03-26-2017, 09:38 AM
Vida, unlike other horses of Beqanna, did not possess any supernatural or special gifts of her own. However, she seemed to tell when something wasn't right in her home, which was the case today. The island of Ischia was changing, and not in a good way. An unsettling feeling planted itself in Vida's gut, and an ominous air surrounded her, as if the island itself was trying to warn her of impending negative circumstances.
The grulla was greatly unsettled, but knew that her companions and friends, the other residents of Ischia, could handle whatever was thrown their way. Though they did not engage in many matters concerning the mainland of Beqanna, the ones who lived on the island were trained to fight and defend their home. That was how Vida occupied much of her time when she was not grazing; she trained and honed her battle skills, whether here or back on the battlefield on the mainland, patrolled the borders to make sure no unwanted guests were trying to sneak in, and checking over the island to make sure it was healthy.
After all, Ischia provided its residents with a great amount in order to keep them alive. The least Vida could do was make sure her home was also staying in good shape, enough so to keep it alive, strong, and able to continue hosting the horses that lived here.
But, even with the training she underwent daily, Vida couldn't have expected a turn like this. On the morning a great change was to come, the grulla mare was out grazing on one of the far beaches of the island's coast, heading out to the open ocean rather than in the direction of the mainland. A gentle breeze had settled in over the island, spraying water from the crashing waves a few feet away from the mare. Her coat was dusted with a light layer of the ocean water, creating an appaloosa pattern on her otherwise plain coat. Her mane and tail were also dusted with a light sheen, causing them to glisten an even richer shade of black when the sun caught them.
The weather changed to suddenly that Vida feared the worst for a moment; was there another change blooming on the horizon? Had another horse upset the land's balance, and now Beqanna would change again? The ocean tides seemed to turn and blasted a violent wave toward the mare, who was already well within a safety zone but still felt a shiver run down her spine from what just happened. She could sense something wrong in the air; what was happening to her beloved home?
A gut instinct burning within the mare seemed to be pulling her towards the heart of Ischia's territory; the line where the sandy beaches met jungle forest out by the path that connected Ischia with the mainland at low tide. Not wanting to waste time, the mare rapidly turned around and galloped hard toward the southwest end of the island, wanting to know who was here, threatening Ischia and its inhabitants.
It was a bit of a journey, but Vida's lithe, athletic body and muscled, toned legs propelled her over the ground with little effort. She eventually reached the coast, sliding to a brief stop and surveying what lay beneath her as she caught her breath.
The tide had already started coming back in, meaning that whatever threat had presented itself was already here. Vida noticed the small change in the ocean, how the waves seemed a bit more angry, but all that focus was soon directed down at the group of horses at the territory line. She could easily pick apart those who were on Ischia's side, and those who were not. What did they want with the island? How dare they think they could come here and threaten its residents!
Even if Vida did not know all the facts, she would not waste time. The mare galloped down the small ridge, her eyes scanning the horses again. Those on Ischia's side included Ashley, the buckskin stallion, Ea, the silver bay roan and current leader, and Allure, a red filly and Ea's foal. Including Vida herself, but not counting the filly as she was still young, that made three ready to defend Ischia's peace.
On the other side were a wide variety of horses; a purple stallion with wings who seemed to be the leader; two gray mares with lavender points, one of whom had spoken to Ashley it seemed; and a black mare with wings, who directed the words Vida overheard toward Ea before telling Ashley he should stay.
Stay... stay?! That one word implied everything for Vida; these horses were here to take their beautiful island home away from them. There was no way in hell that the grulla was going down without a fight, not after all the crap she'd been through to find a home in Beqanna's former coastal region before the changes happened and Ischia was formed.
While there were very few horses she called friends, those of Ischia were among the privileged. They provided her with enough comfort that she did not feel alone, even if she didn't trust them enough with the darkness lurking in her heart. It was enough that she felt obligated to protect them, and her home, with her life if need be.
Vida skidded to a stop once more when she reached the sand beaches, kicking up a wave in the process. She moved to stand near Ea, ready to protect the leader. Narrowing her eyes at the black mare who dared threaten Ischia's peace, Vida pinned her ears, her nostrils flared in rage. Muscles tense, mane falling over both sides of her neck, the mare pawed at the ground with a hoof, daring the other to make a move of aggression.
Though the only enemy she outranked in height was the black one, the other three did not intimidate her. She was set on protecting her home. She barked a challenge back at the black mare, "You dare come here and threaten to take our home away? You are but fools; we will not allow you to take our home from us if all you imply is practices of violence. Ischia is an island for peace, and we will not allow you to taint it with the blackness of your hearts."
The grulla was greatly unsettled, but knew that her companions and friends, the other residents of Ischia, could handle whatever was thrown their way. Though they did not engage in many matters concerning the mainland of Beqanna, the ones who lived on the island were trained to fight and defend their home. That was how Vida occupied much of her time when she was not grazing; she trained and honed her battle skills, whether here or back on the battlefield on the mainland, patrolled the borders to make sure no unwanted guests were trying to sneak in, and checking over the island to make sure it was healthy.
After all, Ischia provided its residents with a great amount in order to keep them alive. The least Vida could do was make sure her home was also staying in good shape, enough so to keep it alive, strong, and able to continue hosting the horses that lived here.
But, even with the training she underwent daily, Vida couldn't have expected a turn like this. On the morning a great change was to come, the grulla mare was out grazing on one of the far beaches of the island's coast, heading out to the open ocean rather than in the direction of the mainland. A gentle breeze had settled in over the island, spraying water from the crashing waves a few feet away from the mare. Her coat was dusted with a light layer of the ocean water, creating an appaloosa pattern on her otherwise plain coat. Her mane and tail were also dusted with a light sheen, causing them to glisten an even richer shade of black when the sun caught them.
The weather changed to suddenly that Vida feared the worst for a moment; was there another change blooming on the horizon? Had another horse upset the land's balance, and now Beqanna would change again? The ocean tides seemed to turn and blasted a violent wave toward the mare, who was already well within a safety zone but still felt a shiver run down her spine from what just happened. She could sense something wrong in the air; what was happening to her beloved home?
A gut instinct burning within the mare seemed to be pulling her towards the heart of Ischia's territory; the line where the sandy beaches met jungle forest out by the path that connected Ischia with the mainland at low tide. Not wanting to waste time, the mare rapidly turned around and galloped hard toward the southwest end of the island, wanting to know who was here, threatening Ischia and its inhabitants.
It was a bit of a journey, but Vida's lithe, athletic body and muscled, toned legs propelled her over the ground with little effort. She eventually reached the coast, sliding to a brief stop and surveying what lay beneath her as she caught her breath.
The tide had already started coming back in, meaning that whatever threat had presented itself was already here. Vida noticed the small change in the ocean, how the waves seemed a bit more angry, but all that focus was soon directed down at the group of horses at the territory line. She could easily pick apart those who were on Ischia's side, and those who were not. What did they want with the island? How dare they think they could come here and threaten its residents!
Even if Vida did not know all the facts, she would not waste time. The mare galloped down the small ridge, her eyes scanning the horses again. Those on Ischia's side included Ashley, the buckskin stallion, Ea, the silver bay roan and current leader, and Allure, a red filly and Ea's foal. Including Vida herself, but not counting the filly as she was still young, that made three ready to defend Ischia's peace.
On the other side were a wide variety of horses; a purple stallion with wings who seemed to be the leader; two gray mares with lavender points, one of whom had spoken to Ashley it seemed; and a black mare with wings, who directed the words Vida overheard toward Ea before telling Ashley he should stay.
Stay... stay?! That one word implied everything for Vida; these horses were here to take their beautiful island home away from them. There was no way in hell that the grulla was going down without a fight, not after all the crap she'd been through to find a home in Beqanna's former coastal region before the changes happened and Ischia was formed.
While there were very few horses she called friends, those of Ischia were among the privileged. They provided her with enough comfort that she did not feel alone, even if she didn't trust them enough with the darkness lurking in her heart. It was enough that she felt obligated to protect them, and her home, with her life if need be.
Vida skidded to a stop once more when she reached the sand beaches, kicking up a wave in the process. She moved to stand near Ea, ready to protect the leader. Narrowing her eyes at the black mare who dared threaten Ischia's peace, Vida pinned her ears, her nostrils flared in rage. Muscles tense, mane falling over both sides of her neck, the mare pawed at the ground with a hoof, daring the other to make a move of aggression.
Though the only enemy she outranked in height was the black one, the other three did not intimidate her. She was set on protecting her home. She barked a challenge back at the black mare, "You dare come here and threaten to take our home away? You are but fools; we will not allow you to take our home from us if all you imply is practices of violence. Ischia is an island for peace, and we will not allow you to taint it with the blackness of your hearts."