Morigan;

[Archam]

all of us have a hero and a villain in us

The mare agreed to go with him to his herd lands and with a small nicker he turned around and bounded off to his home. Lucky for them the field is rather close to the cobblestone, it could have proven hard to have a pregnant mare travel far; but they don't have to worry. 

After a rather peaceful stroll with little chatter, the small of the creek ran through his nares, it had a distinct smell almost salty, but covered by the pine trees that surrounded the land. He turned around to view the purple spotted mare "Well this is it, I hope you will enjoy it here" he smiled looking for her body language, hopeful she would love it here as much as he does. As the continued to walk they finally strolled onto the creek, this was the main section of the herd lands, there source of water as well as grass surrounding it, trees scattered about. He came to a halt at the base of the creek, lowering his head to drink, after filling his quench he raised his head to find the gaze of the mare.

archam

@[Morigan]
OOC: sorry, its short!

[Morigan]

Morigan

WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOR? THERE MUST BE SOMETHING MORE. FOR ALL THESE WORDS I SING, DO YOU FEEL ANYTHING?

Morigan is glad to discover that the journey to Archam’s herd land is rather short. She’s unused to being pregnant, this being her first, and she’s been finding travel a little more awkward these days - what with the swollen ankles and all.

She sighs happily as Archam stops and turns to face her, announcing that they’ve finally arrived. She steps forward to join him and takes note of the way that he’s suddenly eyeing her - he’s waiting to see her response to the territory. A point in his favour, she thinks. If he was a fraud putting on a charming front, he wouldn’t care about her opinion of his land.

Her brown eyes turn to the land in front of them and a smile slowly crawls across her face. It’s a small territory, but a lovely one, with a clear babbling creek surrounded by thick forest and rich green underbrush. She can just imagine her young son or daughter splashing about in the water, and playing hide and seek in the trees. She turns her speckled head to look at Archam, her smile growing wider. “It’s lovely Archam!”

Her head whips about again, detecting the scent of several other mares. She looks forward to meeting them, though she doesn’t necessarily wish to rush those meetings. “Would you mind giving me a tour?”

SAID I'M OKAY, BUT I KNOW HOW TO LIE. YOU WERE ALL THAT I HAD, YOU WERE DELICATE AND HARD TO FIND.

No worries! I had trouble with this post too for some reason.

[Archam]

all of us have a hero and a villain in us

The stallion gazed at the mare for her response to the lands, she seemed rather pleased by it with a growing smile. He was proud of his lands, he has yet to introduce a mare to them who did not desire to live here. It was peaceful and he has not had any trouble with predators, proving to be a safe sanctuary "Thank you, I'm glad you like it" he said in response.

Snow layed on the ground now, it had been winter for a few weeks now and although there was more snow to come, there was a decent amount on the ground already. The sun stayed hidden for most of the days, barely peeking out to give warmth. He pawed at the snow until grass covered was released to show the salvaged grass. He figured the mare was pregnant and perhaps hungry, but he turned his attention to her as she asked to show her around and he gave a nod of his head. "Of course" he spoke softly, he eyed the creek water allowing the mare to fill her quench before the push onward. He than bounded deeper into the Cobblestone, they eventually wound up in a heavily wooded area, covered with pine trees. "This ends our border and starts the forest frontiers, another stag owns these lands so I would stay away" his voice was stern, he had not yet met the neighboring stag, and did not particularly care to. He warned all the mares of the border and hoped they wouldn't push there luck straying close to it. He looked at the mare, and allowed her to familiarize herself, she was pregnant and he didn't want to push her to wonder to far to fast. He turned to a tree near him, green covered with white snow, he raised his head grasping a branch in his mouth, pulling it down he released it, the branch flung up and the snow fell to the ground. It looks better green he thought to himself, turning his gaze back to the purple spotted mare.

archam

[Morigan]

Morigan

WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOR? THERE MUST BE SOMETHING MORE. FOR ALL THESE WORDS I SING, DO YOU FEEL ANYTHING?

He seems pleased by her response, and quickly agrees to give her a little tour of the territory. He graciously pauses before setting out, giving her a moment to refresh herself. He even scrapes off some of the snow so that she can have a snack. She smiles shyly, “thank you,” and grabs a few quick bites. Then she takes a few steps over to the creek for a drink, twitching as the ice cold water hits her throat. It’s lovely, but damn cold.

Sated, she turns to follow him as he leads her even deeper into the territory. It’s a very pretty little place, as she’s already mentioned, and the thick blanket of snow makes it seem all the more peaceful. Sound is dampened and all she can hear is the sound of their hooves clumping through the snow, and the soft sound of their own breathing. They walk until they reach a place where the trees turn to pine, and become far more thick and difficult to pass through. Archam stops and warns her that it’s the border to his lands. “Fair enough, I will make sure to stay away.” She has no desire to become the centre of a dispute between herd stallions. All she wants is a quiet life and a peaceful place to raise her child.

Archam is moving again, and Morigan watches as he approaches one of the nearby trees and grabs onto a branch. He lets go, sending the snow flying in all directions. Some lands between Morigan’s eyes and she bursts out laughing. “Hey, watch it!”

SAID I'M OKAY, BUT I KNOW HOW TO LIE. YOU WERE ALL THAT I HAD, YOU WERE DELICATE AND HARD TO FIND.

[Anahi]

During the winter, finding food is quite difficult, especially for animals that don't have the instincts to prepare for it. Luckily, not all the food is dead, but that doesn't mean it's easy to find. At this point, Anahi could no longer be sure if her muzzle was covered in snow, or simply naturally white. The mare had spent so much time digging through the snow to find her next meal that she wouldn't be surprised whatever the truth was.

Due to her pregnancy, the mare was a bit cranky, finding it difficult to supply enough food for herself and the foal. She still also made regular trips throughout the kingdom, and one or two to the Fields, but with winter as heavy as it was now, and the very few faces scattered in the Field, she decided that Spring would be a better season to go out and do more recruiting. For now, she would focus on finding enough food to keep herself going.

After Archam had left a few days ago for another trip to the Field, Anahi had made it her business to keep a watch over the other mares, just to make sure that they were staying safe and out of the way of threats, like being stolen by the neighboring stallion or by another kingdom. Doing this left her little time to find a lot of food, so she'd gone to bed hungry quite a few times.

Finally, either it was a stroke of luck, or something else, that had arranged this meeting. While browsing the areas by the edge of the Cobblestone Creek territory for food, Anahi had run into a mare, one of the newer additions to the kingdom. The mare told her that she'd joined near the end of fall or the beginning of winter, she couldn't remember which really. All she knew was that she did enjoy her life here. It was quiet, she had room to be alone, and though she enjoyed the occasional spar with another warrior for practice, she also did enjoy peace and quiet.

The mare, who had later gone on to identify herself as Raxa, told Anahi where she knew there was some food that could keep the pregnant mare going. The two had gone to a part of the territory that Anahi herself had never been to, and it was amazing that Raxa even found it at all with how hidden it was. The fact that Raxa seemed to almost know this territory like the back of her hoof now astounded Anahi.

Over time, the duo had become good friends, feeling a kinship in that they'd experienced similar hardships during their foal hood. Anahi's was nowhere near the level of Raxa's, but she did sympathize with the mare. She just didn't say it out loud; she had a feeling Raxa didn't like it. She wanted understanding, not sympathy for her plights.

And that's what Anahi gave her. She helped Raxa see that Anahi wanted to give her friendship, and it had taken a while, but Anahi had a suspicion that Raxa would probably go so far as to call her a acquaintance, if not a friend.

On this day, Anahi and her friend were grazing in the more open area, shoving the snow around with their muzzles to find the grass underneath. Anahi didn't want to go through the hidden area so fast; she knew that grass had to wait, if not for her, then for the other mares to find it so they could support themselves and their little ones.

Hearing a noise somewhere nearby, voices, she realized, one of them familiar, Anahi chuckled. She glanced over at her friend, smirking when she noticed that Raxa had some snow stuck to her muzzle, but probably didn't notice given that her fur was white on her face, characteristic of her brindled roan color pattern.

"Sounds like Archam's brought another mare to the Cobblestones," the champagne mare stated, giving her mane a shake as she chuckled to herself. She lowered her muzzle to the ground again, continuing in her search for food, hoping that this mare, like the others Archam had brought to his home, were as nice as the ones already living in it.

[Raxa]

Ever since the day she had been left to fend for herself, Raxa had made a promise: she would never have a friend. They only meant trouble for her; it was a nuisance really. Anytime she'd ever attempted at making a friend, that foal or mare or stallion or whomever would act the way she'd come to expect; that she was a freak, that she didn't belong among the 'normal' horses. Raxa hadn't always believed them, but she'd come to terms that she would never have a true friend, so it was easier to not look for one in the first place.

And yet here was this mare who was offering her friendship after Raxa had simply done her a favor. The brindled roan had seen the champagne mare wandering in the snow one day, more than likely looking for food to feed herself and the little one. Raxa wasn't blind, she could see that the mare was pregnant and needed food. So, against her conscious telling her otherwise, Raxa went to the mare and informed her of the area within the forest where she'd found some grass that the snow hadn't completely killed off yet.

Following that, it was almost as if the mare tried to find her every day when Raxa was walking through the territory, checking the border lines and assessing any possible threats that were being made toward the kingdom. Whenever she passed by the Cobblestones, she spotted the mare, who would say hi.

It was never anything more than that. Always just a friendly 'hello' before she'd head back into the main part of the Cobblestone territory, more than likely to return to her stallion's company. Not that Raxa cared, she had her own business to deal with. But as time had gone on, she even found herself saying 'hi' back on occasion. Never did she think that would've happened.

The champagne mare eventually introduced herself, and would offer her company to Raxa while walking through the Cobblestone area. Raxa would decline, saying that the mare had her own business as a diplomat to attend to, and a little one to care for. However, even while tending to those responsibilities, Anahi found time to try and talk to Raxa.

Raxa didn't know why the mare cared so much. Was she truly just that friendly? She was asking for trouble by being so open with others. And yet, Raxa found it interesting that this mare didn't express sympathy for her. Even though she didn't know Raxa's backstory, Anahi expressed an understanding; she wanted to know, but knew it was a painful memory to bring up.

To this day, Raxa hadn't told Anahi anything about her past, but found herself at least saying 'hi' to the mare every time the champagne greeted her. She even showed Anahi the way back to the grass hidden in the trees a couple of times. The two mares' friendship grew to the point where they would sometimes graze together when Raxa was in the area, something Raxa never thought would happen. A mare, actually willing to be her friend, and just talk about kingdom business and stuff going on like there was nothing wrong.

But wasn't there? Wasn't there something wrong with Raxa? Everyone else seemed to think so; why didn't this mare?

As much as she wished to ask, it was a question for another day. Right now, Raxa was enjoying the peace and quiet as she and Anahi grazed together near the outer area of the Cobblestone territory, pushing the snow aside to reach the grass underneath.

Like Anahi, Raxa had also heard the sound of a nearby voice, but didn't recognize it, so figured nothing of it. If it was someone trying to sneak up on them, they wouldn't be so loud. Besides, Anahi lifted her head to look, but didn't seem on alert about anything, so there was nothing to worry about.

Hearing her friend make a casual yet humorous remark, Raxa swallowed her mouthful of winter grass before she spoke to the champagne mare, "What makes you say that?"

[Archam]

all of us have a hero and a villain in us

A cold breeze hit the equines causing Archam to tense in an attempt to keep warm. After a few seconds the whistling wind stopped, and Archam shook his body off regaining the heat he lost. He heard Morigan laugh and tell him to watch it, which caused him to turn around and join in on the laughing. "I'm sorry!" he said when he was able to control his laughter, he extended his neck and brushed the snow that lay between her eyes off with his muzzle. He looked for her gaze with a smile and pushed forward "Lets travel back to the herd lands" he said with desire to depart the border of the opposing herd.

As he began to trail, all there was to be heard was the crunching of the snow beneath there hooves, and the occasional breath they took. He stood at a halt with his head held high as he scanned the area before turning to Morigan. "This is were I like to go when I want to be alone" he said with a peaceful tone. It was winter and the white snow sucked the color out of almost everything. But here the pine trees remained green, still allowing every breath to carry the scent of the pine. The trees so large the dead brown pines on the ground were uncovered, and as peaceful as can be. If he wanted a few moments to himself, this would be the first place to check.

His ears pricked to the left followed by his head, he heard the chatter of other equines causing curiosity. He could pick up the scent of Anahi, but was unable to decipher the others scent. "sounds like a couple of other mares that belong to the herd are around" he said hopeful the spotted mare would not be bothered by the presence of others. She was still new to the herd, but perhaps she would enjoy the company of the mothers that will foal with her. He turned to find her gaze and gauge her body language. He himself was curious to find out who the other scent was in his herd lands. 

archam

[Morigan]

Morigan

WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOR? THERE MUST BE SOMETHING MORE. FOR ALL THESE WORDS I SING, DO YOU FEEL ANYTHING?

She shivers as the breeze hits her, but her smile still remains. She laughs louder when Archam apologizes. “It’s alright!” She’s reminded, for a moment, of her little brother. He’d loved playing in the snow so much, the little goof. She hopes he’s ok, wherever he is.

Archam suggests they head back to the main territory, and she agrees with a simple nod before moving to follow him. The trip back to the creek is quiet, broken only by the sound of their hooves crunching over freshly fallen snow. After some time Archam pauses, telling her that he likes to come here when he wants to be alone. “I can understand why, it’s a lovely spot.” The blanket of snow and surrounding pine trees provide a pretty, safe little haven. And she can respect the desire for some alone time. More than once she’s disappeared into the wilds, eschewing her fellow horses. Sometimes she just wants to be alone with her own thoughts.

Archam’s ears suddenly twitch and Morigan pauses, listening as well. The faint sound of chatter reaches drifts through the trees. Archam’s other mares.

Morigan doesn’t particularly feel like meeting anyone new yet, and thankfully Archam doesn’t press the point, merely pointing out that they are close by. But …

She hesitates, thinking. She might not be feeling particularly social, but these mares will potentially be companions of hers for a long time. She should be polite and at least introduce herself. After that she can excuse herself to rest. It has been a long day after all. “Should we go meet with them so I can introduce myself?”

SAID I'M OKAY, BUT I KNOW HOW TO LIE. YOU WERE ALL THAT I HAD, YOU WERE DELICATE AND HARD TO FIND.