April Showers {open}

[Kate]

It was scary down here. Buttercup didn’t really like it. She didn’t want to stay down here tonight but now it was really getting quite dark and she couldn’t find somewhere else to settle down before it was fully dark. She flicked her little tail back and forth slightly to bat off the flies before she searched for somewhere a little more sheltered than out in the open. She could see the Deep Forest nearby but she didn’t really want to go in there because it was scary. She’d never been in the forest with her mother so she didn’t know what was in there- she hadn’t been taught.
Thinking of her mother made her feel all the more homesick and she flopped down beside the young trees and undergrowth. This place was spooky but it was all she had, and miserably she tried to fall asleep. She could leave in the morning hopefully. Maybe she’d leave sooner if she got too scared.
Just when she’d thought it couldn’t get worse she felt the first few drops of rain fall on her head and she became even more miserable. Why was nothing right? Why couldn’t she be home? She was cold and hungry and she wanted her mother.

[Vin]

.:.Beaucoup.:.

Hooves moved over the ground, carrying legs carrying body with them. Air was taken into the lungs, and pushed back out. Muscles stretched and bunched, propelling the brute forward at his own mindless pace. There was little hint of purpose, but there was strength behind the movement and conviction. The trees whispered, the grass whispered, the air hissed.

There was rain coming - perhaps a storm - though the air didn't sound that angry. The shadows dances, blinding his confidence in even his unshaded eye. This whole area held whispers and echoes of those long past. Skin twitched in unease. He did not like hearing them; he had enough trying to penetrate his mind. Let us show you.. Yes...show..over there.. There was a slight prompting, not a forcefulness, but a tug equivalent to that of a gesture one would make with a bob of the head or a flick of an ear as to a direction.

Idly, he ambled around in that general direction....why this one listens..!Unusual, that is, that is....He wandered closer to a patch of young trees and undergrowth, a scent caught in his nostrils, real or part of the echoing voices? A nicker escaped his lips, calling out, asking if there was anyone there.

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[Kate]

Eventually Buttercup had settled herself down into sleep. It was fitful but she hadn’t really been able to rest well since she was on her own. For her, it felt like eternity. To others it was a week and a half. When she was only just past six months of age a week was quite a long time. Especially to be alone. No comfort. No one else. Just her alone. It really made her sad more than anything. What if she never found her mother? She would have to do all of this growing up by herself with no-one to teach her life lessons and guide her. It was a sad little thought.
It was while contemplating an eternity of being alone that she heard the nicker. It was not her mother’s. She looked around in the darkness for a sign of who it could be. She had no idea who this stallion was- for she had deciphered that it was male- but maybe he would be kind. Perhaps he would not. She was too alone to really care if he was or not right now. Her own little nicker rang uncertainly from the undergrowth as she slowly and hesitantly moved into better light.

[Vin]

.:.Beaucoup.:.

The splattered grey and white stag tried to ignore the fact that it had been the voices that had guided him in this general direction. He had been wandering the lands absent mindedly up until now, when they came to him so clearly. His ears pricked after he called out. He did not have to wait long for a response. A small little nicker came back to him, from his right within the underbrush. although the call had clearly come from there, he could not distinctly discern anything. He turned his head, giving his blue eye the search. As always it defined the shadows so much more clearly than his brown one.

There, within the shadows and protection of the underbrush, was a foal. She looked young, he couldn't tell if she was too young to be away from her mother or not... he had very little experience in that scope of knowledge. She was young, and she wouldn't survive on his own. that much he did know. Gently he asked, "Little one, why are you alone?"

It might not be his place, being a stag and all, but he was tender hearted, even if he was crazy. Not that he knew he was crazy. He watched her, waiting to see if she would answer him again. He did not think that he was potentially giving himself a new charge. It would surely be only a short while, until he helped her find her parents again.

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[Kate]

Vaguely Buttercup could make out the big stallion moving his head and she wondered what he was doing. It was a little strange. She didn’t know what he was doing. Maybe he knew what he was doing but Buttercup truly didn’t. She couldn’t really see much in the dark however. It was obvious to her that maybe the stallion couldn’t see her either until she moved. The point had been to be hidden away and small after all. If the stallion couldn’t find her at first then the hope was that a predator couldn’t find her.
And then he spoke. All of a sudden she felt shy, too scared really to speak. Too sad to really verbalise it. He knew she was alone which just confirmed she was alone. ”I-I can’t find my mother,” she said quietly. It was true. She didn’t know if he really wanted the entire story as to how she got lost. Maybe she should tell him anyway. ”I went exploring and when I came back they were all gone. I couldn’t find anyone and I went looking for them. Now I’m lost.” She told him, watching him curiously. Though any form of comfort sounded good to her- she might not know this stallion but he was the first horse she’d seen in far too long.

[Vin]

.:.Beaucoup.:.

The little filly stepped out of the deeper shadows, and into better light. She was indeed young - small enough that he wondered briefly if she could survive without her mother. After he spoke, her reaction was as many young foals have to strangers - especially adults. She withdrew, becoming shy and wanting to disappear. "I-I can't find my mother." she stuttered. Adorable, poor little thing. "I went exploring and when I came back they were all gone. I couldn't find anyone and I went looking for them. Now I'm lost." She watched him inquisitively, and he had the sense of being inspected, almost...like she was almost looking into him, rather than at him. Odd.

He bobbed his head in a small acknowledgement, "I see...well, let's find some covering, shall we? Then you can tell me about your adventures, and I will do what I can to help you find your mother." He raised his head, looking around; it was already drizzling, with a steady promise of more rain in the night. hmm..help yous need, eh?Covering...? There... Again, the voices, came unbidden though their presence had not diminished since they first came. He didn't like relying on them, but they had been helpful enough once.. eyes searched for the shelter which the hinted at. ... Again, the gesture implication.

Turning his head so his blue eye could search for the shelter in which they spoke, it slowly defined a few sizable trees and a few boulders that would shelter them from any wind, and perhaps a bit of the rain.

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[Kate]

”Okay,” she said quietly looking at him curiously. Why was he being so kind to her? actually, she didn’t care. He came off as just being a kind grown-up and that was the best that she had right now. She was starting to lose her condition from not having someone to care for her. She didn’t think that was a good thing. She couldn’t survive on her own and now she had a temporary caretaker. A stallion who seemed to be a little odd but then- what did she know about stallions? Not a lot. She didn’t know much about anything.
Buttercup gave a little shiver as she felt the rain get her even wetter. She’d been better sheltered before. She would rather be here talking to someone than being stuck on her own in the shelter. Well, her shelter. It probably wasn’t the best shelter and he could probably find a much better shelter for the two of them. ”Will you really help me find my mom?” She asked curiously, prancing slightly in excitement. She didn’t mind that she was exhausted, she found a new burst of energy that came with hope.

[Random Events]

Nothing right, indeed!

High in the sky, hidden by the emerging foliage and the dying sun, bloated rainclouds slowly dripped while the wind raced above even these. Charging them. A building storm. High above the ravine, the air crackled with energy.

Rainclouds have no sense of good conversation. Having no mothers and no fathers, the silly creatures don't understand when things are starting to go right and when interfering would be rude. And so it was with a mighty crash that the clouds unleashed their fury, and a long dead pine tree trembled and burst into flame.

[Vin]

.:.Beaucoup.:.

As he started looking around for a shelter, and with the help of ...them..he spotted it. "Okay" she said. Her voice was still soft with hesitancy and shyness. He glanced down at her. She was ragged. She had clearly been out on her own for more than a few days. Clearly she was unable to take care of herself, though her age had already told him that, her state just confirmed it. She had begun to shiver with the chill of night and the rain that was falling from the sky. He took a step towards the shelter, about to tell her to come this way when her voice, filled with curiosity and tinged with excitement came to him, "Will you really help me find my mom?" She was prancing in excitement with his sliver of hope that he had given her with his offer to help her. He turned and looked at her with his brown eye towards her, hoping she would grasp his honesty, "I will try my best. Come now, and we will seek something that might cover our heads better."

He stepped off, trusting that the little filly would take comfort in his presence and his help, and thus follow. Hoof falls were steady, and the rain ever threatening to turn into a downpour. ..it comes! ...be warned! His whiskers tingled with static. He wasn't sure if his skin had twitched because of the voices persistent presence, or the static. He knew they were separate. His whiskers were taught on end. It was going to storm.

"Quickly now!" He urged the little filly. It was going to be a bad one. The shelter loomed ever closer. When the sky crackled and a dead tree off the side thundered with a crack and burst into flames. The stallion had felt it coming, but hadn't known where. He flinched away from it, attempting to reach out and nudge the filly to follow him. It would block their path back this way if and when it fell. The underbrush was wet, and there was some little chance of any wide spread fire, but it would be better to find a solid shelter where they could. Up the creek...up, up! ..the cave?...but ..she is there... yes...but he is proven..shall be ok... There was a general feeling of reluctant agreement. He had no idea who this "she" they spoke of was, but a cave sounded like the perfect shelter in an onslaught of storm.

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[Kate]

She listened to his words and knew that he was being honest that he would try. He could try but she sensed he wasn’t certain that he’d be able to help find her mother. She didn’t care, she stood more of a chance with him. If she could survive then there was a better chance of finding her mother. Even if she didn’t find her mother she was pretty much undernourished and alone. She wasn’t sure how much more she could do on her own. She tried to do all of the things her mother did to make sure she survived okay but it seemed she just wasn’t as effective yet. There was a reason foals didn’t leave their mothers this young.
Once she saw the stallion moving, she quickly followed after him. It just seemed like a good idea right now. She broke into a little trot to make sure she didn’t get left behind, practically stuck to the stallion. And he’d already urged her to move forward so she knew that she had to keep up. She had a bad feeling and her whiskers felt a little funny. She didn’t know what it meant and she didn’t really want to ask. It might have been something she was supposed to know about and she didn’t want to come off as being silly and ignorant. Not just yet. She just wanted to survive the night. She’d work from there.
Buttercup gave a little squeal when the tree cracked and set on fire, basically plastering herself to Beaucoup as if he was the only safe thing around. Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn’t. She knew the tree most definitely was not safe since it was on fire. She knew that at least. It didn’t take an idiot to work out that fire equalled bad.
She quickly followed him into the cave as he walked toward it, not having really noticed the cave before and was happy one of them had found it. ”We’ll be safe in here?” She asked, a little uncertainly. She had no idea how safe the cave was, she’d never been in one before. She’d always been told there were bears in caves but then that was for the winter. They’d be finished sleeping by now, right?

[Vin]

.:.Beaucoup.:.

The little filly stuck close to him as they started moving off. she seemed like she felt something in the air too, but she wasn't sure what it was. She kept close to him, clearly not wanting to get left behind. Poor thing, must be relieved to have someone with her now. When the lightening hit the tree and it burst into flames, The filly squealed and was basically plastered to his side in fright. the feeling was a little odd, he wasn't definitely not used to having a little shadow follow him so diligently. He found it a little amusing, but he was glad that it wasn't something he had to be responsible for all of the time, a little shadow that might wander off at any moment. It briefly occurred to some part of his consciousness that he might not find her mother, and what would he do then?

"We'll be safe here?" She asked, her uncertainty very plain. He looked at her, lowering his head level with her eyes,"Yes, for now." He turned away from her, nostrils flaring, searching for any sign of predators; realizing that it had looked like a cave, but was more just a few boulders where several large trees had died and then fallen over the boulders....was this the 'cave' that they had said 'she' occupied? ..it wasn't even a cave... there was no acknowledgement from either of the voices. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. At least they were leaving him alone for now.

He turned back towards the filly, and shook himself from head to tail, flinging what water was still in his coat out. He gazed at the filly, looking at her a little more closely than he had at any previous time. "We'll stay here tonight... I'm sorry, what is your name? I'm Beaucoup. You can call me Beau (Bo), if you like." He gazed out at the flare of the tree still burning, and slowly turning into a smoldering tree. "You can go ahead and sleep, I'll still be here when you wake in the morning." He bobbed his head reassuringly at the filly, she had to be tired after all she had been through.

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[Kate]

She wondered if he really wanted her so close to him, eyeing him curiously. He obviously wasn’t used to having her around him and she wasn’t used to it either. It seemed so odd. The only stallion she’d met was her father and he’d kept his distance from her most of the time. She had only thought that mares were affectionate but it seemed that she was learning more and more new things now that she was here. This was one way to learn things, it was usually her mother’s job to teach. She was gone now. She couldn’t find her. She was allowed to miss her but she couldn’t just spend her time moping instead of surviving.
”What do you mean ‘for now’? When will it not be safe?” She inquired curiously. She eyed this cave, having never really seen one before she assumed this was what a cave looked like. It would settle for her now. She was too tired to care. She let out a little whinny of surprise when he shook his coat, getting covered in water herself. She shook herself off, no doubt passing a little of the water off to him. ”I’m Buttercup.” She mumbled sleepily before listening to his words telling her she could sleep. With that she flopped on the floor, asleep within seconds. She was exhausted.

[Vin]

.:.Beaucoup.:.

As he sniffed around, he noticed lots of old smells, as though critters - rabbits, skunks, squirrels and the like - had used this as a temporary shelter. Her voice came back to him after he had answered her question about this place being safe. "What do you mean 'for now'? When will it not be safe?" Had she not been so young, and the curiosity plain in her voice, he might have reacted differently, saying something that would have possibly scared the little filly. Instead what he heard himself saying in return surprised himself as he heard it,"It won't be safe when I'm not here guarding it." He could have gone on about how anything - big or small, prey or predator could wander in here at any point in time. Sleepily she mumbled her name, "I'm Buttercup." before she curled up on the floor, asleep.

The stallion stepped over to her, laying on the floor, and lowered his nose to the top of her head, taking in her scent briefly for future reference. Then he stood next to her, though still almost a little over her, guarding her in the night. He watched as the rain came down, and the tree continued to smolder in the night. The scent of smoke and fire was still in the air, even though the rain dampened it. He glanced gown at the small little bundle of legs and fur near his feet. he had no idea what had compelled him to investigate this area, nor why he had decided to help her. All he knew was that it was what he was doing now, and that he would try to help her as he could. That was enough for him. He dozed lightly in brief little spurts, resting himself for what was to come. It was going to be an interesting day ahead and hopefully, with morning, this rain would have moved on.

[/right]

[Kate]

Buttercup did smell something funny before she fell asleep, lots of smells. She just didn’t know what to do about it so she ignored it. Beaucoup would take care of it for her. She didn’t know quite what to do about it and now she had someone who did. Besides, she was far, far too tired to really care about what the smells meant. There was no obvious danger to her and he spoke reassuring words to her. Which therefore meant she was safe. At least to her little mind it did and really, that was all that mattered.
The little filly slept solidly throughout the night. Safe in the knowledge she had a protector at least for this night. She woke when dawn broke, yawning and stretching as she glanced beside her to see that the stallion was still there. As expected. She didn’t try to wake him, looking around outside to see that the rain may have stopped but it was immensely muddy. Some parts sticky and trying to pull her under. Others just caused her to sink a little. Some bits were huge mud puddles she jumped in for a little while.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
That was the sound that could be heard as she hopped from puddle to puddle, quite a good little jumper as she hopped around and splished and splashed and sploshed. She rolled in the puddles a little, really changing colour to seem like she was just foal-shaped mud. It was fun while it lasted but she was soon tired and wet. Oh, maybe she hadn’t thought that through as well as she could have...

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[Vin]

.:.Beaucoup.:.

The night was uneventful, though Beaucoup still kept his vigilant watch, just in case. There were wolves scattered through these parts, he had heard one last moon. Ears flicked slightly as the little femme stirred and awoke, but the stallion did not stir. He was familiar enough with the sounds of other horses, that her stirring noises did not alarm him. It was when there was some splash! Squelch! Splash! Noises that came that stirred him.

Auds pricked and he looked outside to see the little filly hopping from puddle to puddle, quaking the still waters of puddles and sending little tsunamis to the edge of the puddles. To emphasize her love for mud and the fun she was having in it, she folded her little legs underneath her and rolled until she was completely mud-covered. Once she was done, she got up, looking weary and wet and like she wasn't totally sure what she should do with herself now.

Stallion peered at her, and let out a snort of amusement.The rain was gone, but as the puddles showed, the ground was still quite wet. "Having fun, are we?" He queried. He really didn't know how to treat this little filly, or how this was all going to work. Well, there was only one place to start - the beginning. Always the best place to start.

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