Post by Sohtoh on Jan 31, 2010 12:10:15 GMT -5
Starring:
Luna - Female Horse
Starlight - Female Horse
Lootah - Male Horse
Tonx - Male Badger
Setting(s):
Endless Prairie, Wind-Swept Lowlands
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Lifting her head from it's resting position, Starlight awakens and clambers to her hooves, shaking out her pelt with a soft whicker. She looks around to see who else might be around, and then lowers her head to graze.
Luna is keeping her distance just on the edge of what the scent marks tell her is the territory of the forming herd. She's been awake for a couple of hours,
spending that time grazing and trying to decide whether to stay or move on. When she finally sees someone stir and rise she pauses, then lets out a cautious greeting whicker.
Starlight's ears perk up and she lifts her head. She sees Luna and she nickers, shaking her mane out again before holding her head high and arching it, asserting her position as a lead mare. "Hello..."
Luna lets out a sigh of relief, though at the distance it's probably hard to tell. She starts moving, preferring a slow walk that doesn't bring her directly towards you, head held somewhat lower than really necessary. "Well met," she offers, when she's finally close enough that she doesn't need to shout. "You must be ..." She pauses, thinking, trying to remember the name that other mare had used. "Starshine?" she tries.
Starlight chuckles softly. "Starlight." she says. "You don't have to look at your hooves." she says, at the other mare's lowered head. She steps forward to greet the other horse with a whuff of breath.
Luna smiles, raising her head just high enough to greet you properly, puffing a breath of her own against your nostrils. "Starlight," she repeats. "It's a very nice name, and related to my own. I'm Luna."
Starlight smiles. "The moon and stars." she says, before touching her nose briefly to yours. "It's nice to make your acquaintance." she says, though the other mare seems vaguely familiar.
Luna bows her head once more. "I was talking to ..." Again that short pause while she struggles to come up with the name. "Dandelion, I think her name was. She said you were grouping together, forming a small herd."
Starlight nods. "Yes, that's true." she smiles. "We were hoping to find more horses to join our herd...might you be interested?"
Luna lights up for a moment, but she makes sure to conceal it just as quickly. "I would like to, yes," she answers softly, looking up again. "If you and your herd's stallion would have me."
Starlight smiles. "Of course we would have you." she says, and she nibble-grooms a little at Luna's forelock. "We would be very happy to have you.
Luna looks startled when you reach for her forelock, but she doesn't move away, and she relaxes once she realizes you're just grooming it. "Thank you," she nickers. "It warms my heart to hear I can stop running for a while."
Starlight lifts her head after nosing lightly at your forelock, and she smiles. "Thank you for joining with us. It does make the lands more secure, having more of us."
Luna can only nod to that. "Very. I picked up the scent of at least two different wolf packs since I left my old herd. Not a pleasant scent to come across when you're all alone and your hooves are already hurting from the running."
Starlight nods. "Yes, there are packs nearby...though they seldom come near here. There are more cougars and coyotes here in the plains."
Luna shivers. "Coyotes I can handle, but cougars ... ugh." She shakes herself. "Savage, bloodthirsty and cruel the lot of them."
Starlight hmms. "I've met a few that weren't so bad..." she says. "But they wouldn't have attacked me so near the herd, I suppose." she says, tail flicking.
Luna nods, reaching out to run her muzzle gently against the side of your neck. "Cowardly, too. Never attack unless they know they'll win, which I suppose is good for those such as ourselves."
Starlight smirks. "Well, one on one, a horse can beat a cougar, if they know how." she says. "A swift hoof to the head ends things pretty quick."
Luna hehs, giving a little smirk before backing away a single step. "If you can get them straight behind you, sure. Not so easy to kick what clings to your back." She shivers again. "But I digress."
Starlight hmms. "That is true." she says. "Regardless of our ability to fight, we must remain cautious. Even gaining more members, constant vigilance is essential."
Luna nods to that as well. "I'm sure this is a herd that will grow to safe numbers," she says, looking into the distance behind you. "Lots of grass, good view to the horizon."
Starlight smiles. "I'm sure it will. Especially at the rate we're finding members." she says. "That, amongst other possible arrivals."
Luna perks her ears and cocks her head a bit to the side. "Other arrivals?" she asks curiously.
Starlight hmms. "Foals." she answers simply. "Though those are up in the air...whether or not there will be any so soon." she says.
Luna ahhs and nods. "You're not expecting, then, I take it?" she inquires, still curious.
Starlight smiles. "Not so far as I know." she says, and she nibbles lightly at the grass. Her long tail flicks up to her side. "Though it is a possibility."
Luna smiles, turning a bit and joining you in grazing. "Always a blessing," she nickers softly.
Starlight nods. "They are." she says, though her eyes lift and she looks towards the horizon. "They always have been."
Luna looks up, following your gaze for a moment before realizing it's a memory that's being looked on. "Had many, then?" she asks. "If you don't mind me being so curious, of course."
Starlight's ears flick. "A daughter, several years ago, and a set of twins about two years ago." she says.
Luna nods slowly. "I've had ... a bit more than that, you might say, but I guess that comes with my age."
Starlight nods. "I suppose." she says, and she hmms. "How many have you had?" she has to ask, curious now.
Luna gives a faint smile, nipping off some more grass before answering. "Fifteen in total, one every year since I started coming into season, save for this year. Seven colts, eight fillies." She smirks. "And proud of every last one of them."
"Wow..." she says softly. "I've only had those three over a span of a good four years." she says. "I don't know what happened to my first filly...we were seperated when she was a few months old."
Luna nods slowly. "I'm sure she found a herd to look after her," she comforts.
Starlight nods. "She already had one. I'm sure her father took care of her." she says. "My twins, however, I know what happened. They were a few months old as well...but sickness claimed them."
Luna sighs, a sad expression in her eyes when she reaches out to lick the side of your muzzle. "I'm very sorry for your loss, Star ..." she nickers.
Starlight turns, and she noses at the side of Luna's neck, resting her head there a moment. "It's nothing you need to be sorry for...most twins don't live, from what I've heard." she says. "Still, I loved them dearly."
Luna nods. "But normally it's only one of the two who doesn't make it," she replies. "And that within days of birth. And of course you loved them; what mare could not love her own foal?"
Starlight nods. "Well...at least I was with them when they went." she says softly. "I was able to send them off, at least with them knowing my love."
Luna nuzzles you softly. "That's good," she half-whispers. "Better that than finding them gone when you wake up."
Starlight returns the nuzzle, and she nods. "Well...I slept after they did for the last time...waking up to them being so cold was still a shock."
Luna nods and sighs. "I have been blessed in that regard to never lose one of mine, but I've known many mares over my years who did. It's never easy."
Starlight nods. "Well...I have regained hope for the future." she says softly. "Maybe in our herd, you can raise more foals." she smiles.
Luna gives a short smile and shakes her head. "I'm past the age of having foals of my own," she answers. "And not for lack of trying, but I just couldn't get pregnant last year. Or this, for that matter."
Starlight hmms. "You came into season this year?" she asks. "Well...I guess you are a bit older than I am..." Starlight's probably about seven. She shakes out her mane.
Luna certainly is. Those fifteen foals should be a good indicator that she's rapidly approaching twenty. "I did. Several times, obviously." She gives a bit of a shrug, then reaches down for some more grass.
Starlight nods. "Well...I'm sorry you can't have any more." she offers. "You're more experienced than I am...maybe you can help once we get more foals in the herd." she says.
Luna smiles warmly and nods. "I'd be delighted to," comes her appreciative answer. "If I can't have my own, I can at least look after those of other mares."
Starlight smiles. "Great. I'm sure they'll appreciate the help." Starlight says, nosing at the other mare again, before eating a bit more grass.
Luna glances over her shoulder for a moment, then turns to you again. "This stallion you had met up with," she says slowly, weighing her words. "What's he like?"
Starlight hmms. "A little bit distant, to be honest. I don't know him so well yet...but I think he'll be a good lead stallion, once we get a herd together."
Luna nods to herself. "Good," she says, then resumes grazing. "I'll trust your judgement on that until I meet him."
Starlight smiles and nods, falling silent for a moment as she grazes. "Besides the grazing, my favorite part about this area is the berry bushes." she comments.
Luna earperks. "Berries?" she asks. "What kind?"
Starlight hmms. "There's blue berries and black berries...and sometimes red berries on the ground."
Luna licks her lips. "Tasty. Black berries were a rare treat to find for my old herd."
Starlight smiles. "I see them along the river in the summer, although back in my original herd we lived near a forest, and there were many berries there."
Luna nodnods. "Not as many berry bushes to find on the open plains." She looks over her shoulder again, to the east.
Tonx scrounges out of a nearby hole. Grumbling as is his norm. Squinting into the sudden daylight, the squat creature peers around him trying to locate the cause for his arousal from sleep. The forms of the mares come into his view as he stares to the west. "Haven't you nags any place else to be blabbering on?" Tonx barks in their direction.
Starlight is about to reply when she turns to see a creature emerge from its hole. "Well, no we don't." she replies with a smile. "I'm glad to see you're so cheerful today, good sir."
Luna looks to the badger as well, lowering her head down to the much smaller creature. "I'm sorry if we disturbed your rest, but it really is high time to get out of bed. The sun is high in the sky." Seems the ol' mare doesn't know badgers are nocturnal.
"Well find a place! Disturbing the peace you are!" Tonx growls in response to the first mare. Suddenly his eyes narrow as the second mare begins to speak. "High in the sky you say. HIGH IN THE SKY! My point exactly!" Using his long claws, the cantankerous creature kicks up a cloud of dust around him in a display of his displeasure. He then comes waddling from the opening to the temporary den in the direction of the horses. He'll chase em off by golly if that's what it takes.
Starlight is unfamiliar with badgers, and she walks toward him, looking a little amused. "A bit of broken sleep is no reason to be so cross."
Luna umms, and stays back unlike Starlight. "He's got sharp claws," she comments, backing up a bit. "You probably don't want to make him any angrier, Starlet." Her and names ...
It doesn't occur to Tonx to back down as Starlight advances toward him. Weighing in at a mere twenty pounds, he's not much of a physical competitor to a horse. But what he lacks in size, he makes up in orneryness. "You want to see cross do you?" he growls toward the mare. Puffing out his chest and standing as tall as his stumpy legs will allow, Tonx continues his haughty strut toward the horses.
Starlight snorts and stamps a front hoof as she advances on the badger. "You can take your attitude away from our herdlands." she says, lowering her nose to put it right up to his.
Luna nudges Starlight's hindquarters. "Star," she nickers pleadingly. "This is a really bad idea!" Of course, who's gonna listen to the old mare's voice of experienced wisdom? Oh, if only there was a big strong stallion around to save the day, hint hint.
It'd been quite a while since he'd galloped off to.. wherever it was he went, after his time with Starlight. In the past, he would've just kept on running until he found another herd or another band of mares, and repeated his actions. However, something was keeping him here. Why? He didn't know, and he didn't particularly like it, either. He was a feral stallion! A free spirit! Nothing could tie him down! ..Except for /these/ mares, apparently. Lootah's mane and tail flowed in the wind as he galloped back toward the area that the females seemed to keep to, his head held tall and his tail raised in a flag-like manner. The four-beat pattern of his hooves could be heard from quite a distance, and even from this distance he could see a little something pestering /his/ mares. A gruff sort of snort was given, as his head lowered, his pace quickened, and he began to charge straight at the little thing.
Tonx glares up at the chestnut equine in front of him. "And who exactly made you the queen of nags?" he snaps back. Just as the mare lowers her muzzle to his, the vibration from the galloping stallion snaps the badgers' attention away. Turning on the spot he faces the oncoming beast with hooves. Tonx is not one to typically exit in the middle of an argument, but he's also not stupid. He looks over his shoulder at the mare before huffing indignantly and digging madly into the soil. With great ease he works his way down, throwing clods and small stones into the face of the bold mare. With any luck, that stallion will twist an ankle in the vast number of similar holes he himself and the ground dwelling critters he calls dinner have dug into the prairie landscape.
Starlight lifts her head from the badger as she hears hooves, and she smiles as she spots Lootah. "Hello." she whinnies happily. The badger forgotten, she canters to meet the stallion, mane and tail flowing as she runs.
Luna looks up at the sound of hooves thundering the ground. At first all she sees is a dust cloud heading straight for the small group, and it doesn't help that she gets some of the badger's tossed dirt in her eyes. She backs up a couple of steps, shaking her head to clear her eyes. By the time she can see again, she finds the badger gone into hiding and the golden-ochre stallion she'd been told about appears to be the center of the moving dust. She stays back, letting Starlight greet him first, and simply waiting her turn.
Tossing his head up to warn the mares to get out of the way, his large cranium is dipped again, ears flattened back against his skull as he continues to charge right at the badger; now that he knows what it is. Destructive, ornery /little/ things that he felt the world would be better off without. They didn't do the horses any good, that was for sure. As soon as he got to where the overgrown weasel was digging his hole, he stomped his front hooves viciously near the edge of the hole, and let out a few warning whinnies, their tone deep, harsh, and a bit raspy. Well. Lootah didn't look happy at all!
Tonx had managed a tunnel deep enough to avoid any harm from the stamping hooves of the angry stallion. Growling and grunting, he continues to dig, the opening to the hole collapsing behind him as it's pounded by hooves. A whole string of nasty language escapes the mouth of the badger as he tunnels under the surface of the prairie. Not until he's sure he's a safe distance away does he pop back out of the earth. "And you think MY temper is bad do you?!" he screeches at the horses. "What does a badger have to do to earn a bit of shut eye in this place?"
"Lootah..." she says softly. He doesn't need to anger the badger further...not like -that-. "Leave it be, now." she tells him, though the creature was irritating. She moves, trying to nuzzle against Lootah's neck.
Luna takes her time to bow respectfully to the badger. "I really do apologize," she nickers softly. "But surely this place is big enough for all of us. If you need sleep, can't you ... dig deeper or something?" She eyes Starlight and the arriving stallion. Dandelion told her his name, but she can't recall it now. Something starting with L, that's all she has to go on until Starlight says his name. "Umm ... well met, stallion?" she tries carefully, not wanting to have him turn the anger he's showing so clearly in her direction, but she does like the fact that he came to the rescue out of the blue like that.
Huffing angrily at the badger, the stallion continues to stomp at his burrow that was beginning to successfully cave in due to his actions, but he wanted the thing gone. Not just away from their area of the prairie, since he considered all of it theirs, but gone from the entire area. What would he do, though? The weasel-thing was too far underground for him to kick, and he didn't want to risk getting his face clawed or bit if he took a nip at it, either. Tossing his head up aggressively, his ears remained pinned back, and he didn't bother returning Starlight's nuzzle, either. But, of course not. He didn't return nuzzles when he was in good moods, much less when he was irritated like this. Actually, all he did was take a few steps back and stomp at the ground, glaring down at the hole in the land, his tail flicking viciously at his sides.
The less bold mare, the one Tonx gathered to be quite older, was the only one who seemed to have an sense at all. Not wanting to admit the fact that this prairie may indeed be big enough for them all, he simply grunts out an indignant "Hmph!" before plowing back into the earth. Why waste more time trying to argue with these giant beasts with tiny brains anyhow? Not when he should be catching his zzz's. Ugh, if it weren't bad enough that females of his species were in season and he spent his nights exhausting himself while tracking them down, now this. Grumble grumble grumble.
Starlight seems to have become irritated at being ignored. He won't leave the badger hole, and he won't acknowledge her? Fine. Starlight turns her head, giving Lootah a sharp nip on the flanks, to divert his attention.
Luna watches the badger dig back down for a moment, then returns her attention to the angry stallion. She keeps her distance, nervous at his presence, but there's nothing in his attitude that makes it seem like his anger is likely to turn against her. More likely Starlight, but from their conversation earlier she suspects she's not going to be attacked either. So she waits, letting him calm down first - or letting him threaten to attack the mare, in which case she will have no choice but to interfere and help her.
Well, that didn't work to his liking at all. The badger was still underneath their hooves.. but he guessed he could tolerate it. For a while. There was plenty of grassland. If need be, they could scoot to another area. With a sharp huff of breath, the stallion's ears flicked forward slowly, only to be stiffly turned back again at the nip. Turning his neck quickly, he stomped a back hoof, and glared over at Starlight. "WHAT?!" He snapped, and breathed a bit heavier, his temper obviously shortened by the incident. Looking to the other mare, Luna, if he remembered the name that Dandelion had given, he turned one ear forward at a time, and sighed heavily. "Nice to see you awake and well, Luna." Lootah's tone had calmed, and it was somewhat friendly.. but the aftermath of his temper was still audible.
Starlight glares right back at him. She's not afraid of the stallion. She nips again, to be sure she has his attention. "-What- is that you need to calm down and listen." she says irritably, her ears flicking. Her tail lashes up against her side.
Luna bows her head respectfully when she's addressed, though the sharp tone of his voice makes her shiver. Both mares had described him as nice, but that's not the impression she's starting to get. Sure, he came to their aid, but ... "Thank you," she manages to reply, looking back up after a couple of seconds. That he knows her name doesn't concern her; she slept quite heavily, he could easily have been standing right over her without her waking. "And thank you for letting me rest here, it is very much appreciated."
A gruff sounding grunt is what was given in return this time, his back hoof stomping again as he flicked his tail just as she nipped at him, hoping to hit her face. Not harshly, just enough to get her to stop. Backing away from her, he glances to her stomach and lets out a sigh, and nods his head. "I apologize, then. But.. that thing will tear up the ground if he doesn't get out of here.." He murmured, glancing back to the gaping hole in the land and shaking his head. Though, he was calmed down now, and looked to Luna once more. "It's no problem at all. We'd all.. that is, Starlight, Dandelion and I, we'd like you to stick around with us."
Starlight snorts in surprise as a tail hits her face, but she does stop nipping him. As he seems to be acting better now, she relaxes, her ears going forward. "Well...we can move." she says. "There's plenty of open land, and he was here first. We can occupy my old herdlands." she says, and she sighs. "Besides that temper...I'd like to know why you ignore me when I nuzzle you...
Luna looks confused for a moment at the stallion's words, then smiles and nods. "Then I will stay," she answers, taking a couple of steps forward, though she's seen enough to have a feeling the stallion doesn't appreciate very close contact, so she doesn't intrude on him. "And once more I thank you." She noticed the gaze offered to Starlight, confirming her suspicion, but she says nothing about it. Instead she looks towards where the badger disappeared into the ground and shakes her head. "Let it sleep, and simply tread carefully here. It's easier for all."
Everything was understandable to Lootah, everything except the nuzzling question. It caught him off guard, and he blinked a few times, pulling his neck up and back in a recoil to the question. "What?" He spat out, and chuckled a bit. "Don't be silly, Starlight.." The stallion said, trailing off, obviously avoiding the question. Again, he looks to the older mare, and nods his head happily, regaining his composure and taking an elegant step toward her. "We will move from here, then. To your old lands, Starlight. Lead us there if you would.. to avoid this nuisance for as long as we can."
"Fine...follow me." she says, looking more dejected than anything as he refuses to answer her. Her tail flicks around her tarsals as she slowly makes her way along toward her old lands, lower down in the grasses.
Luna looks from Lootah to Starlight and back, thinking. Something is slightly amiss in her eyes, but she isn't quite sure what it is. She's known both affectionate and stand-offish stallions, but not quite as obvious as this one. She takes a deep breath and shakes it from her mind, right now she has to focus on just keeping a low profile, not doing anything that'd earn anyone's ire. She looks to Starlight, offering her a calming smile, and follows her lead.
Lootah looks at the female curiously, not quite understanding why she was so upset with him because he didn't return a few nuzzles. So? It wasn't like he was pulling away from her at all. He enjoyed the attention, but didn't figure that he was expected to return it. Their kind didn't stick to one mate, it'd be wrong of him to treat her, or any other mare for that matter, as if they were favored. They were all equal; he loved all of them. Shaking his head a bit, the ochre and white painted stallion followed after her, looking back and grinning kindly at Luna. As he turned his head forward again however, he let out a confused huff of breath, carrying his head and tail tall and proud, as usual.
Luna simply follows, something she has always been good at. Working behind the others give her the advantage of time to think and observe, to consider what is going on. "Lootah?" she finally says, after a very long trek in complete silence. She inhales as if to continue talking, then pauses for a moment, and instead hurries to catch up next to the stallion. She makes a toss of her head towards Starlight walking in front. "You and her?" she asks softly. "You make a cute couple, don't push her away like that."
The trek certainly was long, but it didn't bother Lootah in the slightest. He'd travelled far before, and this was nothing new. In equid herding terms, he was a rogue of sorts. Never banded with bachelors, and never stuck to a herd. Until now, that is. At hearing his name spoken by the older mare, he grinned kindly and perked his ears forward fully. "Hmm?" He vocalized before her suggestion, only to frown afterward, his ears sinking and his brows lowering. "Mm-hmm." He said simply, saying nothing further on the subject. Stallions weren't monogamous, nor were mares. Why these ones were so persistent bothered him slightly, not liking the proposition of being tied down to one mare. Maybe he wouldn't be sticking around, anyway. Or, maybe the idea would grow on him. Only time would tell. For now though, he kept quiet.
Luna just nods to herself, walking next to the stallion in silence for another while before speaking again. "In the herd I come from," she says slowly, looking ahead without really focusing her gaze on anything. "There was an old mare. She'd lived in the herd all her life, born there, stayed there. Six different stallions had called our herd theirs over her life, some longer than others. The last one had been quite successful, staying for four years. She carried him three foals, but then for some reason couldn't get pregnant again. They tried many times, but no luck." She looks up to Starlight for a moment, then turns her head to look at Lootah. "Eventually the stallion became furious with her, accusing her of not wanting to bear him another heir, and he chased her from the herd. Now I'm curious, would you do the same? Is a mare's ability to put foals in the world all you want from us?"
Listening to the mare's story, he felt a bit of guilt in how he had behaved. Of course, he wasn't like that other stallion. He didn't believe that he could kick a mare out of a herd simply because she couldn't birth any more foals for him. No, Lootah would never do that. With a somewhat saddened expression, he shook his head slowly, keeping his eyes away for a moment. "No.. I would never do that." His tone is quiet and sincere, as he is speaking the truth. "I enjoy your company.. everyone's company. A herd stays together not because of our ability to reproduce.. but to live with and protect one another." Looking back to her, he nods his head, affirming what he'd just stated, and looked back ahead to Starlight. "But.. I can't favor one over another."
Luna cocks her head curiously at the stallion's last words, after nodding to everything else he had said. "Favor?" she asks. "No one says anything about favoring." She reaches over, giving his neck a quick lick. "See, now I've shown affection. You get to return it without favoring me, because I started it. If you still feel it means you're favoring me, what's to stop you from going straight over to Starlet and licking her as well?" Yeah, she has problems with names. Get used to it. "That way you're favoring none, because you give us all attention." She really thought this was common knowledge; common sense, even. "The favoring is all in your head, stallion."
The lick to his neck was responded with only a blink and a stare. Again, he didn't respond physically. He'd made his own set of rules about affection, having spent many months of this past year and the year before wandering lands and spreading his genes. It'd come as second nature to not show very much affection, as he knew he'd be gone the next day. With another nod of his head, he slowed his pace a bit, flicking his tail this way and that, looking to Luna and then to Starlight. Really, he hated to be lectured like this. What about decision? About his own comfort levels? Apparently, they meant nothing to any of the mares. Regardless, he was outnumbered by them. If he wanted to keep his popularity high, he would have to give in at some point, right? Catching up with a fancy sort of trot, he brushed a nuzzle to Luna, and sprung into ta canter to catch up to Starlight.
Starlight lifts her head as she moves into her old herdlands. Despite disappointment, she shows she is still a leader. "These were my lands..." she says, gazing about the wind-flattened grasses. She spots dark clouds on the horizon, and notes that it'll probably be another thunderstorm, common in this area. "Its...not much, but it's home." she says.
Perhaps it was time to come clean about his past, since everyone else seemed to have done that except him? If he didn't, he was sure to be pestered about it later on.. but it was so unbecoming of him. Surely, he wouldn't be very in favor if he did that.. but, maybe she would appreciate his honesty? Hopefully, because he was taking a /big/ chance by letting her know of his not-so-respectable past. But, it could wait a moment. Grinning toward the mare, he looked from her to the horizon, and then back to her. "It's beautiful here, what are you talking about, not much?" He asked with a quiet chuckle afterward, and nudged his shoulder to hers, maybe playfully.
Starlight's ears go up as he nudges his shoulder. She turns and nudges him back, before rubbing her velvety nose along his neck. She smiles. "Well, I always thought it was beautiful, though there are greener lands." she says softly.
Lootah is pleased with her reaction, and finally, he returns the nuzzle. Drawing his cheeck against hers, he decides that it's not such a horrible display of favoritism after all, and grins a bit at the hindsight he gained from this simple gesture. Looking over the land again, he familiarized himself with significant landmarks, paying closest attention to the higher altitute to the southeast, and the possible water sources to both the northeast and northwest. A fine area for a herd, this was. The stallion's eyes wandered down to meet Starlight's and he fell silent for a moment. Looking away, he spoke up again. "About your question.." he began, but couldn't seem to finish, and simply trailed off.
Starlight whickers softly, her warm breath puffing along his cheek as she nuzzles again, finally resting her head against his neck. "Yes?" she asks. "And...the reason why I asked is more because of what we may have started, and not so much because of me."
With her resting on his neck and the mention of a possible foal, it only makes his 'confession' of sorts all the more complicated. Taking in a breath, the male puffs out his chest and flicks his tail idly behind him, his ears shifting back a ways. Better to just be done with it. Not looking at her, his deep brown eyes remained fixated on the horizon, though he did lean in to her side further. "I've sired many foals, with many mares. I don't know any of them. I .. would travel to different herds and steal mares from their stallions, and would leave them immediately after mating. There was no /need/ for affection." He said this slowly and clearly, so that she would understand. Afterward, he looked down at her, and frowned. "I won't to that to any of you, though. But.. I thought it'd be right to tell you."
Starlight blinks slowly as she takes this all in. He left mares after mating them. "But...you came back to me...to us." she says softly, and she nuzzles him all the more firmly.
"Yes.." He said, and nodded proudly, returning the nuzzle briefly once more, getting quite used to the feeling, and enjoying it. "And I would like to stay with you all." To an extent, of course. Lootah was still a wild thing at heart, and nothing would keep him from running the vast plains as he saw fit. Within reason, but he wouldn't be confined to the herding areas, that was for sure.
Starlight smiles. "I can forgive a shaky past...so long as the mistakes are not repeated." she says. She keeps her flank up against his, reveling in the warmth and feeling of comfort it gives. It's been too long since she's had a mate. "I'm glad you're staying...my foal will need a father."
Well. He wasn't guaranteeing anything. For the moment, he was staying. Lootah was as unpredictable as the wind that roared over the land, and if in the future he felt unhappy here, he would leave. But this was a thought he kept to himself, and instead simply nuzzled against her some more. Fine, fine. It felt nice, and he would likely give into nuzzles to each individual mare in the future, now that .. oh, wait. He'd only told this story to /one/ mare. Great. A short sigh was given, and his ears perked toward her as he recoiled the bit at the mention of a father. "Father?" He blurted out, obviously suprised at the notion. He didn't know his own father. Well.. he knew who he /was/.. a scoundrel, just like he had been up until arriving here, or so his mother used to say. Lootah had never spoken a word to his own sire however, and was a bit uncomfortable with the suggestion that he could be any sort of parent.
Starlight ohs. She assumed that since her foal would be his, that he would want to take an active role in its life, much like with the mares. "Well...yeah..." she says lamely, turning her head to look away.
Lootah blinks at the reaction that Starlight gives, and tilts his head to one side, looking away as well. "I don't think I'd make a good father." He says bluntly, and continues on. "Mine wasn't around." Much like how his foals from other mares probably felt about him as their father. No, it wasn't that he wouldn't /make/ a good father, it that he wasn't a good father.
Starlight sighs. "But you've never tried, either...have you?" she says. "That's all I ask. No horse is perfect, but I want my foal to have a father figure, if at all possible. Even if just someone to hide behind if they get scared, as foals often do."
This was certainly awkward. Poor Lootah didn't know what to do. Perhaps rushing into things was a mistake? He knew this from the beginning, hence why he tried to ignore the scents the few days previous.. but alas, it didn't work to his benefit. Taking a few steps away, the stallion stared off into the distance, suddenly wanting to abandon the land here, and all responsibilities with it. Only a small part of him wanted that though, and with a relaxing breath, the urge was gone. "I .. suppose?" Was the best answer he could give, his tail flicking nervously once more.
It seems it'll take time for him...she supposes a few breakthroughs is better than nothing. "Can I ask...have you ever had the desire to see your foals?" she asks. "Have you ever felt love, even for the young you have never seen?"
Silence overcomes him again, as he knows the truth is much less appealing, and it might risk his reputation with the mare that seemed to favor him most, and was already in the very beginning stages of carrying his foal. Still not looking back, he shook his head, and closed his eyes. "No." There, simple enough answer.
Starlight nods softly. "Do...you think you would love ours?" She has to ask. She's not certain she wants to carry a foal to have to raise it on her own, despite help from other mares of the herd.
A glance is given back to Starlight, and a snort is heard as well. These questions of hers.. they put him on the spot and made him very uncomfortable. Of course he would /try/, but stallions weren't the natural parents, and the time would come when the foal, regardless of it's gender, would be ran off from the herd. Giving her a look that bordered on impatient and irritated, he stomped a hoof and tossed his head. "Enough of these silly questions.. please." He practically demanded, though his tone wasn't aggressive. It was rather pleading, really.
Starlight sighs softly. They're not silly questions to her, but she doesn't want to upset him. "Sorry..." she says softly. For once, the proud mare's head is drooping. She doesn't want dominance, or power at the moment.
Seeing her head droop, Lootah doesn't know what to do. The questions /were/ silly to him, and he didn't want to answer them. They made him come off as some sort of.. apathetic monster or something, when it was just the way the species was supposed to be. He thought. Maybe there were stallions out there who cared for their young, to the close extent of how their mother did. Lootah simply wasn't one of them. Not yet, at least. The glance turned into a glare as he felt that he'd somehow ruined their peaceful mood, though it seemed the glare was directed at her, it was meant to be a punishment to himself. Turning his head forward, he looked out at the horizon again, and began to walk off.
Starlight doesn't know what to say. His reponses didn't anger her, but some did provide roadblock to what she would like to rebuild in her life. She turns and noses at his flank as he walks off, before she turns and starts to groom at the sides of her stomach. Her mind is on Lootah, but also on foaling the coming summer.
As he continues to walk away, Lootah looks back to Starlight with a look of question, and blinks. "You should come graze.. with me." He said, and tossed his head in the direction of the longer grasses, wanting her to have good nourishment, especially for the next eleven months. What if the foal wasn't born right? What if it wasn't born at all? Miscarriages happened all the time. With proper nutrition, the pair could help to minimize that. As her protector, Lootah took that duty very seriously.
Starlight's ears flick. She nods, and she moves off after him, her tail flicking about her flanks. There's not too much chance she wouldn't be eating her head off over the next 11 months, but she's glad to go with him.
It's clear the Lootah has calmed by now, and though he felt that the question was silly, there was no reason that he couldn't at least have the common courtesy of answering it. Sure, it might've came too late, and sure, it might've sounded out of place.. but perhaps he needed to hold off his temper until there was danger for the herd. Taking it out on the mares was never a good idea. Waiting for her to catch up, the painted male grins and walks just a hoof step in front of her, and speaks up, out of the blue. "Our foal would be different from the others. Of course I would love our foal."
Starlight isn't expecting the answer. Her ears perk up. Is he just saying that to placate her? Still, she smiles, and walks forward to nuzzle along his neck. "Well, our foal will be the prodigy of leaders." she says. "Though I'm glad you would love him." she says. She guesses at the gender, but she does have a 50-50 chance of being right, afterall.
Hmm. A colt would be the prime choice, if Lootah had to pick the gender of his foal.. but then again, possibly not. Unless of course the herd didn't grow much in the eleven months, plus the time it'd take the young horse to grow into an adult. Mulling the options over, he decided that he would still prefer a son, though a daughter would be just as fufilling. Returning the nuzzle; his newfound ability finally harnessed, the stallion lifts his muzzle to the air and takes in a quick breath, then looks to Starlight. "Where has Dandelion gone?"
Starlight hmms. "Probably grazing." she says, before she lowers her head to munch hungrily at the grass, her long tail flicking and occasionally striking Lootah on accident, but not harshly. It's just moving in a contented manner. "I bet it'll be a good, big foal too." she says. "Judging by our size...and he'll be a strong colt." A colt sounds good to her as well. She's only ever had one son before.
Lootah becomes a bit anxious with the other mare not around, though he enjoyed Starlight's company just fine. However, as the lead stallion, he'd taken on the responsibiilty of protecting everyone. Where had Luna wandered off to, anyway? She was behind them, and had all the sudden disappeared. With his ears erect and his eyes widening a bit in caution, Lootah's attention wasn't on the mare for a moment, as he searched the entire expanse of the horizon that he could see, finding no equid figures, anywhere. A bout of worry struck him, and his ears pinned back as he was hit by her tail hairs, whipping at his flank. Turning sharply, he forced a grin and chuckled a bit, nodding at the comment of the colt. "Let's hope so.."
Starlight watches him. He's acting strange...even for a male. "Is something wrong, Lootah?" she asks him, looking concerned. She wonders if he might have forgotten about something. Her emerald eyes fixate upon him, curious and even almost anxious at whatever has him so jumpy.
"It's just.. weird. Both of them gone.. I wonder where they went to?" He says in an almost mystic sort of tone, talking to himself but also responding to her question, the ochre and white male picks up his front hooves, one and then the other, in a sort of nervous step, his tail beginning to flick at each leg anxiously. "Maybe I should.. go look for them." Perhaps a bit overprotective, as this lead stallion position was new to him, and his main concern was keeping tabs on where the mares were.
Luna - Female Horse
Starlight - Female Horse
Lootah - Male Horse
Tonx - Male Badger
Setting(s):
Endless Prairie, Wind-Swept Lowlands
------------
Lifting her head from it's resting position, Starlight awakens and clambers to her hooves, shaking out her pelt with a soft whicker. She looks around to see who else might be around, and then lowers her head to graze.
Luna is keeping her distance just on the edge of what the scent marks tell her is the territory of the forming herd. She's been awake for a couple of hours,
spending that time grazing and trying to decide whether to stay or move on. When she finally sees someone stir and rise she pauses, then lets out a cautious greeting whicker.
Starlight's ears perk up and she lifts her head. She sees Luna and she nickers, shaking her mane out again before holding her head high and arching it, asserting her position as a lead mare. "Hello..."
Luna lets out a sigh of relief, though at the distance it's probably hard to tell. She starts moving, preferring a slow walk that doesn't bring her directly towards you, head held somewhat lower than really necessary. "Well met," she offers, when she's finally close enough that she doesn't need to shout. "You must be ..." She pauses, thinking, trying to remember the name that other mare had used. "Starshine?" she tries.
Starlight chuckles softly. "Starlight." she says. "You don't have to look at your hooves." she says, at the other mare's lowered head. She steps forward to greet the other horse with a whuff of breath.
Luna smiles, raising her head just high enough to greet you properly, puffing a breath of her own against your nostrils. "Starlight," she repeats. "It's a very nice name, and related to my own. I'm Luna."
Starlight smiles. "The moon and stars." she says, before touching her nose briefly to yours. "It's nice to make your acquaintance." she says, though the other mare seems vaguely familiar.
Luna bows her head once more. "I was talking to ..." Again that short pause while she struggles to come up with the name. "Dandelion, I think her name was. She said you were grouping together, forming a small herd."
Starlight nods. "Yes, that's true." she smiles. "We were hoping to find more horses to join our herd...might you be interested?"
Luna lights up for a moment, but she makes sure to conceal it just as quickly. "I would like to, yes," she answers softly, looking up again. "If you and your herd's stallion would have me."
Starlight smiles. "Of course we would have you." she says, and she nibble-grooms a little at Luna's forelock. "We would be very happy to have you.
Luna looks startled when you reach for her forelock, but she doesn't move away, and she relaxes once she realizes you're just grooming it. "Thank you," she nickers. "It warms my heart to hear I can stop running for a while."
Starlight lifts her head after nosing lightly at your forelock, and she smiles. "Thank you for joining with us. It does make the lands more secure, having more of us."
Luna can only nod to that. "Very. I picked up the scent of at least two different wolf packs since I left my old herd. Not a pleasant scent to come across when you're all alone and your hooves are already hurting from the running."
Starlight nods. "Yes, there are packs nearby...though they seldom come near here. There are more cougars and coyotes here in the plains."
Luna shivers. "Coyotes I can handle, but cougars ... ugh." She shakes herself. "Savage, bloodthirsty and cruel the lot of them."
Starlight hmms. "I've met a few that weren't so bad..." she says. "But they wouldn't have attacked me so near the herd, I suppose." she says, tail flicking.
Luna nods, reaching out to run her muzzle gently against the side of your neck. "Cowardly, too. Never attack unless they know they'll win, which I suppose is good for those such as ourselves."
Starlight smirks. "Well, one on one, a horse can beat a cougar, if they know how." she says. "A swift hoof to the head ends things pretty quick."
Luna hehs, giving a little smirk before backing away a single step. "If you can get them straight behind you, sure. Not so easy to kick what clings to your back." She shivers again. "But I digress."
Starlight hmms. "That is true." she says. "Regardless of our ability to fight, we must remain cautious. Even gaining more members, constant vigilance is essential."
Luna nods to that as well. "I'm sure this is a herd that will grow to safe numbers," she says, looking into the distance behind you. "Lots of grass, good view to the horizon."
Starlight smiles. "I'm sure it will. Especially at the rate we're finding members." she says. "That, amongst other possible arrivals."
Luna perks her ears and cocks her head a bit to the side. "Other arrivals?" she asks curiously.
Starlight hmms. "Foals." she answers simply. "Though those are up in the air...whether or not there will be any so soon." she says.
Luna ahhs and nods. "You're not expecting, then, I take it?" she inquires, still curious.
Starlight smiles. "Not so far as I know." she says, and she nibbles lightly at the grass. Her long tail flicks up to her side. "Though it is a possibility."
Luna smiles, turning a bit and joining you in grazing. "Always a blessing," she nickers softly.
Starlight nods. "They are." she says, though her eyes lift and she looks towards the horizon. "They always have been."
Luna looks up, following your gaze for a moment before realizing it's a memory that's being looked on. "Had many, then?" she asks. "If you don't mind me being so curious, of course."
Starlight's ears flick. "A daughter, several years ago, and a set of twins about two years ago." she says.
Luna nods slowly. "I've had ... a bit more than that, you might say, but I guess that comes with my age."
Starlight nods. "I suppose." she says, and she hmms. "How many have you had?" she has to ask, curious now.
Luna gives a faint smile, nipping off some more grass before answering. "Fifteen in total, one every year since I started coming into season, save for this year. Seven colts, eight fillies." She smirks. "And proud of every last one of them."
"Wow..." she says softly. "I've only had those three over a span of a good four years." she says. "I don't know what happened to my first filly...we were seperated when she was a few months old."
Luna nods slowly. "I'm sure she found a herd to look after her," she comforts.
Starlight nods. "She already had one. I'm sure her father took care of her." she says. "My twins, however, I know what happened. They were a few months old as well...but sickness claimed them."
Luna sighs, a sad expression in her eyes when she reaches out to lick the side of your muzzle. "I'm very sorry for your loss, Star ..." she nickers.
Starlight turns, and she noses at the side of Luna's neck, resting her head there a moment. "It's nothing you need to be sorry for...most twins don't live, from what I've heard." she says. "Still, I loved them dearly."
Luna nods. "But normally it's only one of the two who doesn't make it," she replies. "And that within days of birth. And of course you loved them; what mare could not love her own foal?"
Starlight nods. "Well...at least I was with them when they went." she says softly. "I was able to send them off, at least with them knowing my love."
Luna nuzzles you softly. "That's good," she half-whispers. "Better that than finding them gone when you wake up."
Starlight returns the nuzzle, and she nods. "Well...I slept after they did for the last time...waking up to them being so cold was still a shock."
Luna nods and sighs. "I have been blessed in that regard to never lose one of mine, but I've known many mares over my years who did. It's never easy."
Starlight nods. "Well...I have regained hope for the future." she says softly. "Maybe in our herd, you can raise more foals." she smiles.
Luna gives a short smile and shakes her head. "I'm past the age of having foals of my own," she answers. "And not for lack of trying, but I just couldn't get pregnant last year. Or this, for that matter."
Starlight hmms. "You came into season this year?" she asks. "Well...I guess you are a bit older than I am..." Starlight's probably about seven. She shakes out her mane.
Luna certainly is. Those fifteen foals should be a good indicator that she's rapidly approaching twenty. "I did. Several times, obviously." She gives a bit of a shrug, then reaches down for some more grass.
Starlight nods. "Well...I'm sorry you can't have any more." she offers. "You're more experienced than I am...maybe you can help once we get more foals in the herd." she says.
Luna smiles warmly and nods. "I'd be delighted to," comes her appreciative answer. "If I can't have my own, I can at least look after those of other mares."
Starlight smiles. "Great. I'm sure they'll appreciate the help." Starlight says, nosing at the other mare again, before eating a bit more grass.
Luna glances over her shoulder for a moment, then turns to you again. "This stallion you had met up with," she says slowly, weighing her words. "What's he like?"
Starlight hmms. "A little bit distant, to be honest. I don't know him so well yet...but I think he'll be a good lead stallion, once we get a herd together."
Luna nods to herself. "Good," she says, then resumes grazing. "I'll trust your judgement on that until I meet him."
Starlight smiles and nods, falling silent for a moment as she grazes. "Besides the grazing, my favorite part about this area is the berry bushes." she comments.
Luna earperks. "Berries?" she asks. "What kind?"
Starlight hmms. "There's blue berries and black berries...and sometimes red berries on the ground."
Luna licks her lips. "Tasty. Black berries were a rare treat to find for my old herd."
Starlight smiles. "I see them along the river in the summer, although back in my original herd we lived near a forest, and there were many berries there."
Luna nodnods. "Not as many berry bushes to find on the open plains." She looks over her shoulder again, to the east.
Tonx scrounges out of a nearby hole. Grumbling as is his norm. Squinting into the sudden daylight, the squat creature peers around him trying to locate the cause for his arousal from sleep. The forms of the mares come into his view as he stares to the west. "Haven't you nags any place else to be blabbering on?" Tonx barks in their direction.
Starlight is about to reply when she turns to see a creature emerge from its hole. "Well, no we don't." she replies with a smile. "I'm glad to see you're so cheerful today, good sir."
Luna looks to the badger as well, lowering her head down to the much smaller creature. "I'm sorry if we disturbed your rest, but it really is high time to get out of bed. The sun is high in the sky." Seems the ol' mare doesn't know badgers are nocturnal.
"Well find a place! Disturbing the peace you are!" Tonx growls in response to the first mare. Suddenly his eyes narrow as the second mare begins to speak. "High in the sky you say. HIGH IN THE SKY! My point exactly!" Using his long claws, the cantankerous creature kicks up a cloud of dust around him in a display of his displeasure. He then comes waddling from the opening to the temporary den in the direction of the horses. He'll chase em off by golly if that's what it takes.
Starlight is unfamiliar with badgers, and she walks toward him, looking a little amused. "A bit of broken sleep is no reason to be so cross."
Luna umms, and stays back unlike Starlight. "He's got sharp claws," she comments, backing up a bit. "You probably don't want to make him any angrier, Starlet." Her and names ...
It doesn't occur to Tonx to back down as Starlight advances toward him. Weighing in at a mere twenty pounds, he's not much of a physical competitor to a horse. But what he lacks in size, he makes up in orneryness. "You want to see cross do you?" he growls toward the mare. Puffing out his chest and standing as tall as his stumpy legs will allow, Tonx continues his haughty strut toward the horses.
Starlight snorts and stamps a front hoof as she advances on the badger. "You can take your attitude away from our herdlands." she says, lowering her nose to put it right up to his.
Luna nudges Starlight's hindquarters. "Star," she nickers pleadingly. "This is a really bad idea!" Of course, who's gonna listen to the old mare's voice of experienced wisdom? Oh, if only there was a big strong stallion around to save the day, hint hint.
It'd been quite a while since he'd galloped off to.. wherever it was he went, after his time with Starlight. In the past, he would've just kept on running until he found another herd or another band of mares, and repeated his actions. However, something was keeping him here. Why? He didn't know, and he didn't particularly like it, either. He was a feral stallion! A free spirit! Nothing could tie him down! ..Except for /these/ mares, apparently. Lootah's mane and tail flowed in the wind as he galloped back toward the area that the females seemed to keep to, his head held tall and his tail raised in a flag-like manner. The four-beat pattern of his hooves could be heard from quite a distance, and even from this distance he could see a little something pestering /his/ mares. A gruff sort of snort was given, as his head lowered, his pace quickened, and he began to charge straight at the little thing.
Tonx glares up at the chestnut equine in front of him. "And who exactly made you the queen of nags?" he snaps back. Just as the mare lowers her muzzle to his, the vibration from the galloping stallion snaps the badgers' attention away. Turning on the spot he faces the oncoming beast with hooves. Tonx is not one to typically exit in the middle of an argument, but he's also not stupid. He looks over his shoulder at the mare before huffing indignantly and digging madly into the soil. With great ease he works his way down, throwing clods and small stones into the face of the bold mare. With any luck, that stallion will twist an ankle in the vast number of similar holes he himself and the ground dwelling critters he calls dinner have dug into the prairie landscape.
Starlight lifts her head from the badger as she hears hooves, and she smiles as she spots Lootah. "Hello." she whinnies happily. The badger forgotten, she canters to meet the stallion, mane and tail flowing as she runs.
Luna looks up at the sound of hooves thundering the ground. At first all she sees is a dust cloud heading straight for the small group, and it doesn't help that she gets some of the badger's tossed dirt in her eyes. She backs up a couple of steps, shaking her head to clear her eyes. By the time she can see again, she finds the badger gone into hiding and the golden-ochre stallion she'd been told about appears to be the center of the moving dust. She stays back, letting Starlight greet him first, and simply waiting her turn.
Tossing his head up to warn the mares to get out of the way, his large cranium is dipped again, ears flattened back against his skull as he continues to charge right at the badger; now that he knows what it is. Destructive, ornery /little/ things that he felt the world would be better off without. They didn't do the horses any good, that was for sure. As soon as he got to where the overgrown weasel was digging his hole, he stomped his front hooves viciously near the edge of the hole, and let out a few warning whinnies, their tone deep, harsh, and a bit raspy. Well. Lootah didn't look happy at all!
Tonx had managed a tunnel deep enough to avoid any harm from the stamping hooves of the angry stallion. Growling and grunting, he continues to dig, the opening to the hole collapsing behind him as it's pounded by hooves. A whole string of nasty language escapes the mouth of the badger as he tunnels under the surface of the prairie. Not until he's sure he's a safe distance away does he pop back out of the earth. "And you think MY temper is bad do you?!" he screeches at the horses. "What does a badger have to do to earn a bit of shut eye in this place?"
"Lootah..." she says softly. He doesn't need to anger the badger further...not like -that-. "Leave it be, now." she tells him, though the creature was irritating. She moves, trying to nuzzle against Lootah's neck.
Luna takes her time to bow respectfully to the badger. "I really do apologize," she nickers softly. "But surely this place is big enough for all of us. If you need sleep, can't you ... dig deeper or something?" She eyes Starlight and the arriving stallion. Dandelion told her his name, but she can't recall it now. Something starting with L, that's all she has to go on until Starlight says his name. "Umm ... well met, stallion?" she tries carefully, not wanting to have him turn the anger he's showing so clearly in her direction, but she does like the fact that he came to the rescue out of the blue like that.
Huffing angrily at the badger, the stallion continues to stomp at his burrow that was beginning to successfully cave in due to his actions, but he wanted the thing gone. Not just away from their area of the prairie, since he considered all of it theirs, but gone from the entire area. What would he do, though? The weasel-thing was too far underground for him to kick, and he didn't want to risk getting his face clawed or bit if he took a nip at it, either. Tossing his head up aggressively, his ears remained pinned back, and he didn't bother returning Starlight's nuzzle, either. But, of course not. He didn't return nuzzles when he was in good moods, much less when he was irritated like this. Actually, all he did was take a few steps back and stomp at the ground, glaring down at the hole in the land, his tail flicking viciously at his sides.
The less bold mare, the one Tonx gathered to be quite older, was the only one who seemed to have an sense at all. Not wanting to admit the fact that this prairie may indeed be big enough for them all, he simply grunts out an indignant "Hmph!" before plowing back into the earth. Why waste more time trying to argue with these giant beasts with tiny brains anyhow? Not when he should be catching his zzz's. Ugh, if it weren't bad enough that females of his species were in season and he spent his nights exhausting himself while tracking them down, now this. Grumble grumble grumble.
Starlight seems to have become irritated at being ignored. He won't leave the badger hole, and he won't acknowledge her? Fine. Starlight turns her head, giving Lootah a sharp nip on the flanks, to divert his attention.
Luna watches the badger dig back down for a moment, then returns her attention to the angry stallion. She keeps her distance, nervous at his presence, but there's nothing in his attitude that makes it seem like his anger is likely to turn against her. More likely Starlight, but from their conversation earlier she suspects she's not going to be attacked either. So she waits, letting him calm down first - or letting him threaten to attack the mare, in which case she will have no choice but to interfere and help her.
Well, that didn't work to his liking at all. The badger was still underneath their hooves.. but he guessed he could tolerate it. For a while. There was plenty of grassland. If need be, they could scoot to another area. With a sharp huff of breath, the stallion's ears flicked forward slowly, only to be stiffly turned back again at the nip. Turning his neck quickly, he stomped a back hoof, and glared over at Starlight. "WHAT?!" He snapped, and breathed a bit heavier, his temper obviously shortened by the incident. Looking to the other mare, Luna, if he remembered the name that Dandelion had given, he turned one ear forward at a time, and sighed heavily. "Nice to see you awake and well, Luna." Lootah's tone had calmed, and it was somewhat friendly.. but the aftermath of his temper was still audible.
Starlight glares right back at him. She's not afraid of the stallion. She nips again, to be sure she has his attention. "-What- is that you need to calm down and listen." she says irritably, her ears flicking. Her tail lashes up against her side.
Luna bows her head respectfully when she's addressed, though the sharp tone of his voice makes her shiver. Both mares had described him as nice, but that's not the impression she's starting to get. Sure, he came to their aid, but ... "Thank you," she manages to reply, looking back up after a couple of seconds. That he knows her name doesn't concern her; she slept quite heavily, he could easily have been standing right over her without her waking. "And thank you for letting me rest here, it is very much appreciated."
A gruff sounding grunt is what was given in return this time, his back hoof stomping again as he flicked his tail just as she nipped at him, hoping to hit her face. Not harshly, just enough to get her to stop. Backing away from her, he glances to her stomach and lets out a sigh, and nods his head. "I apologize, then. But.. that thing will tear up the ground if he doesn't get out of here.." He murmured, glancing back to the gaping hole in the land and shaking his head. Though, he was calmed down now, and looked to Luna once more. "It's no problem at all. We'd all.. that is, Starlight, Dandelion and I, we'd like you to stick around with us."
Starlight snorts in surprise as a tail hits her face, but she does stop nipping him. As he seems to be acting better now, she relaxes, her ears going forward. "Well...we can move." she says. "There's plenty of open land, and he was here first. We can occupy my old herdlands." she says, and she sighs. "Besides that temper...I'd like to know why you ignore me when I nuzzle you...
Luna looks confused for a moment at the stallion's words, then smiles and nods. "Then I will stay," she answers, taking a couple of steps forward, though she's seen enough to have a feeling the stallion doesn't appreciate very close contact, so she doesn't intrude on him. "And once more I thank you." She noticed the gaze offered to Starlight, confirming her suspicion, but she says nothing about it. Instead she looks towards where the badger disappeared into the ground and shakes her head. "Let it sleep, and simply tread carefully here. It's easier for all."
Everything was understandable to Lootah, everything except the nuzzling question. It caught him off guard, and he blinked a few times, pulling his neck up and back in a recoil to the question. "What?" He spat out, and chuckled a bit. "Don't be silly, Starlight.." The stallion said, trailing off, obviously avoiding the question. Again, he looks to the older mare, and nods his head happily, regaining his composure and taking an elegant step toward her. "We will move from here, then. To your old lands, Starlight. Lead us there if you would.. to avoid this nuisance for as long as we can."
"Fine...follow me." she says, looking more dejected than anything as he refuses to answer her. Her tail flicks around her tarsals as she slowly makes her way along toward her old lands, lower down in the grasses.
Luna looks from Lootah to Starlight and back, thinking. Something is slightly amiss in her eyes, but she isn't quite sure what it is. She's known both affectionate and stand-offish stallions, but not quite as obvious as this one. She takes a deep breath and shakes it from her mind, right now she has to focus on just keeping a low profile, not doing anything that'd earn anyone's ire. She looks to Starlight, offering her a calming smile, and follows her lead.
Lootah looks at the female curiously, not quite understanding why she was so upset with him because he didn't return a few nuzzles. So? It wasn't like he was pulling away from her at all. He enjoyed the attention, but didn't figure that he was expected to return it. Their kind didn't stick to one mate, it'd be wrong of him to treat her, or any other mare for that matter, as if they were favored. They were all equal; he loved all of them. Shaking his head a bit, the ochre and white painted stallion followed after her, looking back and grinning kindly at Luna. As he turned his head forward again however, he let out a confused huff of breath, carrying his head and tail tall and proud, as usual.
Luna simply follows, something she has always been good at. Working behind the others give her the advantage of time to think and observe, to consider what is going on. "Lootah?" she finally says, after a very long trek in complete silence. She inhales as if to continue talking, then pauses for a moment, and instead hurries to catch up next to the stallion. She makes a toss of her head towards Starlight walking in front. "You and her?" she asks softly. "You make a cute couple, don't push her away like that."
The trek certainly was long, but it didn't bother Lootah in the slightest. He'd travelled far before, and this was nothing new. In equid herding terms, he was a rogue of sorts. Never banded with bachelors, and never stuck to a herd. Until now, that is. At hearing his name spoken by the older mare, he grinned kindly and perked his ears forward fully. "Hmm?" He vocalized before her suggestion, only to frown afterward, his ears sinking and his brows lowering. "Mm-hmm." He said simply, saying nothing further on the subject. Stallions weren't monogamous, nor were mares. Why these ones were so persistent bothered him slightly, not liking the proposition of being tied down to one mare. Maybe he wouldn't be sticking around, anyway. Or, maybe the idea would grow on him. Only time would tell. For now though, he kept quiet.
Luna just nods to herself, walking next to the stallion in silence for another while before speaking again. "In the herd I come from," she says slowly, looking ahead without really focusing her gaze on anything. "There was an old mare. She'd lived in the herd all her life, born there, stayed there. Six different stallions had called our herd theirs over her life, some longer than others. The last one had been quite successful, staying for four years. She carried him three foals, but then for some reason couldn't get pregnant again. They tried many times, but no luck." She looks up to Starlight for a moment, then turns her head to look at Lootah. "Eventually the stallion became furious with her, accusing her of not wanting to bear him another heir, and he chased her from the herd. Now I'm curious, would you do the same? Is a mare's ability to put foals in the world all you want from us?"
Listening to the mare's story, he felt a bit of guilt in how he had behaved. Of course, he wasn't like that other stallion. He didn't believe that he could kick a mare out of a herd simply because she couldn't birth any more foals for him. No, Lootah would never do that. With a somewhat saddened expression, he shook his head slowly, keeping his eyes away for a moment. "No.. I would never do that." His tone is quiet and sincere, as he is speaking the truth. "I enjoy your company.. everyone's company. A herd stays together not because of our ability to reproduce.. but to live with and protect one another." Looking back to her, he nods his head, affirming what he'd just stated, and looked back ahead to Starlight. "But.. I can't favor one over another."
Luna cocks her head curiously at the stallion's last words, after nodding to everything else he had said. "Favor?" she asks. "No one says anything about favoring." She reaches over, giving his neck a quick lick. "See, now I've shown affection. You get to return it without favoring me, because I started it. If you still feel it means you're favoring me, what's to stop you from going straight over to Starlet and licking her as well?" Yeah, she has problems with names. Get used to it. "That way you're favoring none, because you give us all attention." She really thought this was common knowledge; common sense, even. "The favoring is all in your head, stallion."
The lick to his neck was responded with only a blink and a stare. Again, he didn't respond physically. He'd made his own set of rules about affection, having spent many months of this past year and the year before wandering lands and spreading his genes. It'd come as second nature to not show very much affection, as he knew he'd be gone the next day. With another nod of his head, he slowed his pace a bit, flicking his tail this way and that, looking to Luna and then to Starlight. Really, he hated to be lectured like this. What about decision? About his own comfort levels? Apparently, they meant nothing to any of the mares. Regardless, he was outnumbered by them. If he wanted to keep his popularity high, he would have to give in at some point, right? Catching up with a fancy sort of trot, he brushed a nuzzle to Luna, and sprung into ta canter to catch up to Starlight.
Starlight lifts her head as she moves into her old herdlands. Despite disappointment, she shows she is still a leader. "These were my lands..." she says, gazing about the wind-flattened grasses. She spots dark clouds on the horizon, and notes that it'll probably be another thunderstorm, common in this area. "Its...not much, but it's home." she says.
Perhaps it was time to come clean about his past, since everyone else seemed to have done that except him? If he didn't, he was sure to be pestered about it later on.. but it was so unbecoming of him. Surely, he wouldn't be very in favor if he did that.. but, maybe she would appreciate his honesty? Hopefully, because he was taking a /big/ chance by letting her know of his not-so-respectable past. But, it could wait a moment. Grinning toward the mare, he looked from her to the horizon, and then back to her. "It's beautiful here, what are you talking about, not much?" He asked with a quiet chuckle afterward, and nudged his shoulder to hers, maybe playfully.
Starlight's ears go up as he nudges his shoulder. She turns and nudges him back, before rubbing her velvety nose along his neck. She smiles. "Well, I always thought it was beautiful, though there are greener lands." she says softly.
Lootah is pleased with her reaction, and finally, he returns the nuzzle. Drawing his cheeck against hers, he decides that it's not such a horrible display of favoritism after all, and grins a bit at the hindsight he gained from this simple gesture. Looking over the land again, he familiarized himself with significant landmarks, paying closest attention to the higher altitute to the southeast, and the possible water sources to both the northeast and northwest. A fine area for a herd, this was. The stallion's eyes wandered down to meet Starlight's and he fell silent for a moment. Looking away, he spoke up again. "About your question.." he began, but couldn't seem to finish, and simply trailed off.
Starlight whickers softly, her warm breath puffing along his cheek as she nuzzles again, finally resting her head against his neck. "Yes?" she asks. "And...the reason why I asked is more because of what we may have started, and not so much because of me."
With her resting on his neck and the mention of a possible foal, it only makes his 'confession' of sorts all the more complicated. Taking in a breath, the male puffs out his chest and flicks his tail idly behind him, his ears shifting back a ways. Better to just be done with it. Not looking at her, his deep brown eyes remained fixated on the horizon, though he did lean in to her side further. "I've sired many foals, with many mares. I don't know any of them. I .. would travel to different herds and steal mares from their stallions, and would leave them immediately after mating. There was no /need/ for affection." He said this slowly and clearly, so that she would understand. Afterward, he looked down at her, and frowned. "I won't to that to any of you, though. But.. I thought it'd be right to tell you."
Starlight blinks slowly as she takes this all in. He left mares after mating them. "But...you came back to me...to us." she says softly, and she nuzzles him all the more firmly.
"Yes.." He said, and nodded proudly, returning the nuzzle briefly once more, getting quite used to the feeling, and enjoying it. "And I would like to stay with you all." To an extent, of course. Lootah was still a wild thing at heart, and nothing would keep him from running the vast plains as he saw fit. Within reason, but he wouldn't be confined to the herding areas, that was for sure.
Starlight smiles. "I can forgive a shaky past...so long as the mistakes are not repeated." she says. She keeps her flank up against his, reveling in the warmth and feeling of comfort it gives. It's been too long since she's had a mate. "I'm glad you're staying...my foal will need a father."
Well. He wasn't guaranteeing anything. For the moment, he was staying. Lootah was as unpredictable as the wind that roared over the land, and if in the future he felt unhappy here, he would leave. But this was a thought he kept to himself, and instead simply nuzzled against her some more. Fine, fine. It felt nice, and he would likely give into nuzzles to each individual mare in the future, now that .. oh, wait. He'd only told this story to /one/ mare. Great. A short sigh was given, and his ears perked toward her as he recoiled the bit at the mention of a father. "Father?" He blurted out, obviously suprised at the notion. He didn't know his own father. Well.. he knew who he /was/.. a scoundrel, just like he had been up until arriving here, or so his mother used to say. Lootah had never spoken a word to his own sire however, and was a bit uncomfortable with the suggestion that he could be any sort of parent.
Starlight ohs. She assumed that since her foal would be his, that he would want to take an active role in its life, much like with the mares. "Well...yeah..." she says lamely, turning her head to look away.
Lootah blinks at the reaction that Starlight gives, and tilts his head to one side, looking away as well. "I don't think I'd make a good father." He says bluntly, and continues on. "Mine wasn't around." Much like how his foals from other mares probably felt about him as their father. No, it wasn't that he wouldn't /make/ a good father, it that he wasn't a good father.
Starlight sighs. "But you've never tried, either...have you?" she says. "That's all I ask. No horse is perfect, but I want my foal to have a father figure, if at all possible. Even if just someone to hide behind if they get scared, as foals often do."
This was certainly awkward. Poor Lootah didn't know what to do. Perhaps rushing into things was a mistake? He knew this from the beginning, hence why he tried to ignore the scents the few days previous.. but alas, it didn't work to his benefit. Taking a few steps away, the stallion stared off into the distance, suddenly wanting to abandon the land here, and all responsibilities with it. Only a small part of him wanted that though, and with a relaxing breath, the urge was gone. "I .. suppose?" Was the best answer he could give, his tail flicking nervously once more.
It seems it'll take time for him...she supposes a few breakthroughs is better than nothing. "Can I ask...have you ever had the desire to see your foals?" she asks. "Have you ever felt love, even for the young you have never seen?"
Silence overcomes him again, as he knows the truth is much less appealing, and it might risk his reputation with the mare that seemed to favor him most, and was already in the very beginning stages of carrying his foal. Still not looking back, he shook his head, and closed his eyes. "No." There, simple enough answer.
Starlight nods softly. "Do...you think you would love ours?" She has to ask. She's not certain she wants to carry a foal to have to raise it on her own, despite help from other mares of the herd.
A glance is given back to Starlight, and a snort is heard as well. These questions of hers.. they put him on the spot and made him very uncomfortable. Of course he would /try/, but stallions weren't the natural parents, and the time would come when the foal, regardless of it's gender, would be ran off from the herd. Giving her a look that bordered on impatient and irritated, he stomped a hoof and tossed his head. "Enough of these silly questions.. please." He practically demanded, though his tone wasn't aggressive. It was rather pleading, really.
Starlight sighs softly. They're not silly questions to her, but she doesn't want to upset him. "Sorry..." she says softly. For once, the proud mare's head is drooping. She doesn't want dominance, or power at the moment.
Seeing her head droop, Lootah doesn't know what to do. The questions /were/ silly to him, and he didn't want to answer them. They made him come off as some sort of.. apathetic monster or something, when it was just the way the species was supposed to be. He thought. Maybe there were stallions out there who cared for their young, to the close extent of how their mother did. Lootah simply wasn't one of them. Not yet, at least. The glance turned into a glare as he felt that he'd somehow ruined their peaceful mood, though it seemed the glare was directed at her, it was meant to be a punishment to himself. Turning his head forward, he looked out at the horizon again, and began to walk off.
Starlight doesn't know what to say. His reponses didn't anger her, but some did provide roadblock to what she would like to rebuild in her life. She turns and noses at his flank as he walks off, before she turns and starts to groom at the sides of her stomach. Her mind is on Lootah, but also on foaling the coming summer.
As he continues to walk away, Lootah looks back to Starlight with a look of question, and blinks. "You should come graze.. with me." He said, and tossed his head in the direction of the longer grasses, wanting her to have good nourishment, especially for the next eleven months. What if the foal wasn't born right? What if it wasn't born at all? Miscarriages happened all the time. With proper nutrition, the pair could help to minimize that. As her protector, Lootah took that duty very seriously.
Starlight's ears flick. She nods, and she moves off after him, her tail flicking about her flanks. There's not too much chance she wouldn't be eating her head off over the next 11 months, but she's glad to go with him.
It's clear the Lootah has calmed by now, and though he felt that the question was silly, there was no reason that he couldn't at least have the common courtesy of answering it. Sure, it might've came too late, and sure, it might've sounded out of place.. but perhaps he needed to hold off his temper until there was danger for the herd. Taking it out on the mares was never a good idea. Waiting for her to catch up, the painted male grins and walks just a hoof step in front of her, and speaks up, out of the blue. "Our foal would be different from the others. Of course I would love our foal."
Starlight isn't expecting the answer. Her ears perk up. Is he just saying that to placate her? Still, she smiles, and walks forward to nuzzle along his neck. "Well, our foal will be the prodigy of leaders." she says. "Though I'm glad you would love him." she says. She guesses at the gender, but she does have a 50-50 chance of being right, afterall.
Hmm. A colt would be the prime choice, if Lootah had to pick the gender of his foal.. but then again, possibly not. Unless of course the herd didn't grow much in the eleven months, plus the time it'd take the young horse to grow into an adult. Mulling the options over, he decided that he would still prefer a son, though a daughter would be just as fufilling. Returning the nuzzle; his newfound ability finally harnessed, the stallion lifts his muzzle to the air and takes in a quick breath, then looks to Starlight. "Where has Dandelion gone?"
Starlight hmms. "Probably grazing." she says, before she lowers her head to munch hungrily at the grass, her long tail flicking and occasionally striking Lootah on accident, but not harshly. It's just moving in a contented manner. "I bet it'll be a good, big foal too." she says. "Judging by our size...and he'll be a strong colt." A colt sounds good to her as well. She's only ever had one son before.
Lootah becomes a bit anxious with the other mare not around, though he enjoyed Starlight's company just fine. However, as the lead stallion, he'd taken on the responsibiilty of protecting everyone. Where had Luna wandered off to, anyway? She was behind them, and had all the sudden disappeared. With his ears erect and his eyes widening a bit in caution, Lootah's attention wasn't on the mare for a moment, as he searched the entire expanse of the horizon that he could see, finding no equid figures, anywhere. A bout of worry struck him, and his ears pinned back as he was hit by her tail hairs, whipping at his flank. Turning sharply, he forced a grin and chuckled a bit, nodding at the comment of the colt. "Let's hope so.."
Starlight watches him. He's acting strange...even for a male. "Is something wrong, Lootah?" she asks him, looking concerned. She wonders if he might have forgotten about something. Her emerald eyes fixate upon him, curious and even almost anxious at whatever has him so jumpy.
"It's just.. weird. Both of them gone.. I wonder where they went to?" He says in an almost mystic sort of tone, talking to himself but also responding to her question, the ochre and white male picks up his front hooves, one and then the other, in a sort of nervous step, his tail beginning to flick at each leg anxiously. "Maybe I should.. go look for them." Perhaps a bit overprotective, as this lead stallion position was new to him, and his main concern was keeping tabs on where the mares were.