"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
Sabe has been traveling for a few weeks now, this is her first time being on her own since she was a foal. She decided it was time for her to venture out on her own and start her life with a new herd. The sun was starting to set and it was highlighting the beautiful dun mares coat. She looked around to the opening and lost hope that a herd was living around here. She started to walk over to a small puddle that survived since the last rain shower. Lowering her muzzle until she could feel the cold water touch her lips, her black mane dropped into the puddle as she was drinking. The mare was listening with her ears in case there was another animal out there with her.
Fresh off his success in the war, he returns to the field. His little family is still growing - four new young foals to his name this season - and there’s no reason he can’t speed up the growth. Five mares is certainly a respectable number for a herd, but there’s no reason he can’t try for six.
His red eyes scan the meadow for a moment, eyeing the different prospects in the field. Finally, they settle upon a dun mare, drinking from a small puddle of fresh rainwater. She’s nothing special at first glance - acceptable enough in appearance, seemingly healthy. She’ll do.
He decides, for the first time in a long time, to lay on the ‘gentle’ persona a little. Why not have a little fun?
He approaches, then stops a respectful distance away, slipping on a kindly smile. “Why hello there! Are you new to Beqanna?” She certainly smells as if she is. “I’m Zayn, it’s nice to meet you!”
03-07-2016, 08:11 PM (This post was last modified: 03-07-2016, 08:32 PM by Sabé.
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Sabe heard rustling off in the distance and raised her head to look over the horizon. Scanning the area until her eyes stopped on a stallion approaching. The mare gave out a nicker in joy to find another. The palomino stallion stopped in front of her with respectable space giving no intentions of harm. Zayn she said to herself as she listened to him speak. "Hello, my name is Sabe" the mare said with joy. "I am not from here, I recently left my herd to start my own life. Are you from here?" Sabe asked with anticipation. The mare flicked her tail, swatting away the pesky insects flying around her, ears flicked towards the stag excited to meet her first horse outside her herd.
He’s gotten better with the persona, clearly. She nickers happily and responds, telling him that her name is Sabe, and that, as he had suspected, she’s from the lands outside of Beqanna. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you!” It is, if only because if this goes as planned, she will belong to him.
“Yes I am!” His kindly smile widens. “I was born in a kingdom here, called the Chamber. I’m still a part of the Chamber actually, though I usually live in my herd in the Mountains.” She says she’s left a herd to start a new life, so he might as well treat her as a potential recruit as well. “What kind of home are you looking for here? Would you be more interested in a kingdom, or a quiet life in a new herd?” Either way, he wins.
The mare listened to the stag speaking and was confused to what a kingdom was. How could this stallion be apart of a herd and a kingdom? She was going to find out exactly that. The mare gently turned her head to the right to gaze at the setting sun before turning back to the stag. "What is a kingdom? and how are you apart of one and a herd?" the mare asked confused "Also how many horses are in your herd?" the mare asked wondering how much attention she would get. She flicked her ears patiently awaiting his answer eager to know if her future lies with him.
She appears confused at the mention of a kingdom, and Zayn supposes he shouldn’t be surprised. It makes sense that not all of the lands outside of Beqanna would have them. “Well, a kingdom is a bit like a very large herd, except that we’re ruled by a king or queen. In kingdoms we also have two … groups we can join.” How exactly does one explain a caste? “You can become a part of the army, or a part of the diplomats. Though if you don’t want to join either that’s ok as well.” His smile widens again. “As for me, well, there are five mares in my herd. Along with six of my children.” It really is getting to be quite the respectable sized herd. “The herd land itself is quite rocky, but I like it. The caves there provide good shelter in the winter.” He watches the expression on her face, trying to gauge her reaction? “Does either sound appealing?
03-10-2016, 09:23 PM (This post was last modified: 03-10-2016, 09:24 PM by Sabé.)
The dun mare quietly listened to the stag, she was taken aback when he spoke about having 6 foals and 5 mares that he has claimed. She picked up the idea that this stag was not out to be friendly, he was recruiting to be her mate. She never thought she would share her stag, although most do. The dun mare perked up and slowly pranced around to the stags opposite side. "Zayn, if I were to join your herd who would be your main mare?" she gave a nicker and gently pulled a locket of his mane before releasing it awaiting a response.Sabe asked curious to how his herd works. She could share her stag so long as she was his go to mare, the one he told everything to. The one who had a special place in his heart. She knew that someone probably already held this spot, but could the mare replace the current one? The mare knew she should have an offspring this coming season although she never though she would share the same love with multiple mares in a land she never new; but this is what Sabe left her home for. To see what the world has to offer her.
She seems surprised about the size of his herd and he cocks his head at her, surprised himself. He might not know much about the world outside of Beqanna, but he does know that the natural hierarchy for horses is a herd … made up of one stallion and multiple mares. What kind of place did she come from that even this most basic ancestral structure of daily life does not exist?
Her question puts him in even more of an awkward place. He’s never really put any of his mares above the others. They’re all the same to him, mares in his herd, mothers of his children. And while he would like to have Sabe in his herd, he’s not particularly willing to put her above the rest. Especially considering he’s known her for all of two minutes.
“Well,” He pauses, thinking. He’s going to have to be careful here. “I don’t have a main mare at present. But I suppose if I were to come to know one of my mares very well and grow to care for her, then I suppose she would be my main mare.” It’s the most he can promise - a possibility - though he has a feeling it won’t be enough for her. So he decides to hurry the conversation along. “So, what do you think? Do either the herd or the kingdom sound appealing?”
Sabe watched as the stallion seemed concerned with her comment. She cocked her head in return did he not favor a mare? That was new to Sabe, her own father had 2 mares he courted with although her mother was his favorite. She has never heard of a kingdom, but perhaps the life she knew was more similar to the kingdom than a herd life in these lands.
Her attention perked back to Zayn when he asked her if she would like to return to the kingdom with him. He seemed agitated at this point and his patience was waring. She took a moments pause before responding "Yes, I will go to your kingdom. I would like to speak with the mares in your herd. If I do not see the life fitting I will venture off into the kingdom." She spoke with confidence and stepped closer watching his body language. She flicked her tail swiftly as if to gesture the journey to the kingdom should begin now.
He appears beside the mare, seeming to emerge from the shadows (but really he was just stalking the pair). “Ah, but not so fast.” he clicks his tongue playfully and chuckles deviously. His eyes meet boldly with the other stallion's red gaze, oh the joy he would siphon from the man's frustration. If he was any cool at all he would get as much of a kick out of Chemdog's interruption strategy – but if he was a little bitchboy, he will scowl and maybe even lash out with those little baby-fists of his. His teal stare stays with him for only a second or two before his grinning eyes settled hungrily on the mare at his side. “I think you should just come with me instead.” his tail lashes loudly at the bugs gathering across his dark hips, his eyes moving back to Zayn. “All in good fun lad, eh?” He chuckles again, this time a bit more madness lacing his depthy tones.
“Do you like adventures?” He looks at her with his right eye (she's on his right side), smirking expectantly. “I'm always on an adventure. You should definitely just come with me.”
