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Post by valiantshadow on Apr 27, 2015 15:51:36 GMT -5
Characters: Grange and Evalynn
Plot: Grange and Evalynn meet one day, and built a slight bond. When Grange is disgraced by Cain and attacked by the other stallions, he runs to Evalynn in a last ditch effort to fit in.
Time: Just after the first battle, before the creature caper
Grange
The small champagne stallion trotted alongside the edge of a small pond, looking for a good place to stop and drink. It was an unseasonably warm day, and he was rather thirsty, although he hadn't done much for the morning. Guarding the mares wasn't all that draining, and he was off for a while now. He had been wandering around lazily, trying to find some way to alleviate the boredom and restlessness that had settled over him in the past few months. And all that lazy wandering had made him thirsty. Finding a shallow inlet, he stopped, lowering his muzzle to the clear, clean water to drink. Flicking his ear, he stared across the water to the far side of the pool, where the grass was long and waving. After drinking his fill, the small stallion raised his head, staring at the clear blue sky. Small, fluffy clouds scuttled across the sky, leaving shadows on the grass that sailed along effortlessly. It was truly a gorgeous day. But, Grange was not interested by the weather. So, he turned his attention to the luscious green grass, nibbling at it absentmindedly. He was quickly absorbed by this task, unaware of anything around him.
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Post by straythought on Apr 27, 2015 23:04:53 GMT -5
Evalynn | Captive
As the few captives were grazing, one of the Bachelor stallions, whom she didn't personally know, stood watch over them absently. One of the mares, a paintaloosa, strayed further than she probably should've, grazing silently as she roamed. As she moved, the grass tickled her legs and she flicked her tail slightly. After a short while of her moving as she nibbled on the grass, she noticed a smaller horse grazing absently.
Evalynn looked around, suddenly realizing she'd moved quite a ways from where she was supposed to be, but she couldn't be bothered to give a crap. If her guard didn't pay attention, than she wouldn't care about wandering further than was allowed. Besides, if there was another stallion over here, she shouldn't get in too much trouble, she silently reasoned to herself. Though she wasn't sure who this stallion was, and if he was an asshole.
Taking her chances, she silently trotted over to the other horse, and casually started nibbling at the grass along side him, waiting to see what his reaction would be.
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Post by valiantshadow on Apr 27, 2015 23:36:54 GMT -5
Grange
The champagne colored appaloosa lifted his head, his torn-off ear nub twitching to shoo away a fly that was trying to settle on his face. His eyes quickly surveyed the mare, and his eyebrow rose slightly as he noticed her watching. She seemed defiant; that was something he could appreciate and respect. He'd been defiant many times himself, as the long scar on his shoulder and his bitten-down ear proved.
"You're a bit far from the herd, aren't you?" he asked, a low chuckle edging his voice. He smiled to show the bay mare that he meant her no harm, but was simply teasing. He was certainly not a stickler for the rules, and he decided that he wasn't going to squeal on this mare to Cain or his cronies. This meeting would be their little secret. Since both of them seemed to have the same proud spirit. Grange hadn't felt himself since he discovered Cethin's unfaithfulness, but seeing a horse with the same fiery spirit put a little life back in him, at least for the time being.
"I haven't seen you around much," the stallion commented, his blue gaze flicking over the mare's pintaloosa coat. She was pretty - if you're into that - and he felt saddened by that, as pretty equaled desired in the bachelor herd, and desired equaled misery. Unicorns know he had felt his own share of misery at the Bachelor stallions' hooves. He couldn't imagine what she must have gone through.
"I'm Grange," he introduced himself, dipping his head to the mare in a respectful greeting. He might as well be cordial to her right off the bat. He wanted to show her that he was not her enemy, and he thought this as good a way as any to do so.
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Post by straythought on Apr 28, 2015 0:38:12 GMT -5
Evalynn
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him raise his head and take in her sudden appearance beside him. Her ears flattened for a second before facing forward again, refusing to feel out of place beside him. As she watched him look her over, he spoke to her, a small chuckle coming out of him. Evalynn's muscles relaxed slightly at that, not realizing she had tensed up.
"I may be a bit far, but if my chaperone can't keep an eye on me, I don't feel obligated to stay within a couple feet of him." she smiled back at the stallion, feeling more at ease than she had in awhile. And it was because of that, that she decided he wasn't that bad, for a Bachelor. As she stood beside him, she looked around, noticing a small pond not a few steps away from them, the sunlight glinting merrily off of the surface of the water, small dragonflies flitting about.
Her ears swiveled towards him as he spoke again, and she nodded slightly. "Yea... I've been under constant supervision. Something about trying to go home makes them think I can't be trusted. Though I can't imagine why that is." she snorted dryly as she rolled her eyes.
"Pleasure to meet you, Grange. I'm Evalynn." she tweaked an eyebrow as he dipped his head respectfully, but dipped her head back. He seemed quite odd for being a Bachelor stallion, but it was a pleasant change of pace. "So, is there a reason you're out this far all alone?"
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Post by valiantshadow on Apr 28, 2015 8:06:38 GMT -5
Grange
Grange could see the mare tensing, and he was glad when she relaxed for a moment, eased by his non confrontational attitude towards her. He had this effect on most mares; they were simply more comfortable, he noticed, because he didn't berate or threaten them. You catch more flies with honey, he thought, imagining what the Bachelor herd would be like if the other stallions suddenly dropped everything and chose a softer approach. Nice. It would be nice. But, that wasn't reality, so the champagne stallion shook his head slightly, focusing his attention back on the real world.
"I can't see as he'll be too happy with you running off, but you should be all right as long as I'm here," the appaloosa replied, swishing his nubbin of a tail to ward off some curious insects that were flying around his deeply scarred hindquarters.
"Ah, that explains why I haven't seen you before," the stallion said, a knowing look spreading across his face. "And why you have such a strict guard," he added pensively. He pitied the mare, at least a little, but he didn't say it. He couldn't empathize with her, as he'd spent most of his life wishing to get away from his home, and she had spent her days here wishing to get back to hers, but he could imagine how hard it would be to tear herself away from everything she loved. Very hard to do, indeed.
"I'm not a big fan of my herdmates, to be honest with you," Grange said, sighing. He turned slightly, so she could see the long, thin scar across his right shoulder. "Ghost gave me that," he said, emphasizing his point. In this herd, Stallions were honored, and only mares were injured by their own herd. But not for the odd little champagne. "Cain's been..." he paused, shuddering as he thought of the "trip" Cain had sent him on last winter. Grange and some other Bachelors who spoke out against their leader were dragged through the mountains, bound together as they circumvented crumbling ledges. They almost starved or froze, and many times the whole group almost fell. At the top of the mountain Cain showed them two options. One was a spiked pit, out in the cold and snow. The other was a cave with warmth and food for all. Grange had to bow and grovel before his leader for his very life that night; it left a bitter taste in his mouth, even now. "Not the easiest to get along with," he finished, pushing his thoughts away.
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Post by straythought on Apr 28, 2015 17:56:51 GMT -5
Evalynn
"Well then, I guess I shall just have to stick with you, until I feel like wandering back. Or he finally notices that he's one captive short." she grinned at the slightly shorter stallion, watching as insects seemed to hone into their location, going straight for their coats. After seeing him begin to swish his short tail, she inadvertently started to swat at the insects with her own, just slightly longer, tail.
As he spoke again, she watched realization sweep over his features, and was slightly surprised to see him not immediately tense up in case she decided to make a bee line for home, now that he knew she was a captive. No, instead, he turned slightly, showing her a thin pink scar running down his shoulder, and explained who gave it to him. Ghost. Her ears folded back, and she whipped her tail a little more violently than was needed to swat at the flying insects.
"Ghost." she spat out irritated "He's the reason I'm here.." her ears perked up slightly when he spoke again, this time mentioning Cain. To be honest, she hadn't seen the leader much, except for the night Ghost presented her to him as a new capture. Though, judging by Grange's words and tone, Cain wasn't someone she'd want to mess with too much. Maybe she'd have to go and seek him out to find out personally... But that was for another time.
Looking down slightly to the stallion, she cocked her head to the side "Ya know, if you aren't a fan of your herdmates... Then why do you stay?" she asked curiously, wondering why this polite stallion would stay with the others who obviously, judging by the scar, don't respect him as a herd member.
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Post by valiantshadow on Apr 28, 2015 21:40:05 GMT -5
Grange
"I guess you will," the stallion said, smiling briefly. He liked this mare; she was spunky, and she wouldn't be one to roll over and bow down, it seemed to him. That was good. He seemed to hit it off with spunky horses: Casper, Tamera, Tauriel, Ace, and now this bay mare. He supposed it was something that he was drawn to, at least when it came to choosing friends.
"I'm not going to keep you on a short leash," the stallion promised, seeing that Evalynn was surprised that he didn't react accordingly to her revelation about being a captive. "I don't take up with the customs of my herd much," he added, his eyes on Evalynn as she gazed on the jagged mark that Ghost had left in his flesh so many months ago. Nowadays, the scar was well healed, but it still irked Grange by its very existence. Just as Ghost did. And Cain. And Levi.....and most of his herd. But he had friends here, and loved ones to protect.
"Fair question," he said, nodding his head in an impressed gesture. "You see, there are a few reasons I don't leave. One is that I have friends here. One of them, my closest friend, has just foaled. A colt, lucky for her. And she has a mate, one who actually loves her - as surprising as that is here. I can't leave her behind. At one time, we were going to run away together, just us two...but she was scared to leave, and I was too kind to make her, or to leave without her. Not to mention, I do have family. My mother is still alive....though we don't talk much. Can't really, since she's mute. We mostly parted ways a long time ago, but I'm afraid that she'll be killed if no one is here to protect her. All I've done is ask some of the mares to watch out for her in her old age. I haven't spoken to her or seen her....but I can still help, without having to be near her." He sighed, staring up at the sky for a moment, letting the silence fill the space between them.
"And that's my reason," he said, shaking his mane in a horsey shrug.
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Post by straythought on Jun 6, 2015 17:07:25 GMT -5
Evalynn
A single raised eyebrow was all that moved as Grange began speaking of why he chose to stay in this herd. As he continued to speak, understanding slid over her features, and she felt a large dose of respect for this stallion worm it's way into her heart. He was loyal to his friends and mother, and for that, she could find no fault in Grange. Her ears flicked as he spoke of how his mother and himself were estranged, but how he still protected her.
As silence descended upon the two horses, Evalynn wondered if their places were traded, if she would have the ability to force herself to stay in a place that obviously didn't respect diversity, for her loved ones. Then she thought about Eden and Taishen. There was no way that she'd be able to flee, while leaving her friends. It just.. It was wrong. They were so important to her, and if he felt the way about his loved ones the same way she did, which she believed he did, she could understand his motivation. In that aspect, the two seemed to be quite alike.
Her eyes moved up to lock with his as he spoke up again, shaking his mane, and she smiled at him ruefully. "I appreciate you telling me. But if you are staying in the herd, by your own volition, why exactly are the other stallions being such.. well, such assholes to you? I mean, surely your lack of severity towards the rules wouldn't anger them that much?" she furrowed her eyebrows, confusion about this enigma of a stallion clouding her eyes.
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Post by valiantshadow on Jun 6, 2015 20:56:25 GMT -5
"Well...that's....another issue," Grange said carefully, dropping his head as a new wave of thoughts washed over him. Everything from Cethin to his recent rash of excursions that were not exactly "condoned" by the Bachelors. Nothing had come of it yet, but the stallion knew to be on his guard. However, this mare, this captive, surely she couldn't be a threat? Could she? He supposed he could trust her. At least, he could tell her the bare bones of the answer to her question.
"I don't exactly....fit...the perfect Bachelor profile," he said, head still lowered as he nibbled absentmindedly at some small blades of grass. "I don't have the same ideas...the same....style of living as my counterparts," Grange said, swishing a fly away with his tail. Munching on the tender grass, he fell silent, figuring that Evanlynn could read what she liked into his words. He would neither confirm nor deny anything for now.
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Post by straythought on Jun 15, 2015 18:17:49 GMT -5
Evalynn
Evalynn's eyes narrowed slightly, listening as his voice changed to adopt a careful, guarded tone. Whatever it was that cause the other stallions to disrespect him, had to be a big no-no. His general respectful attitude towards her, both a mare, and a captive, surely would rankle some of Bachelors, but she doubted that was what caused it, as she had met a -almost non-existent- few who weren't complete asses to her. No, it had to be something more than that.
As he lowered his head to nibble on some of the tender strands of grass, he replied with a hesitant mouthful of words, answering her without actually answering her question. She smirked inwardly: his ability to dodge answering directly was just as good, if not better than her own ability. Yea, she definitely liked this stallion. He almost reminded her of Eden, though he was less of an obnoxious whiner. That thought brought a smile to her face, missing her brother-friend like crazy.
Bringing her thoughts back to the stallion in front of her, she eyed him, trying to dissect his words. Thinking back to all he had said to her since they met, but nothing he said had really given her a clue about what it was that his herd mates hated so much that they resorted to physically abused one of their own. A small thought wormed it's way into her head. She knew the mares were pretty much anyone's property, but she had heard that sometimes a stallion could claim a mare for his own for awhile. Did this seemingly laid back stallion encroach on anothers' "claimed" mare? But that wasn't right.. He said it had to do with not having the same style of living. From what she knew- and saw- the Bachelors style of living was staking their claims on the mares, breaking them of their wills, just to bring a new generation of brutes to the herd.
While she looked at him, her eyes widened slightly. If what she suddenly thought was true, it would explain a few things. His non-existent disrespect for mares, his self proclaimed non-conformity to the Bachelors' living style, the contempt his herd mates had for him... But if she was wrong, and she questioned him about it, she winced thinking he would probably take great offense, and may even revoke his unusual kindness. Oh well..
"Are you.." she hesitated slightly, ears falling back, hoping like hell that she wouldn't lose him as a possible friend. "Are you gay?" she finished her question, her voice soft, almost hoping the wind would carry her words away. Evalynn looked at him, hoping she didn't just insult him, waiting to see how he'd react to her question.
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Post by valiantshadow on Jun 17, 2015 21:10:49 GMT -5
Grange glanced up at Evanlynn, sighing quietly as he swallowed his mouthful of grass so that he could speak. "You're sharp," the small champagne said, raising his head so he could speak with Evanlynn better. "And I hope, a good secret keeper," Grange added, the tiniest hint of warning in his words. While he didn't suspect that Evanlynn would run and tattle to the other Bachelor horses, he needed to make sure that she was clear on the fact that this was a private conversation.
"You can imagine that it wouldn't be very good for me if that information was well known," the stallion added, swishing away a few flies with his tail as he stared at Evanlynn.
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Post by straythought on Jul 7, 2015 21:56:29 GMT -5
Evalynn
When he looked up at her, Evalynn was relieved to see that there was no anger or outrage in his eyes, only what looked to be a subdued acceptance of her question, telling her she was correct in her assumption before he had a chance to speak up. As he tried to warn her from telling the other stallions of his herd, she let out a little snort of contempt and giggled softly.
"Oh hun, you have nothing to worry about from me. Believe me. Why would I do anything that would help the brutes of your herd subject you to more brutality than they already are?" she raised an eyebrow at him as he spoke up again and nodded slightly.
"Well, like I said, ya ain't got anything to worry about from me. I like you." she winked playfully at the smaller champagne stallion, and glanced back over her shoulder, wondering how long she could push staying away from the other captives before the guard came looking for her, and no doubt punish her for scurrying away. Turning back to Grange, she tilted her head slightly.
"So what is your contingency plan if one of your herd mates find out? I mean, obviously if you're fighting this hard to keep it a secret, the punishment must be something you don't want to deal with." Evalynn swished her tail as she spoke, and lowered her neck to bite a few strands of the green grass that surrounded them.
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Post by valiantshadow on Jul 20, 2015 18:17:14 GMT -5
I hadn't really thought that far ahead," the champagne stallion confessed, feeling a wash of relief fill him as Evanlynn assured him that he had nothing to worry about from her. The stallion wasn't sure what he would do; he had hoped to skate by on the assumption that it would not come to that. The idea of taking the brunt of that punishment from the herd was so distasteful that he would rather assume it never happen instead of thinking about what he would do if it did.
"What about you?" he asked, arching a brow at the mare. "What is your grand plan if the stallions find out how long you've been away from the herd?" he asked, hoping to change the topic before he had to put too much thought into the current thread of conversation.
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