So little time, and so much to explore! Since his arrival in Delumine, Jericho had taken the opportunity to acquaint himself with the surrounding lands. The place may be a temporary home, but he intended to familiarize himself with as much of it as he could. To be sure, it was a strategic move. He had been trained to approach everything with the eye of a soldier and scouting unknown territory for advantages and hazards was standard protocol. However, he was also a hotblooded young stallion who found it all too easy to respond when adventure called. And if he met a girl along the way, all the better.
This morning, he’d set off towards the east, crossing the river in the misty pre-dawn light and slipping into the dense wood that he’d come to recognize as the border of the court. Noting the craggy mountains in the distance, he’d veered north through the forest, traveling until the trees gradually began to thin and he arrived at the edge of what appeared to be a wide expanse of rolling plains. A soft sigh escaped his lips, an involuntary response to the scene before him.
As he waded into the tall golden grasses, a pang of homesickness flashed somewhere in the stallion’s belly, brought on perhaps by the familiarity of the landscape. It was no mountain valley, but it bore enough superficial similarity to his homeland to remind him of all he had so recently left behind. Or, perhaps it was only hunger, Jericho thought with a wry smile, noting that homesickness had a rather…rumbly quality. He walked further into the open and climbed to the top off a small knoll, giving himself an easy view of any who may approach. Only then did he drop his head and begin to nibble on the last of the late summer grasses.
"speech"
Image Credits || original coding by kaons; modified by shady
The plains draw in him, so similar to the steppe he was born on that memories freely bob to the surface of his thoughts, pleasant, warm, melting into a stream of nostalgia that trickles and gathers in his chest, softening his gaze as it drifts across the billowing sea of grass and scrub. He finds that if he stares toward the horizon, letting the foreground blur into an indistinct swathe of gold and brown, he can even imagine being there for a moment, his brash companions of youth still hovering at either shoulder, almost tangible, brushing against his shaggy sides-
but it does no good to dwell on the past.
He exhales, letting himself acknowledge the happiness and surety of that time, but never cling to it. The mud-colored stallion is far too pragmatic to be wooed by regret or self-pity. He is glad to have had these moments, not sad that they’re over. There is more to come for him, or there will be, provided he packs enough fat between his ribs to survive the cold of winter.
The grass here is sun-bleached and flaccid, a clever camouflage meant to discourage grazing animals from gorging on the still densely packed nutrients hidden inside, but he knows better, dropping his head to eat greedily, taking huge clumps of flat bladed forage into his mouth and chewing with abandon.
Shaggy coated and with a blocky, unattractive head now gulping down food at a prodigious rate, he makes for a garish sight compared to the dainty picking of some. Call it convenient then that he's never been one to waste time on reflection or comparison, preferring always to stay in the here and the now; and now, he is hungry.
His body is depleted from travel, his disfigured leg aching even more sharply than usual. He tries to rest it, propping it up on the toe of his hoof while he gorges, but the damaged tissues complain incessantly, prompting his skin to twitch and his tail to lash uselessly at his side. Preoccupied, he might not have even noticed the other stallion if his passing on the hilltop above hadn't created a dark silhouette between knoll and sky, a flash of movement along its crest.
"Hello there!" He calls, oblivious to the bits of half chewed grass spraying out with his words. "How are you?"
She watched the two stallions from amid the golden grasses, her dark brown eyes sliding from one figure to the next.
Her breathing mingled with the gentle, steady whoosh of dry stalks as the wind jostled them, creating a sensational ripple over the knoll. Hydra’s dun hide drifted into their waves effortlessly; the perfect camouflage for an imperfect creature. The journey had been strenuous, with immense strain tiring her body and muddling her emotions.
“We will be here, with you,” her father muttered, pressing his face against his daughter's and then touching his muzzle against her heavy chest.
“Always,” whispered her mother through a smile. Hydra stood between her parents, against their warm bodies and their tears, relishing the feeling for a moment before taking her first steps alone.
Hydra sighed, breaking her gaze downwards and away from the duo, her ink-dipped ears flitting backwards defeatedly. She would never forget the feeling of such genuine, selfless love, and oh, could it be painful!
She swallowed, whisking the memory away to be tapped another time when the night seemed just a little too dark. Her attention settled again on the two stallions as she lay in the grasses, her neck stretched and muzzle raised like a lioness to peer above their tapered blades. She had to be no more than thirty feet shy of the earthen-hued stallion as he efficiently consumed half the hillside, noting when he cocks his leg with a slight twitch of her nose. His build reminded her of the sturdy, brazen people of her home.
She hoped he was less full of bullshit.
A stallion with a bloodied face and five – no, six – protruding horns crested the knoll beside her, the late summer sun glinting in rapid succession off of each point as he lowered his head to graze.
”Hello there! How are you?” the fawn stallion called out across the plains.
Hydra huffed and rose to her feet, the dried mud on her fetlocks flaking like the bark of an ancient tree, though much less fascinating.
“Tired, but awake…” she mumbled, the words drifting off in an unspoken accusation that they had, in fact, ruined what would have been an amazing nap.
She arched her muscular neck to either side in a failed attempt to alleviate the stiffness of restless travel before a shake tremored throughout her body. Her thick braids fell softly against the middle of her neck, the tones of cream and black creating an appealing texture to the eye. Jagged shark’s teeth were tied haphazardly to the ends of each braid, with turquoise stones affixed near the base of each that flashed against the skeletal white. They rang hollowly as they settled, a specter from her past whispering in her ears. She flicked her hock-length tail, using the thin, black, braided tip to crack the prospect of a reverie.
Her deep eyes openly moved from Jericho to Feliks, amber shards piercing the dark sea of mahogany, a rich swirl of exhaustion and wildness.
H Y D R A *if you could only see the beast you've made of me...
The grass here was good, he decided, chewing meditatively on the green-gold stalks. Not sweet like valley grass, but hearty and filling all the same. Still hungry from his recent journey, his body shuddered appreciatively as the young warrior tore up mouthful after mouthful, committing them to the dark recesses of his belly. Winter would be here soon, and if he had learned anything in his short travels, it was this: it paid to be opportunistic, especially when it came to food.
Rooting around for a fresh patch of foliage at the top of the hill, Jericho shifted positions and caught sight of a dark figure out of the corner of his eye. The stranger could not have been there long, for he seemed to have just seen the horned stallion as well—or at least, his friendly greeting implied such. “Hello, there,” the dark newcomer called, “How are you?”
Before he had a chance to reply, a sandy head followed by a stocky body rose suddenly from the grass. Taken aback by this abrupt appearance (and by his prior failure to notice that he had not been as alone as he’s imagined), Jericho’s head rose higher, feet firmly planted, nostrils flaring a huff of surprise. “Tired, but awake,” came the girlish voice, rendered brassy by the tinge of sarcasm. Red-tipped ears tilted towards her curiously—though unexpected, Jericho was not entirely disappointed to have interrupted her afternoon nap. She was small, he noted first, small but sturdily built with a coat perfectly matched to that of the grass in which she had made her bed. And fierce too, he assumed, based on the whisper of an accusation in her words. Good. Giddy with newfound freedom and the prospect of a pleasant interlude, the young stallion let his gaze linger on the girl perhaps a beat too long. However, good manners had been the rule all of his life, and his newest directive, exciting as it was, was only days old. In the end, old habits won out.
“Hello,” he replied, nodding to the other stallion and bobbing his head at the girl. “I must confess, I didn’t see either of you,” the bridegroom admitted with a laugh as he began an easy walk down the hill. “Jericho,” he stated by way of introduction. “Pleasure to meet both of you. I hope you can forgive us for interrupting your nap,” he added, tossing a smile at the sandy-colored mare.
OOC: Sorry for the delay!!
"speech"
Image Credits || original coding by kaons; modified by shady
