that shape, yes it was interesting to know their names. At least that was what Thilya Kama thought as he slowly began to trot onto the valley floor after spending a week or two around the head of the Murray River. He was three years old and neither his dam nor sire held him by a leash. The big bay grey horse trotted toward the form of a young filly he’d seen with the herd in previous years, one of Yarraman’s final offspring, grazing not too far away from a band of young horses. He didn’t know her name, nor her dam, but he was sure she was from his old herd. Thilya liked the company of young horses, all save his brother Kunai. He missed the dancing with Kalari and Boon Boon and Chicha-Wahn, so maybe he could greet the filly and perhaps play. The stallion gave the other horses and quick glance then trotted happily toward the young filly. He was quite a thick horse, like his sire, but that didn’t matter to him, he would see Chicha-wahn after greeting this youngster, and perhaps speak to Guei-Tundi and Kalari if his sire didn’t chase him away, or he didn’t find Kunai before them. Thilya pawed the ground in front of the filly and reared up slightly, to then pound his hooves into the ground in a rather playful manner. Then he let out a joyful whinny of greeting. (IMG:http://home.earthlink.net/~travel181/images/NV149A.JPG)

[Thowra]

Kunai had been eyeing the dun filly for a moment or so from the trees at the edge of the main valley, enjoying the voyeuristic pleasure of watching her from his own unseen position under the cover of a stand of ironbark saplings. But suddenly he jumped to attention, an angry snort escaping him in his haste to rise to his feet.
Someone was approaching that filly! And of all the horses in the mountains, why did it have to be him?
This was not what Kunai had planned. He would have preferred to watch a bit longer, run his eyes over her and take in her grace and rich golden colour... but now that fool of a colt was wrecking the whole scene by shoving his ugly body into the frame with the handsome filly. He nipped Moltukaain to follow him and gave a glance around to see if any others from their group dared to stay behind while an enemy needed vanquishing, and the two lanky dark colts slipped down into the valley like skulking wolves, heads low and menacingly-placed ears enhancing their glares.
Moltukaain, aka the Nightstone, young though he was, knew that he and Kunai were together a formidable team for any immature horse - but he was fully aware that the young stallion in the valley below, uncomfortably close to the dun filly, was a full year older than him, and technically almost a stallion - not to mention much bigger. He hoped Kunai would not expect him to fight, but did not think of denying the iron grey half-racer his support should it be required. But he was also tired of Thilya Kama shunning them as if he felt he was somehow better than the rest of them - yet how was he supposed to do anything about it? It seemed ludicrous, the thought of a young, small, slender colt trying to drive off an almost full-grown horse... but then Kunai was there too, and they should be backed up by at least one other colt from the batchelor mob, if those young layabouts knew what was good for them. With more than one colt coming at him at once, the bay grey would surely be forced to back down and make himself scarce.
Kunai put on a burst of speed toward the other grey, relying on it to surprise Thilya Kama as it was too open here in the main valley for a real ambush. His gunmetal-streaked black mane and tail streamed in the wind and his legs blurred and reached across the snowgrass, eating up the distance with long, greyhound-like strides, and his ears were flat on his head, eyes showing the whites.
As he leapt over a fallen tree that seemed to have been blasted by lightning some years back, the young iron grey screamed a challenge to his older half-brother.
'Halt where you stand, artless cur!' he taunted as he landed and came to a halt with his fine, muscular shoulders squared and head held proudly high, 'Your boorish pretense at charm is better left in its box, Kama, with the lid tightly sealed - for your own sake as much as ours. I'm sure the little lady would be beside herself with fear should you attempt to seduce her. Personally I could hardly blame her, either, if her heart simply stopped in horror at the thought.'
He looked Thilya Kama up and down with a derisive lift of his lip, like a sneer, before turning toward the filly with utmost grace, but his beautiful movement was just like that of a snake - mesmerising yet menacing all in the one subtle sway of the neck. He tried to cut in front of her, to turn her toward his own batchelor group, but kept an eye on the bay grey in case he made a move. There was no way Kunai was going to be so stupid as to leave himself open to an attack while trying to move the filly away.





ooc: XD lmao, i think Kunai has been reading gaston leroux...

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[Brolga]

Thilya Kama had tried to keep his eyes all around him. He’d had a fight during the winter with some silly young black by the Murray whilst he’d been grazing, and although he’d thrashed the creature, he had known that his age and size were an intimidating sight, similar to that of his sire’s. Kama stopped his playful motions to turn about and face his steel pelted sibling. Of course charm was more an art then simple dancing strides and Kama had used it enough on the Brolga in order to be close to Chicha-wahn. Now Kama would use it against Kunai, if he quickly checked the foolhardy bachelors that were stung into following a bully.
Deenyi paused before stepping out after his elder and younger brother. The two year old had been given a beaten by Kunai for charging out before him and there was still a scab on the wound to his withers. Kunai really was a brute. The iron colt sized up Thilya first then proudly and somewhat stealthily he strode down at an evenly paced trot with his head straight and ears erect. He slid into place beside the odd black colt Moultukaain and eyed the young filly intently. He suddenly realised the mistake Kunai had made about Kama’s intentions and pulled back a little, giving the colt at his side a swift kick to the leg to back up slightly.
“Your own charm has fallen to closed ears O brother of Iron. Indeed Kunai, if I went around with my head so high in the air I’d fail to see the stones and tracks I’d left. You belong with a human and their strange devices like your mother does. At least I’ve not spent my years running around with a bunch of moronic foals. Such arrogance as not to realise this filly is a sister to us both, is simply a gift of yours Kunai.” Kama spoke swiftly and in a gentle almost chuckling tone. But his message was clear to his brother, his thoughts were wrong. Yet the bay grey knew when he should safely carry on to seek a friend and he quickly turned round, his ears facing behind to listen but his pace even and unbothered. He paused one moment to turn his head round and give a slight taunt with his lips raised slightly to half bare his teeth at the steel grey.
“Do yourself a favour brother, don’t mother these colts. I suppose I will be seeing you close to father’s patch, as I’m sure Baiamul will be wondering where her little lamb has wandered.” Thilya Kama slowly began to move off, only hoping that his partial lie might save the filly from being bothered and bullied by the colts. As he went off, knowing what to expect from the light-framed iron youngster, he couldn’t help but let out a little snort of triumph.
Deenyi pulled his ears and lips back, rolling his eyes to show the whites. He pulled close to Kunai and snorted harshly. How insulting was that creature?
“So what are you going to do then? Such arrogance from that cur! Surely he won’t get away with his taunts?” Deenyi snorted at Kunai, almost forgetting his place but quickly lowering his head and pulling back a little. He had to keep his wits about him.

[Thowra]

'Sister?' Kunai scoffed, narrowing his eyes in a direct stare at Kama, one ear levelling sideways in a manner that seemed almost to mimic the expression of a human with one raised eyebrow. 'Come now, Kama, don't you think that was too dreadful a lie even for you? Did you truly think me that stupid that i would accept your explanation without query? Oh, of course, you say she is our sister therefore she must be. Before you opened your mouth and planted your hoof firmly inside it, did you think that, had she been our sister, we would have seen her in our herd before as she is not that different to us in age? Did you not think that maybe, just maybe, i might have had some idea as to just who our sisters were? You insult me so much by thinking i would actually believe that drivel you just told me, that i wonder if i shouldn't box your ears for the assumption right now and be blowed to the filly, sister or not.'
Moltukaain snorted with bitter amusement at the insults flying through the air, charging the atmosphere with electric tension, and the young colt's white-capped black tail whisked impatiently about his hocks while he waited and watched the scene being played out on the grassy stage of the Cascades valley. He, for one, was thoroughly entertained as always by a good battle whether it be of hooves and teeth or of wits, and was hoping that he could pretty much stand back unobtrusively and observe while Kunai thrashed Kama's ego, and that big ungainly mass he called a body, as well.
But Kunai wasn't finished. Kama had rambled on a fair bit, saying some things that it was not really all that smart to say to a colt who has others to back him up, and a temper as short as Kunai's. The steel colt was not going to let any bit of that attempt to undermine him go unpunished.
'I do not think you quite understand the words you speak, Kama. Or perhaps your mind does not have full control over your mouth, and we should all be obliged to have pity on you for your defect, rather than just jumping to conclusions and knocking your teeth. You were right - your ears are indeed closed, Kama. Closed to everything but your own opinions and wishes, to everything but the sound of your own voice proclaiming glory - of which you know in your heart you shall never even get a sniff. I am pretty sure your 'closed ears' have blocked the way to your brain, and it is losing what little capacity it had - fast. You might want to open them sometimes - i hear that ears and brains are both more efficient in the 'on' position. '
Moltukaain, listening and watching with a bristling air of hostility about his lean form, suddenly felt a lightning-shock of rage flash through him with white-hot intensity, and his eyes darted to Deenyi, pupils narrowing in fury as his gaze locked onto the other colt. How dare he kick out at him, the Nightstone?
He bared his teeth and was distracted from Kunai and Kama, pinning his ears at the other colt and snapping swiftly with strong white teeth at the sensitive hide at the base of Deenyi's neck.
As Kama turned to leave, showing Kunai not only his rump but an extreme lack of respect, Kunai's eyes showed the whites, red touching the corners and giving him a maddened look. Kama had made a drastic error - one must never turn his back on a foe, and Kama had just done exactly that. Kunai was both furious and elated, a heady and rather incongruous mix, knowing he had both the moral right to attack the honourless colt who had insulted him then turned his back on him, and the ability to catch up to the paler grey with ease and dart around with far more grace than the heavier colt. Kama had asked for nothing but the severest punishment this time.
'What, are you afraid of these 'foals' then, that you feel the need to flee?' Kunai hissed in a tone which, though quiet, could have sent chills down an imaginitive horse's spine. 'Turn, Thilya Kama, and look upon your death.'
Kunai needed almost no time at all to go to a dead run from a halt, and he took advantage of his speed in a lightning-swift leap at Kama, mouth open wide, angry red and white glistening within, the colours repeated in his eyes, bloodshot and rolling wild.

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ooc: @.@ drama!!

This post has been edited by Thowra on June 03, 2005 01:23 am

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[Brolga]

Deenyi gave a squeal of irritation as Moltukaain bit his withers. He rose up on his neat but oddly light iron legs and kicked out at his sibling. He was very angry that Kama had treated him with such arrogance and he felt humiliated, what was worse what that he was recognising the filly as the one that wasn’t allowed among the herd, he remembered his mother commenting on how silly and mad the mare must have been. Deenyi moved away from his rabicano friend and bared his teeth at him in warning. Then he nickered very softly as Kunai began his charge.
“Our foolish leader forgot about what the mares were saying when we began our wanderings. That’s the daughter of that daft dun mare from Yarraman’s herd. No wonder Kunai didn’t realise with that blunt skull of his.” Deenyi snorted, he loved to speak ill of everyone that was irritating or was higher then him. Often he bullied Moltukaain about but the odd black was the closest to him, Kunai was just a sort of shield. These two brothers were the brains behind everything. A sound caught Deenyi’s ears and they flicked toward the trees and his eyes soon followed. There was a little mob of fillies and colts there. There were now more siblings for Kama to align with and irritate the band.
Thilya Kama listened to the response from Kunai as he began to walk off and then he heard him coming. The grey knew that he had not the speed to out do his racing sibling but he had stamina and above all he could take quite a pounding. He was not frail like the two-year-olds and he was heavy. He wouldn’t turn and face him as there was not enough time, but he’d wait and let him make the first move, let him get a hoof to the jaw.

[Thowra]

Kunai was at Kama's side in an instant, but before he got within reach he propped to a halt and swung to the left, dodging around Kama in a maddening circle to force him to pay attention - just out of striking distance but close enough that he could smell the heavier colt's sweat, see the lashes of his eyes and the longer guard hairs within his ears. He knew he was swifter, and he assumed he was more nimble than the bay grey due to his lighter build, and the thought of teasing Kama into a blind fury was tempting - but he also knew that he could not outlast the other young horse, so should attempt to get this over with as quickly as possible to conserve his energy.
He knew that mature stallions never rushed into fights, somewhere in the back of his mind, and instinct told him that if bluff and posturing could deter a foe, then that was all that was necessary, but he unconsciously chose to ignore all that, and paused just long enough in front of Kama to paw a little at the ground and toss his head once or twice before he feinted to one side and cut back suddenly at the last moment to try and bite him on the soft part of his throat. It would be a warning, if all worked to plan, but one of which he felt sure the soft-natured colt could not help but take heed.
Moltukaain, meanwhile, felt his half-brother's heels brush his hip - it was not a particularly puposeful-seeming kick, and only grazed him, but the impact was enough that it would leave a bruise later on, and enough to stir the slender young rabicano into a self-righteous frenzy. He had only been retaliating to Deenyi's kick in the first place, after the iron colt had shoved in anyway. Moltu felt his personal space had been quite severely violated, and shook his neat black head in frustration. He was the same age as Deenyi, but that made little difference when you were... well, to put it bluntly - small. He was not short, but sometimes he felt his bones might snap in a strong wind, and he was not up to a full-blown fight. He could see Kunai well and truly occupied out of the corner of his eye, and knew his older brother was not going to help him this time. Maybe, if he just rolled his eyes a whole lot and snorted with his ears as flat as possible... he tossed his head and stamped, flaring his nostrils and showing the whites of his eyes - hoping his bluff would be enough to get Deenyi to leave him be and give him a little respectful space.

ooc: sorry this is so short, ive got a slight headache which is impeding my thinking. and dusk, its ok ^_^ i wasn't angry or anything, just letting you know that i was a little confused, thats all. nothing to worry about or make up for. ^_^ its fixed now, anyway, and i'm looking forward to seeing how this scene plays out! and yes, i know i said we should wait for Alex, but i figured this little post wouldnt affect her position, really... :rolleyes:

This post has been edited by Thowra on June 28, 2005 08:40 pm

[Star]

Yhi raised her small head from the grass she was mouthing and glanced toward the stallion. She tossed her head alittle, happy to have found alittle company untill she found Thowra and the others. Yhi nickered in her own greating to the other. The dun filly jumped slightly as another young stallion come toward her and she snorted louldy, taking a few steps back. 'Be gone..' she mumbled under her breath as she snapped at the iron greys withers. Yhi took another few steps back, glancing over her rump to judge the distance to the trees.(ooc. im confused with how many horses are here!!) It seamed her attempt at looking inconspicuos had failed, due to the fact a couple more horses followed the first two. She watched them as they carried on about god knows what, and - seeing that they were preoccupied - turned around quickly and bounded into the trees. 'Surly they shall be to busy with each other to notice i have left..' she thought to herself as she moved as quietly as she could through the trees. After a short while, Yhi turned to her left and broke into a trot, headed toward the other end of the glade.

ooc sorry ive been gone for..um..however long ive ben gone for :D and my post sucks!! lol i havnt played any of my SB characters for too long.. :(

[Brolga]

Deenyi pulled away from his brother’s side and snorted harshly. He wouldn’t bother anymore, instead he simply mused at the filly as she trotted off in a sulk. Perhaps he should go and give her a hard nip to the rump as a taunt? But he was more interested in watching Kunai give Kama a good telling off. The grey colt then spotted two of the small mob heading down towards them and he snorted out again. The other youngsters further back disappeared toward their sire’s grazing ground and now Deenyi knew that it was bound to be his half sister the crazy Guei-tundi galloping with the beautiful dark filly Chicha-wahn. The colt wondered whether he should nicker to Kunai that the crazy yearling was here, or just leave him to get nipped at. Deenyi snorted again and simply turned to the grass.
Chicha-wahn and Guei-tundi were indeed heading down the tree line, past their foolish half-brothers and toward the fighting pair. Both stopped, only briefly to give a nicker of encouragement each to Kama. Then the fillies trotted down toward the young dun filly that was trying to escape the colts. They wouldn’t bother her, all the pair wanted to do was chase each other, indeed that was what they were doing. The swift and neat-footed Chicha-wahn was bounding ahead of the short and stumpy Tundi as she ran at a canter past the dun filly. With a shrill squeal of delight she pivoted neatly and ran right round as her bay friend came skidding toward her. The back hurried on toward the opposite end of the grazing ground where there were other mobs playing. Guei-tundi was brave and bold, she’d watch out for her companion, so she hurried after her at a very leisurely pace.
Thilya Kama meanwhile gave a gentle snort of disinterest to his brother, as Kunai began to dance mockingly in front of him. Kama was acting the bigger horse, or so he guessed, and instead he simply moved his ears around to follow where the iron colt was skipping. Kama wanted to use the same tactics as Kunai wanted, both wanted the other to go into a blind rage, but they couldn’t do that when both were trying to keep cool. Then it happened, Kunai came in to bite at Kama’s neck, and the big colt knew he was not as agile but he could certainly swing his weight round to hit Kunai if he wanted. Kama pulled his muscles together and tried to pivot and swing his body into Kunai! He knew the bite would land on him but he hoped it wouldn’t connect on his throat or chest…

OOC: I hope this sounds all right? I was watching a program recently with Wild Ass in and there were two stallions fighting. One of them just swung themselves into the other one, and it looked quite funny because both lost their balance and skidded about of the sand!

[Thowra]

Moltukaain stopped dead in his tracks, head and tail both held higher than normal, and his eyes wide in surprise as he watched Deenyi turn to look at the fillies and then direct his attention to the grass, seemingly accepting Moltu's right to space. Had that been what he thought it was...? It couldn't be... But it had seemed a little like a victory, of sorts.
Moltukaain was elated, and suddenly everything else seemed to be of little concern. He danced about on his slender jet legs in the small space he had 'won', picking up his hooves like a circus pony in the spotlight, neck in a graceful arc. It may not have been a real, proper win, but it was better than the Nightstone had been expecting, and the day felt warmer, brighter, more shining, perhaps - because of it.

Kunai, meanwhile, was not having a shiny day at all, though it was being made better by the solid, tangible sense of shoulder-skin between his teeth. However, the fact that Kama's hind hoof was heading his way dulled the lanky colt's satisfaction somewhat. He grimaced, which had the unexpected advantage of making his teeth grind together harder on Kama's hide, but the real point was to tense his muscles for the unavoidable blow.
'At least,' he thought to himself as the wind was temporarily poked from him by a sharp toe to the gut, 'a foreward kick will never have the power of a backward one. Why, I have heard that even a foal can laugh off a foreward kick, but be killed by a back-kick.'
But his bravado only got him so far, and he knew that it was risky to stand and allow oneself to be kicked repeatedly - the next might land on a rib instead of the softer part of his side, and then he could be in real trouble - and not just an uncomfortable bruise. So with a final twisting shake of his head, he let go of Kama and stepped back, hopefully out of range of the other grey, glaring fiercely and spitting hair from his mouth with distaste.
"When was the last time water touched that hide of yours?" he said spitefully with a wrinkled nose, covering up the ache in his side - which, though not life-threatening or immobilising, was still about as painful as if he had run on a full belly and developed a stitch.

[Brolga]

The two fillies stopped in their prancing fianlly when they circled round toward the colts again. The pairs spotted Moltu kicking and diving in the air like a tiny foal that that been nipped into a game of chase. Guei was nto one to stop her game and so she nickered to Chicha-wahn in slight irritation, but the neat black filly merely snorted back at her and trotted over to Deenyi and the Nightstone. Guei-Tundi followed, and as soon as the Ironbark colt spotted the stumpy little rogue "hopping" over he pulled his head up and tensed his muscles. If Guei was going to nip, he was going to kick! But the two fillies tottered past and snuffed at Moltu curiously, he was a strange colt and they wanted to play with him, if he continued to dance like that. Guei attempted a filly rear and couldn't keep her balance for long, attempting to punch at Moltu with her short forelegs, though she wouldn't have a colt's force to them. Chicha meanwhile skipped about behind Guei nickering for him to join in a chase. They weren't going to bother the big colts further up.

When Kunai got Kama's shoulder then bigger stallion gave a screech of hatred. He chose to swing straight away and was pulled rather badly forward, trying to keep his balance and not completely loose the skin on his shoulder by bending. But he felt the contact of his hoof to belly instantly and knew he'd caught him a dent to the pride. Kama guessed that his weight must have knocked the wind from the sleeker colt and he simply roared out and aimed for another swing. Then the darker grey released him and backed off slightly, spitting out insulting comments. Thilya Kama should not have retorted but he was angry and his shoulder was stinging. He swung again but missed clipping Kunai by a few inches. This time Kama almost knocked himself off balance because his shoulder stung, but he recovered quickly. He attempted and rear, only getting a little height before his hinds quivered with the wieght. Kama dropped and snorted angrily. A thin line of sweat had begun to form around his ears and under his mane close to his withers. There was also blood gently dripping from the bite, but it wasn't that severe. Now Kama retorted from teeth that were half gritted and a mouth half gasping for air. He sounded a little tired, though it was only from the shock of swinging his wieght twice. "What's wrong Kunai? Can't take a beating? How you'd build up a herd is a question when you can't even take a hit to your belly?" He half snorted and then tried to stand proudly, though his shoulder was stinging bitterly.

This post has been edited by Brolga on August 16, 2005 07:57 pm

[Kunai]

"What's wrong Kunai? Can't take a beating? How you'd build up a herd is a question when you can't even take a hit to your belly?"
Kunai snorted derisively at this comment, and shook his head again, teeth still bared by his pulled-back upper lip.
"What? Just stand there and allow myself to get kicked, when I have already done what I aimed to do?" he looked pointedly at Kama's shoulder, and the blood seeping from the wound. "There is no point, or wisdom, in allowing oneself to be injured when all it takes is a little patience and common sense to see that an unharmed horse is more likely to win than one who has let himself be mauled for the sake of some foolish notion of misplaced pride. And any stallion worth his hide knows that intimately closing with an opponent is only one way to fight, and only really works for great heavy brutes who have no fleetness of foot or sharpness of wit to rely on instead."
The steel colt admired his handiwork on the slightly lighter grey's shoulder. First blood had been drawn, and as usual it was he, Kunai, who had drawn it. He felt smugly proud of himself, but the sensation was dulled to a warm glow by the fact that he had expected it.
"Why not save face now, and go on your way? We were just coming down to the Main Valley for a little fun away from the old tyrant. It's nothing to do with you, so why don't you just take your moth-eaten tail and go play down the other end with the fillies?"
He tossed his head in the direction of Guei-Tundi and Chicha Wahn, and noticed as he did so a few yearling colts in the other direction, romping in the trees on the Murray side of the valley. One seemed barely out of his baby coat.
"Or perhaps they're more your size?" Kunai scoffed, indicating the little group frolicking around the treeline.
But he was momentarily distracted by a stallion's cry from the east - a stranger, from the sound of it, although Kunai was yet to distinguish all the local stallion's calls from each other and thus could not be entirely sure. He looked at Kama, then glanced around the batchelor mob - or rather, the portion of it which was with him at the time. If the fillies decided to stay cavorting around the valley, the boys could launch a discovery mission to find out who was about without having to keep an eye on their sisters.
But all the same, that stallion neighing was not an immediate threat, and Kama needed to be taught a lesson. He should just finish this off before investigating - after all, it was bad manners to simply stroll away from an opponent, and he was damned if he was going to give Kama the impression he had won by running away. The stranger to the east could wait, if he was worth looking for at all - there was honour at stake here, and all that would be accomplished by looking for the owner of the disembodied call would be the satisfaction of curiosity.

Moltukaain snorted and stopped dancing for a moment, to lift his head at the cry from the ridges and valleys that lined the eastern side of the Cascades, his flared dark nostrils testing the air for a hint of a scent. But they were too far from whoever it was for an aroma to reach, so the young black rabicano contented himself with staring over the green-grey slopes and the entrances of the darker gullies, hoping to see something interesting. It was fun being out in the world with Kunai and the other colts, even if Deenyi did seem to be inexplicably cranky today, but Moltu was young, and had not yet learned that curiosity is sometimes better left unsated. Besides, he had noticed that dun filly weaving toward the east - toward those ridges and valleys that had just echoed with the voice of a young stallion. Was it worth following? Surely though, if he went alone, he would be pounded flat by that unknown stallion's hooves...
He, too, noticed the yearlings across the valley, and briefly wondered what it would have been like to play with others his own age as he was growing up in the Brolga's herd. Around this mob he may be one of the youngest and frailest, but having grown up play-fighting with older colts Moltukaain had developed quite a bit stronger and more brazen than he would have had he instead chosen company of his own age. He was still small and willowy, and in comparison to the other colts and many of the fillies from the batchelor mob he was a little twig-like and fragile, but compared to many colts of similar breeding but softer upbringings he was undeniably tough despite his fine, feather-light frame.
Should he go and see what the noise was about? It was undoubtably safer here... He may have been tough in comparison to other young colts of such slim, exotic type, but he knew his limits.
Still, he also knew he was very fast... surely if trouble arose, he could just flee back to the mob. Surely no stallion, even an experienced fighter in the prime of his life, could kill the Nightstone if he was surrounded by his half-brothers.
The Nightstone was brought back to the present by a tap from a hoof - but this one seemed strangely gentle, almost. He blinked and looked back at the space in front of him - which had suddenly been filled by Guei-Tundi and Chicha Wahn, who seemed intent on enjoying the spring sunlight in the open valley.
He snorted with amusement at Guei's attempt to wrestle, and pawed at the air in front of her to encourage her to keep playing, careful not to actually touch her with his hoof as it was against the laws of nature for a male horse to strike a female. Not that that stopped some brumbies...
He nodded vigorously with a series of playful huffs through his nose, black forelock stirred into motion by the bobbing of his head, indicating that he was up for a game if they were offering. This wide, clear valley seemed made for young horses to race on, and the subtle singing of the creek meandering through the snowgrass was the perfect music for their dance.



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ooc: the yearlings are just a background plot device, not actual chars, btw ;)
lol, i do adore these two boys...

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[Brolga]

Thilya Kama was slightly agitated by Kunai's response but he knew just as much as the snappy iron about fighting. It was true that being a heavier horse he relied mainly on an angry opponent dashing in, but that didn't mean he had no wits in the field. Kama decided to ignore it though and checked his wound once again, it wasn't that bad really and he didn't want to act like it stung or anything. Thilya Kama let out a harsh snort as Kunai smugly admired the bite. Thilya struck the dirt with one hind hoof to show further irritation, but not at his irritable half sibling. He had ignored the further comments and had not even bothered to check the little band of yearlings, instead he was more distracted by the call of a stranger. Judging by the volume it could not be too far away and Kama raised his head with straight ears and listened intently. Then he snorted softly and turned to trot off, out of the Cascades. As he moved steadily away from kunai he kept his ears perked and heard what he had guessed to hear, the angry call of the Brolga. Although a son to the great iron horse Kama knew that his sire held no patience for three-year-old stallions wandering around his turf and if seen it could mean a thrashing. Thilya knew that there was possibly no horse or human of living flesh and bone that could defeat his sire, not even the elder horses around, for they kept to their patches and avoided any contact with the King of the Cascades.

Guei-Tundi pulled back when her half brother blinked and snuffed at him gently. Of course the crazy filly had not meant to disturb Nightstone, but Chicha Wahn was more keen to go out and have fun and she sent a gentle and playful nip at Guei. The short bay filly avoided it and then pawed up at Moltukaain with a nicker of delight that he accepted the offer of play. So the two fillies let out some high-pitched squeals of delight and enjoyment, but then trotted around Moltu and bluffed to the left as they got either too close to him or too far away. Guei then trotted furthest away and spun round. She did her weird little rear, which looked quite odd on such an oddly shaped filly, and then whinnied out to Chich, and Moltu, "I'm it!" And then just as suddenly she spurred forward and a canter to come after them. Swiftly Chicha Wahn bolted away with her neat hooves landing gently on the ground. But would Moltu run faster?

OOC: Sorry it's a little bad but my minds a bit elsewhere today. We're out of money over here and I'm getting nervous about absolutely everything. :(

[Kunai]

Kunai shook his head with a triumphant snort as he watched Kama turn and trot away, feeling his own supremacy coursing through his blood - well, to him it was a sense of superiority, though in actual biological fact it was probably adrenaline.
He gave a call to the valley, and to the others from the batchelor band, and arched his neck for a victorious swinging walk down to the winding stream.
With dark tail held proudly high, Kunai sauntered toward the water, knowing that the eyes of the yearlings across the valley were on him - as were the eyes of probably every horse and bush creature in the Cascades, or so the young iron grey assumed. He bent gracefully to drink only a little, as he knew a horse full of water - especially cold water - was at a disadvantage should he be required to run or fight. He had no desire to develop a stitch should someone else decide to challenge him. That would just be embarrassing, the sort of thing a stupid yearling would do.
After letting only a few sips of the cold water slip down his throat, Kunai raised his head to gaze around the wide open valley and checked that there were as yet no other stallions - young or mature - near enough to trouble him in the immediate future. Thus satisfied, he dropped to the snowgrass and rolled the sweat from his coat, and scratching away a little more of his winter coat with every rub, making him gleam like new steel as he finally got back to his feet and shook himself limber.
He snuffed at his ribs and peered over his body for signs of damage, and gloated that he seemed to have come away with no more than a bruise, while Kama may even end up with a nice curved scar to show where Kunai's teeth had done their duty. With the sparkling creek at his hooves, and the crisp mountain air full of the scent of sun-warmed eucalypts - and the faintest coppery tint of blood - Kunai felt more alive than he ever had in the Brolga's herd.
He glanced over at Moltukaain, and snorted with wry amusement.
"Look at you, playing like a baby!" he whinnied after the rabicano, "But then, i suppose you're too skinny for anyone to want to fight, so why not play?"
But this time, the steel colt's jibes were only teasing, as a small part of him was slightly jealous of Moltu's inhibition-free romping. Not that Kunai was about to join in - he may miss his innocence somewhere in the back of his mind, but not consciously or strongly enough to urge him to give up his dignity.
Besides, he must stay alert, on guard, in case some other young stallion thought it was a good idea to test his merit on the iron colt.

Moltu, meanwhile, was not concerned with whether or not he looked impressive and frightening - he was too busy trying to keep out of Guei-Tundi's way. 'Tag' was a game all horses learned in foalhood, just like the impromptu races that began at the drop of a leaf or some other equally innocuous outside trigger - and Tag was always a game at which Moltu excelled. His speed and cunning always gave him an edge, and he knew he was also pretty good at hiding. But the valley was big, and very open, with almost nowhere to hide. It was a test of speed and agility to play Tag here, rather than being half chase and half Hide-and-Seek like it often was amongst trees or rocks... but Moltukaain knew he was swift and very nimble, and felt he had a pretty good chance of winning at this game.
"Hey, stumpling! Your mother was a shetland!" he cried out in jest, snorting with laughter as he raced ahead of Guei and flew toward the creek on his long slender legs. Spring was putting the colour and strength back in the snowgrass, and it's resilience seemed to communicate itself to the Nightstone's hooves and dark legs as he ran. This was truly living, to be running with the wind in one's hair and the sun on one's back!


This post has been edited by Kunai on September 04, 2005 09:46 pm

[Ooboon]

Ooboon, grazing at the edge of the valley out of the way of all the commotion, shook her head at Kunai's call. She was quite amused by all this male posturing and yelling going on around her, and felt her belief that fillies were by nature superior to colts was justified.
The white-splashed blue filly shook her head again, and debated whether or not to even answer Kunai's call, let alone go over there, but when she noticed Guei-Tundi playing with Chicha-Wahn and Moltu, she changed her mind. Something about the little filly with the ermine marks on her heels and the odd dark wither spot made Ooboon like her, despite the age difference.
Whinnying to the fillies and the willowy dark colt to let her join in, she thundered down toward the little group, blue-black and silver tail aloft.
As she passed Kunai, standing arch-necked on the bank of Cascade Creek, she gave a subtle snort and another little shake of her head - almost as if she was bothered by an insect. However, if Kunai had noticed the gleam in her eye as she looked directly at him, he might have sensed something of the blue and white filly's wish - that she might have been born a colt so she could now wipe that smirk off his face and show him a thing or too.


ooc: sorry it's short and all - waiting for a download that keeps making my computer stop and scratch its head at random intervals.