M.orbid T.emptation

The stallion made his way to the Tall Grass Prarie with his head held high. He feared nothing. He feared no one. He was the one that struck fear in the hearts of his competitors. As he wandered the prarie, he set loose a shrill cry, echoing across the plains. Even though he was known for being the biggest bad ass around, he liked company. And he was getting lonely. Briefly he though of his friend, Hidden Shadows, that had recently been killed by the black bitch Saydin. A rumble of anger was emitted from the thick chest of the stallion. He would kill Saydin one day. He couldn't wait to see the death of her. She had it coming to her. And he wanted to be the one to see it.

Icefell, Lysismach, & Innops

The trio had passed into the prairie to search for better forage, taking advantage of the green shoots that were still growing before the frost of winter would kill them off and make it that much harder to find food. "Another stallion..." Lysismach was the first to hear Morbid and perk her white ears towards the cry. A bit darker and more dappled than her daughter, Icefell turned her own ears towards the sound, "I've heard his voice before. Never met him though." She was leery of stallions at this point, after a Haunter attack left Zaquaim dead, and an unfortunate accident took the life of his brother, Ultair. And yet, they needed a big male to help them as winter approached, someone to help protect them from predators and keep them from the clutches of the super packs in the area.

Innops, who stuck out like a sore thumb in the small trio, was pure black. Her once rich, shiny coat was still dull and scraggly, not fully recovered from the sickness that had taken her in spring. "We should at least meet him." She murmured quietly, feeling the need for more protection, since her poor condition meant that she would be the one that predators would go after first, if there was an attack. Having a male in the herd would hopefully increase her chances of surviving winter, and regaining her strength in the followings spring.

Icefell contemplated the decision for a few moments, and after giving it some thought, had to side with Innops. They needed a stallion. Ice lifted her dappled, black-muzzled face and neighed loudly, announcing their presence to the lone male.

Morbid Temptation

At the sound of the mares, the stallion bolted towards them. His hooves pounded into the earth and his mane and tail flew out behind him like a banner. He was like a speeding fireball, bright red and large. He was like music in motion when he ran. Finally, the mares came into sight and he started to slow. He stood atop a large rise, looking down on them. Beautiful creatures they were. White.... silver dapples.... Black as midnight... He trotted down the hill, his neck arched. Finally, he came to Icefell. Hello. Short and sweet. Sort of. The hint of danger lurked in his eyes. Morbid was a dangerous horse, full of fury. His dark brown eyes watched her carefully. She seemed to be the lead of the horses, and he might as well get into her good graces.

Icefell, Lysismach, & Innops

A mix of intrigue lit the mare's soft, dark eyes when she watched the stallion rocket towards them. One thing was for sure - he looked every bit as powerful as she'd heard rumors of, and that was a quality that she happily noted. "Greetings." She replied, flaring her nares ever so slightly to take in his scent. "My name is Icefell, lead of this small band; my daugher Lysismach, and friend Innops."

Lysismach looked up at the ruddy stallion, and felt the same interest that her mother did, though she let Icefell do all of the talking for now. Innops remained silent as well, ears back to express some uncertainty. Icefell went on, "We've lost two lead stallions in the past two years... and my herd has suffered from it. Three mares have died or been taken by the humans already. We could use a new stallion." It was rather blunt and to the point, but then, after enduring so much with her small band of friends, Icefell would need some time to warm up to any new male.

A'isha, Ebony, Merlot, Ella, and Tattoo

A'isha was the oldest of the group of mares who was in this area at this time. She was a beautiful chestnut colored Arabian who had been imported straight from the desert to be a human pet, though she had escaped as a young filly and had learned to take care of herself, though she had never liked the solitude of living alone nor did she like the monotony of being tied to one place for too long, she was a bit of a wanderer. As she heard the calls that these other horses made she wondered if they might be something like she and the rest of her friends were, a small herd that wandered. She nodded to the others in the direction of the new horses before she made to approach them. Once she reached them, nothing was said, though, she was very quiet to say the least and only spoke when it was absolutely needed.

Since joining this little band of mares, she had become sort of the spokeswoman. She was the one that did most of the talking to others and the one who was accredited for talking them out of some trouble. Though, now as they approached these other equines she dipped her dial in greeting to them before she spoke. Hello, I am Tattoo. She knew that it would be best for them if they merged herds together, after all, there was safety in numbers. Though, she was not as bold as to just say so. Instead she spoke to introduce her friends. We just heard and smelled you in the area and thought we would say hello. These are my friends A'isha, Ebony, Merlot, and Ella.

The rest of the group stood by silently as they waited for introductions to be made to them. In the group was Ebony who was a pitch black Paso Fino, her sister Merlot who was chestnut with a blond mane and tail, and Ella who was a thoroughbred mare.

Morbid Temptation

The stallion gazed at Icefell for a moment, then gave a slight nod of his head. My name is Morbid Temptation. I'll lead your herd if you would like. His eyes fell upon the new mares, a stare so dark and cold. Yet he gave another nod. A pleasure to meet you all. He said softly. His voice rumbled deep within his chest. He looked around the prarie, then back at the gathering of mares. Why is it you do not have a more... permanent home? He didn't mind traveling around... But he might as well get to know what was going on first.

Icefell, Lysismach, & Innops

Her heart was thrumming like a war drum, beating heavy and rapidly within her dappled chest, though not a flicker of nervousness showed on her face. Icefell was a born leader who knew how to hide her more fragile emotions and show only sturdiness and certainty when her herd members were around. 'I'll lead your herd if you would like.' Those words eased a lot of her anxiety, not just because he'd agreed to lead them, but because he wasn't going to force that leadership on them. Ice exhaled softly, "Well met, Morbid. It's a pleasure to have a stallion amongst us again."

After those basic introductions, her attention turned to a group of mares heading for them. "Greetings to you all-" Her dark eyes switched from one mare to the next, noting the mix of colors and shades that the group was made up of, from Ebony's deep, dark black, to Merlot's brown and blonde mix. "-my name is Icelit, and this is my daughter Lysismach, and my friend Innops." The mare's eyes flashed to Morbid next, "And this is our lead stallion, Morbid. You're welcome to join us if you'd like." Ice's heart swelled now - they had been only three lone mares this morning, and now their herd had a stallion and potentially several new mares. "As for our home, we are a nomadic herd right now. With just the three of us, we didn't have the strength to claim a land for ourselves and hold it... not with all the competition out there."

A'isha, Ebony, Merlot, Ella, and Tattoo

Tattoo was the one who met the greeting of the other mare. She dipped her head in greeting to each of the other mares and then the lead stallion. She took in all of their names as did the rest of the mares. Then, as the lead mare spoke inviting them to join her herd she looked to her friends to see if any of them had any objections and none of them did. So, she spoke to the leader. We would greatly appreciate being able to take you up on your offer. She spoke with much sophistication for one as young as herself, but she had been taught by her mother that first impressions were everything. So, now she and the rest of her friends just waited for what would come next from their new herd.