Post by Sohtoh on Feb 19, 2010 17:14:58 GMT -5
Starring:
Nukpana - Female Horse
Starlight - Female Horse
Takala - Female Horse
Lootah - Male Horse
Darkstar - Male Horse
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After the fight with the strange mare the previous night, Starlight had wandered away from the others before deciding to rest. She had been kicked with the flailing hooves, but has been lying down asleep since she first lowered herself to the ground. There she remains, breathing steadily in sleep, but hooves shifting restlessly while her ears remain pulled back.
Since that whole incident Nukpana hasn't wandered more than her grazing has taken her, but eventually she comes within sight of the sleeping leader. She remains silent, having no wish to disturb Starlight's rest, making no more noise than required to continue grazing. She actually hasn't thought much about what happened, as she didn't really feel involved after the first few moments, and instead she's been more or less waiting for things to settle back down and return to normal, whatever normal happens to be.
Starlight seems to be stirring now. The chestnut mare lifts her head, sees Nukpana, and nickers. She shifts, as if she's going to stand, but groans and seems to think better of it, setting her head back on the grass. Maybe a little more rest, after all. Her tail flicks, and she glances about. Nobody else around, so she can stay lying down for now.
Pausing when the other mare stirs, Nukpana returns the nicker with one of her own and abandons her grazing to approach Starlight. She doesn't come too close, both to give Starlight her space while she's on the ground and also because the two mares will have to know eachother for much longer before Nukpana would cosy up to her. "Are you alright?" she asks quietly, the 'you' in this case being plural. She'd hardly missed that blow to Starlight's belly, though she imagines that they'll just have to wait and see if it did any harm to the foal. Truthfully she's asking in hopes of getting a positive answer and therefore official permission not to be concerned.
Takala has been trailing Nukpana this whole time. She's found a friend (well, somewhat) and is content to stay within range of the mare, especially after the yesterday's excitement. Like Nukpana had said, all they can do is wait and things will work themselves out. So, she's been trying to go on as normally as possible. Eat, sleep, you know. She feels much better - playful, even! The black mare creeps up beside Nukpana and gives the mare's tail a sly tug, and is about to dance away when Nukpana begins walking. Hey! Then she sees Starlight lying in the grass. Takala abandons her playfulness and grows quiet, listening as Nukpana asks the question that she's been wondering as well.
"I think so..." comes the reply from Starlight. She's certainly hurting, but instinct wants her to show no weakness. Thus, despite another low groan, Starlight slowly rises to her hooves. She stands there, ears back, and breathes a little heavily. "I will be..." she says, though she very much wants to lie back down. Still, that would only make her vulnerable.
When she feels a tug on her tail Nukpana's ears flick back in annoyance. If she didn't consider Takala to be a foolish youngster her response would have been more severe than attempting to swat Takala in the face with her tail, but that is exactly what she does. She's more than a little annoyed that she seems to have found herself a follower, as much as she must admit that Takala has remarkably good taste. But she forces most of her attention onto Starlight, who she nods to. If Starlight is well enough to pretend that everything is fine, then even if things aren't fine they will be. "Is there anything you'd like me to do?" she asks, secretly hoping the answer is no, because then she can wash her hooves of the whole situation.
Starlight cannot sense any danger in the area, and thus gives in to the discomfort of standing, slowly lowering herself to the ground again. They are more vulnerable with Lootah's lack of presence, but things are quiet at the moment, and Starlight wouldn't be able to do anything even if things were hectic. "No, just keep an eye out." she tells her, and her eyes close again. She'll try and sleep. "I'm gonna rest some more...wake me if you need to."
Aw, man, she's been given a job. Oh well, keeping an eye out for danger isn't exactly hard and she was probably already doing it anyway. Nukpana nods her response and steps a short ways from Starlight so that she won't disturb her rest. Then she takes a quick look around and finds, as expected, nothing dangerous within sight. Then she starts to nibble on the grasses by her feet, for she can do that and keep an eye on things with no trouble. Takala becomes almost completely forgotten in the meantime.
The young mare won't be forgotten. Oh, no. Takala trots behind Nukpana, her legs lifting high and her tail swaying easily. This herd has seen enough anxiety the past few days. How about some fun? Once they are away from Starlight, she kicks up her heels in a rambunctious little buck and canters in a small circle around Nukpana. "Maybe we should take a look around. She said you should keep an eye out," she teases. She trots a few feet away and stops abruptly, ears perked and eyes focused on the distant tree line. "I think I see something." It's obvious she's joking, but temping Nukpana's irritation is just too hard to resist.
"I've just taken a look around," Nukpana says dryly, clearly not amused but only slightly irritated, "And there's nothing there." No, she won't even double check where Takala's looking, as she's quite confident that her first look was thorough enough and the odds that something appeared right then was rather slim. This mare is definately not the type to play games. It's even questionable whether or not she played games as a filly, in fact. However, she does stop grazing in order to look at Takala. The younger mare at least has her attention now.
"You couldn't even go along with it? Not even for a second?" Takala asks, feigning disappointment. However, she expected as much. Her gaze travels wistfully back to the tree line. Then she lowers her head and scratches the edge of her muzzle against a slim, black foreleg. "What do you do for fun?" she asks, genuinely interested. She tries to ward off her restlessness by grazing a little bit here and there.
The first question isn't dignified with a response, and the second requires an actual pause to think. What does she do for fun? She's hardly a bored mare, but she does nothing just for the fun of it so there's no ready answer. But finally she says, "I think about things, mostly. Sometimes I go for a run." Both of those are things that she'd do anyway, but they just so happen to also be entertaining to her. "Why, what do you do for fun?"
Takala considers Nukpana's answers. "I do those things, too. I daydream a lot," she admits. "When I lived with my family, I had several siblings and half-siblings around the same age. We'd chase each other, go for a swim in the watering hole." She's a little embarrassed that the older mare might think her antics juvenile, which they are. But, she had younger siblings that she was more or less in charge of babysitting so that had always been her excuse. "I guess I'm old enough that I should be outgrowing this sort of playfulness," she shrugs.
There's a change in Nukpana's expression when Takala describes her family; she becomes distant, as if trying not to listen too closely. And her attention doesn't seem to return until Takala's last statement, which she gives a small snort, "It doesn't matter what you do at what age, so long as you're sensible about the time and place." In other words, just because Nukpana is never silly as a rule, she's not going to stand around and complain if someone else is. As long as they don't put the whole herd in danger doing it, anyway.
"You're right, I guess," Takala replies. A length of silence passes in which the mare continues to graze. Her thoughts are turned toward said family, and she wonders if they're worried about what's become of her. She certainly worries about them, though it's energy wasted. "What about you?" she ask suddenly, looking over at Nukpana. "Did you have many brothers and sisters?"
Well, that's one question that Nukpana would have rather avoided. But, true to her nature, she answers it anyway, even though there's a bitterness to her voice, "My mother said she'd had three others. I never met them. I'm sure my father had hundreds. I never met any of them either." And she's only half upset that she's never met them; the other half is glad that she hasn't. In any event, her family is clearly not a topic that brings any good thoughts to Nukpana's mind.
From the tone of Nukpana's voice, it's obvious that Takala has infringed upon some unpleasant memories. She stops chewing for a moment and frowns. Indeed the black mare is very fortunate to have had the upbringing that she had, and Nukpana's answer serves to make her more aware that everyone is different. Still, she can't imagine what it would be like not knowing such a huge percentage of her family members. "Did you grow up around friends, at least?" she asks, tilting her head.
There's another pause as Nukpana considers the answer to that question. It would really depend on how you define 'friend', but the answer she gives is, "Not really." But this time she doesn't seem very upset about it. "The other foals around my age were discouraged from playing with me," she adds after a moment, figuring that she might as well add that detail, but again she doesn't sound upset about it. In fact, it sounds like she preferred it that way.
"What! Why?" Takala's ears shoot forward and then fall back. She seems incredulous. Here she spent most of her youth chasing around and playing with a slew of other foals, and it saddens her to imagine Nukpana as a foal with no one to hang out with. She completely overlooks the fact that this is the least resentful Nukpana has sounded since they started talking of families. "You weren't... lonely or anything?" she asks with a sense of caution mixed with awe.
Again there's a pause as Nukpana considers her answer, though this time it's not that she needs to think about what to say as how to phrase it. "It was my mother, really," she finally says, "She was an outcast in the herd because she was born among man, and even preferred it there. And I suppose I was lumped in with her because I was not wild bred, even though I was wild born. And I suppose I was a little lonely, though I always had my mother." And that, in a nutshell, is Nukpana's life story. Aside from what brought her here, anyway.
Takala's eyes widen at the mention of man. A predictable reaction coming from a young horse that has heard so much, but knows so little about the legendary creature. "She really lived with man? And she liked it?" she asks. "I've only ever been told to stay away from them unless I want to be taken away and never seen again." Funny how that has happened anyway, though man wasn't to blame. "But I'm still sorry the other horses treated you and your mother that way. Did she ever tell you about the man? Have you ever met one?" Her naivety on the subject is leading to excessive curiousness.
Yes, she'd been expecting that sort of reaction. Generally when she brings up her mother's past it's greeted with either hostility or curiosity, and Takala's certainly not the type to be hostile. "She told me a lot, though I can't say that I understand much of it. They're very strange creatures. I'm sure I'm fortunate to never have seen one myself," she answers, for though her mother had expounded on the virtues of them, any other horse Nukpana has met has hated man so she guesses that must be the right opinion. Her mother had some rather strange ideas, after all.
"I would like to see one, if I could somehow be sure it wasn't going to take me away," Takala declares softly. "I think all creatures are interesting in their own right." She tosses her head -- a shrug of sorts. "I wonder why they take us anyway. Are they predators? I don't think they eat us, but what do I know... I've asked my father about it but he wasn't interested in discussing it. Just told me to flee as fast as I could if I ever saw one." She snorts. "I don't think he's ever seen a man himself, so his opinion may be more than a little biased." Overall, Takala doesn't really seem opposed to the human connection of Nukpana's background. Quite the opposite, in fact, though that's not to say she'd go off and dwell with man herself.
Unlike most other wild horses, Nukpana can answer that question. "They use horses to carry things, often themselves. And to pull heavy things. Man is not a strong creature, but he uses other things to do what he can't," she says, sounding like she's reciting rather than thinking about her answer, "And it seems to me your father was right. My mother said nothing about man killing them, but what she did say didn't sound pleasant to me."
Starlight had fallen back asleep before she realized Darkstar's return, and remains where she had lain back down. Beginning to stir, her front hooves shift and she exhales softly, tail switching to hit the flies buzzing around.
Darkstar moves forward steadily at a swift walk. He follows the source of the scent to the best of his ability, though soon voices drift on the wind to his narrow ears. Darkstar picks up the pace a little and soon enough he is able to see silhouettes in the distance. There looks to be about three figures...but one of them is down on the ground? Darkstar's heart feels like it's leaped into his throat. All this time he was worried that something might have happened to Starlight while he was gone. It seems that his worries might well have been justified. He speeds towards the mare on the ground, breaking into a full gallop. He gives a loud whinny to announce his presence, though he is not yet within speaking range.
The conversation with Takala distracts Nukpana from her surroundings enough to let a few things slip by, but a galloping, whinnying stallion is hardly one of them. Especially given that she's not a big fan of stallions at the moment and even more especially that she doesn't know this one. Ears pin back, teeth are bared, and her tail lashes as she steps between her leader and the stranger. She has no idea who this guy is, but she's not going to let him just charge in while Starlight is on the ground.
Starlight's ears snap up at a whinny. It sounds...vaguely familiar. Starlight hasn't seen her mate in a very long time. Despite the fact that there's an unfamiliar stallion approaching, Starlight remains where she is. "Who goes there?" she whinnies, and her ears flick back against her head. Starlight shifts to stand up, but ends up rolling back onto her side. Those hoofmarks have become more painful, if anything, for the mare.
Darkstar comes to a sharp stop a fair distance away, especially once an unfamiliar mare moves protectively in front of Starlight. Well at least one thing is clear, she has someone to look out for her safety. He takes a deep breath to calm himself and faces the stranger. There is no sign of aggression in his stance and he doesn't move forward any further. Instead he gives this unfamiliar mare a measuring look and then speaks, "I am sorry for the intrusion. I used to live here at one point, before something happened. But that doesn't matter right now. There is only one thing I need to know. Is Starlight okay?" He asks the mare before giving a small smile, "Here I was worried about her, but I'm glad she has others looking out for her at least." He remarks.
So much has happened since he was taken away, and there's so much he doesn't know. His ears perk hopefully at hearing Starlight's voice. It's a voice he hasn't heard in such a long time. He speaks to her from where he currently stands, "It is Darkstar. I have returned." He announces, wondering what has happened to her and if she remembers much of him after so much time has passed.
Though the unfamilar stallion doesn't seem aggressive, that doesn't lower Nukpana's response one bit. His story is heard, but the jury's still out on whether or not she believes him. Still, he knows Starlight's name, so that's a start. The blood bay mare glances at Starlight for confirmation, unwilling to stand down until the leader says he's okay. She doesn't say a word though, allowing the leader to speak up for herself and reducing her role bodyguard.
Starlight blinks. She does know him! How could she have forgotten. "D-darkstar!" she whuffs in surprise, and she moves quickly to stand up. She regrets the movement, and she groans, a low whicker that has her back on her side, big chestnut head resting back on the ground. "Where were you?" she asks.
Darkstar is very relieved when she finally recognizes him, though that relief soon fades away to concern when she isn't able to stand up. He gives a worried nicker before answering, "I don't know what happened to you, but it's obviously not good. Please try not to move around to much." He requests. Sure, he may not have seen her in a long time but he can't help but fuss a little. At the question his ears flick back and a look of shame crosses his visage, "I was patrolling the border one day when I was ambushed by a bunch of two-leggers. I tried to fight them but they surrounded me and bound me with something. They took me to a place where I was hemmed in and couldn't get out. They provided food and such things, but they continually tried to climb on my back. I tried to escape several times, but the walls were too high.
Finally one of their young ones felt sorry for me and helped me escape. I have been traveling a long time since, trying to find my way back here. The two-leggers had taken me far away. I am so sorry." He apologizes, feeling horrible for not having been there for her or the others. He wants to approach Starlight, but he doesn't want to upset the other mare.
And when Starlight's reaction makes it apparent to Nukpana that this stallion is both known and not a threat, stand down she does. However, she only backs away enough to allow Darkstar to approach, lingering nearby in case she'll be needed. However, the stallion's words unexpectedly draw her attention. "A rope," she supplies in her rich alto at the right moment, then, "A corral." Obviously she knows something about what Darkstar's been through, but aside from those words she says nothing.
"I'm alright...just resting." she says. "I've missed you so much..." she says, watching him with a look of wonder. She thought he was dead, all this time. "No, I'm sorry...I gave up on you ever coming back." she says, and her tail flicks again.
Darkstar looks up as the other mare supplies words to things that he'd tried to describe before giving a dip of his muzzle in acknowledgement, "Thank you. That's what I was thinking of. Come to think of it I haven't gotten your name yet. And you are...?" He trails off, giving her time to fill in the blanks if she wishes. When she moves aside to let him past he cautiously moves forward and whickers softly in response to Starlight, "What happened?" He asks, not bothering to hide the concern in his tone. His gaze softens at her words and he slowly moves forward with the intent of giving her shoulder a quick nuzzle before replying, "I've missed you very much too. I thought a lot about you while I was trapped there. I am just glad to have had the chance to rest my eyes upon you again. There's no need for you to apologize to me." He replies, before he notices the rounded belly.
It is then that the full extent of her words hits him, though he soon shakes his head, "You had no way of knowing. I understand, you had to move on into the future." He tells her, wanting nothing more than to reassure her.
While Nukpana's expression has relaxed somewhat from hostile, her stiff features show that she's still very certain that she doesn't like this Darkstar. But she'll willingly submit her name for the record, "Nukpana." Otherwise she listens in silence, allowing the two to catch eachother up. Meanwhile, she'll keep an eye on the surroundings, since she doubts that either of them are giving that any particular thought.
"I got in a fight...and I got kicked." she tells him with a soft sigh. "I just hope the foal is okay..." she says softly. Her ears stay back. "But it hurts to stand..." she says. "Which is why I'm still lying down...and I waited for you for a long time." she says.
Darkstar doesn't fail to notice Nukpana's stiff mannerism, but as far as he's concerned she's entitled to it. She doesn't know him after all, and she's welcome to her own opinion. A single nod is given in reply to the stating of her name, but he chooses to leave her alone rather than antagonize her. From the looks of Starlight to the stance of the other mare it's obvious that there's been some sort of trouble. That line of thinking is only confirmed by Starlight's answer to his question. Darkstar gives a soft whuffle and then responds, "Who did this?" He asks, his voice dropping an octave. His ears flick back a bit in worry as he gazes at her stomach, "Then don't, you don't need to right now.
And thank you for waiting as long as you could. I just wish that I had been there for you. I hope that the foal is okay as well. If only I'd been there to protect you..." He laments. He then asks, "Is there anything I can get you? I couldn't help you then, but now that I'm here perhaps there is something I can do." He offers.
At the moment, leaving Nukpana be is probably the best choice that Darkstar can make. While it's possible for a stallion to get on her good side, it's difficult and there's bound to be a hundred other things on his mind more important than her having a good opinion of him. However, she finally speaks up, since Darkstar's asked a question that Starlight probably doesn't know the answer to, "Her name is Pauwau. She's cremello in color." And since that should be sufficient she lapses into silence again.
"Yeah, I do..." she says. Despite a look of pain that crosses her face, and a low groan that escapes, Starlight manages to stumble onto her feet, however unsteady she seems. "Yeah...whatever her name is..." she says. Starlight stands still, but her head stays lowered. "There's nothing you can get me, no...but can you come closer?" she asks him softly.
It has taken Lootah a long time to cool off after the treatment he endured throughout most of the previous day, but he has finally returned. None too happy still, but the gold and white stallion makes his way back into the area with a bit of a stomp to his step, tail and head raised high as he canters in toward the three figures. Two of them he recognizes, one he does not. And by the looks of the muscle formations and the general frame of the stranger, he figures it's a male. Pinning his ears backward, he lets out a low toned, aggressive whinny, and his hooves carry him in a sprinting, charging fashion toward the black stallion. Being gone as long as he was was a foolish decision for a supposed "leader" to make, but given how he was treated the day previous, ..well, he didn't much care for their safety. Still, his return should say something for how he felt about most of the mares, though apparently at least one of them didn't feel the same way. All the better for him; Lootah didn't quite like the favoring life anyway.
Darkstar is surprised to hear Nukpana's answer to his question. A mare attacked Starlight? It's not that he doubts a mare has the ability, but it's more the fact that such a thing is highly unusual. He gives the mare a grateful look, though it's soon overshadowed by the darkening of anger, "Thank you. I shall remember that name." He replies. He doubts he can ever forgive the mare called Pauwau for harming Starlight, and he plans to deal with her should he ever come across her. Nukpana is right in her thinking for sure, he does have a lot on his mind at the moment. His attention soon returns to Starlight, and he's surprised when she manages to get onto her hooves. Didn't he just ask her not to move? Still, it was just a request. He can understand why she would want to be near him after all this time, and he feels the same. The black stallion moves in nearer to her, pulling up close to her side so that she can lean up against him if she needs to.
His answer is a soft whisper, "Of course." He replies and lifts his head in order to lightly nuzzle her. In that moment of silence he hears it, the drumming sound of approaching hooves. He looks up to see who has arrived and is surprised to see a stallion charging towards him. He gives a quick pleading look towards Nukpana, "I hate to ask anything of you since you don't know me, but can you help Starlight get a little distance from here so that she doesn't get caught up in this? You did a good job of protecting her earlier I think. I'm not asking this for my sake, but for hers." He tells her before glancing to Starlight, "I'll be back, I promise. I just need to deal with this first." He tells her. He hadn't intended to fight this other stallion, but Darkstar is disappointed in him.
What kind of stallion would allow one of his mares to be attacked by another? It is his failure to protect Starlight that irks him the most. Darkstar leaps away from Starlight and races towards the other stallion in what appears to be attempt at a head-on collision. He doesn't seem to be altering his course, but he probably does have some sort of plan in mind.
The tenseness that's so apparent in Nukpana eases just visibly when Starlight finally manages to get to her feet. Good! You can't help but worry when a fellow horse seems to be unable to stand. However, the relief she feels is short lived because that's when she hears then sees Lootah. Oh, great! Were it just her and Darkstar here, she'd leave right now. But Starlight's presence means that simply backing off and allowing the males to duke it out may not be the best option, and Darkstar's request is actually her first instinct too. However, what she'll do instead is to lend her support to her leader, and she looks to Starlight with a questioning expression. If the lead mare thinks they should back off, then she'll help Starlight get a safe distance away, but if she wants to do something else she'll help with whatever that is.
"Darkstar!" Starlight calls, and her ears pull back further. She doesn't want another fight. Still...she realizes she should move, and she leans against Nukpana as they move away. "Lootah, stop! I know him!" she calls. "Darkstar! Come back to me!" She doesn't want him, after so long away, getting hurt in a battle.
Charging forward still, the painted stallion's hooves do indeed drum roughly against the earth, little dust clouds appearing behind him as he brings himself to a full force gallop, perhaps really intending to crash his cranium into the other. When the black equid does quite the same thing, Lootah lets out an angry sounding grunt that was meant to be encouraging to himself, but was probably able to be heard by the others as well. At full speed, he hears the voice of Starlight, and would normally stop if she'd told him to.. but this was a matter of dominance against another stallion. Starlight's pleas fell on deaf and tucked back ears, as Lootah made no attempt to stop from crashing violently into the other.
Darkstar dares a quick glance back at the mares and is relieved to see both of them moving off to a safe distance. It's a comforting thought that Nukpana is there is help Starlight. Hopefully they both won't get dragged into this. The calls from Starlight reach his ears but he can't stop now, because if he does he will get seriously injured. So he calls back to her quickly, "He's not going to stop Starlight, I can see it in his eyes. I can't stop now either. If I go back to where you are he will follow and you could get hurt. I will come back to you, you'll see." He tells her. He is not about to lose her now, not after all he went through. He turns his head back to the other stallion with a look of resigned determination in his eyes. He hadn't wanted to fight but this stallion has given him no other choice.
His hooves churn up the ground beneath him and the sight of the other stallion fills his line of vision. Just as he gets closes he tenses his hind legs and springs at the other stallion with the agility of his particular breed. His left front hoof is aimed towards the knee of one of Lootah's front legs, while the other is directed towards the base of the leg. If he can land a heavy blow in either place he might be able to handicap his opponent temporarily. It's obvious that the other mares care for this stallion to some degree, so he's not trying to kill the other stallion.
Moving as quickly as Starlight can manage, Nukpana provides her leader with a steady shoulder to lean on as they try and get a safe distance away. The last place two pregnant mares belong is in a stallion fight, especially when one of them is injured and the other wouldn't mind if they both managed to kill eachother. She expresses a fraction of that sentiment when she mutters, "Stallions are all idiots," only loud enough for Starlight to hear, if the other mare is even paying attention.
"They can be foolish...but some are worth putting up with." she sighs. She's leaning rather heavily onto the other mare, and her hooves shift anxiously. She doesn't want either stallion hurt, and she whinnies after them nervously, her tail flicking about more in agitation than because of insects.
The fact that this black stallion was calling back to Starlight in a manner that let Lootah assume that the two knew each other only angered him further, and another angry whinny rang through the prairie. Kicking up another cloud of dust behind him, he prepared himself for the hits that he could see coming, but before the other's hoof nailed him in the knee, he reared up and flailed his own hooves at the other male's shoulder and neck area, getting hit in the lower chest himself, but with a grunt, he ignored it, and kept on going. It hurt; took his breath away and gave him a gash from the sharp edge, but he would carry on. This wasn't his first fight- he'd had many already in his lifetime. Pulling his lips back, Lootah's teeth snapped at the other, his nostrils flaring and his ears tucked back aggressively. After a sudden landing, he put all of his weight on his front hooves, and bucked viciously at the other. Darkstar might not've been trying to kill him, but the mercy wasn't mutual.
Darkstar is partially knocked back by his impact with Lootah, though his hind legs are the first to touch the ground. He uses the same front hoof he's impacted Lootah with to push off, moving himself back and away from those dangerous flailing hooves. Having been penned up by humans so long, he's a little out of practice and he pays for it when one of those flailing hooves opens a gash in his shoulder. It can't be helped, the other male is showing no mercy and Darkstar can't afford to go easy on him anymore. The pain is felt but like the other stallion he ignores it, because this isn't his first fight either. He keeps a close eye on the other male and when he starts to put his weight on the front hooves, Darkstar figures out what is going on.
The arabian tenses his hind leg muscles like before, only this time he springs away from the other stallion and just barely manages to escape the vicious buck. The other stallion is around the same height as him, but Darkstar has a much more slender build. The landing is hardly pretty and he can feel the jolt right up through his legs, but at least he's a little more in the open now. Darkstar knows there is no time to lose and no sooner do his hooves touch the ground that he's turning back towards Lootah. He rears up and aims one hoof towards the joint between Lootah's neck and shoulder. But it's just as feint as the other hoof comes up underneath it, directed towards the crest of his neck.
As heavily as Starlight leans, it's unlikely that she'll give Nukpana too much weight to support as long as the lead mare keeps her feet under her. The blood bay mare is larger than most mustangs and with that size comes strength. For her part, she doesn't pay too much attention to the fight until she's certain they're far enough away to be reasonably safe, and then she merely looks over her shoulder to see what's happening. To Starlight she responds, "If you say so." Her experience tells her something different. She certainly doesn't think that foolishness like this is worth putting up with!
Starlight can't take it any longer. She won't stand there and watch the two stallions rip each other apart. With a whinny, she moves away from the support of Nukpana and heads for the stallions, though she moves with marked effort and considerable pain. "Lootah! Darkstar! Stop this now!" She doesn't want either harmed, though she's quite angry at Lootah still. Even at a slow speed, Starlight's respiration has increased as she approaches the battling stallions, neighing for a halt.
Knowing that he hit the arabian was enough for Lootah to be satisfied with for the moment, but unfortunately for him, Darkstar had landed a pretty severe blow around his neck as well, which caused him to back away. It felt as if a bone had been broken, but it hadn't. It was just the beginnings of what was sure to end up as an inflammated bruise. Flaring his nostrils in pain and in anger, Lootah craned his neck painfully, ready to charge into the leaner stallion, but doesn't have the opportunity as Starlight presents herself in the midst of their battle. The urge is there to snap at her as she'd snapped at him previously, but at the same time, he hardly even wants to bother with her. Stomping a hoof, he lets out a highly agitated snort, and flicks his tail at his hocks, all the sudden.. not caring about the outcome of their battle. Lootah was never meant to be the leader of any herd. Why he even tried was like a bad joke, and it doesn't take long for him to turn and begin to trot off, hardly caring at all about the fate of the mares; a few in particular. There were plenty of other mares elsewhere, anyway.
Darkstar feels one of his hooves land the blow he's aimed for, though the stallion takes no pleasure in harming the other. For him it was a defensive battle from the beginning. He drops his front hooves back onto the ground moments later, nostrils flaring as he drags in a deep breath of air. For a moment he's afraid for Starlight when she approaches to halt their battle, though it soom becomes apparent that the other stallion has finally decided to back down. A nod of respect is given to Lootah, the stallion had fought well. After that he quickly trots over towards Starlight, "You were wise to stop it, though I do not like the fact that you put yourself in danger." He remarks and looks at her with concern, though refrains from asking if she is okay. Instead he turns to face the other stallion, though there is no malice in his gaze. He can tell the other stallion is quite put out and so he searches for words to help smooth the situation. He then directs his words to Lootah as the stallion begins to head off, "It has been a long time since I have had such a challenge. That kind of strength is something these mares need around here. There was a point in time where I was once leader of the herd. My name is Darkstar, though I'm not sure if Starlight has told you about me. I wish this whole thing has been avoided, but what's done is done. Maybe you should stick around. You don't have to decide now, but think about it." He calls out after Lootah. He then turns his attention back to Starlight with a look of relief, "I'm glad that's over with, though it might have dragged on without your help." He remarks. To Nukpana he gives a grateful look for her helping out Starlight, but otherwise he leaves her alone as she seems to prefer.
Takala had wandered away earlier in the day, to explore and better acquaint herself with her new home. During the course of this adventure, she'd found a pool and has spent the past hour or so entertaining herself in its slippery depths. Now, she decides it's time to return to the lowlands. She wouldn't want to worry anyone with her absence, especially Lootah. As she approaches from the northwest, something -- be it in the air or just a sudden change in ambiance -- tells her that things are amiss. She stands there for a minute, anxiously chewing her tongue and rotating her ears every which way while looking for the herd. She spots them and begins cantering in their direction, now able to discern a shower of dust and a thrashing of limbs similar to the one from the other day. Another fight?
Her breath quickens and her heart drops. Before she can even reach them, she watches as Lootah retreats from the group at a trot. He probably doesn't see her standing in the distance, but she can see him and boy, does he look furious. The even-tempered young mare hasn't taken many chances or made any bold moves since her arrival, but she can't stop herself from trotting after the stallion. Her steps slow to a halt after just a few feet. Her eyes express her concern as she calls out his name, "Lootah! Where are you going?" Briefly, she looks over her shoulder at the rest of the group, and at the unknown stallion standing beside Starlight and Nukpana. She looks back at Lootah with head tilted and ears perked, dark eyes staring sadly and thoughtfully up at him.
What's this? Starlight is going toward the fight now? "Are you crazy?" Nukpana asks, and yet she follows right on her leader's heels without really thinking about it. But it seems that Starlight isn't as crazy as Nukpana has assumed because this time the stallions actually listen. Huh. She snorts for no apparent reason, and completely ignores Darkstar's look. She didn't do it for him, and if he'd been the only reason then she wouldn't have done it. Hearing an unexpected voice, she whickers when she recognises Takala, but her mind is on too many other things to do more than that.
Starlight sighs heavily. "I don't want anyone fighting..." She watches Lootah head off, and she leans onto Darkstar instead for support. She rather would like to lie back down, maybe eat a little. "I had to stop it...Lootah might have tried to kill you." she whickers, and she shifts her head to nose at Darkstar's flank. "I've lost you once. I won't again."
To have been so easily defeated by the other stallion was nothing short of embarassing for Lootah, and it's no wonder that he continues to trot off, regardless of Takala's call. It was only when Darkstar had the audacity to welcome him back into the herd that he turned around and glared daggers at the both of them, Starlight in particular. A strange primal feeling rushed over the stallion and he felt the urge to kick her in the stomach and complete the job that the cremello mare might've left unfinished, but he shoves the thought aside and instead just snorts angrily at the both of them. "Why would I stay here?" He asks, hurt by his defeat, and by knowing that Starlight in a sense chose Darkstar over him. Not bothering to wait for an answer, Lootah turns again and walks off this time, at a leisurely pace.
Darkstar supports Starlight's weight easily and gives a soft nicker to her, "I understand. I won't fight anymore today unless I don't have another choice." He promises. A gentle whicker is given and he reaches his muzzle up to nuzzle her cheek. He then gave a chuckle at her remark, "Oh, there was no doubt in my mind about that. I'm not planning on going anywhere now though, not after having found you again." He tells her in a voice thick with affection. After all this time she still loves him...it's nothing less than a miracle. His attention is channeled in the direction of the other stallion for a moment, especially at his bitter words.Darkstar can't exactly blame him after what he just went through, but he doesn't want the other stallion to just walk away from it all. So he calls out in a louder voice, making one last appeal to the other stallion, "Just because I am here doesn't mean the other mares have stopped caring about you. And as for Starlight and I, we have a history going back to far before the two of you met. The herd could still use your protection, and the safer they are the better. They would be much better off with two stallions instead of one." He entreats. He then turns his attention back to Starlight. From the way she is leaning against him, he can tell that she is tired. So he leans his muzzle down and begins to pull at the longer grass, chopping off several stalks with his teeth. He then scatters it on top of the shorter grass by pushing it around with his muzzle. He continues doing this for a few minutes, until he's made a sort of springy grass bed. He then looks up to Starlight with a small smile, "Perhaps you should lay down for a bit on this? It should be softer, and not so hard on the belly." He tells her. There is nothing more he can do about the stallion. He obviously needs time to cool off in order to even consider it.
Starlight noses Darkstar gratefully before she settles down onto the springy grass. It does feel better. She hasn't eaten in a little while, and she starts to nibble lightly at the grass surrounding her. She wants to say something to Lootah, but she just feels so irritated with the stallion. He acts aloof, and then suddenly he's offended that someone else cares.
Nukpana - Female Horse
Starlight - Female Horse
Takala - Female Horse
Lootah - Male Horse
Darkstar - Male Horse
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After the fight with the strange mare the previous night, Starlight had wandered away from the others before deciding to rest. She had been kicked with the flailing hooves, but has been lying down asleep since she first lowered herself to the ground. There she remains, breathing steadily in sleep, but hooves shifting restlessly while her ears remain pulled back.
Since that whole incident Nukpana hasn't wandered more than her grazing has taken her, but eventually she comes within sight of the sleeping leader. She remains silent, having no wish to disturb Starlight's rest, making no more noise than required to continue grazing. She actually hasn't thought much about what happened, as she didn't really feel involved after the first few moments, and instead she's been more or less waiting for things to settle back down and return to normal, whatever normal happens to be.
Starlight seems to be stirring now. The chestnut mare lifts her head, sees Nukpana, and nickers. She shifts, as if she's going to stand, but groans and seems to think better of it, setting her head back on the grass. Maybe a little more rest, after all. Her tail flicks, and she glances about. Nobody else around, so she can stay lying down for now.
Pausing when the other mare stirs, Nukpana returns the nicker with one of her own and abandons her grazing to approach Starlight. She doesn't come too close, both to give Starlight her space while she's on the ground and also because the two mares will have to know eachother for much longer before Nukpana would cosy up to her. "Are you alright?" she asks quietly, the 'you' in this case being plural. She'd hardly missed that blow to Starlight's belly, though she imagines that they'll just have to wait and see if it did any harm to the foal. Truthfully she's asking in hopes of getting a positive answer and therefore official permission not to be concerned.
Takala has been trailing Nukpana this whole time. She's found a friend (well, somewhat) and is content to stay within range of the mare, especially after the yesterday's excitement. Like Nukpana had said, all they can do is wait and things will work themselves out. So, she's been trying to go on as normally as possible. Eat, sleep, you know. She feels much better - playful, even! The black mare creeps up beside Nukpana and gives the mare's tail a sly tug, and is about to dance away when Nukpana begins walking. Hey! Then she sees Starlight lying in the grass. Takala abandons her playfulness and grows quiet, listening as Nukpana asks the question that she's been wondering as well.
"I think so..." comes the reply from Starlight. She's certainly hurting, but instinct wants her to show no weakness. Thus, despite another low groan, Starlight slowly rises to her hooves. She stands there, ears back, and breathes a little heavily. "I will be..." she says, though she very much wants to lie back down. Still, that would only make her vulnerable.
When she feels a tug on her tail Nukpana's ears flick back in annoyance. If she didn't consider Takala to be a foolish youngster her response would have been more severe than attempting to swat Takala in the face with her tail, but that is exactly what she does. She's more than a little annoyed that she seems to have found herself a follower, as much as she must admit that Takala has remarkably good taste. But she forces most of her attention onto Starlight, who she nods to. If Starlight is well enough to pretend that everything is fine, then even if things aren't fine they will be. "Is there anything you'd like me to do?" she asks, secretly hoping the answer is no, because then she can wash her hooves of the whole situation.
Starlight cannot sense any danger in the area, and thus gives in to the discomfort of standing, slowly lowering herself to the ground again. They are more vulnerable with Lootah's lack of presence, but things are quiet at the moment, and Starlight wouldn't be able to do anything even if things were hectic. "No, just keep an eye out." she tells her, and her eyes close again. She'll try and sleep. "I'm gonna rest some more...wake me if you need to."
Aw, man, she's been given a job. Oh well, keeping an eye out for danger isn't exactly hard and she was probably already doing it anyway. Nukpana nods her response and steps a short ways from Starlight so that she won't disturb her rest. Then she takes a quick look around and finds, as expected, nothing dangerous within sight. Then she starts to nibble on the grasses by her feet, for she can do that and keep an eye on things with no trouble. Takala becomes almost completely forgotten in the meantime.
The young mare won't be forgotten. Oh, no. Takala trots behind Nukpana, her legs lifting high and her tail swaying easily. This herd has seen enough anxiety the past few days. How about some fun? Once they are away from Starlight, she kicks up her heels in a rambunctious little buck and canters in a small circle around Nukpana. "Maybe we should take a look around. She said you should keep an eye out," she teases. She trots a few feet away and stops abruptly, ears perked and eyes focused on the distant tree line. "I think I see something." It's obvious she's joking, but temping Nukpana's irritation is just too hard to resist.
"I've just taken a look around," Nukpana says dryly, clearly not amused but only slightly irritated, "And there's nothing there." No, she won't even double check where Takala's looking, as she's quite confident that her first look was thorough enough and the odds that something appeared right then was rather slim. This mare is definately not the type to play games. It's even questionable whether or not she played games as a filly, in fact. However, she does stop grazing in order to look at Takala. The younger mare at least has her attention now.
"You couldn't even go along with it? Not even for a second?" Takala asks, feigning disappointment. However, she expected as much. Her gaze travels wistfully back to the tree line. Then she lowers her head and scratches the edge of her muzzle against a slim, black foreleg. "What do you do for fun?" she asks, genuinely interested. She tries to ward off her restlessness by grazing a little bit here and there.
The first question isn't dignified with a response, and the second requires an actual pause to think. What does she do for fun? She's hardly a bored mare, but she does nothing just for the fun of it so there's no ready answer. But finally she says, "I think about things, mostly. Sometimes I go for a run." Both of those are things that she'd do anyway, but they just so happen to also be entertaining to her. "Why, what do you do for fun?"
Takala considers Nukpana's answers. "I do those things, too. I daydream a lot," she admits. "When I lived with my family, I had several siblings and half-siblings around the same age. We'd chase each other, go for a swim in the watering hole." She's a little embarrassed that the older mare might think her antics juvenile, which they are. But, she had younger siblings that she was more or less in charge of babysitting so that had always been her excuse. "I guess I'm old enough that I should be outgrowing this sort of playfulness," she shrugs.
There's a change in Nukpana's expression when Takala describes her family; she becomes distant, as if trying not to listen too closely. And her attention doesn't seem to return until Takala's last statement, which she gives a small snort, "It doesn't matter what you do at what age, so long as you're sensible about the time and place." In other words, just because Nukpana is never silly as a rule, she's not going to stand around and complain if someone else is. As long as they don't put the whole herd in danger doing it, anyway.
"You're right, I guess," Takala replies. A length of silence passes in which the mare continues to graze. Her thoughts are turned toward said family, and she wonders if they're worried about what's become of her. She certainly worries about them, though it's energy wasted. "What about you?" she ask suddenly, looking over at Nukpana. "Did you have many brothers and sisters?"
Well, that's one question that Nukpana would have rather avoided. But, true to her nature, she answers it anyway, even though there's a bitterness to her voice, "My mother said she'd had three others. I never met them. I'm sure my father had hundreds. I never met any of them either." And she's only half upset that she's never met them; the other half is glad that she hasn't. In any event, her family is clearly not a topic that brings any good thoughts to Nukpana's mind.
From the tone of Nukpana's voice, it's obvious that Takala has infringed upon some unpleasant memories. She stops chewing for a moment and frowns. Indeed the black mare is very fortunate to have had the upbringing that she had, and Nukpana's answer serves to make her more aware that everyone is different. Still, she can't imagine what it would be like not knowing such a huge percentage of her family members. "Did you grow up around friends, at least?" she asks, tilting her head.
There's another pause as Nukpana considers the answer to that question. It would really depend on how you define 'friend', but the answer she gives is, "Not really." But this time she doesn't seem very upset about it. "The other foals around my age were discouraged from playing with me," she adds after a moment, figuring that she might as well add that detail, but again she doesn't sound upset about it. In fact, it sounds like she preferred it that way.
"What! Why?" Takala's ears shoot forward and then fall back. She seems incredulous. Here she spent most of her youth chasing around and playing with a slew of other foals, and it saddens her to imagine Nukpana as a foal with no one to hang out with. She completely overlooks the fact that this is the least resentful Nukpana has sounded since they started talking of families. "You weren't... lonely or anything?" she asks with a sense of caution mixed with awe.
Again there's a pause as Nukpana considers her answer, though this time it's not that she needs to think about what to say as how to phrase it. "It was my mother, really," she finally says, "She was an outcast in the herd because she was born among man, and even preferred it there. And I suppose I was lumped in with her because I was not wild bred, even though I was wild born. And I suppose I was a little lonely, though I always had my mother." And that, in a nutshell, is Nukpana's life story. Aside from what brought her here, anyway.
Takala's eyes widen at the mention of man. A predictable reaction coming from a young horse that has heard so much, but knows so little about the legendary creature. "She really lived with man? And she liked it?" she asks. "I've only ever been told to stay away from them unless I want to be taken away and never seen again." Funny how that has happened anyway, though man wasn't to blame. "But I'm still sorry the other horses treated you and your mother that way. Did she ever tell you about the man? Have you ever met one?" Her naivety on the subject is leading to excessive curiousness.
Yes, she'd been expecting that sort of reaction. Generally when she brings up her mother's past it's greeted with either hostility or curiosity, and Takala's certainly not the type to be hostile. "She told me a lot, though I can't say that I understand much of it. They're very strange creatures. I'm sure I'm fortunate to never have seen one myself," she answers, for though her mother had expounded on the virtues of them, any other horse Nukpana has met has hated man so she guesses that must be the right opinion. Her mother had some rather strange ideas, after all.
"I would like to see one, if I could somehow be sure it wasn't going to take me away," Takala declares softly. "I think all creatures are interesting in their own right." She tosses her head -- a shrug of sorts. "I wonder why they take us anyway. Are they predators? I don't think they eat us, but what do I know... I've asked my father about it but he wasn't interested in discussing it. Just told me to flee as fast as I could if I ever saw one." She snorts. "I don't think he's ever seen a man himself, so his opinion may be more than a little biased." Overall, Takala doesn't really seem opposed to the human connection of Nukpana's background. Quite the opposite, in fact, though that's not to say she'd go off and dwell with man herself.
Unlike most other wild horses, Nukpana can answer that question. "They use horses to carry things, often themselves. And to pull heavy things. Man is not a strong creature, but he uses other things to do what he can't," she says, sounding like she's reciting rather than thinking about her answer, "And it seems to me your father was right. My mother said nothing about man killing them, but what she did say didn't sound pleasant to me."
Starlight had fallen back asleep before she realized Darkstar's return, and remains where she had lain back down. Beginning to stir, her front hooves shift and she exhales softly, tail switching to hit the flies buzzing around.
Darkstar moves forward steadily at a swift walk. He follows the source of the scent to the best of his ability, though soon voices drift on the wind to his narrow ears. Darkstar picks up the pace a little and soon enough he is able to see silhouettes in the distance. There looks to be about three figures...but one of them is down on the ground? Darkstar's heart feels like it's leaped into his throat. All this time he was worried that something might have happened to Starlight while he was gone. It seems that his worries might well have been justified. He speeds towards the mare on the ground, breaking into a full gallop. He gives a loud whinny to announce his presence, though he is not yet within speaking range.
The conversation with Takala distracts Nukpana from her surroundings enough to let a few things slip by, but a galloping, whinnying stallion is hardly one of them. Especially given that she's not a big fan of stallions at the moment and even more especially that she doesn't know this one. Ears pin back, teeth are bared, and her tail lashes as she steps between her leader and the stranger. She has no idea who this guy is, but she's not going to let him just charge in while Starlight is on the ground.
Starlight's ears snap up at a whinny. It sounds...vaguely familiar. Starlight hasn't seen her mate in a very long time. Despite the fact that there's an unfamiliar stallion approaching, Starlight remains where she is. "Who goes there?" she whinnies, and her ears flick back against her head. Starlight shifts to stand up, but ends up rolling back onto her side. Those hoofmarks have become more painful, if anything, for the mare.
Darkstar comes to a sharp stop a fair distance away, especially once an unfamiliar mare moves protectively in front of Starlight. Well at least one thing is clear, she has someone to look out for her safety. He takes a deep breath to calm himself and faces the stranger. There is no sign of aggression in his stance and he doesn't move forward any further. Instead he gives this unfamiliar mare a measuring look and then speaks, "I am sorry for the intrusion. I used to live here at one point, before something happened. But that doesn't matter right now. There is only one thing I need to know. Is Starlight okay?" He asks the mare before giving a small smile, "Here I was worried about her, but I'm glad she has others looking out for her at least." He remarks.
So much has happened since he was taken away, and there's so much he doesn't know. His ears perk hopefully at hearing Starlight's voice. It's a voice he hasn't heard in such a long time. He speaks to her from where he currently stands, "It is Darkstar. I have returned." He announces, wondering what has happened to her and if she remembers much of him after so much time has passed.
Though the unfamilar stallion doesn't seem aggressive, that doesn't lower Nukpana's response one bit. His story is heard, but the jury's still out on whether or not she believes him. Still, he knows Starlight's name, so that's a start. The blood bay mare glances at Starlight for confirmation, unwilling to stand down until the leader says he's okay. She doesn't say a word though, allowing the leader to speak up for herself and reducing her role bodyguard.
Starlight blinks. She does know him! How could she have forgotten. "D-darkstar!" she whuffs in surprise, and she moves quickly to stand up. She regrets the movement, and she groans, a low whicker that has her back on her side, big chestnut head resting back on the ground. "Where were you?" she asks.
Darkstar is very relieved when she finally recognizes him, though that relief soon fades away to concern when she isn't able to stand up. He gives a worried nicker before answering, "I don't know what happened to you, but it's obviously not good. Please try not to move around to much." He requests. Sure, he may not have seen her in a long time but he can't help but fuss a little. At the question his ears flick back and a look of shame crosses his visage, "I was patrolling the border one day when I was ambushed by a bunch of two-leggers. I tried to fight them but they surrounded me and bound me with something. They took me to a place where I was hemmed in and couldn't get out. They provided food and such things, but they continually tried to climb on my back. I tried to escape several times, but the walls were too high.
Finally one of their young ones felt sorry for me and helped me escape. I have been traveling a long time since, trying to find my way back here. The two-leggers had taken me far away. I am so sorry." He apologizes, feeling horrible for not having been there for her or the others. He wants to approach Starlight, but he doesn't want to upset the other mare.
And when Starlight's reaction makes it apparent to Nukpana that this stallion is both known and not a threat, stand down she does. However, she only backs away enough to allow Darkstar to approach, lingering nearby in case she'll be needed. However, the stallion's words unexpectedly draw her attention. "A rope," she supplies in her rich alto at the right moment, then, "A corral." Obviously she knows something about what Darkstar's been through, but aside from those words she says nothing.
"I'm alright...just resting." she says. "I've missed you so much..." she says, watching him with a look of wonder. She thought he was dead, all this time. "No, I'm sorry...I gave up on you ever coming back." she says, and her tail flicks again.
Darkstar looks up as the other mare supplies words to things that he'd tried to describe before giving a dip of his muzzle in acknowledgement, "Thank you. That's what I was thinking of. Come to think of it I haven't gotten your name yet. And you are...?" He trails off, giving her time to fill in the blanks if she wishes. When she moves aside to let him past he cautiously moves forward and whickers softly in response to Starlight, "What happened?" He asks, not bothering to hide the concern in his tone. His gaze softens at her words and he slowly moves forward with the intent of giving her shoulder a quick nuzzle before replying, "I've missed you very much too. I thought a lot about you while I was trapped there. I am just glad to have had the chance to rest my eyes upon you again. There's no need for you to apologize to me." He replies, before he notices the rounded belly.
It is then that the full extent of her words hits him, though he soon shakes his head, "You had no way of knowing. I understand, you had to move on into the future." He tells her, wanting nothing more than to reassure her.
While Nukpana's expression has relaxed somewhat from hostile, her stiff features show that she's still very certain that she doesn't like this Darkstar. But she'll willingly submit her name for the record, "Nukpana." Otherwise she listens in silence, allowing the two to catch eachother up. Meanwhile, she'll keep an eye on the surroundings, since she doubts that either of them are giving that any particular thought.
"I got in a fight...and I got kicked." she tells him with a soft sigh. "I just hope the foal is okay..." she says softly. Her ears stay back. "But it hurts to stand..." she says. "Which is why I'm still lying down...and I waited for you for a long time." she says.
Darkstar doesn't fail to notice Nukpana's stiff mannerism, but as far as he's concerned she's entitled to it. She doesn't know him after all, and she's welcome to her own opinion. A single nod is given in reply to the stating of her name, but he chooses to leave her alone rather than antagonize her. From the looks of Starlight to the stance of the other mare it's obvious that there's been some sort of trouble. That line of thinking is only confirmed by Starlight's answer to his question. Darkstar gives a soft whuffle and then responds, "Who did this?" He asks, his voice dropping an octave. His ears flick back a bit in worry as he gazes at her stomach, "Then don't, you don't need to right now.
And thank you for waiting as long as you could. I just wish that I had been there for you. I hope that the foal is okay as well. If only I'd been there to protect you..." He laments. He then asks, "Is there anything I can get you? I couldn't help you then, but now that I'm here perhaps there is something I can do." He offers.
At the moment, leaving Nukpana be is probably the best choice that Darkstar can make. While it's possible for a stallion to get on her good side, it's difficult and there's bound to be a hundred other things on his mind more important than her having a good opinion of him. However, she finally speaks up, since Darkstar's asked a question that Starlight probably doesn't know the answer to, "Her name is Pauwau. She's cremello in color." And since that should be sufficient she lapses into silence again.
"Yeah, I do..." she says. Despite a look of pain that crosses her face, and a low groan that escapes, Starlight manages to stumble onto her feet, however unsteady she seems. "Yeah...whatever her name is..." she says. Starlight stands still, but her head stays lowered. "There's nothing you can get me, no...but can you come closer?" she asks him softly.
It has taken Lootah a long time to cool off after the treatment he endured throughout most of the previous day, but he has finally returned. None too happy still, but the gold and white stallion makes his way back into the area with a bit of a stomp to his step, tail and head raised high as he canters in toward the three figures. Two of them he recognizes, one he does not. And by the looks of the muscle formations and the general frame of the stranger, he figures it's a male. Pinning his ears backward, he lets out a low toned, aggressive whinny, and his hooves carry him in a sprinting, charging fashion toward the black stallion. Being gone as long as he was was a foolish decision for a supposed "leader" to make, but given how he was treated the day previous, ..well, he didn't much care for their safety. Still, his return should say something for how he felt about most of the mares, though apparently at least one of them didn't feel the same way. All the better for him; Lootah didn't quite like the favoring life anyway.
Darkstar is surprised to hear Nukpana's answer to his question. A mare attacked Starlight? It's not that he doubts a mare has the ability, but it's more the fact that such a thing is highly unusual. He gives the mare a grateful look, though it's soon overshadowed by the darkening of anger, "Thank you. I shall remember that name." He replies. He doubts he can ever forgive the mare called Pauwau for harming Starlight, and he plans to deal with her should he ever come across her. Nukpana is right in her thinking for sure, he does have a lot on his mind at the moment. His attention soon returns to Starlight, and he's surprised when she manages to get onto her hooves. Didn't he just ask her not to move? Still, it was just a request. He can understand why she would want to be near him after all this time, and he feels the same. The black stallion moves in nearer to her, pulling up close to her side so that she can lean up against him if she needs to.
His answer is a soft whisper, "Of course." He replies and lifts his head in order to lightly nuzzle her. In that moment of silence he hears it, the drumming sound of approaching hooves. He looks up to see who has arrived and is surprised to see a stallion charging towards him. He gives a quick pleading look towards Nukpana, "I hate to ask anything of you since you don't know me, but can you help Starlight get a little distance from here so that she doesn't get caught up in this? You did a good job of protecting her earlier I think. I'm not asking this for my sake, but for hers." He tells her before glancing to Starlight, "I'll be back, I promise. I just need to deal with this first." He tells her. He hadn't intended to fight this other stallion, but Darkstar is disappointed in him.
What kind of stallion would allow one of his mares to be attacked by another? It is his failure to protect Starlight that irks him the most. Darkstar leaps away from Starlight and races towards the other stallion in what appears to be attempt at a head-on collision. He doesn't seem to be altering his course, but he probably does have some sort of plan in mind.
The tenseness that's so apparent in Nukpana eases just visibly when Starlight finally manages to get to her feet. Good! You can't help but worry when a fellow horse seems to be unable to stand. However, the relief she feels is short lived because that's when she hears then sees Lootah. Oh, great! Were it just her and Darkstar here, she'd leave right now. But Starlight's presence means that simply backing off and allowing the males to duke it out may not be the best option, and Darkstar's request is actually her first instinct too. However, what she'll do instead is to lend her support to her leader, and she looks to Starlight with a questioning expression. If the lead mare thinks they should back off, then she'll help Starlight get a safe distance away, but if she wants to do something else she'll help with whatever that is.
"Darkstar!" Starlight calls, and her ears pull back further. She doesn't want another fight. Still...she realizes she should move, and she leans against Nukpana as they move away. "Lootah, stop! I know him!" she calls. "Darkstar! Come back to me!" She doesn't want him, after so long away, getting hurt in a battle.
Charging forward still, the painted stallion's hooves do indeed drum roughly against the earth, little dust clouds appearing behind him as he brings himself to a full force gallop, perhaps really intending to crash his cranium into the other. When the black equid does quite the same thing, Lootah lets out an angry sounding grunt that was meant to be encouraging to himself, but was probably able to be heard by the others as well. At full speed, he hears the voice of Starlight, and would normally stop if she'd told him to.. but this was a matter of dominance against another stallion. Starlight's pleas fell on deaf and tucked back ears, as Lootah made no attempt to stop from crashing violently into the other.
Darkstar dares a quick glance back at the mares and is relieved to see both of them moving off to a safe distance. It's a comforting thought that Nukpana is there is help Starlight. Hopefully they both won't get dragged into this. The calls from Starlight reach his ears but he can't stop now, because if he does he will get seriously injured. So he calls back to her quickly, "He's not going to stop Starlight, I can see it in his eyes. I can't stop now either. If I go back to where you are he will follow and you could get hurt. I will come back to you, you'll see." He tells her. He is not about to lose her now, not after all he went through. He turns his head back to the other stallion with a look of resigned determination in his eyes. He hadn't wanted to fight but this stallion has given him no other choice.
His hooves churn up the ground beneath him and the sight of the other stallion fills his line of vision. Just as he gets closes he tenses his hind legs and springs at the other stallion with the agility of his particular breed. His left front hoof is aimed towards the knee of one of Lootah's front legs, while the other is directed towards the base of the leg. If he can land a heavy blow in either place he might be able to handicap his opponent temporarily. It's obvious that the other mares care for this stallion to some degree, so he's not trying to kill the other stallion.
Moving as quickly as Starlight can manage, Nukpana provides her leader with a steady shoulder to lean on as they try and get a safe distance away. The last place two pregnant mares belong is in a stallion fight, especially when one of them is injured and the other wouldn't mind if they both managed to kill eachother. She expresses a fraction of that sentiment when she mutters, "Stallions are all idiots," only loud enough for Starlight to hear, if the other mare is even paying attention.
"They can be foolish...but some are worth putting up with." she sighs. She's leaning rather heavily onto the other mare, and her hooves shift anxiously. She doesn't want either stallion hurt, and she whinnies after them nervously, her tail flicking about more in agitation than because of insects.
The fact that this black stallion was calling back to Starlight in a manner that let Lootah assume that the two knew each other only angered him further, and another angry whinny rang through the prairie. Kicking up another cloud of dust behind him, he prepared himself for the hits that he could see coming, but before the other's hoof nailed him in the knee, he reared up and flailed his own hooves at the other male's shoulder and neck area, getting hit in the lower chest himself, but with a grunt, he ignored it, and kept on going. It hurt; took his breath away and gave him a gash from the sharp edge, but he would carry on. This wasn't his first fight- he'd had many already in his lifetime. Pulling his lips back, Lootah's teeth snapped at the other, his nostrils flaring and his ears tucked back aggressively. After a sudden landing, he put all of his weight on his front hooves, and bucked viciously at the other. Darkstar might not've been trying to kill him, but the mercy wasn't mutual.
Darkstar is partially knocked back by his impact with Lootah, though his hind legs are the first to touch the ground. He uses the same front hoof he's impacted Lootah with to push off, moving himself back and away from those dangerous flailing hooves. Having been penned up by humans so long, he's a little out of practice and he pays for it when one of those flailing hooves opens a gash in his shoulder. It can't be helped, the other male is showing no mercy and Darkstar can't afford to go easy on him anymore. The pain is felt but like the other stallion he ignores it, because this isn't his first fight either. He keeps a close eye on the other male and when he starts to put his weight on the front hooves, Darkstar figures out what is going on.
The arabian tenses his hind leg muscles like before, only this time he springs away from the other stallion and just barely manages to escape the vicious buck. The other stallion is around the same height as him, but Darkstar has a much more slender build. The landing is hardly pretty and he can feel the jolt right up through his legs, but at least he's a little more in the open now. Darkstar knows there is no time to lose and no sooner do his hooves touch the ground that he's turning back towards Lootah. He rears up and aims one hoof towards the joint between Lootah's neck and shoulder. But it's just as feint as the other hoof comes up underneath it, directed towards the crest of his neck.
As heavily as Starlight leans, it's unlikely that she'll give Nukpana too much weight to support as long as the lead mare keeps her feet under her. The blood bay mare is larger than most mustangs and with that size comes strength. For her part, she doesn't pay too much attention to the fight until she's certain they're far enough away to be reasonably safe, and then she merely looks over her shoulder to see what's happening. To Starlight she responds, "If you say so." Her experience tells her something different. She certainly doesn't think that foolishness like this is worth putting up with!
Starlight can't take it any longer. She won't stand there and watch the two stallions rip each other apart. With a whinny, she moves away from the support of Nukpana and heads for the stallions, though she moves with marked effort and considerable pain. "Lootah! Darkstar! Stop this now!" She doesn't want either harmed, though she's quite angry at Lootah still. Even at a slow speed, Starlight's respiration has increased as she approaches the battling stallions, neighing for a halt.
Knowing that he hit the arabian was enough for Lootah to be satisfied with for the moment, but unfortunately for him, Darkstar had landed a pretty severe blow around his neck as well, which caused him to back away. It felt as if a bone had been broken, but it hadn't. It was just the beginnings of what was sure to end up as an inflammated bruise. Flaring his nostrils in pain and in anger, Lootah craned his neck painfully, ready to charge into the leaner stallion, but doesn't have the opportunity as Starlight presents herself in the midst of their battle. The urge is there to snap at her as she'd snapped at him previously, but at the same time, he hardly even wants to bother with her. Stomping a hoof, he lets out a highly agitated snort, and flicks his tail at his hocks, all the sudden.. not caring about the outcome of their battle. Lootah was never meant to be the leader of any herd. Why he even tried was like a bad joke, and it doesn't take long for him to turn and begin to trot off, hardly caring at all about the fate of the mares; a few in particular. There were plenty of other mares elsewhere, anyway.
Darkstar feels one of his hooves land the blow he's aimed for, though the stallion takes no pleasure in harming the other. For him it was a defensive battle from the beginning. He drops his front hooves back onto the ground moments later, nostrils flaring as he drags in a deep breath of air. For a moment he's afraid for Starlight when she approaches to halt their battle, though it soom becomes apparent that the other stallion has finally decided to back down. A nod of respect is given to Lootah, the stallion had fought well. After that he quickly trots over towards Starlight, "You were wise to stop it, though I do not like the fact that you put yourself in danger." He remarks and looks at her with concern, though refrains from asking if she is okay. Instead he turns to face the other stallion, though there is no malice in his gaze. He can tell the other stallion is quite put out and so he searches for words to help smooth the situation. He then directs his words to Lootah as the stallion begins to head off, "It has been a long time since I have had such a challenge. That kind of strength is something these mares need around here. There was a point in time where I was once leader of the herd. My name is Darkstar, though I'm not sure if Starlight has told you about me. I wish this whole thing has been avoided, but what's done is done. Maybe you should stick around. You don't have to decide now, but think about it." He calls out after Lootah. He then turns his attention back to Starlight with a look of relief, "I'm glad that's over with, though it might have dragged on without your help." He remarks. To Nukpana he gives a grateful look for her helping out Starlight, but otherwise he leaves her alone as she seems to prefer.
Takala had wandered away earlier in the day, to explore and better acquaint herself with her new home. During the course of this adventure, she'd found a pool and has spent the past hour or so entertaining herself in its slippery depths. Now, she decides it's time to return to the lowlands. She wouldn't want to worry anyone with her absence, especially Lootah. As she approaches from the northwest, something -- be it in the air or just a sudden change in ambiance -- tells her that things are amiss. She stands there for a minute, anxiously chewing her tongue and rotating her ears every which way while looking for the herd. She spots them and begins cantering in their direction, now able to discern a shower of dust and a thrashing of limbs similar to the one from the other day. Another fight?
Her breath quickens and her heart drops. Before she can even reach them, she watches as Lootah retreats from the group at a trot. He probably doesn't see her standing in the distance, but she can see him and boy, does he look furious. The even-tempered young mare hasn't taken many chances or made any bold moves since her arrival, but she can't stop herself from trotting after the stallion. Her steps slow to a halt after just a few feet. Her eyes express her concern as she calls out his name, "Lootah! Where are you going?" Briefly, she looks over her shoulder at the rest of the group, and at the unknown stallion standing beside Starlight and Nukpana. She looks back at Lootah with head tilted and ears perked, dark eyes staring sadly and thoughtfully up at him.
What's this? Starlight is going toward the fight now? "Are you crazy?" Nukpana asks, and yet she follows right on her leader's heels without really thinking about it. But it seems that Starlight isn't as crazy as Nukpana has assumed because this time the stallions actually listen. Huh. She snorts for no apparent reason, and completely ignores Darkstar's look. She didn't do it for him, and if he'd been the only reason then she wouldn't have done it. Hearing an unexpected voice, she whickers when she recognises Takala, but her mind is on too many other things to do more than that.
Starlight sighs heavily. "I don't want anyone fighting..." She watches Lootah head off, and she leans onto Darkstar instead for support. She rather would like to lie back down, maybe eat a little. "I had to stop it...Lootah might have tried to kill you." she whickers, and she shifts her head to nose at Darkstar's flank. "I've lost you once. I won't again."
To have been so easily defeated by the other stallion was nothing short of embarassing for Lootah, and it's no wonder that he continues to trot off, regardless of Takala's call. It was only when Darkstar had the audacity to welcome him back into the herd that he turned around and glared daggers at the both of them, Starlight in particular. A strange primal feeling rushed over the stallion and he felt the urge to kick her in the stomach and complete the job that the cremello mare might've left unfinished, but he shoves the thought aside and instead just snorts angrily at the both of them. "Why would I stay here?" He asks, hurt by his defeat, and by knowing that Starlight in a sense chose Darkstar over him. Not bothering to wait for an answer, Lootah turns again and walks off this time, at a leisurely pace.
Darkstar supports Starlight's weight easily and gives a soft nicker to her, "I understand. I won't fight anymore today unless I don't have another choice." He promises. A gentle whicker is given and he reaches his muzzle up to nuzzle her cheek. He then gave a chuckle at her remark, "Oh, there was no doubt in my mind about that. I'm not planning on going anywhere now though, not after having found you again." He tells her in a voice thick with affection. After all this time she still loves him...it's nothing less than a miracle. His attention is channeled in the direction of the other stallion for a moment, especially at his bitter words.Darkstar can't exactly blame him after what he just went through, but he doesn't want the other stallion to just walk away from it all. So he calls out in a louder voice, making one last appeal to the other stallion, "Just because I am here doesn't mean the other mares have stopped caring about you. And as for Starlight and I, we have a history going back to far before the two of you met. The herd could still use your protection, and the safer they are the better. They would be much better off with two stallions instead of one." He entreats. He then turns his attention back to Starlight. From the way she is leaning against him, he can tell that she is tired. So he leans his muzzle down and begins to pull at the longer grass, chopping off several stalks with his teeth. He then scatters it on top of the shorter grass by pushing it around with his muzzle. He continues doing this for a few minutes, until he's made a sort of springy grass bed. He then looks up to Starlight with a small smile, "Perhaps you should lay down for a bit on this? It should be softer, and not so hard on the belly." He tells her. There is nothing more he can do about the stallion. He obviously needs time to cool off in order to even consider it.
Starlight noses Darkstar gratefully before she settles down onto the springy grass. It does feel better. She hasn't eaten in a little while, and she starts to nibble lightly at the grass surrounding her. She wants to say something to Lootah, but she just feels so irritated with the stallion. He acts aloof, and then suddenly he's offended that someone else cares.