Lost in High Weeds | Private RP

Bird huffed, flicking her tail angrily as her ears flattened. All of this was so dumb! The witch would surely leave her if she didn't show up soon. If her father were around, they would have already been there. She knew she should have paid more attention during their travels to meet up with the witch. Then she wouldn't even be in this situation. Her brown eyes scanned the grass as she heard a slight rustling. Her head snapped in the direction of another horse as their spotted pelt appeared out of the green grass. Her eyes narrowed as he cooed at her, trying to soothe her. Though his silvery mare covered most of it, she could still spot the large x-scar on his face that marked him as a Bachelor. The roan mare snorted, lifting her head proudly in an attempt to make herself look bigger. Maybe if this stallion thought she would be too hard to catch, he wouldn't try to take her back to his herd of brutes.

Bird flicked her long mane out of her face, lashing her tail behind her like an angered cougar. A small breeze drifted through the hilly terrain, making the grass move like a green ocean. Her brows furrowed at his flirtatious expression, and she scoffed before rolling her eyes slightly.  "How do I know you're not just trying to sweet talk me into following you back to your herd?" She asked, giving him an accusing look. No way was she going to trust a Bachelor so quickly. There was no one here to protect her, and she knew she had to defend herself from any danger, and this horse could certainly be a danger to her well being. She was lost though and had no where to go. What a predicament. "You are a Bachelor after all, and I've heard quite a few terrible tales of your herd."

Bird watched closely as the smaller stallion walked around her. Her muscles were tense despite her fatigue. There was something about this stallion that was... off. It felt as though his purple eyes were studying her like she were something on exhibit. A shiver shook her body at the thought.
Her brows narrowed at the spotted horse's words. Little Bird let out a small snort, rolling her eyes at his remarks. "And who's to say you haven't been there long enough to become one of those monsters?" She asked, snarling her lip in disgust at the thought of the other scarred stallions that made up the Bachelor herd. There were way too many tales of their treacherous behavior for her to trust this horse so quickly. The roan mare's muscles went rigid as he stepped closer, nuzzling her flank before darting away. Little Bird turned to face him, making sure she had an eye on him at all times. "Yes, it would be foolish," she said with a snort, stomping a hoof defensively on the ground. The thought of actually having a foal with a Bachelor stallion made her stomach churn, or having a foal with anyone for that matter. Being a loner wasn't the life for a young foal. It was full of danger, and she wasn't about to raise a foal without knowing for a fact she could do so.
Bird pinned her ears as the silvery haired stallion took a step closer. His violet eyes felt as though they were burrowing holes into her pelt, and it felt like he had already laid claim to her somehow for whatever he was thinking about. "I'm not lonely. I'm just... lost." Bird said with a frown, and maybe she was a little lonely, but she'd never admit it. The loner mare also didn't want to ask for help, especially not from this stallion.
 
Bird chuckle quietly, shaking her head. "I know there are predators here. I've dealt with a few believe it or not. I was just distracted for a moment," she said rather sheepishly with a flick of her long tail like an angered cougar would. She knew it had been silly to get flustered like she had, but things just weren't the same now that her father was dead. He had been her rock, and now, she was alone with no one to wrangle her in when she got that way.

((OOC: It's okay. c: lol I've had that happen to me so many times. :'D  ))

Little Bird looked down at the stallion as he spoke. His voice was smooth and calm as if he were trying to win her over by trying to be nice even though she knew that a wolf was surely hiding beneath that sheep's clothing. When he mentioned the word 'brood', the loner couldn't help but feel anger and frustration build up inside of her. How could this stallion think that what they did to those poor mares was okay? "I'm sure," she said in a strained tone. trying her hardest to contain her temper her father had warned her about. "I bet all of the broods really enjoy your company."

She watched him carefully as he tried to sweet talk her further, touching her neck and shoulder with his soft muzzle. The roan mare let out a small snort, rolling her eyes. Her father had warned her of these stallions before he had died. He had said that they would pretend to be nice, and then they would take her back to their herd where they would force her to do unspeakable things. Little Bird looked up at the sun. Surely enough, the orange orb of light was sinking over the horizon. Darkness would cover these foreign lands, and Bird had a feeling that she wouldn't have much luck finding her way to the Great Pine in the dark, especially since she couldn't even find it in the daylight. She ground her teeth together, trying her hardest to fight the urge to trust this horse, but there was a chance he was telling the truth right? Maybe he was as nice as he said he was. Little Bird let out a small sigh, turning her gaze back on the spotted stallion beside her. "Fine, but only because I'd rather not get eaten by a pack of grass beasts, and only if you swear that the rest of your herd don't know I'm here. I don't want to become one of your herd's broods." Bird said defiantly with a lash of her long tail.

Little Bird looked down at the spotted stallion as he nipped at her withers. Her brows narrowed for a moment. Part of her desperately wanted to just cut loose and have fun like she would have before her father had died, but another part of her, the part her father had shaped with his teachings, told her to be wary and cautious. It was up to her to defend herself now after all, and he had done so fore so long. It felt... bizarre to even think that he wasn't there any longer. She bit her lip in an attempt to contain herself. What would her father want her to do? He certainly wouldn't want her to dwell on the past for too long, and she had done her fair share of crying over the past couple of weeks. After several seconds of hesitation, Bird snipped back at him with a playful smirk. Others had told her that she acted a lot younger than her age, but why would she want to act like a cranky, old coot when she could live life with a bit of fun? Plus, this horse seemed like a nice enough stallion even though his herd was known for being a bit... brutish to say the least. She figured that she might as well give him the benefit of the doubt since, surely, not all of the Bachelors behaved that way.

When she caught the slight glimpse of a happy smile on the stallion's scarred face, she couldn't help but let one creep onto hers as well. It wasn't the malicious smile that she had expected to see when she had accepted his offer. This one was surprisingly genuine. She nodded her head as he spoke, telling her the plan he had for where they would hide out of the night. The Eastern island wasn't familiar to her in the slightest, but at the mention of a city, her ears perked up slightly though they quickly fell at the mention of rats. Little Bird stuck her tongue out in distaste. "Yeah, I'd rather not run into any rats, especially if they're the size of grass beasts. We have those on Olde as well though I've never heard of any the size of grass beasts. I suppose the cougars get rid of those." She said with a small shrug.

Little Bird's ears perked up as he continued, and she hesitantly walked in the direction he had told her to go. Deep down something was telling her to run and get as much distance away between her and this Bachelor as possible, but something was keeping her from doing so. Maybe he had been right. Maybe she was a little lonely. Her brown eyes swiveled backward toward him when he introduced himself. "Abel." Bird repeated with a nodded.  "My name is Little Bird, but most of everyone just call me Bird." The roan mare offered Abel a small smile as she headed in the direction of the unfamiliar city, wondering how this little encounter would end. Hopefully, it would be for the better. She was quite tired of unhappy endings.

The loner mare walked forward at a steady pace, glancing around her with caution. She made sure her eyes stayed sharp for any signs of danger and kept her ears swiveling to catch any sort of noise from the tall grass that grew around them. "So, Abel, what do you like to do around here? I'm sure it's not all fun and games with the Bachelors, but you must have something that you like to do every once in awhile." Bird looked back at him with a curious expression, learning things about others was a hobby of hers. Bird loved to learn the ins and outs of just about everything around her even though it made her seem a little nosy at times.

{Word Count}- 646

Little Bird looked back at the smaller stallion with an amused expression. A lot of horses commented on her rather strange name, but she always found it pretty funny to hear their opinions on it. "My entire family had strange names... well, at least everyone else thinks they are strange." She said, remembering how her father had told her that all of their ancestors had had names like our own. It was sort of like a family trait, passed down the generations. "Don't be sorry. I've heard worse jokes than being called Big Bird." The roan mare admitted with a chuckle. There was one mare in particular that came to mind that had called her fat once, and the memory still enraged her. 'Stupid, skinny breeds.'

Her brown eyes scanned the area around them out of habit, looking out for any dangers that might pop up in their path toward the ruined remains of the city that was slowly appearing on the horizon in front of them. The sun was slowly setting, and the light was beginning to fade with it. If this place was anything like the Olde city, the predators would be coming out soon to hunt, and she definitely didn't want to have to fend off any of the vile dogs that seemed to be in abundance on the Eastern island.
Bird flicked an ear back toward him as Abel began answering her question. She nodded slowly, looking around them while he spoke. "That's good. Family is an important thing to have." She said, giving the spotted stallion a rather sad smile. "From the sound of it, it seems you have quite a few relatives. I bet there's never a dull moment with all of them around." The older mare playfully rolled her eyes slightly at the mention of his family's 'good looks'. Little Bird cast a glance behind her when his fond tone turned rather grim, and a worried expression crossed her face, pulling down the corners of her mouth that had only moments before held a small smile. "I've heard the news of the war. It's still hard to imagine." Little Bird couldn't even begin to think of the worry and fear that must be running through the herd, and how many innocent lives were being dragged into this mess. "I hope that you and your family stay safe." She hoped, seeing the worry and fear in Abel's gaze. She had thought that the Bachelors were hardened by fighting and war, that they were accustomed to the sight of blood and the thought of fighting to the death, but the look on Abel's face definitely wasn't something she had expected. It wasn't the face of a blood-thirsty fighter, but rather someone unsure about the outcome of what was to come.

The city was still off in the distance when Abel steered her toward a small area with trees, bushes, and rocks at the back of a small hill. It didn't look like much, but shelter was shelter, and Little Bird had definitely stayed in worse places. Leaves and pine needles littered the ground, providing a comfortable feeling to the little cove. She wandered over to a relatively dry spot in the pile of leaves and sat down, sighing in relief as she took the pressure off of her hooves. Her ears perked up when Abel's questions turned toward her, and she fell silent, thinking of an appropriate answer to his question. She could simply lie about it, but Little Bird was definitely not a very good liar. "Well, to begin, I enjoy exploring, and I have yet to really explore the Eastern island. Not because of the many dangers that seem to be present here though. I'm a Ranger. I know how to defend myself." Little Bird paused, wondering how much she should tell this stranger about her life and the reasoning behind her madness. She obviously couldn't tell him about the witch's call to come to the Great Pine. That would be against the law, but there were other reasons she had ventured to this place. "My family has all been Rangers, protecting the innocent lives of Chevalin. I wouldn't want to join the herds simply because I wouldn't want to let my ancestors down.... or my father for the matter. I was living with him on Olde until he pasted away recently. I had to take care of him, so I didn't get many chances to travel and explore, so when he died, I took the opportunity to see the rest of this world and perhaps help a few horses along the way." Little Bird admitted, her lips being pulled back in a tight smile. Sadness raked through her as her words opened up the fresh wounds that her father's death had created, but tears didn't threaten to spill down her face. She had cried too much lately for there to even be enough tears to cry. "I know I was extremely lucky to have run into you and not someone else from your herd. I wouldn't last very long as a slave I don't think, being passed around from one stallion to another, but I won't be on this island for much longer. Hopefully, my luck won't run out for a little while longer." Little Bird assured him, thinking of her game-plan for her travels. The Eastern island had proven much too dangerous to stay for much longer that was for sure, and the Southern island was still a burnt crisp, so once she learned what news the witch is so anxious to tell the loners, she would be making the trip back to her home on Olde. "This island is quite beautiful though. I wish I could stay a bit longer. Without the fear of being captured." The roan mare admitted, sighing quietly before shrugging her shoulders. "What's it like? Being a part of a herd. I've only known what it's like being alone. I wouldn't want to jump into herdlife myself, but it's still pretty interesting to me."

Word Count: 1009

Little Bird flicked her ears toward Abel while she glanced around them at the small clearing Abel had taken her to. It was certainly well hidden, but it was also closed-in. If any sort of danger were to come, they would be trapped... or at least she would be if this was all some sort of trap. Her father had always taught her to second guess horse's actions, figuring out where their values laid before letting herself trust them, but for some reason, she found herself opening up to this stranger, who was a Bachelor stallion of all things. Had she finally lost it? Being so lonely for so long had worn her down, and she liked having others around for company. Was she desperate enough for company that she was willing to rely on a Bachelor stallion who may very well stab her in the back? A frown deepened on her face at the mention of the loner's involvement in the war. She had no idea what the witch wanted to tell or ask of them during this sudden meeting, but it was against the law for loners to interfere with the herds. It ate her up inside that innocent horses would be slaughter without a second thought in this ridiculous war, but what was really killing her was the fact that, even though her job was to protect the horses of Chevalin, she couldn't do anything without being punished. The roan mare sighed heavily, listening to the spotted stallion as he continued. "I'm not sure. The loners mostly do as they please, and I can't see all of them rushing off to battle even if it meant only protecting those who otherwise can't." Little Bird admitted rather sadly, her voice laced with worry.
At Abel's apology, Little Bird let out a small sigh, taking a deep, steadying breath before she could trust her voice to not crack and wobble with sadness. Her father had been the only family in her life since she was little. Her mother had left right after she had been weaned for reasons that she would never know or understand. "Thank you. He was a good stallion, and an amazing father despite how hard he pushed me to become a Ranger."

Little Bird listened intently to Abel when his gaze wandered back to hers, and he began telling her about his herd's lifestyle. Learning about the herds was a hobby of hers. In order to better protect and help the horses that lived in them, she had taken to asking many questions about them, learning how the different herds functioned. Abel looked rather disgusted with the thought of his herd's traditions, and Little Bird had to agree that it was ridiculous, but she understood the feeling of feeling inferior. Her own mother and father had wanted a colt, someone to raise to be a strong, loyal Ranger, but they had been cursed with a filly who would have to be trained twice as hard to be able to compete with the stallions around her. It had been hard to hear at first, but she had eventually taken it up as a challenge, pushing herself further. "From the look on your face, I'd say that you don't exactly agree with the most extreme members of your herd. Is that why you helped me? Because you sympathize with the mares of your herd? Or is there another reason?" Bird studied the young stallion's purple eyes, searching his expression for any hint of emotion or a hidden lie.

Word Count: 591