Deja Vu

[Kate]

The pony’s steps were rather slow as she entered the meadow, careful eyes looking around her for any sign of danger before she moved herself wide into the open. She wasn’t some silly little filly who cared to canter into the middle of a meadow without so much as looking for predators or anything else unsavoury. While she tried not to let the bad things in the world get her down to maintain her jovial demeanour she thought it absolutely foolish to not look out for the danger. She could be aware of danger without becoming obsessed with it.
Her mind brought her back to the first time she’d been to one of these six or so springs ago. She’d been so young then but she’d never been foolish. She’d been raised better than that. While not always the center of attention, Maria was always there. Steady and reliable, the kind of mare that kept a herd together by being the peacemaker and mother without being some attention-seeking drama queen. She had better things to do with her time than that. It tended to leave her a lot of time to graze- and that could be seen by her stomach. She was not some great big barrel that wobbled every time she moved but she wasn’t exactly svelte either. She was a mare of substance!
Snorting and moving her mind back to her surroundings, she chose to graze to the side of the meadow close to an exit but not too close. She knew an escape route if she needed one. Intelligent, sensitive eyes glanced around every so often to check who was there. Maria, for that was the mare’s name, had expected more to come. It was, after all, the middle of spring and the time she knew stallions looked forward to. Frankly she looked forward to the end product more than the breeding itself. To have a little foal that you had made follow you around and grow to be a strong mare or stallion was the most rewarding thing she could think to accomplish in her lifetime.
Maria was beginning to worry herself at how many mares there were foregoing a herd in search of adventure. Didn’t they know it would only land them in trouble? She’d never felt the need to go adventuring. Utter foolishness. Instead she liked to stay in her comfort zone of the herd being perfectly safe. This was especially true seeing as Maria was either with foal or she had one tagging along with her. She had had four so far, along with an unfortunate miscarriage with her first pregnancy. However, by now, Maria was an absolute pro. Or she liked to think so anyway.

[llcoyote]

[glow=red,2,300]Rhys[/glow]

[glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow][glow=white,2,300] Marriage is the tomb of love[/glow][glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow]

This stupid meadow. He spends all this time in this stupid meadow. The end result was worth it. His herd had grown fast. A soft nicker left him. All he wanted was a few more mares. Two stallions in his herd, it was ridiculous! That wasn't even counting him! He cursed himself for being so nice but as long as no one challenged him he didn't mind much.

His coal black ears flicked up to listen to the meadow. He'd talked to a few of the mares around here, but they were old and grouchy mostly and the other, a mare named Delilah, had come with him but refused to share affection or more importantly a breeding with him. Rhys loved females, not only for the breeding purposes but for other things. They were extremely smart creatures and tended to have a large spectrum of feelings...like stallions. He was a little different, he had way to many feelings.

His deep brown eyes finally fell on a pretty little creature. Small, and a little round but she caught his eyes immediately. For some reasons he liked the small horses, more fire seemed to glow inside them. They were hard to breed with though. The stud tossed his thick ebony mane, trotting toward the mare. Her chestnut color seemed to call to him. He called to her softly from a few strides away. "Hello there beautiful. I am Rhys, I own the beach lands around here...what is your name?" Had he just blurted that out? He was pretty sure he did and slight bewilderment was written on his face. "Ha...sorry." He said softly, watching her, a plucky little mare, "Really...what is your name?"

[glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow][glow=white,2,300] The same principle that forbids me to lie does not allow me to tell the truth
[/glow][glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow]

[Kate]

She’d noticed the stallion the moment she’d entered- who wouldn’t? Her gaze glanced over him as she continued to graze, as always, before she glanced at one or two of the other stallions around. None of them were as attractive as the coal black stallion however. She wasn’t the gushy type however, or the coy type. She didn’t believe in playing a lot of games or playing hard to get. She needed a herd. She was a social creature and liked to spend her time with other horses. It was only logical to be in a herd. Not only that but she was small, not the smallest but she was not the biggest, and an easier target for wolves than a larger horse would be. She was of a sturdy and powerful build however, she wasn’t weak and flimsy, but height really did help. Short legs made for a slow runner.
A gentle snort of amusement came from the pony as she watched the look of bewilderment on his face. ”Well, hello Rhys who owns the beach lands around here.” She said warmly, amusement in her voice but by no means was it mocking. It was cute. ”My name’s Maria,” she added to answer his question. It would have been rude not to and she liked this stallion. So far, she couldn’t make a decision without knowing him for a long time- it would be foolish. He looked good and he came off as being kind enough. It was more than she had now.

[llcoyote]

[glow=red,2,300]Rhys[/glow]

[glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow][glow=white,2,300] Marriage is the tomb of love[/glow][glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow]

Rhys nickered lowly at her joke, like a small chuckle caught in his throat. That had been his most awkard introduction as of late. He'd practically yelled into her face...though that certianly wasn't his intention. For now he was relaxed. This mare wasn't pretending to ignore him like Delilah and didn't have a stallion near like Beauty. Perhaps he could breathe for two darn seconds. Of course he didn't have to claim mares, but he had only bred one this season, and wanted at least two before the spring ended. Summer was usually possible to breed in but he never did so unless desperate. It was covered in bugs, sweaty, hot, sticky, just one big mess, and usually summer foals would be born harder weather. He started to wonder just what it would be like in the winters at the beach...no doubt he would have to find a way to provide a warm shelter. Humans had done it...then again he wasn't a human. However there were lots of fallen trees in the marsh, perhaps with some pushing he could find something to block the winds.

He shook his head, distracted again. He was often distracted by fleeting thoughts. With little guilt he dismissed the topic, he would do what he needed when the time comes. " Maria" He said, more so to himself. Trying her name out on his tongue. It flowed nicely and she seemed to be the most pleasant mare he'd met so far. It wasn't as hard to hold back this time, not because she wasn't lovely, but because he knew he'd have to be cautious with her anyway. The height difference was...quite vast. Focus! He reminded himself a second time. "That is a lovely name Maria...what are you doing out here alone?" He made a point to ask this time. According to Delilah wether you wanted to mate, or find a herd you were free to just muck about in this place and it was all his fault if he so happened to be living in her current space. But Delilah was the last thing he wanted to think about. Though it was hard, it was hard not to think about his herd when he was away and the worry wasn't something he wore very well. He was certian that one of the stallions would be more than happy to protect the few mares there were, but the if the two mares got alone...well Delilah may just as well murder Beauty because she'd never look out for anyone but her own. He had too large of a mixture of personalities, but since he'd never really lived in a herd of anything but bachlors, he figured the drama was all part of it. In a slight way he remember the years with his mom. She had been such an even tempered mare and it was said his sire was the same way...so Rhys hadn't a clue how he'd wound up so wild. He supposed it was just in some of them.

His eyes roamed back over to the mare, "I'm sorry for my distractions, it's been a long week." He said, his head high, not showing weakness in that statement at all. Soon, he would have all the mares he desired...plus a few stallions (unfortunantly) and he'd be done with searching out females all of the time. That didn't mean he'd never do so again...he'd just feel less desperate to do so. Desperate was not a comfortable place for him and he was determined to change that. Perhaps this mare was here to find a herd...or even better carry a foal.

[glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow][glow=white,2,300] The same principle which forbids me to lie does not allow me to tell the truth.[/glow][glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow]

[Kate]

She noticed him relaxing and that put her a little more at ease. If he was relaxed, then she could be relaxed. She hadn’t exactly been tense to begin with but she had been a little cautious. You could never know how much you could trust a stallion. She’d luckily be found by a kind stallion who cared for her and her herd right up until he’d died. She guessed it was something with his heart or something and the extra strain of the winter had just been too much for him. She still grieved his loss. She’d known he was ill last spring, he hadn’t really had it in him to breed with his herd. It was obvious by that point something was wrong. Not that they could do anything.
”Rhys isn’t so bad either, I don’t think I’ve ever met a Rhys before.” She mused before quickly returning all her attentions to the stallion in front of her. She hadn’t been distracted for more than half a second and her attentions were always on the much larger stallion in front of her. ”As for what I’m doing out here, I believe this is the claiming meadow. The herd I was in before fell apart so I came here. I’m in need of a home,” she replied gently. Though her tones were always gentle they seemed especially so. She didn’t really want to sound so desperate but she was homeless. She had nowhere to go except here and if this stallion decided he didn’t want her then she would have to wait here until someone did. She knew quite a few stallions who were a bit pickier about height for practical reasons, it was hardly her fault she was so small. She had been the tallest in the herd she’d started out in. She’d never realised horses could become so big. It had certainly been a shock the first time she saw a draft!
She flicked her tail to get rid of the insects trying to rest on her while she listened to him. ”That’s no problem, you don’t need to apologise. Spring must be busy for you.” She said comfortingly even if he showed no weakness. She tried to mother everything. If that meant mothering the stallion in front of her because she thought that he needed it (even if he didn’t) then that was too bad. She couldn’t change her nature around to be anything but what she was. She didn’t think that she was perfect but there wasn’t much wrong with her. She was just another mare, just not the spoilt and bratty kind. She liked to look after other horses, even those much bigger than her, because she found happiness in looking after others. It was probably why she loved so much to have foals as well. She was an incredibly maternal mare.

[llcoyote]

[glow=red,2,300]Rhys[/glow]

[glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow][glow=white,2,300] Marriage is the tomb of love[/glow][glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow]

Rhys flicked his ears around, keeping an ear out for other stallions. He wasn't worry about the creekfall stallion because he was so large that he probably wouldn't consider a smaller mare to breed with...but there were other stallions around here than he knew of and was surprised actually. None of them had confronted him about mares. Not in the slightest. In fact they only trouble he'd had was stallions trying to join him. His mind settled back on the lovely little flaxen mare. "Yes...I'd dare say I'm the only Rhys I'd ever herd of myself...but then again I haven't exactly met an immense plethora of horses in my life."

The mare was soft spoken, which worried Rhys. Perhaps it was just because she wanted to come home with him, or perhaps that it was simply how she was. If it was the latter, he'd have to stick close to the mare. Her size coupled with a soft attitude mean she'd need his protection from the other stallions. He didn't mind to protect her if she wanted it though. "Well if you'd like, and are not afraid of the water, I'd love to have you in my herd." He nickered lowly. Now...how to convince this mare to couple with him. Slowly he took a step toward her, nuzzling her shoulder, grooming the fur there lightly. The sent of her heat poured off of her into his nose and he couldn't help but nicker again, but this time it was for a totally different reason. This time it was an invitation. He'd only put one mare in foal this season and was in need to get at least one more. This mare seemed kind and nurturing. "The spring has it's...benifits and it's wares." He said softly to her.

[glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow][glow=white,2,300] The same principle which forbids me to lie does not allow me to tell the truth.[/glow][glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow]

[Kate]

”Neither have I, come to think to it. That’s probably why I haven’t heard of a Rhys too.” She replied, as soft-spoken as ever. She had only come across two other stallions and really talked to them. Occasionally her herd leader had been challenged but he had easily beaten them. He’d never killed them, just sent them on their way and let them live. He was too gentle to be able to kill them and he had once been that stallion. She’d asked him about it once, she’d had a few conversations with him in the past. She’d been in that herd for around six years, it was highly likely she would have had to talk to him at least once.
Ah, there was the offer that she’d been waiting for. The offer for a home. Something she needed. He was right, she was a very soft spoken mare. It wasn’t just while she was asking for a home. She pretty much never raised her voice. It was rude. She didn’t like it. She had to say that she did quite like the nuzzling she received. Maria was all for being touchy-feely though she had a pretty good idea as to why he was doing it. Just as she expected, she heard him nicker in invitation. ”I’m well aware of the benefits,” she replied in equally soft tones as she nickered in acceptance to the previously issued invitation. Her tail moved to the side and raised slightly as she made sure he understood that she’d accepted. She didn’t know quite how intelligent he was to that sort of thing but it was better to make sure they understood perfectly in her mind.

[llcoyote]

[glow=red,2,300]Rhys[/glow]

[glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow][glow=white,2,300] Marriage is the tomb of love[/glow][glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow]

Rhys practically jumped in surprise. Finally a mare that didn't make him practically kill himself to breed. Not that he minded playing a little bit, but every once and I while it was nice to have an...easy seemed the wrong word to use so he settled with agreeable. Yes, it was very nice to have an agreeable mare, even if he would worry about her fitting into his herd. He whinnied softly, rounding her and rearing up slightly, being careful as he mounted the small female.

When he pulled away he snorted softly, before lifting his head back up. He stared toward the hills. "You should probably stay close to me..." He wanted to say 'or Delilah will kill you and use your entrails as a necklace' but he figured that would scare her off. The stud cringed inwardly HE was slightly scared of her but only for other mares. He couldn't hide the fact he'd been gathering a herd from her for very long, and it may very well drive her away but he refused to be latched to one person. Stallions were not monogamous and he couldn't pretend to be...it was odd to find a mare that even believed in such silly practices. No...he would not let Delilah near Maria, nor the other stallions. Rhys wasn't sure which thought made him more angry. Either way she could end up hurt.

After a moment of standing he turned and walked to the hills, headed towards his home staying slow, not because he worried about her pace, but because there was no rush right now. There was nothing he had to do and no where he needed to be. The black stallion stopped, looking over his thick muscled shoulder "We may leave now, or when ever you please. The food in my home will take time for both your body and your tastes to get accustomed to...everything seems to taste of a hint of salt. If you have problem or feel ill, tell me immediately and I will take care of it." He said cocking his right hind. He was feeling awful calm around this mare but that was his personality. He'd give the female the male they were looking for, so they'd agree to come with him.

[glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow][glow=white,2,300] The same principle which forbids me to lie does not allow me to tell the truth.[/glow][glow=blue,2,300]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/glow]

[Kate]

She wasn’t so much a fan of it but she figured that dancing around the issue and putting it off would make her dread it. Now it was out of the way, she would be okay. Or so she figured. Pregnancies could be tough and often dangerous, this stallion was quite a bit bigger than her and it was obvious that her foals would therefore be a little on the big side too. She could only hope she wasn’t carrying more than one or she would most certainly pop! Not that she didn’t like the idea of having two little foals to care for but it would take a lot out of her. It was better to raise one really healthy foal than to have two who were only so-so.
If Maria could have shrugged at his comment, she would have. She didn’t mind staying by him at all though she didn’t really understand it. What did she need protecting from? A lot if she was honest but she would have liked to have known what it was he felt he was protecting her from exactly. Perhaps there were more wolves there or he thought she might drown or something like that. She wondered if he had other mares there and if she was his first (though she doubted it) so he didn’t know what to do. Or there was some fiery, jealous and childish sort over there. There was always one like that who just needed to be taken down a few pegs. She could do that with gentle guidance. She didn’t believe in doing that sort of thing cruelly.
”We can leave whenever you like, I’m not so picky as to when we leave. Nor am I so picky as to the food source,” she responded. She was a pony sure, but she was of a hardy type. She could withstand harsh temperatures, wind and rain. Just because she was small didn’t mean that she was completely helpless. Perhaps against predators but hardly against the elements. ”I can look after myself in that respect, you don’t need to worry about that.” She told him reassuringly.