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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 19:45:55 GMT -5
Today sucked. Everything was cold and miserable. The stallion trudged through the snow on the outskirts of the city. While the weather was bad, it was the storm brewing elsewhere that worried him. War. Between his own heard and the Bachelors. Nero would give his life for his herd, but he didn't want to have too. He didn't want there to be war. It was a horrible and violent thing that he had only really ever heard about in the stories he'd been told as a youth. The large stud's brow furrowed as he continued his round around the city.
He'd been doing this a lot lately. Whenever there wasn't a job for him to do and nobody felt like training, he would break away from the main herd and travel around the city. Generally he was just looking for dangers, such as broken glass or drops hidden beneath the snow. He also confronted any dangerous animals he found, thought most animals wouldn't be out in this weather.
The snow wasn't too heavy, but every time a snowflake hit his coat and melted, it made him much colder. Nero thanked the gods he had thick hair, though he wished he had grown his mane longer for the winter. Winds buffeted around him and whipped little bits of ice into his eyes and nose. If he had a forelock, it would at least keep some of that out of his face. As the snow got heavier, Nero decided it might be wise to seek shelter.
An old two story on the outskirts of the city was in near shambles, but it looked sturdier then anything else. The grey stud walked inside and shook the snow from his coat, looking around. The walls were frayed from exposure and there were drifts of snow that had come in through the broken windows. Dry vines and plants grew up the walls and and along the floor. Nero sighed, a cloud of breath raising from his muzzle, and walked into a back room, laying down. It wasn't warm, but at least it was dry. He would just have to wait out this storm.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 20:02:34 GMT -5
Snow was Greer's worst enemy. It was cold, wet, and sticky. It stuck to her protruding ribs and hips, caked around her hooves, and soaked her long mane. She mumbled swears under her breath as she searched the city for somewhere to wait out the storm. She spotted a building up ahead that;s door wasn't blocked by snow banks and wasn't caving in on itself. She spotted an off green building up ahead. The paint was peeling off the door, and their was plants spilling out from the cracks in the roof; but it looked sturdy and warm. She made her way toward the door which she opened and sniffed the air. Her nostrils were frozen so it didn't do much. It wasn't as warm as she'd hoped, but there wasn't snow everywhere, nor bone chilling winds. She shook her small body, snow flying off her skinny frame and sticking to the walls.
Greer made her way toward an open room that more or less looked hidden and safe. Her hooves made hollow, click clack sounds on the wood. As she made her way around the corner she closed her eyes with tiredness. She hadn't had a wink of sleep within the 2 days she'd been traveling. In two days she'd made it all the way from the bachelor lands, to the Olde. Soon she'd have to return to Exile lands but not quite yet.
She collapsed on the floor of the empty room. It wasn't big, but it was small, quiet, and safe; or so she thought.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 20:32:00 GMT -5
Warmth surrounded him. Tall trees stood around, guarding the colt. This was strange. How had he...? Had it all been a bad dream? The foal stood and began wandering through the wood, memory tracing his steps. This was... so real? Had it really not happened at all? "Nero..." The colts ears flicked forward, blue eyes dancing around trying to pierce through the thicket of trees. "Mama?" the colt exclaimed and picked up a trot. "Nero...." he heard again. The foal swiftly stepped into a gallop. "Mama!" He heard the soft clips of hooves when suddenly light broke around him.
Nero jerked his head, looking around the room wildly. It had been a dream. His mother was gone and he was here... The stallion cursed under his breath when he heard a strange sound. His blue eyes glanced up to the doorway of the room he was in as a grey figure walked past. When the horse passed he stood and walked to his own door. Nero watched the horse walk into a room a little further down the hall. Perhaps he should just leave... in the dim light he hadn't really seen it well, and he couldn't tell if it was friendly or not. The stallion turned toward the front door when he hesitated.
What if this horse needed help? It was storming pretty badly outside. If it was a member of his herd, they might've wandered off and gotten lost. They would need help. The stallion let out a soft sigh and carefully made his way to the back room. Nero gingerly peaked her head in and was shocked. The poor mare was a ghost of a horse. Her hair was matted with snow and barely thick enough to keep her warm in this weather. Her bones stuck out like her skin was stretched tightly across a thin frame. She definitely needed help. He couldn't turn away from her.
"Hello...?" he said and opened the door a bit, hoping to not startle the poor thing.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 22:18:31 GMT -5
Greer snapped awake as the door opened with a squeak. It had only been half closed. The horses voice startled her to awaken fully, and she jumped up. She crashed into the wall, panting with fright. Her teeth rattled and her entire body trembled with fear. She didn't do so well with larger horses, let alone when she was awoken from deep sleep by a stranger whilst cornered in a small room.
"Who the bloody hell do you think you are? Stay back!" She chocked out, her Irish accent announcing itself as always when she was scared, nervous, or angry. She pressed her body against the wall as tight as she possibly could, quickly flicking her forelock over her blind eye and half scared face. She didn't like it when others stared so this was the best method.
With her good eye she looked the stranger up and down. He had a strong, cresty neck, and long, strong legs. His face was finely boned much like hers but not because he was thin. His fur was thick, especially around his hooves and his was set tail high. His mane was kind of odd, with barely any forelock, and a large piece of long mane at the base of his neck. His eyes were a sea blue, unlike hers which were much icier. She decided to quite staring at him, and instead looked at the ground, clacked her teeth submissively, and lowered her head; even though she was preparing to shove past him, and back into the city.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 14:12:41 GMT -5
Well that was sudden. Her quick movement startled the stallion. When she jumped, he backpedalled quickly, pulling the door open as he went. A change in the flooring caused him to trip up. The large horse fell, slamming his hind quarters onto the ground. The rest of his body crashed against the wall, groaning under his weight. When his head hit, pain rung through his scar and he groaned. Whenever Nero hit his head, he could feel it in his scar. It was incredibly painful.
Nero shook his head, trying to get it to stop ringing in his ears. When she asked who he was he stumbled, trying to get to his feet. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the stallion said, trying to regain his footing. When he finally did, he shook his head again. The pain still ringing between his eyebrows. The stallion grumbled and looked back at the mare, noticing her push herself against the back wall. Nero sighed and stepped forward hesitantly, making sure not to block the entire doorway so she had a means of escape if she chose to do so.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he started, trying to figure out what to say. "I'm Nero, from the Olde Herd. You just look like you could use some help..." Yea, that was good. He could tell she needed help, but he wouldn't force himself on her. If she wanted to run off on her own, he couldn't stop her. He just hoped she would accept his help.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 16:15:01 GMT -5
She watched as the horse in front of her scramble to his hooves. She trembled on rocky hooves, as he spoke. The horse, apparently named Nero, seemed friendly but she was not gonna allow herself to get to comfortable. She'd seen a horse act before.
"I am Greer, a loner." She managed to stutter. She had to bend her neck upward to see him. For some reason, since her parents died, she'd always been afraid of tall horses; and considering her father was quite large, it was always strange.
She glanced at the open door and darted for it, squeezing between him and the door frame. Wood longed itself in her thin coat, piercing her fragile skin. The wood squealed beneath her weight as she galloped out the door. She slid on the ice that had formed on the streets, and slammed onto the ground in a panic. A shadow covered her and as she panted, and she looked up into the face of the horse named Nero.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 17:08:13 GMT -5
The mare whipped past him after telling him her name was Greer and that she was a loner. Nero trotted after her, trying to show he wasn't in pursuit, but that he was still trying to help. When she slipped on the ice and landed hard onto the stone ground, Nero quickly rushed over to her. Blood was running down her side. Oh no... she was hurt. His idiocy had harmed her. Damn it.
The stallion slowly approached the loner, keeping her head down and ears back, trying to show he meant her no harm what so ever. "Easy, I don't mean to harm you," the stallion said softly, reaching down. He gently put his muzzle against the mares shoulder, trying to help her gain her feet. When she was standing, Nero took a step back, giving her some space. "You can't go on like this, you'll die out here." The snow was coming down pretty heavily around them, already accumulating on Nero's broad back.
"Listen, why don't you come back inside," he said softly, turning back toward the shabby two story. "I'll help you get warm, and then I can take you somewhere where you can get some food. Maybe a friend of mine can look at that cut." Nero hoped the mare took her up on his offer. He'd hate to watch her disappear into the snow, never knowing what had happened to her. He wasn't sure if he could live with himself.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 17:35:11 GMT -5
Greer's, thin wobbly legs promised to her they wouldn't hold her up much longer. She nodded shyly to Nero, who she was still uneasy with, and followed him back into the small building. There were drips of blood dotting the uneven floor, from her dripping shoulder wounds. It wasn't very painful, they just looked like they would be because of all the blood but she couldn't feel it with her numb skin. She carefully laid down on the ground, looking at Nero who was on the other side of the room looking at her cautiously.
"Sorry...for...startling you." She stuttered through chattering teeth.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 20:10:04 GMT -5
Nero followed the mare into the house, but kept his distance. She was so weak, she could barely make it back into the room she had previously occupied. The stallion looked over her, horrified at the state she was in and sorrowful for her current condition. When she laid down and looked up at him with nervous eyes, his heart went out to her. Was this how all loners lives were? Were they all this thin and miserable looking? He hadn't met many loners, but if they all lived like this, why would they ever choose to be loners? In a herd you were safe and fed and you were cared for if you were sick. The life of a loner must be incredibly lonely. Then again, he was lonely, and he was in a herd. Perhaps he should be a loner himself.
When she spoke to him in a chattering voice, the stallion gingerly walked again the mare. He laid down a short distance from her, but close enough that she could feel the heat coming off his body. "Don't worry about it, I can take getting startled," he said and tried to inch a tiny bit closer. "I'm sorry I startled you."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 21:19:34 GMT -5
Greer smiles shyly, not embarrassed for being so afraid, more so that she let it show. She looked at him again and decided he was friendly, although he still scared the crap out of her. She had always hated tall horses. She didn't exactly know why, except for a sliver of memory locked in the back of her mind. After her parents died and she'd found them at the bottom of a cliff, she'd become a shell of the energy filled, happy little filly she was. She had wandered the Bachelor lands were her parents had been planning to take her. The only thing she could really remember was a large stallion, who was easily 19, maybe even 20 hands tall. He cornered her with his evil grin and that's all she remembered. She also remembered how he smelled. Like sour milk and rotted wood.
She watched cautiously as Nero moved closer, but didnt move away. The heat coming from his thick fur was so enticing. She would give anything for a warm blanket and good grazing. She smiled toward him, feeling silly for how shed acted. Now she also had a nasty scrape, along with all the other things wrong with her. How foolish. She thought to herself.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 11:18:05 GMT -5
It wasn't long before the combination of laying down and still having a bit of a headache from his tumble caused the stallion to fall asleep. Nero hadn't slept well for months, always having nightmares about... well he didn't really know. At least now he understood why he had the nightmares. Water everywhere and pain, excruciating pain. The water closing in around him, pulling him further and further down. He had had these nightmares his entire life, but now he knew why. His mother had found him washed up on the beach. So perhaps... maybe he was another island? Maybe his birth parents hadn't wanted him so they tossed him into the sea? If so... where did he come from. All of these thoughts whirled through his head as he slept until he awoke, tired of the turmoil behind his eyelids.
When he woke, he found the mare pressed up against him as close as she could get without being on top of him. The stallion smiled, she must've naturally moved toward his warmth in her sleep. As a matter of fact, she was sleeping. She must've dozed off just as he had. Nero looked around, looking out a window at the end of the room. It was dark now, but not because of the storm. It was much quieter, the wind had pretty much stopped. There was still snow falling, but it was light and gentle. They must've slept through the evening since it was now night. His herd would probably be worried about him by now, and the stallion began to reach over to wake the sleeping mare.
Just before he could nudge her, he heard the sound of claws against stone. Bright blue eyes locked of the door where a pair of glowing ones met him with a soft growl. "Greer!" the stallion roared and jumped up, charging at the cougar.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 13:22:00 GMT -5
Greers eyes fluttered open at the sound of Nero's voice. "Huh..?" She yawned. Her eyes widened as she heard the feirce growl of a city cougar. She shot to her hooves, and looked for somewhere to run. The doorway was blocked by the predator who was poised to pounce on Nero. She couldnt leave him to fend for himself. She pinned her ears, braced herself, and galloped across the small room to the cougar, which she promptly tackled. She shoved it into the icy streets where its limp body scrambled on the ice. It was alive, just stunned. She figured the large stallion could handle it all by himself. She galloped around the corner, only to be faced with another tan furred cougar. She slid to a halt, and ran as fast as she could in the other direction.
"NERO RUN!" She shouted urgently as she watched him still fighting the single cougar. She could hear the pack behind her scraping the ice and running. She knew that no matter how strong Nero was, these were to many to face.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 16:00:06 GMT -5
Nero jumped at the cougar, but the creature slashed at him. The stallion back peddled, readying himself to strike at the creature again when he heard the voice of the mare he had been trying to protect. Before he could even say anything to her, she rushed past him, barreling past the predator and running out into the street. The city cougar fell out with her.
Nero was close behind, slowing before he hit the icy streets and turning to find two cougars ready to pounce after Greer. When she called him to run he turned to face the cougars, planting himself as firmly as he could on the ice. "No! Stop!" he shouted at the mare, the cougars readying themselves to face him. "They can run on the ice better then we ever could, if we run we won't stand a chance. And you would break a leg or worse trying!"
One of the cougars crawled toward him and pounced. Nero reared and struck out, landing one of his hooves onto the creatures shoulder and it fell to the ground. While he attacked the first, the lighter colored one jumped onto his shoulder, biting into his crest. The stallion roared and rammed into the house, bulldozed the vicious animal between himself and the door. It released it's grip and limped over to the other. "Get behind me!" he shouted to Greer, knowing the mare was far too weak to fight on her own.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 16:13:14 GMT -5
Greer let out a mighty buck to one of the previously injured cougars before sprinting her way back down the street and into the house. She slipped a few times, her hooves gutting deep grooves in the sharp, slippery ice. She nearly fell on her bum but not before practically trampling one of the retreating cougars. But, the other one was far more persistent. She managed to make it to the house with minimum muscles pulled. The door slammed behind her as her hooves made awful scraping noises on the splintered wood.
She stood panting in the middle of the room, her thing fur coated in hot sweat, her hooves cracked more then before, and her body feeling exhausted.
"Unicorns, they just...came out of nowhere." She said in awe.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 16:33:35 GMT -5
When Greer ran into the house, the stallion reared, kicking out at the uninjured cougar. It retreated just enough for him to duck inside and slam the door. He leaned against the decaying plank of wood as the creature jumped against it. Nero heard it hiss and growl from beyond the door as it paced, waiting for them to leave. When the dust began to settle, and the rush of adrenaline began to leave him; the stallion took a deep breath, releasing it with a groan. The damned cat had dug deep into his crest and rivulets of blood trickled down the sides of his pale neck.
Nero sighed and moved away from the door as soon as it was secured, walking over to Greer and looking her over quickly, making sure she was uninjured. She looked exhausted, but she was unharmed. The stallion sighed with relief, but when she spoke, his brows furrowed. "There's no need to take the name of the unicorns in vain," he said. He never was one for horses using that term in a crude manner.
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