Painted / Prisoner

On a gentle boat of wind I came forth into a land of short grass prairies and fields. This looked good, it smelt good, and sound good all at once. I was not one for an accual fight, but that stallion was looking for some sort of fight-back. I had to make sure he would give me a strong foal, even though I could have complemented the foal of a weakling. Prisoner was a beautiful and strong looking filly. She would be one to rule her world with a diamond hoof. But still, I see darkness in her eyes as she looks and day dreams. I fear her safety, that is why I brought her here, maybe these others will prevent her from what tragic fate my father had. I have to sigh, It's sad to think of a father so power-hungry he kills his whole heard just to prove he is a minon of darkness. Luckily I had escaped, but I do fear a re-aquantence with the stallion. But that didn't matter, not now, what mattered was my daughter's future, I turned my head to watch the beautiful creature follow me about. Then looked forth once again to find someone who inhabited the land.

Flame licked filly followed behind her dam as they made their way into the land. Her mind was held innocent thus far, but soon the darkness would embrace its new child and draw her to murder and distruction like that of her mother's sire, and possibly her very own sire, Morbid Temptation. Morbid, thats' the word. The one that was hacking into her thought process, the one that would drown her every concious thought into a pool of cold darkness. How could one so beautiful and innocent looking have that evil potential deep within her veins?

Slowing to the trot, both mother and daughter haulted and looked around for a resident in these lands. She was looking for a safe place to raise her daughter, unknowing to her daughter's destiny to be completely alone from a herd. By choice or banishment, the filly would not have a home when she grew older.

With a lift of her head, the damsel gave a sharp and loud cry for others near her to hear " Residents of this land, please, answer my call. My name is Painted, I have a filly with me, Her name is Prisoner. I am looking for a home, please, allow me to know if I am permitted to live here." She lowered her head, then bobbed her dial to see clearly around the land.

Cosmic

Cosmic had not seen another equine here other than his own mother in so long. Him and Nosh were conversing when the duo caught his orbs. He chestnut crown lifted looking at them. He heard her call and if this had been anywhere out in the open he would have went to invit them to his lands. But they had come to Nosh's lands searching a home here. He looked back to Nosh.

|Go talk to them we can finish our conversation when through I can wait|

Nhosh, Wycliff, & Legend

Turning his head from the direction of the duo's call, he spoke briefly to Cosmic, "I will send a stag to your terrain before nightfall, and it will be guarded until your return. And if you are in need of further assistance, you know where to find it." With another nod to the stallion, Nhosh took his leave and sprinted in the direction of the other two horses.

It wasn't long before the red deer came to them. Head held high, he approached them at a brisk pace, "I'm Nhosh, lead stag of this land and that to the west. If it is alright with Wycliff, our lead hind, then you are allowed to stay here." He himself was a bit taken aback at why these horses wished to join a deer herd, but he found the idea good; they were fellow grazers, afterall. And his herd was one of mixed species, from whitetail to fallow, so why not an equine?

Not too long after, a second red deer appeared. But unlike most of her kind, she was piebald; over 90% of her coat was white. And trailing timidly behind her was a young piebald calf, Legend. Son of Nhosh. Wycliff raised her dail up and stepped in front of Nhosh, "I'm Wycliff, lead hind. We have plenty of room for you and your filly; you are welcome to live here."

Legend peered nervously at the filly, then to Nhosh. He didn't know his father very well yet, for the stags didn't interact much with the hinds and fawns at this time. Fall would be the time to get accquainted with the father; now was a time for mothers.

Painted / Prisoner

The filly looked blankly through medium blues to the fawn. She was quiet for a while then her nostrils flared up and she let out a whinny to him. He was her height, so she began to think she was one of them. Red ears flicked about and she took a few steps toward him, nape outstretch as she began to sniff his nose. Trying to take in his scent to tell him personally apart from the rest. Quietly she spoke to the tiny brujo " Hello, my name is Prisoner, What's yours?" She didn't understand what the word prinsoner ment, but it sounded cool to her.

Painted watched as the deer came up, a fellow grazer, however she wasn't aware this was a deer herd. Never-the-less the smell of the numerous animals made her feel comforted for her daughter. She spoke with strength, to show she would be a valuable herd member, one that would fight if they needed. " Very nice to meet you Nhosh, Wycliff. I have come here for my own daughter's protection. For many years I have been roaming around a loner. And recently desired a child, now I have my child, but with children come fear for their safety. And I wish a home that she could interact with other animals, herbavors, her age. May I ask how many other children are around?" She was quiet, she felt nervious, but knew this land would be secure.

Nhosh, Wycliff, & Legend

Nhosh gave a short nod of his head before departing. As far as mares were concerned, Wycliff was in charge. Queitly, quickly, the stag returned to where he last left off with Cosmic

Wycliff took charge now, nodding respectfully to the mare's words, "We are very glad to have you here. There's aren't so many horses in this valley. And you needn't worry; our stags are always patrolling these lands; very little goes by without someone noticing." The hind assured, "There are thirty-one new fawns this year, and thirteen yearlings. Plenty for Prisoner to play with."

Legend gained some courage now and stepped foward, his tail flicking from side to side now and then. Half his face was white, and patches of coloress fur adorned his body. "Legend." He peeped out, his tiny voice betraying the powerful stag he'd eventually grow to be. "Want to meet my friends?"

Painted / Prisoner

The mare smiled to the hind with relief then turned to the two little ones. " Thank you so much for this opportunity. Prisoner, If it's alright with Wycliff, you and your friend can go play." She looked to the doe waiting for approval. She was a little eager to meet the other hinds as well. But she didn't dare say anything that would upset her new herd mates.

Fiery fea flicked her head up playfully and gave a short, half rear, then popped up in the air. She landed clumsily but caught herself and looked around with a 'Oops' expression. With a recovering smile she yipped, "I'd love to go see you're friends, If it's alright with your mom" She smiled and turned begingly to Wycliff.

Wycliff & Others

Wycliff looked to Legend, a touch of hesitancy crossing her large, dark eyes. A fawn, Tabana, had been killed a month back by a wolf from the Ochotona Mountains Pack. But... she couldn't baby her little Legend forever. "You may go; but don't stray too far."

Legend gave a little squeal and pranced his hooves. "Yay! I'll show you all my friends!" The two-toned fawn sprinted away from Wycliff, going surprisingly fast on his long, spindly legs. With his mother watching anxiously, Legend raced down a hill and dissapeared in a thicket of hawthorns. He emerged on the opposite side and entered a second field; just where he expected to find two of his best friends. He found one at least. Hartheil was there, lying motionless in the grass while his mother was grazing out of sight. The fawn, half-brother to Legend, was a touch smaller than him, and a half breed. Part red deer like Nhosh, and part white-tail like his mother, Catal. Seeing his friend, Hartheil sprung up from hiding and dashed over. The two butted their heads together in playful greeting. "Hartheil! This is Prisoner..." Legend said excitedly, nodded to the filly.

Wycliff did her best to shrug off her feeling of unease. "I'll show you the rest of the herd. There are a few that... they may not be the most inviting. But the others will be more than pleased to get to know you." Wycliff assured. She began to head towards a larger field where a group of hinds were laying under the shade of a giant oak.

"Everyone, this is Painted. Our newest herd member. She comes with a fawn of her own, Prisoner." Wycliff began, accidentally swapping filly for fawn. The group of four hinds stood up now, bright-eyed and curious as Wycliff went on to introduce.

"This is Dharm.." A young white-tail doe was nodded to. Her coat was sleek and pale tan, with a rather distinctive and dark dorsal stripe runnning along the base of her neck and back.

"Hederas..." Here was another red deer, this one the same age as Wycliff, except a bit larger than the lead. Her coat was more brown than it was red, with splashes of black on her ear tips.

"Breen..." A fallow deer, a good size smaller than the rest. Her coat was a livid orange-tan with rows of spots along her back and a dark brown dorsal stripe.

"And Velvire." A young white-lipped deer, with that characteristic white lip and dark fur.

Each of the hinds nodded their heads in greeting as their names were called. Wycliff spoke again, "There are many others still, but it would take a while to seek them all out." She lifted her head up, flicking her tongue over her nose to enhance her smell. No predators. She continued, "During this time of year, the mature stags stay west of this land, in the Shadow Hedge terra. But you'll see them patroling around now and then, to be sure there's no danger."

Painted .+. Prisoner

A sharp squeel of excitment coursed through her lips as the fawn sprinted away. Blue globes turned to her mom followed by a toss of her head and a leap into the air. Her hind legs gave a powerful pump and she was sent flying after Ledgend. Long powerful limbs moving smothly under her until she went through the thicket and to the other side.

An abrupt stop threw the dirt up and about her. She stood still as Hartheil aproached, a smile tugged at her tiny lips and she lowered her head in greeting "Hello Hartheil" She looked to ledgend and gave a small cry, "So what do you do around here for fun?" She said excitedly and looked around.

The painted female smiled as she followed behind Wycliff. She felt a little uncomfortable leaving her daughter alone with another child, but she heard the alpha's words about how the males patroled the land. A soft sigh was given and she nodded to each of the hinds as they were introduced. "It's very nice to meet all of you." She said with a smile. Her ears flicking about for the sound of any preditor. She wasn't sure what a deer herd did all day besides grazing. She looked to Wycliff for some guidance on what she should do.

Wycliff & Others

Legend grinned, his tail still flicking in excitement, "Well, there's tons of things to do! We can tell stories, race each other, jump things..."

"Go exploring!" Hartheil piped up, his eyes glistening with mischeif. "Little Earth told me about how he went to this lake once... and a cougar attacked him!" Hartheil had never seen a cougar before, though his mother told him plenty about the big cats and other such threats. "Wanna go exploring?"

Legend hesitated, knowing how much trouble they'd get into if they went too far. Little Earth, who was a yearling at the time, had gotten in huge trouble for wondering off. But, the thought of fun and excitement began to override the thought of consiquence. "What do you say, Prisoner? Exploring?"

Wycliff glanced up to the sky. It was past midday now; most of the hinds would be resting and chewing cud; yum. Not too much excitement, apart from gossiping, which hinds did a lot of. But what fun was gossiping when you didn't know who you were talking about? Wycliff had caught the look, "The moon will be nearly full tonight, so it will be perfect for foraging the fields. I can take you to two human settlemens, where they grow flowers and plants that are excellent for eating." It would be a bit dangerous; it always was when dealing with humans; but the rewards were some delicious foliage that didn't grow in the wild.

Painted .+. Prisoner

Prisoner shivered with excitment, both in the thought of finding new things, and getting into trouble. " I'd love to go, but we have to wait until the hinds look away." She said with a sly smirk, red dial lowering and then bobbing to get a clear image of the adults. As soon as Wycliff looked to the moon, Prisoner jumped and bounded away. She moved almost as the deer themselves did. "Now! let's go before they notice." She said as she dove for some bushes, then lept away as far as she could.

Turning back when the hinds where mere dots.The filly waited for the other's then looked about where she was, wondering where that lake was.

Painted stood unaware of her daughter's mischief. She had never been to the human lands before, it sounded exciting. "That sounds very nice, I would love to come along." She smiled, then lowered her head and began to wrip a few blades of grass.

Legend & Hartheil

Holding back giggles, the two fawns sprinted after Prisoner. By the time they had stopped, Legend felt exillerated; he had never actually been this far from his mother before. Being her firt calf, she was rather protective of the little one. "We made it! Alright, now to find the lake..." But here was a dilemna; where was the lake?

Hartheil frowned as he scanned the terrain. "All I see are trees and grass... and hills." The fawn lifted his muzzle up and licked his nose. "Mom told me there was a lake to the north, but said I couldn't go there."

"Catal isn't here right now though. What she doesn't know won't hurt her, right?" Legend responded, grinning and turning his dark eyes to the north. While Hartheil hesitated and pondered over his half-brother's words, Legend had already sprung away. Hartheil was after him in a flash as the two headed north.

It wasn't long at all before the scent of water and boggy plants told the fawns they were going the right way. They began to run faster, panting hard as they pushed their legs to the limits and strained their lungs. Then, quite suddenly, Hartheil let out a cry and went tumbling across the ground. Legend bleated in alarm, then krept to his half-brother's side. "You ok? What happened?"

Hartheil staggered up, favoring his right foreleg, "I'm ok, I think.... what's that?" He was staring at a pair of giant antlers half emedded in the boggy ground. They were much larger and longer than him; in fact, they were 12 feet in diameter!

Prisoner

She went after them, and slid to a stop as Hartheil fell down. She too made her way slowly down, then looked to the large antlers. She stepped a little closer and lowered her head, "I-it looks dead...", No duh was her next thought, but she didn't say that out loud. "I don't think this particular part of the lake is safe. Maybe we should move further down, It looks like any further and you could sink in this marsh." She began to head away, trying to find something dry to step in, but mud as all she found.

Soon the forest bagan to grow thicker, and the mud became a little harder to pull out of. Before she got herself caught she stopped and durned around. "Uh, I think we should head back..." She began looking around, wondering how far 'back' was. So she began to guess, and just continued through bogs.

Legend & Hartheil

Hartheil backed away nervously, his tail stuck straight up in the air so the white underfur shown clearly. "Yeah... I don't like this place." Clack. The fawn whirled around and looked down to see what he had stepped on. He barked in alarm when the empty sockets of a skull stared bleakly up at him. An old deer skull.

Legend snorted nervously, fretting as he too got caught up in the thick mire. "We'd better..." a glimpse of movement made the youngster start. It was only a water snake, but that was enough to send the deer into panic. "RUN!" he cried out and turned to flee. Hartheil was after him in a heartbeat. The running was tough in the soppy ground, and fear gripped the duo without remorse. Having no clue which direction they were headed now, they ran.

Prisoner

Crimson filly heard the crack and almost jumped out of her skin. She turned to see the old deer as well but didn't bark or anything at it. The sight took her breath away in fear. The water snake had caught her attention as well, and she was thrown into her own state of panic as the two fawns up and left her. "Gah! Wait for me!" She squeeked and bounded after the pair, trying to keep up but bogged down.

With all her adrenaline pulsing through her veins she heaved herself to flight faster than she was going. What she didn't feel was the tearing of her baby muscles as she wrenched them from the thick mud.