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Post by SAPHY. on Apr 30, 2009 3:19:45 GMT -8
BASKING in the early morning sun, a tight knot of horses slowly spread out, seeming to draw energy from the growing warmth, soaking up the sunlight as they wandered off to graze. Shifting uneasily, only one equine seemed to have his head in the air, occasionally snatching a mouthful of grass as he moved. From his position half way up the mound that sheltered the natural depression, Roman eyed the landscape carefully. But the soft, crumbling earth beneath him had different ideas, the steep side of the hill giving way as he scrambled upwards, throwing his weight forward until he reached the top. Blowing short puffs of steam from his nostrils, Roman quickly spun around, ensuring he hadn't disturbed any animals intent on hunting his herd. Satisfied, he lingered atop the rise, a proud silhouette illuminated by the rising sun as he stared down at the herd. The sunlit sentinel once again upon his pedestal.
HE did not think, for there were no subjects to think about - the herd was safe, he was still their master and there were no upstart colts or bothersome men to consider - peace, for once, was what Roman had. The bay stallion merely observed the world from his pedestal, a sunlit sentinel always aware of danger, even as he seemed to relax, watching the herd spread out below. But his peace wasn't to last, and he soon spied a mare straying too far, away from his hidden little depression. Half sliding, half galloping down the slope, Roman gave chase to the nippy little mare, this year without foal and prone to wandering, as he had soon discovered. Not as knowing as the mustangs, it was seven years in his wild lifestyle, not pure instinct, that lent him the ability to navigate the rough terrain as he did now, stretched low over the ground, ears flattened in rage at this mare that always seemed to be running in the wrong direction.
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Post by Sojourner on Apr 30, 2009 5:21:32 GMT -8
Finding Roman was rarely hard. The palomino spotted him silhouetted against the sky atop a ridge mere moments after having thought to look. There was no doubt that he kept a close tabs on them, watching tirelessly for any threats. Whisper meandered through the herd, pale gold form quite strikingly obvious. She made her way down to the spring and lowered her head briefly to take a drink of the clear, fresh ground water that welled up here. She turned back to head up the bank back towards the herd and considered grazing a moment -- before being distracted by an itch.
The young mare reached her neck around to bite at the itch with mild irritation. Her winter coat was still shedding out, and it was terribly uncomfortable. This led her to the decision to find a good place to roll. She wandered a little ways, head low as she inspected the ground and occasionally tested it with one of her front feet. Eventually she found an appropriate place and lowered herself carefully down. It felt good, effectively loosening the stubborn hair and dirt. She relished in the feel for a time before rolling back onto her stomach and pulling herself back up to her feet. Whisper shook herself off, then popped a little buck as she trotted to catch up with the others, who had already moved on.
With the arrival of spring came the arrival of foals. There were a few of the spindly-legged babes already born, though none were beyond a month old. Several of the other mares were still round-bellied with foals yet to come. Whisper herself was not one of them. She had been too young the previous year, only being a two year old. This year however, she had matured more. Only time would tell whether she had a foal the next spring... there was a danger that arrived with the sweet and abundant spring. Humans. They often ran their roundups mid to late summer after most of the foals had had a chance to strengthen, but as long as the earth was free of ice and snow, there was always a chance of their interference. She had managed to elude most of the previous roundups, but there was always a chance.
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Post by Casey Bronson on May 7, 2009 13:01:13 GMT -8
BRONSON
bad-boy deputy, with a heart tooth of gold Casey rode at a leisurely pace, keeping his eyes peeled along the horizon for any signs of the horses. He could hear Jake nearby, but didn't need to look to him for confirmation that he was going the right way, mostly because the hoof prints were thick along the ground but Casey ignored that fact.
"Hey, whoa" Casey pulled lightly on the rein, and directed a steady hand to two horses against the sunlit sky. "Gotta be more close." he grinned, glancing over to the SHerrif.
OoC;
Sorry it's so short, I'll try to work on a longer one for my next reply >< [/center] |
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Post by luke on May 8, 2009 11:17:29 GMT -8
Luke rode his white horse Candace into an area that seemed to be a spring cautiously. He could never be sure as to what he would find any where. Sometimes you didn't find much, and other times you found complete havoc. He brought Candice to a halt so that he could look the area over before advancing further onto the new terrain. As she came to the halt he gave her a quick pat of praise.
He then looked around the spring to see some horses. To his surprise he heard a man's voice off in the distance. Luke assumed that he was nearing a town, and that the man was some kind of law enforcement coming to check on the wild horses. All of a sudden he found himself wondering what to do. Should he rush off and go else where or shoudl he stick around and try to capture their attention? The later he decided would allow him to find out more about them and these horses.
As he relaxed a little as he got ready to observe the scene he reached into the pouch on the side of the saddle and pulled out some chopped up bits of carrot. Candace sensed such activity and turned her head ever so slightly to acknowledge it. "You know you've been a good girl, just like your mother," he whispered to her and fed her the bits of carrot as he leaned forward a little.
He ran his fingers through her mane as she ate in order to check the condition of it. Luke didn't have much so he had to get by without any fancy grooming sessions and the like. As she finished eating she joined him in the observation of their current surroundings.
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Post by SAPHY. on May 8, 2009 17:01:23 GMT -8
TREACHERY, that's what it was. Sending his cheeky runaway in the right direction, Roman paused a moment before trotting off after her. He had a sense of danger, a feeling that was little more than that. Snorting, Roman turned and chased after his herd. They were moving, though not by his leave - then again, with all those snappy mares around Roman liked to stay out of the herd and leave them to move when they wanted. Which was usually when there was fresher grazing to be had. It didn't take the mares long to find what they wanted, and as they spread out Roman trotted around them, keeping an eye out for both predators and keeping a mental count of his mares.
ROMAN hadn't noticed Casey, but there was one he did notice. He was close, far too close, and he certainly didn't recognize his mount. Raising his head to get a better view of the intruder, Roman snorted, taking a few steps forward. He had learned long ago that wasting energy by screaming and rearing was rather pointless. Instead, he marched towards the man with purpose, shaking his head and occasionally jumping a foot or so off the ground with his foreleg. It was a threat, a challenge, and Roman didn't need much of an excuse to chase any man that threatened his herd, especially when he wanted their mount. Ears flattened, the bay stallion kicked up the dust as he took off, easily closing the gap between himself and the stranger. He held his head slightly to the side, as if he was about to duck around an obstacle, and by now he was almost galloping sideways, forcing his full weight into his shoulder, aiming straight for his enemy's mount.
OOC› Hooray for Roman finally getting out of my head. >.> Honestly, the smell was really getting to me. *dances* K, your turn Sojo-ness.
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Post by Sojourner on May 8, 2009 21:02:38 GMT -8
The ride out to find the mustang herd was uneventful. They were more or less where the sheriff and his deputy had figured that they would be. Blaze still became more animated when she caught scent of her old herd. Her ears pricked forward, and her steps were rapid as they approached. Jake knew which of the mares had been his mount's dam, and he had fairly good reason that Roman himself had been her sire. He steadied Blaze as the herd came into view.
This was when it got interesting quick. The mustangs were unsteady, alert as though they had scented a predator. At first Jake had thought that they had sensed he and Casey approaching, but they were downwind of the herd and not near enough for there to be quite such a ruckus. Even as the mares drew together into a tight knot and drifted away from the unsettling thing, the sheriff spotted Roman's unmistakeable profile as he stepped off toward the threat, obviously quite riled. When he took off, Jake cued Blaze forward.
It was about time they figured out just what it was that had the herd all out of sorts. It went unspoken that Casey should come along. The deputy was certain to have noticed the same oddities. They made it down the ridge and cantered across the range a ways... until the stranger came into view. Jake had no idea what this man was about, but he did know one thing; the man was in a whole heap of trouble. Roman's intentions were clear now, and the fact that the masked stranger was not in the saddle would make it quite simple for the stallion to spook his mount, drive her away from her rider, and spirit her off into his band of mares. Short of taking a shot at the stallion, there wasn't really a plausible way of stopping him... and if a shot was taken, there would be hell to pay with the sheriff. Even if he was a devilish bastard, Roman was worth his weight in gold. He sired good foals and kept his mares remarkably safe.
"We'd better get over there before things get too messy," Jake called over his shoulder to Casey. He urged Blaze on faster, flat out galloping. Roman would get there first, there was no doubt... but with any luck he could be foiled long enough for the mounted law enforcement of Cahone to take charge of the situation.
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Post by Casey Bronson on May 9, 2009 15:08:55 GMT -8
BRONSON bad-boy deputy, with a heart tooth of gold[/center] It didn't take long for the deputy to see what was abotu to happen, and he set off just a second after the Sherrif, spurring on his steed, leaning forward in the saddle and praying with every inch of his body that no one was going to get hurt this day. He just wasn't up for blood after a night of digging around inthe mud. His laundry bill this week would be hell if this kept up.
Maybe it was Casey's selfish side shining through, or maybe it was the total lack of sleep he had but he felt a rush of annoyance towards the kid standing there. Why was he wearing a mask like that? HE looked like an idiot. Why didn't he notice that there was a bloody stallion charging towards him, and forcing these two men to risk the life of the horse to save him? Why was he here in the first place? He didn't look like any of the boys around town. And CAsey knew them all, or atleast knew of them. HE didn't match up with anyone in town.
As if this wasn't strange enough, the boy had a gorgeous white horse. Casey urged his horse on faster, muttering into her ear and she seemed to respond, seemed glad to respond. [/blockquote] |
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Post by luke on May 9, 2009 16:43:18 GMT -8
It wasn't long before one of the wild horses blew Luke's cover. He hadn't thought that they would, but now he had to deal with it. As he sat on Candace he slowly, very slowly backed her up and then had her turn quickly and then sprint away. There was no need to stay there any longer, he would find a somewhere else to go if he could. That was if the local law enforcement didn't chase after him.
He figured they didn't have much of a reason to since he hadn't done anything wrong. Was it wrong to stop and observe you surroundings? Just the same he knew that some sheriffs and deputies could get up tight about outsiders roaming around and coming across their local wild horses. That thought crossing his mind he hoped that these guys were that up tight or at least would let him explain himself instead of just writing him off as being guilty of something.
His run in with the deputy a good couple years back still stuck out in his mind. The last thing he had ever wanted to do was have such a thing happen, but it had. Luke hated to think that he could ever be like the guys that killed his parents, and regretted that incident with that deputy. So as he sent Candace running away he didn't go for his guns. He knew who they were and he wouldn't shoot at them.
It was then that he felt his hat start to be picked up by the wind and reached up to grab it and make sure it stayed in his possession and on his head. He looked back to see where they all were, the local law enforcement and the wild horse. It was then that he hoped that all would all end well.
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Post by SAPHY. on May 10, 2009 3:10:15 GMT -8
Alright, Mr. Jude, I wasn't happy when you barged into our thread without asking, which is considerably rude in the roleplaying community. But I ignored it, to be polite and try and welcome the newcomer. Your acts of god-moding and meta-gaming, however, I cannot ignore.
You say this, in your first post - clearly your character has dismounted. I won't lecture you about the stupidity of feeding a horse small pieces of carrot though.
Then you say this, in your first paragraph, with no mention of ever re-mounting the horse. Not to mention Roman would have been breathing down your neck before you would have a chance to first slowly back up, then gallop away into the oh so f**king cliche sunset.
It disturbs me that you think the herd you are stalking will not notice your presence and "blow your cover." I've seen wild herds, and the stallions notice everything. You also make it clear your character has never been in the area, as demonstrated by his lack of knowledge about the Sheriff's mustangs, yet he seems to know a lot about Casey and Jake at the same time. Forgive me for saying so, but running just makes you look extremely guilty - especially coupled with a lone ranger-esque mask.
Also, Sojo, I shall be back in four days - stupid computer hog flatmate. >.>
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Post by Sojourner on May 10, 2009 6:33:14 GMT -8
I am locking this thread temporarily until this matter is sorted out. Please message me personally with anything that you have to say.
I'd like to avoid stepping on too many toes in this process. Let's all try to keep a smile on our face, righto? ;D
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Post by Sojourner on May 10, 2009 17:27:57 GMT -8
OOC: Alright, here's the deal. Jude has departed from this thread and it will continue on with Roman, Jake, and Casey. I will make a post with Jake confirming this soon, hold tight until then. Thank you to everyone for diffusing the disagreement with (hopefully) as few hurt feelings as possible.  If anyone has any questions or anything else to say, please feel free to PM me. |
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Post by Sojourner on May 11, 2009 16:38:43 GMT -8
Seeing the stranger take flight, Jake frowned. He wasn't going to bother with pursuing the masked figure just now, though. If he showed up again and started any trouble, though, he'd have either Casey or Jake hot on his tail. For now, he was more concerned with distracting Roman from his vendetta. The sheriff slowed Blaze to a canter and gave a loud whistle to recapture the stallion's attention. "Roman ol' boy... you'd better watch your girls over here." For the moment at least, he and Bronson were between the herd patriarch and his mares. If this didn't have the stallion rushing back to drive off the new threats, nothing would.
Roundups usually started off in a similar fashion... cutting Roman away from his band and keeping him away while others rounded up the mares. There would be fair enough reason for the stallion to suspect that such a thing might be taking place right now... and that didn't promise to turn out pretty. Hopefully Blaze and Casey's mare would be quick-footed enough to get out of the raging stallion's way when he charged back towards them and his herd.
OOC: I'll delete all of the other ooc posts in the next few days.
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Post by SAPHY. on May 12, 2009 4:13:59 GMT -8
ROMAN was the faster, quite obviously, and there was no doubt about his intentions, but as soon as he heard hooves behind him, the shod hooves of tame horses, the rough little stallion stopped. It was an awkward movement, Roman practically sitting down before he managed to stop - yet at the same time, he was trying to turn and face his pursuers. While he never chased them, men or colts, far, he was dissatisfied with the distance - they were all much too close to his mares. Finally standing square, having kicked up a significant amount of loose dirt, Roman eyed Jake and Casey with distaste. It was confusing, really - there were only three foals at the moment, and it was much too early, yet they seemed to be taking his mares. He was only still for a moment, though there was no warning when he took off, galloping between the men, straight back to his mares. As he passed between them, Roman bucked to the left, a habit of his - he would never kick to the right after once kicking a tree that had left its permanent mark on his flank - and pushed his shoulder towards the mare of the right. Both motions failed spectacularly, though to Roman's credit he wasn't exactly intent on killing them, his only goal to get away from them. As he ran, his ears flicked forward, head rising as he replied to a neigh from one of the mares.
SNAPPING at the mares, pacing back and forth behind them, dodging the occasional kick, Roman finally got his sluggish herd to move - though most were only at a slow canter. Even his favorite, Kinta, a tall dun that towered over Roman, ignored his commands to move faster. As it was, they hadn't moved far when Roman relented, though he still kept them close. It was quite obvious the mares weren't happy about it, milling about in a tight group as Roman trotted back and forth, watching Jake and Casey. He was in a right state, breathing heavily and shining black in the bright sunlight, white foam just starting to build up on his seal bay coat. But still he kept moving, not allowing the mares to do the same. Halting, Roman swung his hindquarters around and leaped into the air, stepping backwards to keep his balance. But balance wasn't his only concern. Kinta, having decided she'd had enough, snapped at a mare that came too close before kicking viciously at Roman, her solid hooves squarely impacting Roman's thigh.
THERE was only one result of a forceful kick like that, and it was confirmed in the heavy thump, somewhat muffled by the spring grass, of the stallion hitting the ground. He was on his feet almost instantly, a habit quickly learned by all mustangs, but there was no doubt that it hurt. Shaking, though it didn't remove much of the dust stuck to his sweaty coat, Roman set about regaining control of the mares, though he was not so determined this time. The men seemed to have backed off, acting more like Roman was used to at this time of year. He was far from settled, switching from a fast-moving watch over the herd to glaring across the uneven ground at Jake and Casey, but there was nothing more he could do - with mares that wouldn't run and a slowly swelling stifle.
OOC› Um, flatmate has close to 2 months off, so I'll be pretty much absent until July 26th unless mum sorts out the wireless modem so I can go online on our computer [I'll bug her about it on the weekend, so fingers crossed]. Btw, I could so see that being a good newbie prank - Ro'boat's bait. XD Also, excuse long-ness, I was inspired.
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If anyone has any questions or anything else to say, please feel free to PM me.