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DaSassy — CV|Ajax|Lonely Souls
#arpg #cv #horses #cottonwoodvalley
Published: 2024-03-25 00:44:47 +0000 UTC; Views: 3715; Favourites: 54; Downloads: 0
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I snorted sharply, my ears falling flat against my neck as I watched the old dun stallion heading my way while I drank. While I wasn’t normally the most perceptive, I could tell he was itching for a fight. Nevermind the fact that there were plenty of spots to drink along the lakeshore, no, he just had to have mine. As he grew closer, he puffed himself up more, neck flexing and legs striking the dirt with every step. I lifted my mouth away from the water, feeling it dribbling down my chin as my lips pulled into a frown.
For a moment, I dared stare the old man down, having half a mind to give him the fight he wanted. But, looking beyond him, I saw his bachelor buddies watching from nearby. I didn’t fancy my chances that they wouldn’t intervene if their friend started losing. I wasn’t stupid enough to try my chances against five older, more experienced bachelors. With one last snort, I turned away and climbed back up the low embankment away from the water.
I shook out my short mane, trying to let go of my irritation over that whole interaction. Normally, this would be the time that Lyrik would remind me just why we’d made the smart choice by not engaging - but that wouldn’t happen anymore. I winced at my own thoughts, kicking my pace up to a trot as if to get away from it as though it was a physical sting.
Much as I hated to admit it, I was lost without her. I really thought that I would be able to handle her leaving. Sure, I knew I would be sad and a little lonely, but… without Lyrik around I paralyzed and lost, like I couldn’t do anything anymore without her there to guide my stupid self. I guess I never realized just how much I relied on my sister. Whether it was asking where we should go or what plants were safe to eat or if she thought that badger would bite me if I put my hoof in its den (Answer is YES. It most definitely will!), she was always there to humor me. I swear I could still hear her scoffing sigh and the roll of her eyes as she answered my dumb questions.
Still, I had honored her wishes. It had taken us weeks of searching, of inquiring about and observing different herds, of running from aggressive or possessive band stallions. There had been a couple that seemed pretty good, but it finally came down to one in particular that she chose to stay with. I couldn’t see what Lyrik saw in the lead stallion, though that might just be because I’m a guy or my own preferences for looks, but at least he and his brother seemed like good guys. Anteros and Eros, odd names, but then again I was one to talk.
Their herd was massive, they had well over a dozen mares and nearly double as many foals. At first we thought it was a couple herds mingling, so we were surprised when we started talking to the group and found out they were a single unit. What was even more shocking to us was just how content everyone seemed. None of the mares seemed like they were being forced to stay with the herd, and even the stallions of the herd appeared relaxed about my presence. Honestly, it was like a breath of fresh air to not feel unwanted.
We all spent a long time just talking, their lead mares, Melika and Theia, coming to greet us as well. I let Lyrik do most of the talking, as this was all her idea anyways. I had to bite my tongue a fair bit, as I was still dealing with the sting of our argument and my own feelings about her leaving. I think the stallions sensed this, as they suggested the mares take Lyrik to meet the other herd members.
At first I thought they were going to use this time to chase me out, but instead they seemed concerned about me. I wasn’t sure what to say at first, but eventually I told them a bit more about us, and about the incident that drove my sister to her decision to find a herd. Eros talked about his experience with leaving his herd, how hard it was to be away from his younger brother and some of the things he had to learn how to do on his own. While the circumstances weren’t exactly like mine, I still appreciated his wisdom.
I found myself watching Lyrik touring the herd, amused as she was confronted by a gaggle of foals. Though, I found my own eyes widening as I realized what I originally thought was two similar looking foals, twins I thought, turned around and revealed themselves as instead a single body having two heads. The shock must have been evident on my face, as I saw Eros shift closer to me, catching my eye.
“We accept everyone here.” He said, looking at me seriously.
I stared at him, at first worried that he was upset by my reaction, but it became clear that he wasn’t mad. If anything, he was just being protective, which I couldn’t fault him for. I could only imagine that they’d encountered less accepting horses who may have voiced their opinions. “I’m glad, I think the world needs more love and less hate.” I replied honestly.
Eros smiled, glancing at his brother who wore a similar expression. They looked at me in a way I couldn’t quite describe, but it caused a warmth to spread in my chest. Was this the feeling of acceptance, of trust, of admiration? I wasn’t entirely sure, but it felt good.
We were interrupted a short time later as Lyrik returned with Melika and Theia - but also another mare. I had to do a double take, looking this new mare up and down. She saw this and chuckled at me. I flushed a bit, embarrassed, I quickly explained, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to gawk , I was just surprised. You look more like my sister and I than any other horse I’ve seen.”
“Funny, your sister said the exact same thing!” The mare chuckled, smiling warmly.
The mare, who introduced herself as Eleni, seemed just as interested in us as we were in her. Apparently, Fjords like us weren’t at all common in the valley, in fact she’d only seen another half Fjord in all her time here, though she’d heard of a couple others running free among the mustangs. I wondered if that mare she’d met could have been our mother, and looking at my sister I could tell she was thinking the same thing. Neither of us voiced our mutual question, instead we did what we always did and focused on the present.
It wasn’t until I noticed the sun setting that I realized just how long we’d spent with Anteros’ herd. I looked at my sister, trying to judge what she planned to do. A selfish part of me wanted her to leave with me so we could have one more day with just the two of us, but I could already see by the look in her face that she had found what she was looking for. Truly, I was happy for her, and I agreed that this herd was a great one. Still, knowing that our paths were diverging here left me feeling like a panicked foal again.
As if sensing this, Anteros suggested that I stay for the night, as it was late anyways. Actually, he’d offered for me to stay for longer, but I already turned that down. I don’t know what it was, but I just knew that this herd was not my place. I wasn’t sure where I belonged yet, but it was somewhere that I needed to find on my own.
Lyrik told me to stay the night, that way I’d have a fresh start to the day tomorrow. I could tell she was trying to avoid talking about me leaving, her eyes shifting away as she spoke about it. I was secretly glad that I wasn’t the only one hurting over the thought of our impending departure. Nevertheless, I readily agreed to stay, as I wasn’t keen on spending the night alone, especially as the herd had mentioned spotting a lone wolf earlier in the day.
That night, I stayed close to my sleeping sister, unable to rest my own eyes. She’d excitedly talked for a long time about all the horses she met in the herd, including Briar Rose, the special foal I’d noticed earlier in the day. I could tell my sister was truly happy, probably happier than she’d ever been in our life. It was a painful realization to come to, and I had to wonder if I should have encouraged us to join a herd instead of trying to make our own way in the world.
A flash in the moonless sky drew me out of my morose thoughts, my eyes just catching the tail end of a star’s trail as it streaked across the sky. I watched quietly, waiting to see if another star would fall. Sure enough, after a couple minutes I watched another light flick faintly across the sky. I smiled sadly, making a quiet wish that I wouldn’t be too lonely without my sister. With that thought, I finally managed to settle down to sleep.
The next day, I left without too much fuss and only a bit of tears. As much as my sister tried to encourage me to stay longer, I knew I needed to go. I needed a clean break. If I lingered longer, I knew I’d start to feel too comfortable and I might want to stay. I knew I had a roving eye when it came to mares and it would only be a matter of time before I caused trouble in the herd. I didn’t want to risk ruining things for Lyrik, so for her own happiness I had to leave quickly. Once I started to walk away, I didn’t dare look back.
And now, as I woke up alone for the fifth time, I simply felt defeated. I thoroughly regretted not taking more time to say goodbye to my sister. Maybe I would have decided to stay with the herd too, instead of pathetically trailing them like I was. At first, I had told myself that I was just trying to make sure Lyrik was doing okay, but I knew it was because I was desperately lonely. Though, I had made sure to keep well out of sight, not wanting to disturb her. I realized then that what I was doing could be considered creepy, grimacing at myself.
“Why the long face?” A feminine voice suddenly asked, startling me out of my thoughts.
My head snapped up, looking around through the willow leaves and morning fog for the speaker. She revealed herself shortly after, stepping out from behind another tree, the sun at her back. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light and fog, but at that moment I thought I was looking at a goddess glowing in gold. My heart skipped a beat as her eyes met mine, feeling frozen in place.
The mare, a fiery chestnut with a pale underbelly, gave me an amused look and asked, “Hello? Anybody home, handsome?”
I sputtered, completely caught off guard by her comment. Was she… flirting? I rubbed my face on my leg, blinking at her to be sure she was real and that I wasn’t still dreaming. “Uh.. Hi. D-do you need something?” I felt like a complete idiot after the words left my mouth, but my sleepy brain just couldn’t process what was going on.
She laughed heartily at my floundering, causing me to pout, which only seemed to send her more. I leveled an unamused look at her, my ears flattening, and I considered walking away at this point. I already felt like shit, so I wasn’t willing to stick around and be teased by a stranger - no matter how pretty she was. As if sensing my intentions, the mare seemed to get a hold of herself finally, “Easy buddy, I’m just messing with you, no need to run away from me! I don’t bite, much.” She winked, giving a toothy grin.
I snorted, “I’m not running away. I’m just not in the mood to deal with… whatever it is you are trying to do.”
She seemed to pause, her posture relaxing and her grin falling to a softer look as she spoke, “Sorry, that’s my bad, sometimes I come on a bit strong.”
“You can say that again.” I said as I shook out my mane, feeling myself slowly calming down.
“Really though, I saw you hiding over here all alone and thought you could use some cheering up. You doing okay, bud?” She asked, looking genuinely concerned.
I huffed, “First, stop calling me bud, my name is Runik. Second… um” I kinda stalled out there, not sure what to say to that. Why did she care? She didn’t know me, so why did my problems matter to her?
“Well, okay then Runik,” She practically purred my name as she stepped closer and reached out to greet me properly, “My name is Wicca.”
The combination of her voice and her actions sent a shiver right down my spine and I shuddered visibly. Dancing in place for a moment to get rid of the jitters, I greeted her back, taking in her smell. God, she was intoxicating, but at the same time she kept me off balance with everything she said and did. “That’s a… a unique name for an equally unique… you” I cursed myself internally, frustrated that I could barely keep my words in any semblance of order.
Wicca giggled again at my floundering, then poked my cheek to get my attention back on her, “I see that words are hard for you, so how be we mix things up and do something more physical to get to know each other?” She then danced back a few feet and pawed the air, arching her neck and displaying much like another stallion would. I realized then that she was a bit taller than myself, and though she was leaner she was clearly athletic.
My brain had got caught up on the physical part for a moment, sputtering “W-what did you have in mind?” Nevermind her very obvious posturing, my mind had gone somewhere else entirely and completely crashed. Surely, she didn’t mean that kinda of physical, right? I asked myself, realizing a few seconds later just how much of an idiot I was as it finally registered what she wanted. “Oh, you want to spar?” I’d playfully sparred with Lyrik, but never really considered fighting a mare.
“Yuppers!” Wicca tossed her head, rearing up slightly and making me flinch back instinctively as she struck out. “Show me what you got, Pretty Boy. Or are you all looks?” She taunted, giving me a sultry smile.
A grin found its way onto my face, meeting the challenge with my own posturing, “Guess you’ll have to find out for yourself.” I shot back, seeing the smile grow on her face.
Stallion Name + ID: Ajax (#82)
In response to: Runik faces life without his sister, dealing with other stallions, herds and even a lone wolf. But, he's not alone for long, as a mysterious beauty crosses his path. (E-Stallion 26 + E-herd 36 + Meteor Shower + E-Lone Wolf + Stuck)
Art features(2): Runik , Wicca
Story features(9): Runik , Lyrik , Wicca , Anteros , Eros , Melika , Theia , Briar Rose , Eleni , Stallion 26
Word Count: 2564
Aging: Wicca 3/3
Destination of Bachelor: Unclaimed
Items Used: P.Wood + M.Wood
Companion Animals:
Caring – Theodore the Cat (Healthy Foals) N/A
Helping – Pudge the Cat (Extra Feathers)
Healing – Monster the Cat (Heals Injuries) NOT USING
Protecting – Sassy the Dog (Reduces Injuries) NOT USING
Nursing – Angel the Dove (Heals Sickness) NOT USING
Foaling – Jeremy the Stork (Bonus From Foaling) N/A
Other Mentions: Anteros , Eros , Melika , Theia , Briar Rose , Eleni (FabledUnicorn , #19-2)
Rolls: Normal
Other notes:
PPJ:
Ajax: Estraya, Fancy, Isabelle, Juniper, Cheyenne, Yuki, Trissa, Nizana, Joi, Faina, Hawk, Akane (None available)
Finn: Everyone
Artist Notes:
This was a piece that was in the works for a while, but I kinda found myself struggling with. The pose still isn't exactly what I had in mind, but because I took too long to get there, my original vision for it kinda poofed. Happy with how the willow leaves came out, and the background in general is nice.
Refs: Link
