* don't STRAY from me [ open ]

[SAPHY.]

my heart is like a river
my heart is like these hills
they never change, i never change
and i never will

The view was so picturesque, so beautiful it could cause even the toughest heart to pause and admire the windblown grass. It was a scene echoed for miles, the monotonous rolling fields of green stretching for eternity. But no matter how many painters might wish it, the expanse of grassland had to end, and it had to end quite abruptly. From a distance the canyon might have seemed inviting, serene even, if not for the narrow maze-like walls that bordered the range. But for the mustangs, the rocky ground that slowly disappeared into the grass was home. And to Roman, it was a sanctuary against every danger to be faced on the open grassland. But Roman wasn't in the safety of his home, he was staring down at a monstrous pair of horns, waiting for a moment to strike.

you called and i came running
you cried and now i'm here
so hold this faith, accept our fate
these are little fears

In the absence the strong willed Kinta, the mares were all but ignoring Roman. Oh yes, of course they would follow him, but only after much complaining and nipping from both sides. They were strung out across the flats, grazing peacefully with the occasional glance at romping foals; most of them barely noticed as they drifted among a herd of fat steers. Cattle were no strangers, and certainly not considered a danger; even the watchful Roman had more pressing thoughts than the horned nuisances. Ignoring the playful blur of red and white that bounded over as he wandered through the mix of cattle and mustangs, Roman cast his vigilant gaze over the surrounding range. Where was she?

we have enough to guide us
we have enough to last
we're not alone, we never were
you and i aren't lost

Six days. Where had she possibly gone in six days? Satisfied with the lack of danger, the stallion ceased his pacing to graze, though his attention was still directed to the slovenly mares. They had their own ways, their own habits that seemed strange to Roman, yet they were his to protect from all danger. He almost felt pride when watching the leggy colts disturbing their sleeping mothers for a last snack before a nap. Then, as if appearing from thin air, there was that familiar scent of Kinta. Bursting into action, Roman thundered across the grass, following nothing but his nose as he pushed his way through a rank of cattle, spooking the red and white animals. He barely noticed as a set of cloven hooves followed him to his prize, knowing better than to charge down the stallion. Yet he seemed to need an outlet for his excitement, but as the steer neared Kola, he was intercepted by Roman's flying hooves.

so hold me very tightly
hold me fast and strong
i am your love, won't stray from you
you and i belong

Roman was getting older now, he could feel it as he dived sideways out of the steer's path. Steer. That was a joke if he'd ever laughed at one - the creature had to be easily his size, with horns wider than Roman's own broad chest. Twisting in the dirt, Roman chased after the steer, matching it's choppy stride as he used his shoulder to push the creature off balance. Truth be told, it wasn't much of a match between horse and steer - one scrambling for safety and the other defending his girl, but it was enough to send the steer flying at the sound of a horse, and give him a few battle scars to write home about. Giving up the chase long before the red beast realised, Roman turned his attention back to the returning mare. The colt was all but ignored as his little fluff of a tail wiggled excitedly from behind his dam, Roman too preoccupied with Kinta; his black nose followed the line of her neck, upper lip moving furiously to scratch the dust covered coat. It wasn't long before both horses had their teeth out, scratching away the itches even rolling couldn't get.

my heart is like a river
my heart is like these hills
they never change, i never change
and i never will

Awwwh. Ro's so cute when he's got his Kinta.
Anyone can reply, like the title says, though I do wish there were some more mustangs around.

[Sojourner]

It was arguable that Sheriff Jake Colburn didn't need to check in on the mustang herd quite as often as he did. It wasn't as though they were about to vanish into thin air. There was usually enough forage to be found year round that the herd didn't have to venture too far, not to mention that Roman had too much interest in the rancher's mares. Still, Jake typically rode out to gaze over the grazing horses at least every other day, if not more. He would keep a careful count of the mares, the fillies and the colts, occasionally scribbling a couple crudely written notes to himself on his note pad just to keep track of who was who. He always knew when one of the herd was missing.

Finding the herd was a little more difficult today than it had been previously. A large herd of one of the rancher's cattle had been turned out onto the range. Their hooves had blurred out nearly all other signs of the mustangs' hooves. Whether or not Roman knew it, keeping company with a large group of cattle was quite a clever way of travelling incognito. Jake smiled to himself. Most people would call him crazy for crediting Roman with quite so much uncanny intelligence... but there was something about that stallion. After so many weeks of trailing the herd and seeing Roman in person, he didn't think it quite so unbelievable as someone else might.

When he finally spotted one of the bright cremello mares in Roman's band, mixed in with the herd of cattle, Jake grinned. It was lucky that he'd spotted her at all. The rest of the herd blended in fairly well with the steers. Fortunately the sheriff was able to depend on that cremello and a few of the other lighter colored mares as something of a beacon. Roman however had quite a way of blending into his surroundings with that sooty bay pelt of his. The sheriff drew Blaze to a halt atop a small knoll, trying to pick out the forms of the horses from the cattle. With all of them moving and meandering this way and that, there was no way in heck that he'd be able to get a good count on the mares and see whether any new foals had been dropped.

At least Roman made his presence well known within a few moments. There was a small disruption. Cattle and horses alike were bolting out of the way of something barreling its way through. A cloud of dust was kicked up as ol' Roman himself chased a resentful steer out of his way and rejoined with one of his favorite mares. She was one that he'd stolen, though fortunately her owner had begrudgingly allowed her to stay out on the range... as long as he had his pick of her foals when they were brought in. It was a good thing, too. The herd could do well with a little fresh blood here and there if it was to stay strong. It wasn't unusual for ranchers to turn their mares out with Roman, even if only for a year or two before they took them back in one of the roundups.

Jake watched the stallion groom his mare. It was always good to have a good tab on the stallion. He liked to think that he was out here often enough that Roman wouldn't really bother with him. The sheriff typically kept a reasonable distance, never bothering them... until it was time that the mustangs were gathered. This early in spring however, that wasn't likely. The foals were still young. It wouldn't be good to put too much strain and stress on them until they were a few months older and stronger.