Wanderer {OPEN THREAD}

[Keely]

Keely

Boom.    Boom.
With each step, the earth trembled as the massive mare slowed her pace to a watchful walk. Shika raised her large, white-painted face as she took in her new surroundings. The plains of a vacant land with no name had changed into the thick forest around her. While she still did not know if this strange land held a particular title, the worn trails and numerous hoof prints signaled that this land was anything but vacant.
Shika shook the stiffness out of her muscles, although a good shake did next to nothing after such a long journey. She couldn't remember for how long she travelled, but it was enough that the sight of grass up to her pasterns persuaded her to rest. This land was fertile, unlike the country she just came out of, and Shika needed to stay fit throughout her travels in case she encountered something she was in no mood to tolerate.
From the unknown half of her parentage, Shika had acquired a healthy amount of stamina and an athletic form that eliminated the typically round Shire traits from her confirmation. Every inch of Shika was proportionally muscled and large, from her feathered white hooves to her trim barrel. And at 16.3 hands, Shika was an imposing figure to behold.
Shika strode towards a particularly green patch of grass beneath a cluster of trees, her steps echoing in the silent forest. She attacked the grass, almost viciously, as she flicked flies from her lathered skin. A beam of summer sun streamed down from the canopy of trees, revealing battle scars scattered across her ebony coat. They were like tattoos, revealing a story of hardship, pain, and rage in each patch of scarred flesh. She only wondered what story would be told on her skin in this new land.

[Clark]

The tobiano stallion had been standing alone beneath a tall oak, leisurely basking in the warmth of the summer sun that rained through the foliage above, when his thoughts were disrupted by booming footsteps. Lazily he opened his eyes, squinting in the bright morning light, as he tried to discern the source of the sounds. He was unaccustomed to hearing such loud steps, as the majority of horses here tended to be smaller – or, as he had learned, prone to arrive in strange aerial or magical methods. Thus, his interest was certainly sparked, and he slowly but inquisitively glanced about him.

Before long, his gaze settled on the large shape of a black mare grazing not far from him. She was gorgeous, he noted to himself, silently admiring her white feathers. Yet, as he continued to study her, his eyes found the collections of scars littered about her body. Huh, he thought, furrowing his brows. She must have lived much more experienced of a life than him, he quickly deduced. Although, to be honest, that certainly wasn’t saying much. For all his years of life, Clark couldn’t put many accomplishments to his name.

Yet the scars had captured his curiosity, and for better or worse, the tobiano found himself leaving his warm, sunlit spot to wander towards her. Gingerly, he picked his path through the scattered bushes and low-hanging branches, occasionally stepping on a twig with a small crack. As he neared, he let out a small nicker, thinking it unwise to sneak up on such a battle-hardened mare.

“Hey there…”

fate she hears me | fate stand near me | fate state clearly
whether there will be another card

[Keely]

Keely

Someone was coming towards her.
Keely's lips automatically pursed but she continued chewing on her own patch of grass. Let them see the scars and turn away. Hopefully, they would read the thorny aura that as much a part of her as her inky coat and walked away. Maybe she wouldn't even have to acknowledge them before they re-evaluated their actions. But Keely's ears still detected the soft crush of vegetation beneath hoof that annoyed her instantly. She flicked her thick tail pointedly at the approaching equine while she kept her gaze fixated on the grass before her. She would not acknowledge them, unless necessary.

Keely kept track of the equine's progress, still grazing and occasionally flicking her tail in annoyance towards the intruder. The snaps of twigs crushed beneath hooves made it easy to keep track of the equine without raising her head. She wasn't sure if there were intentionally noisy so she could mark their progress or if they were a graceless buffoon about to greet an unwelcome surprise. Her ears slowly began shifting to a pinned position, her muscles growing more taut with each step the trespasser took. Her grazing gradually slowed to more of a chewing action, but Keely stopped herself before she looked like a damn cow in front of this stranger.

A soft nicker echoed through the forest, although the deep tone marked her unwelcome visitor as a stallion instantly. Mmmmm, if he thought to claim her, he would be surely disappointed. Keely raised her painted face and finally addressed the equine, her trademark slightly pinned ears and pursed lips secured on her features. It was now that she finally allowed herself a proper look at the intruder.

With her wild locks streaming in front of her face, Keely noted the tobiano stallion before her. He was, of course, smaller than her but he had a strong build of a healthy stallion. Speckled across his mostly white coat were spots of silver and mahogany that were utterly unique in form. His visage held a curious, soft gaze as his eyes roamed over the scars on her coat. Keely never chased a fight, but she was 'surly' as her mother used to say, and she was not afraid to make her displeasure known. Most saw those with draft horse in their blood as soft, gentle...weak. Keely refused to be viewed in such a demeaning manner.

Keely bobbed her head once towards the stallion in a 'shoo' manner with those ears still slightly pinned. She raised a feathery hoof and stomped hard onto the ground in a warning manner. The echo from that simple stomp rippled through the trees quickly before blending into the tones of the breeze.
"State your business then leave"
Keely spoke in a clear, clipped tone that portrayed her unsociable demeanor. If he was remotely intelligent, the stallion would realize she was not going to be mounted and be on his way in a timely manner.

[Clark]

I guess you could say that the tobiano stallion wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. In fact, he was a pretty big dummy. That, or he was just too naïvely childish for what one would expect in a stallion of his age. Regardless, driven by either reckless foolhardiness or just juvenile curiosity, Clark ignored her blatantly displeased countenance and instead, with no intention of immediately turning around, brought himself to a halt a couple yards off from the dark mare.

Peeking through between the few strands of white hair that fell from his forelock, he silently observed as she fussed and stomped her foot. A wiser stallion would have long since gotten the not so subtle hint to shoo, especially with the oncoming breeding season, but her obvious annoyance at him just intrigued him further.

Her curt greeting, if one could call it a greeting, was his first true realization that she was disgruntled with his presence. He tilted his head slightly at her words, his only immediate visible response, as he continued to silently watch her. He didn’t truly have a purpose with her, he thought to himself. Sure, he was curious as to her scarring, but what kind of idiot just goes up to a stranger and asks about that directly? But he did not dare retreat now. Leaving now would render him a coward, and he had at least some semblance of foolish stallion pride left. And besides, far away from the societal pressures that plagued the herdless field, his sense of bravely was a bit larger.

So instead, having nothing to respond with, he suddenly came across the genius idea to play instead. Giving her a foolish grin, his stout frame began to enlarge. His body, typically the size of a stocky but small mustang, began to expand, both in height and girth, until he stood eye to eye with her. His white coat with the silver bay markings began to darken, little by little, until his tobiano markings were no longer visible and his coat entirely black save for his legs and head. His legs had developed long, flowing feathers, much like her’s (in fact, identical to her’s), and a white blaze adorned the length of his forehead.

Once he was satisfied regarding his mimicry, he found himself grinning to himself internally. With a showy lift, he raised a feathery hoof into the air and adamantly stomped it to the ground as well, impressing himself with the strength of the stomp. (Obviously, he was not accustomed to having this much physical power.)  “I can be a tough girl too!” he giggled to her, his voice still (thankfully) masculine and unaltered. Quite amused at himself by this point, he flicked his now powerful tail over his large hindquarters, testing the capabilities of his new muscular body. Yet all the while, he kept one ear pricked forward at attention, warily alert in case she did not find his antics as humorous as he did.

fate she hears me | fate stand near me | fate state clearly
whether there will be another card