blueunicornj13
Exile Herd 
We don't have a choice to stay. We'd rather die than do it your way.
Posts: 265 
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Post by blueunicornj13 on Sept 22, 2014 21:12:10 GMT -5
Ryder's ears flicked forward. His full attention on the horse in front of him. He nodded every once in a while as if he were agreeing with the words Delvin spoke which he was. He guessed that he just hadn't thought of any of this in this sort of way. "Sounds like a good idea. May take some getting used to though," he said with a short chuckle. At the moment, Ryder couldn't even think of when the last time was that he had done something about his worries. Mostly, he just let them fester until they either sorted themselves out or disappeared. Things would definitely be different if he wasn't such a worry-wart. Being wise was important too though, so his decisions still had to be calculated... maybe he'd just be able to say his opinions with a little more oomph behind them.
As the older stallion spoke of his past, Ryder found himself feeling a little pity. His mother had left him before he had even gotten the chance to know her. However, his pity soon disappeared and was replaced with understanding. "She left because freedom was more important to her. She knew that if she did stay, even if it were to support her child, she wouldn't have been happy," Ryder muttered with a short nod. Delvin's explanation had worked, and his words were beginning to settle in. In order to be at peace with himself, he needed to distance himself from those that were truly causing him pain. Distance himself from them like Delvin's mother distanced herself from feeling captured and caged.
The brown paint stared at the forest floor, thinking of all that he had been told. When Delvin finished his next words of wisdom, Ryder looked back at him with a nod. His normally averted eyes looked straight into Delvin's without a hint of nervousness, just grim determination. Things would get more difficult before they got better, but the end result would be worth it. He'd finally feel free. Free of worrisome thoughts. Free of regret and guilt. The other horse's last words left him with a twinge of pity. Bryce wouldn't have anyone if he left him. Maybe he could just emotionally detached himself instead of removing himself from the entire equation? 'I guess I'll find out,' he thought. "Thanks. I appreciate it," he said with a grateful grin. The herbs in his mouth were beginning to leave an awful taste of medicine in his mouth, and Ryder felt like just leaving them here, but he knew better than to waste such useful plants. "What to go ahead and take these back? I don't think we're going to find anything else out here," he said, flicking his torn ear back toward the direction they had come from.
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Post by bellasuem on Sept 23, 2014 15:07:13 GMT -5
Delvin listened to the stallion's workings of what his advice mean't, and nodded approvingly. He knew these weren't the easiest things to hear, but the paint seemed to be taking it rather well, all things considered. He liked that. Good head on his shoulders, this one, he thought. It would take a bit of time, though, to actually put all this theory into practice, but he was fairly confident the other horse could handle it.
"Aye, that's fine with me," he agreed, letting the smaller stallion take the lead. He had a mouth full of strange looking plants and roots, so he assumed he'd found at least some of what he was looking for. The herd would appreciate it, no doubt. They were all suffering from low spirits and declining health ever since the fires destroyed everything. Thinking about the herd got Delvin's mind wandering to the question of who this paint was related to. He had said he joined up from a separate group of horses, so he found it odd that he said he'd found a relative amongst the Exiles. It would probably have been easier to deduce if he actually paid attention to the herd. "So, what family do you have in the herd, hm?" he finally asked, not wanting to have to dwell on the question any longer.
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blueunicornj13
Exile Herd
We don't have a choice to stay. We'd rather die than do it your way.
Posts: 265
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Post by blueunicornj13 on Sept 23, 2014 17:01:10 GMT -5
Ryder nodded and began the trek back to the little patch of grass the Bachelors had given the Exiles, thinking further on what Delvin had said. He had roots and plants sticking out of his mouth that the herd would definitely need: ginger for aches and pains, passion flower for anxiety, and aloe vera to fight off infections on wounds. The brown paint noticed the slight demeanor change of the horse behind him, and he began to feel a bit more comfortable around him (even though he was still a bit wary).
The walk back through the roots and vines was easier than walking into them. He wasn't sure if it was just because he was beginning to know the terrain, or if he had ripped all the vines tripping over them earlier. The strong scent of the herbs in his mouth was almost overwhelming, even though he should have been used to carrying smelly things like this. 'If I ever meet Bayagu, I need to get some sort of bag from her. Carrying herbs like this is gonna kill me,' he thought, frowning a bit. His ears swiveled backward when the bigger stallion spoke. Ryder turned his head to look at him before answering. "My half-brother, Bryce, is apart of the herd. We only found out recently that we were related. Most horses probably wouldn't think we were related though... we don't look much alike," he said, thinking of the day when they had found out that they were brothers. It was also the day that they had killed their father. Ryder snorted at the thought of the big brutish horse that had sired them. It hadn't bothered Ryder to take that monster's life, but Bryce was still having problems dealing with that fact. The paint shook his head to clear his thoughts. There was no need in making himself upset over the past.
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Post by bellasuem on Sept 24, 2014 20:14:36 GMT -5
Delvin ambled through the crushed foliage, which made a pretty clear path that marked the way they entered through. He fancied the idea that maybe a Bachelor patrol would find the path later, and have to deal with the possibility that they were being robbed of resources they hadn't bargained for. Unfortunately, he doubted it. But it was still a nice idea. Either way, their herd would be the better for it.
"Hmph," he acknowledged, "Can't say I know him." He hadn't a clue what most of the herd's name's were, and "Bryce" certainly didn't ring any bells. Maybe he'd make a little task out of it; try to figure out which horse could be this one's brother during one lazy afternoon or another. Ryder claimed they didn't look alike, so he decided to just look for a troubled looking stallion. He wondered what might've gone wrong with him, to make him into something that would bother this paint so much. "And this Bryce," he continued, trying to get more information out of his herdmate, "He's not well?" he asked.
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blueunicornj13
Exile Herd
We don't have a choice to stay. We'd rather die than do it your way.
Posts: 265
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Post by blueunicornj13 on Sept 25, 2014 14:33:04 GMT -5
Ryder trudged through the undergrowth, picking up another aloe vera leaf as he walked back to the herd. They had found plenty of herbs that would do the herd a lot of good especially since most of them were tired and achy. He'd make sure to take care of the mares and foals first and then work his way through the stallions. His hooves made soft thudding noises on the soft dirt beneath him, and his ears flicked back and forth in case any predators or Bachelors came around.
When Delvin spoke, the brown paint flicked his torn ear toward him. He let out an odd sort of chuckle at what the older stallion said. "'Not well' would be the least of it sadly," he said, not sure if he wanted to go into all of the details that lead to what had happened to his brother, Bryce. So many things had happened to that poor stallion that it was hard to say which one had finally caused him to snap. "He's got these.... mental lapses where he's just not himself. He gets kind of uncontrollable and upset," he explained, settling on not telling Delvin what exactly had happened. It would take hours to tell that tale.
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Post by bellasuem on Sept 27, 2014 19:24:22 GMT -5
Delvin hummed in thought at Ryder's explanation. He'd like to know what had happened to the lad to make him like that. Horses weren't just born like that, something or another had to have happened to him to give him such symptoms. But, it was probably improper to ask. He'd only just met the other paint, and he knew from personal experience what a pain it is to be bombarded with questions from folks who have little business asking. "Hmph, a shame," he commented instead, "I've never noticed an outburst like that in the herd," he continued, "I don't usually hang around in the group but that's somethin' I would notice, even from a bit of a distance."
Although recently he'd seen his fair share of episodes and moments from his herd members. Not everyone was happy about leaving the island, even though it was nothing more than a burnt husk at this point. Change was hard, especially when you have to seek out your enemy for help, but they had to admit that in these conditions, it was unavoidable.
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blueunicornj13
Exile Herd
We don't have a choice to stay. We'd rather die than do it your way.
Posts: 265
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Post by blueunicornj13 on Sept 27, 2014 19:58:08 GMT -5
Ryder nodded a bit, thinking of the crazy stallion that was his brother. He had a feeling that Delvin would be curious about how Bryce had become this way but didn't feel like explaining it to yet another horse. There were already too many members of his herd that knew of his past, and he'd like to keep the numbers down to a minimum. If they all thought he was a killer, they'd never trust him. Heck, they'd probably want him kicked out of the herd. "Yeah, it is a shame. He's a really nice horse when he's himself. You probably haven't noticed because he's been kind of quiet since we've gotten here," he said with a gentle sigh. It was kind of nice not having his half-brother freaking out every ten minutes, but this could just lead to his emotions building up inside of him. This could just be the eye of the storm. The brown paint shook his curly mane, clearing his thoughts as he tried his hardest to calm his nerves.
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Post by bellasuem on Sept 27, 2014 20:08:19 GMT -5
Delvin decided not to tell the stallion that was probably not a good thing, and that a sudden shut-down of any kind of emotion was usually done for the worse, because from the look on his face, he already guessed the same. He felt a touch of pity for him, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Instead he changed the subject entirely. "He probably just ins't used to the change yet. Maybe we'll be able to return home in the summer," he proposed, "Once the winter hits and the spring showers come around, things should start growin' back." He wasn't sure it'd be enough to support the whole herd, but if they grazed selectively and carefully, they might have enough to sustain themselves and still let the foliage grow back in too. "It's good to think of this as a temporary move," he added, "And not as our future set-in-stone." That was the problem with most of the herd; they couldn't see past this situation. They had to realize this wasn't a permanent move.
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blueunicornj13
Exile Herd
We don't have a choice to stay. We'd rather die than do it your way.
Posts: 265
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Post by blueunicornj13 on Sept 27, 2014 20:20:13 GMT -5
Ryder's tail flicked as he walked. He tried his hardest to focus on his surroundings as his thoughts turned from his brother's troubles. It wasn't entirely his fault that Bryce was going insane. If only he had killed their father, maybe Bryce would still be okay. The brown paint let out a snort. That wasn't something he could change. What was done was done, and he couldn't go back to change it even if he wanted to. If that were the case though, then why did he still feel pity and guilt for the flaxen stallion? He guessed that was just the kind of horse he was. One that always tried to help too much and felt guilty when he could nothing to help when someone was in need. His ears turned toward Delvin as he spoke, and Ryder gave the older stallion a sad smile. "I'm not very sure about that.... maybe though. Hopefully, that's true. I'd love to go back to the Southern island even if there were only a few big patches of grass. I'm sure we'd be able to find a way for everyone to eat like we did before we came here. If we lived here forever, I'm not very sure I'd stay. I love being with a herd, but I can't stand to live in a world where we hand over mares and foals to brutes like the Bachelors just for a little piece of land," he said, glancing over at Delvin to catch his reaction.
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Post by bellasuem on Oct 5, 2014 10:35:19 GMT -5
Delvin found himself nodding in agreement. He quite nearly hated it here. The land was alright, at least the plains were. It just seemed to him that there were a lot more predators on this island in regards to theirs, and that's not counting the Bachelor herd. They were a whole other faction of predators. Delvin sighed. Suddenly the world seemed a lot smaller. When he was younger, he thought it was amazing that he could cross a landbridge and end up on what seemed to him like a whole new universe. Now it just felt stifling. "Aye, I can't stand this place, either," he agreed. He'd probably leave too, if their leader decided this was a good place to put down more permanent roots. "Some horses will probably stay around, if only for the security of the food and shelter," he mused, "I don't think that's worth it, though. I'll go home and starve before I join up with any other herd."
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blueunicornj13
Exile Herd
We don't have a choice to stay. We'd rather die than do it your way.
Posts: 265
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Post by blueunicornj13 on Oct 5, 2014 11:07:35 GMT -5
Ryder's ears swiveled around as a bird fluttered in the trees overhead. This island was definitely beautiful in some aspects, but it was also a very dangerous place to be. Predators were around every corner it seemed, and the herd that called this place home were just a bunch of brutes. Maybe if they only sent a few horses back at a time, they'd be able to live on their island once more. Ryder had to admit that it was nice to see the other islands, but he longed to return home where things would be much calmer. If it came down to it, he'd probably leave the herd to find safety somewhere. There was a mare who he had his eyes on though. She was a guard, so she probably wouldn't be interested in leaving the herd she was bound to protect. If they went back to the Southern island though to live on the few patches of grass there, there was a possibility that he could convince her to come with him. "I don't think it's worth it either, though I'm sure a few horses will stay. The Bachelor's way of living is just too outlandish for me," he said with a thoughtful frown. He couldn't even imagine joining ranks with those monsters. It was bad enough his father had been one, and Ryder had made an oath to himself to not end up like his sire had. "If only a small group of Exiles went back to the Southern island, we could probably make it. There's at least enough food for a few horses," he thought out loud. trying his hardest to be hopeful and optimistic.
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Post by bellasuem on Oct 14, 2014 18:31:04 GMT -5
Delvin grunted and narrowed his eyes, "If anyone from the herd wants to stay with these savages, I say let them stay. We're better off without 'em," he growled. It was inevitable that some horses with weaker and easily swayed minds would join up with the Bachelors. They'd see them as a powerful force with a prosperous island, and readily denounce their old Exile ways in favor for an easier life. A lot of their herdmates will probably start thinking about heading North, too. They'll get sick of the Bachelor's bargaining terms, and want to seek help from the Olde Herd. Delvin wasn't so sure about them, either, though. Mirea had told him a bit about their ways, and they seemed just as controlling as the Bachelors, only their leader hid behind his fancy tellings of unicorns and other rubbish. Mirea had said her mother was once a member, before she became a loner, and that she had to run through the night from her own herdmates when a few guards caught her trying to leave the herd with Mirea's father.
"I imagine you're right about that," he agreed; a small group could probably survive long enough for the island to regain its full potential. Delvin decided that would probably be his first plan if things got worse here.
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blueunicornj13
Exile Herd
We don't have a choice to stay. We'd rather die than do it your way.
Posts: 265
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Post by blueunicornj13 on Oct 14, 2014 21:01:54 GMT -5
Ryder nodded silently, thinking of who exactly would even want to stay with these monsters. All the Bachelors did was bring violence and death everywhere they went, and he couldn't imagine who want actually want that for themselves. 'They're just a bunch of controlling colts playing with fire,' he thought, shaking his head clear of any remaining thoughts of the scarred horses that called this island home. At least their island was nice: full of grass and beautiful landscapes. It might be full of predators and brutes that would tear you to shreds the moment they got a chance, but it was nice to look at until then.
The brown paint was glad that Devin agreed with him, and he hadn't just been giving useless information. It would definitely help in the long run if things went sour here. At least if a few horses went back, they could rebuild the herd from what they had. The Bachelors had a crazy way of dealing with the Exiles, but Ryder couldn't even imagine what the Olde would want from them. Would they want to convert everyone to their crazy beliefs, thinking unicorns roamed the islands of Chevalin and that their leader had been one? Or would they simply turn them down and send them back to the Eastern island? Ryder let out a snort. Things weren't good for anyone who was an Exile, but the thing about them was that Exiles were notorious for being intuitive and creative when it came to survival. They had made it through thick and thin and had come out victorious in one way or another. If they could survive a massive fire, they could push past times like these. "I think we'll make it through this though... as a herd. Cael has been a pretty decent leader, and we all know Exiles are witty and made to survive anything," he said, trying to take on a more optimistic tone. It was kind of nice thinking that they could actually do this, even if, in the back of his mind, he was thinking of all the things that could go wrong.
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Post by bellasuem on Oct 15, 2014 17:09:20 GMT -5
Delvin found himself appreciating the hopeful stallion more and more, which was a pleasant change from the distasteful way he regarded a few other herd members he'd had the misfortune of listening to. But this one seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, and Delvin wagered to guess he was the reliable sort. A good lad to know if everything really went to the wolves on this island.
"Oh I agree; I don't think the Exiles as a herd will be wiped out any time soon," he grumbled, "Though I doubt we'll be quite the same after this." It was inevitable that the herd would change, they already had after the fires. But there had been talk of war amongst the horses. Not the intention of starting one on the Exiles' side, but being this close to the Bachelors led to the unavoidable sharing of rumors and even conversation between the herds, and from what he'd picked up, the Bachelors had battle on their mind. Which wasn't saying much for them, but the more Delvin heard the more they sounded like fully fledged war plans to him. "I think the Bachelors want more from us," he said, partly to himself, "Not just the odd mare and foal."
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blueunicornj13
Exile Herd
We don't have a choice to stay. We'd rather die than do it your way.
Posts: 265
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Post by blueunicornj13 on Oct 15, 2014 18:55:15 GMT -5
Ryder nodded, letting his eyes wander over the landscape around them. The pine trees grew tall here, and strange, new plants grew around every corner. It was odd that there was such an big difference between two islands that were so close together, but then again, the herds that dwelt on these islands had their differences as well. 'Like the herd here. They're a bunch of brutes who abuse mares and colts,' he thought with a shake of his curly mane. It was nice to finally talk to someone Ryder could actually relate with. Delvin seemed like an honest horse, even though he might seem a bit standoffish at first. Things hadn't ended badly at all.
Ryder looked back at the red stallion with a thoughtful frown. "True, the Exiles have changed a lot just recently, and we're not even half way through this ordeal," he said with a snort. If only things could be simpler. Why did the Bachelors have to be so power-seeking that they preyed on anyone in need of help? With this war coming, Ryder was sure that they wanted more numbers for their army. He was also sure that the brutes wouldn't have a single regret if they took over the Exiles, forcing them to fight on their side. "I think that they want numbers. They want to breed an army, and if that takes too long, maybe they'll try to make an alliance with us. With the way things are going right now, Cael and Kanu might accept," he said, shaking his head at the thought of actually fighting alongside the Bachelors. It would definitely be a sight to see though.
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