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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    Now or Never
    #1
    Naira broke through the trees and into the clearing at a full gallop, closing her eyes to embrace the warmth that she had been denied for days, a warmth that came only from the sun. The bright rays kissed her back as she finally stopped and stood for a while, embracing the cool breeze that tossed her thick mane and tail. Her chocolate eyes opened slowly, seeing sets of disinterested eyes flit back and forth across her and then returning to their meal. Still unsure and too uncomfortable to join the other horses, the golden mare wandered around before finding a sweet patch of clover to sink her teeth into. As she chewed, she lifted her head and tossed her long, pale white forelock out of her dark eyes and surveyed her surroundings. It was beautiful. But, as she had learnt from the past beauty and peace can be deceiving. She shook her head slightly, clearing her mind of the dark fog that had monetarily descended over it and returned to her grazing.

    She had not the slightest idea what this new place was like, and could only hope that it wouldn't be anything like her previous home. She let a small smile tug on the corner of her lips as she thought of the two-leggeds' face when she had escaped. Her smile disappeared shortly after as the sounds of gunshots rang through her memory. It had taken all of the courage and bravery she possessed, but she couldn't stand it anymore. She was constantly on guard and anxious, and yet couldn't bring herself to obey. Leaving her mother had been the hardest thing she had ever done, but she couldn't convince her to leave. She had to be away from the toxicity that had nearly ruined her over the years. The golden mare slammed her eyes shut, trying to chase away the darkness that had followed her all the way here. Speaking of here, she was finally here in this new land, and even though she had no idea what to expect, she was thrilled to embrace the possibilities.

    Unable to further contain her excitement, the young mare tossed her head and reared, catching the attention of several other horses but for once in her life not caring. She ran, bucked and whinnied until she was overcome with exhaustion. The short spurt of energy she suddenly had had left her, and her grueling journey began to take hold of her, compelling her to lower her head to munch on the dewy grass once more. Her long legs trembling with exhaustion, she allowed them to fold beneath her and the horse collapsed onto the damp ground. Letting her head droop and her eyes drift shut, she settled into a peaceful sleep, untroubled and serene for the first time in quite a while.
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    #2
    The black and white figure drifted along the hilly terrain, the last encounter with white noise got him to move out of the forests, the stallion gave a whinnie as he cantered down the gully and to the river at the bottom, he was now ack in his small territory, the stallion churned the ground with his hoof before beginning to graze, his white mane flipped over to cover his deep sea eyes, the stallion lifted his head once more and flicked his tail in annoyance as flies swarmed over a dead deer killed by wolves, the stallion flared his nostrils and reared jumping into a canter abd into the river, there he drooped his neck and started to slurp up the cool water.

    The stallion walked out of the water and started to trot in a display, legs high neck curved, this was a scene common in the morning, once done the stallion whinnied and lay down letting the sun heat his pelt.
    [Image: N3F7IUd.png]
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    #3


    kreios

    don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash

    Theloud whinny is what first catches my attention, and I raise my head from my grazing to see a golden mare rear up on a nearby hill. She’s gone in a flash, disappearing over the crest. Intrigued, I move away from my meal and follow her up the hill, my long strides making easy work of the distance. I top the hill and look around, but she is racing far ahead of me. Eventually she circles back and I head toward her, enjoying the feel of the sun on my pale back, but by the time I reach her she’s already dozing. Puzzle, I lower my head to try and see if she’s perhaps simply miming sleep, but she appears to be genuinely asleep.

    While the Field is not a particularly dangerous place – at least not while it is not breeding season – I am still unsure if it is the best place to let down one’s guard entirely. There is a black and white stallion nearby, and while he is large he is nowhere near my size,. He does not seem interested in the dozing mare (he is busy prancing), but I am still hesitant. Though I’d like to speak with her, I know better than to wake up sleeping mares.

    I decide to stand guard several yards away instead, browsing on the grass as I keep an eye out for danger and wait for the palomino mare to wake up.

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    #4
    The stallion awoke from his drifting mind with a new scent, he lifted his heaf and curled his lip he could smell a stallion, Aziz gave a loud whinnie, the whinnie was a greeting but also told him to stay out of his territory, although small his territory was worth keeping as it had a water soutce, Aziz cantered up the gully and observed the stallion, he lifted his tail bone as a sign of dominance but there was no need for that as he was quite a distancr away.

    The stallion reared in display and let out a loud whinnie in order to wake up the mare, the stallion not being bothered too much by the other stallion lay down and watched
    [Image: N3F7IUd.png]
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    #5
    Naira's head snapped up and she blinked her eyes groggily, not yet sure why she had been awakened. She rose quickly to her feet, her slender legs snapping into place beneath her and allowing her to stand with a graceful ease. Well well well, she thought, she had gathered the attention of quite a few horses whilst she slept. No, not just horses, she realized as she sniffed the air. Stallions.

    One was standing close enough while still giving her distance, the other laying down about the same distance away. They were both beautiful and powerful looking horses, and ones like she had never seen before. The chestnut was huge, bigger than any horse or stallion she had ever seen, and she couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by him. He had strange horns and a few spots that looked like paint that had been splashed over his body. She stretched her neck and twisted her head to try and catch a better look at the notable figure standing ahead of her.

    The other figure had his long legs folded up beneath him, and although he was lying down, she could tell he was tall, probably quite a bit taller than her. While the other stallion was large and bulky, this one was narrower and appeared to be a bit more nimble. Naira gazed curiously upon the horses around her, finding it slightly peculiar that they seemed to have taken up protective posture around her. She once again shook her long forelock, slightly disgruntled that it had such a tendency to fall into her dark brown eyes. She smiled at each stallion in turn, mildly cautious but at the same time sincere. "Um, hello", she said brightly.
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    #6


    kreios

    don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash

    I look up at the sound of a loud whinny. The stallion in the distance is calling out both a greeting and a warning, and I cannot help but rown in confusion. Does he think that he owns the Field? This place is a common ground, but since he does not seem interested in coming closer, I turn my head back to grazing. Just then, I see the distant pinto stallion rear up and whinny, this time clearly loud enough and with the intent of waking up the sleeping mare before laying back down in the grass This time I do roll my eyes, though I am facing away from the mare and too far from the other stallion for him to see. What exactly does this strange stallion think he’s doing? Stand up, sit down, yell at strangers, claim dominion over a neutral territory. Whatever, I think with a shrug as I turn away, he can do whatever he likes; it’s nothing to me.

    When I turn back to the sleeping mare, she’s sleeping no longer. I assume that the other stallion’s obnoxious whinnying as woken her up, and I cannot help but wonder how long she might have slept if not for his rude interruptions. Regardless of that, I smile and nod my horned head in greeting. “I’m Krieos,” I tell her, choosing not to burden her with any extra information. I remember how overwhelming all the introductions had been to Nymeria when I and others had given her our titles and homelands in one breath. I do not wish to make this palomino stranger feel uncomfortable. She seems sweet, after all, and a little shy.

    “What brings you to the Field today?” I ask curiously, wondering if the other stallion will approach soon, or if he will continue to lie down in the grass some distance away. “Are you looking for a home?” That is what brings most mares and stallions here, after all. They are either here looking for a home or looking for someone to offer a home to. I fall in the latter category, with two homes of my own, but I’ve learned it’s better to ask than to assume.

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    #7
    Btw i only own a small gully, not the field))) The stallion got up and started to walk, he stopped as he heard the stallion speak to the mare, the stallion started to walk closer and stopped when he was about 12 horses away frim her, he simply lay down not interupting the conversation. Aziz is quite a cheeky and annoying stallion, one time he shall be flirting with you, the next thing you know hes rearing and kicking, the stallion observed the mare studying her frame, he got up to shift position and lay down again, the stallion then flared his nostrils before finally deciding to get up and graze.
    [Image: N3F7IUd.png]
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    #8
    Naira couldn't help but stare at the large horns protruding from the top of the stallion's head. She moved her warm gaze from the curling horns to his mouth when he began speaking, and then back to his eyes again. Although he was very, very large and obviously extremely powerful, she didn't feel at all threatened by him. She'd gotten over her reservations towards the large horse as soon as she saw his kind eyes. This realization surprised her; the only thing that she had been taught about trust was that it could only end in lies. This she had learned through her own experiences, experiences that were represented by the multitude of pale white scars crisscrossing the golden skin of her flanks and belly.

    She contemplated taking a step back, but instead settled for shifting her weight onto her hind legs and raising her head slightly. Everything was still a bit muddled for her, and the young mare squeezed her eyes shut and shook her pale mane in an attempt to clear the fog that still lingered from her brief nap. "What brings you to the field today? Are you looking for a home?" She supposed so. There was no way she would ever go back to that hell-hole that she had come from. Her attention was momentarily drawn by the Pinto stallion that had been there when she awakened. He rose from his position on the ground to come a bit closer to them, and then settle onto the ground again. How peculiar. She returned her attention to the horse speaking to her, not wanting to seem rude. "Hello Kreios. My name is Naira. I guess I am looking for a new home. Ummm...why do you have horns?" As soon as the question passed her lips, she dropped her gaze in embarrassment. "Sorry," she mumbled with a nervous laugh, "Ive just never seen anything like them."

    She was once again distracted by the other horse as he got up, settled again, and then once more rose and started grazing on the dewy grass. What was he doing, she wondered. She looked back at Kreios and tossed her head in the pinto's direction. "Who is that?" she asked curiously.
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    #9


    kreios

    don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash

    The other stallion stands up and moves closer, then lays down. Then he stands up again and starts to graze, still seemingly uninterested in talking with us despite the fact that he'd been the one to wake the palomino mare up from her sleep. I cannot fathom why he would do such a thing, but my attention is drawn by the mare who is answering my questions. I can see that her gaze keeps straying to my horns, but it is not the first time that such a thing has happened to me. Horses new to Beqanna are often unfamiliar with traits, and there are even those born here that have never seen one with gifts like mine.

    She gives her name and confirms that she is looking for a home, but ends with a question about my horns that confirm my suspicions that she had been looking at them earlier. "They are a reward for my service to the army of the Dewdrop Deserts," I reply, lowering my head a bit so that she can see them a little closer if she is so inclined. "There's no need to apologize - I've never seen anyone else with horns like mine either. Invisible, magic, but not with ram horns." I smile, hoping that it will put her at ease and smooth over her embarrassment.

    I take a moment to look her over now that she is standing. While I'm not an especially lascivious creature, I'm still a stallion. While she is without s doubt quite lovely, there are curious scars on her coat such that I've never seen before. I cannot fathom their cause, but I know better than to ask about them, at least not so soon into our conversation. She asks about the other stallion, who is still grazing at a distance. "I don't know," I reply honestly, "I've never seen him before."

    Since she's admitted that she is looking for a home, I decide that I might as well offer those that I have. "Have you ever lived in a kingdom before? Or are you more familiar with herds?" I am aware that kingdoms are something that not all lands outside of Beqanna have, and I don't want to presume. "I can offer you a home at either, if you're interested."





    Ooc: aziz's player, the herd territories are listed separately, below the kingdoms. those are the places that can be owned by herds. places like the field and meadow can't be claimed, even in parts. if you have more questions feel free to ask, either me personally or on the questions and suggestions board Smile
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    #10
    The mare was grateful to the stallion, for relieving the discomfort brought on by her probing question. After his short but thorough explanation, he lowered his large head closer to her. She presumed it was to get a closer look at the impressive horns that he sported, and she took the opportunity, grateful to him for dropping his head more to her level. If he hadn't, she knew she could never see above, or even on top of his head, due to his massive height. After examining them closely, she nodded slightly, giving him the cue that he could raise his head once more. The army huh? That made sense considering his powerful size and bulk.

    His eyes roamed over her slight frame, lingering slightly on her her scars before continuing their perusal. She grinned slightly, surprising herself with how well she received and even embraced the attention. She shrugged at his sincere answer about her inquiry concerning the other horse. Albeit the other stallion was acting strangely, he didn't seem to pose a threat to either of them. He didn't make her nervous, exactly, simply...cautious. But, then again what didn't make her cautious these days. She was always looking over her shoulder, waiting to hear the pounding footsteps and hoofbeats racing after her.

    He had been kind and understanding through all of her questions and inquires, so she answered his question almost as soon as he finished his sentence. "I have never lived in, nor heard of these kingdoms. I suppose I was part of a herd, of sorts. My dam was what you might call a tame horse. I was born into that life, but I...well I just couldn't be what they wanted." She mumbled the last part and followed it with a soft sigh. "I am interested in a new home. Please, tell me more about yours."
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