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Post by bisclavret on Nov 17, 2010 0:03:34 GMT -5
Hoofbeats like thunder echoed through the forest, mad crashing and loud snorts could be heard for miles. The strange noise of animals never heard before, smells never imagined...nothing was normal here. Ishakur ran like his life depended on it, although his perill was long forgotten. His face bore a thick and expensive leather halter with a chain over his nose, a leadrope flew wildly behind him as he ran. His body was scarred from being whipped and beaten, and his hooves grew heavier as the shoes on his feet met dirt. Although he had long left his human handlers behind, running for a whole day without stopping, Ishakur still feared they would follow him.
As sudden as it was fast, Ishakur was thrown sideways onto his back, his head violently swinging backwards. The cursed leadrope stuck on his nose had caught a passing branch too thick to be torn down, and like a freight train, Ishakur was jerked to a painful stop. Dazed, confused, and enraged, Ishakur rose from his fall and began thrashing and kicking, trying to pry himself lose from his prison.
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Post by mairin on Nov 17, 2010 1:37:07 GMT -5
Annora, who had been grazing, raised her head and perked her ears at the sudden sound of what seemed like a struggle. Recalling the days of the hunting of her herd she ran in its direction, to see a stallion caught on a branch, thrashing and kicking madly to break free. She nickered softly, trying to calm him enough so she could approach."If you hold still, I can help you," she said, loud enough to be heard over the noise he was making.
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Post by bisclavret on Nov 17, 2010 1:49:18 GMT -5
Thrashing and kicking madly, Ishakur's rage was reeling out of control. Thick frothy sweat was building on his neck, his coat gleaming in the sunlight. Maddening was his struggle to be free, but he had to be; paranoia was forcing him to fight harder with the leadrope. The tree and Earth felt it too as he slowly dragged the branch down through brute strength. His hooves smashed the ground with the fury of survival.
Suddenly, he heard a voice that sent him spinning to it's direction. Blinded by his fury, he could barely make out the shape of the Tobiano mare standing beside of him. He stopped, his mane thrown wildy about and his tail raised high. The whites of his eyes could have blinded anyone they met, his chest heaved from his fury. He did not reply back but simply stood there staring
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Post by mairin on Nov 17, 2010 1:56:09 GMT -5
Her heart hammered in her chest as she beheld his madness, but she stood her ground. Eventually, cautiously, Annora stepped forward and stretched her head up until she was able to grab the end of the tangled rope with her teeth. With a firm, hard tug, her hooves digging into the earth as she did so, she managed to break the stray branch and the rope slid free. She righted herself and stepped aside, watching the stallion for any sign of attack. She wasn't sure what he would do in this state, regardless of the fact that she had helped free him, and if he was to attack she would make a run for it. "You're safe here," she said softly, one of her ears twitching once. "There's no threat here for now/"
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Post by bisclavret on Nov 17, 2010 2:06:01 GMT -5
As the lead fell to the ground, Ishakur stood unmoving to watch the mare. His halter was barely hanging on now, he managed to shake it off of one ear in his rage. Ishakur shook his head, tossing the halter aside and claiming his freedom for good. Now what? He had never seen another horse besides that of his mother and in the pictures hanging in his old barn. He had heard them, smelled them, but not SEEN them. The wind blew softly, streaming leaves about and making him jump. Nature was new to him. He had never ate grass before, just hay and feed so he has never seen the outside world except to be put on and off a horsetrailer.
Standing up straight and shaking himself off, he loomed over the small mare, his white eyes piercing down at her. Civalties, his mother had told him, was the best course of action. "I suppose I should thank you for your help. Where, exactly, am I?" |
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Post by mairin on Nov 17, 2010 2:24:47 GMT -5
Annora studied the stallion curiously. She had never known captivity herself, nor had she known any captive horses, so she had no idea what his problem was. Nor did she know what the thing that had been on him was; as it landed near her, she sniffed at it curiously and instantly recoiled. It stunk of humans. "I don't know what you mean," she replied, looking back at him. Now that he was close enough she could smell the scent of humans on him as well; that made her nervous, and with a shiver she took a step back and looked away. She pawed nervously at the ground. "You...smell of them," she mumbled, glancing up at him but not meeting his eye. Along with the scent of humans was the scent of death, which made her think all the more of the disappearance of her herd.
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Post by bisclavret on Nov 17, 2010 20:27:05 GMT -5
"Them? WHAT is..them you speak of?" Ishakur's tone was not that of warm fuzzy welcoming, nor was he in the mood to feel like he was being insulted by some mare. A rather small mare, to be more exact. Ishakur walked past her, one of his back shoes was barely hanging on and with a swift kick to a tree, the shoe came unlodged from his hoof.
Ishakur walked out of the woods into the lush field before him and quicky sunk his muzzle into a fresh patch of grass. It was a tad cold that day, he realized, and the gentle winter breeze cooled his body down.
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Post by mairin on Nov 17, 2010 21:25:36 GMT -5
Annora was going to reply but Ishakur didn't give her enough time to do so, so she let the matter drop and went back to the valley herself. She grazed for a little while, and then there was a sound that made her ears prick. She looked up and waited to hear the noise again, and when she heard it she started trotting in its direction, her steps now lighter, happier. She rounded the bend and saw her, the girl, standing there with a smile and an apple. She loved apples. Annora came only close enough to take the apple when she was ready, but she could smell another human scent on the girl. She laid her ears back and took a few steps back, her nostrils flared. The girl said a few soothing words, from which Annora got the general idea that there were no other humans nearby, but the smell still made her uneasy. That didn't stop her from accepting the offered apple, though; she crunched it daintily and allowed the girl to stroke her nose while she ate. It was a fair enough trade, in her mind.
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