Worst Nightmare

[RandomWiktor]

The Story So Far:
In the wake of the fire, Dargason's herd makes a break for the river. Though saved from the flames, Trance is badly wounded and Elamsi is lost downstream. Torn between his commitment to the herd and his adoration of Elamsi, Dargason leads the uninjured mare across the foreign grasslands in searching while a few herdmates stay behind with Trance. As it turns out, in her trek inland Elamsi has found a former herd mare, Valkyrie - as well as a large herd of mares without a stallion! Will this be a boon for Dargason's already large harem?
Origional Thread

Last Two Posts:
Butt Ton of Horses
___ Presently, Valkyrie was distracted from the hustle and bustle of the herd examining the exhausted new arrival. The sound of distant hoofbeats had been growing progressively closer, and now she thought she saw the smoke shifting the the shadows of a large group of horses. Snorting slightly, she let out a high whinny, trumpeting over the sounds of the pawing, sniffing, and grunting of the other mares. With little delay, a low, deep whinny responded in turn - unmistakable, unforgottable - Dargason. Admittedly, she was surprised by the feelings of happiness at hearing her old stallion mingled with the much expected trepidation.
___ And there, his white face showing like a death's head in the darkness of approaching dusk and heavy smoke, came the massive draft stallion, coat begrimed with soot and sweat, tangled feathering billowing around those giant dinner-plate hooves. His nostrils were flaring and breathing heavy, clearling having run some way to come here, rough on his large frame. His bulk seemed to pull back the curtain of smoke, and behind him ran a herd that seemed smaller than Valkyrie remembered. Had some been lost in the blaze?
___ Dargason, for his part, was surprised to see not one, but two of his wayward mares. Elamsi was mostly lost in the swarm of mares - quite a large herd, really - but Valkyrie stood apart (no shock there). His ego was admittedly slightly bruised that she'd ran off to join some other herd, yet she'd greeted him exhuberantly like her own stallion... wait. Dargason skidded to a halt, rearing slightly from the momentum. Pawing the soil, he raised his head, sniffing the air with his lip flipped back, trying to detect the scent of a stallion. Surely such a large group of mares must have a large and formidable leader; as he aged, he had to play his cards more carefully. Yet to his great surprise, he did not scent a stallion at all. How very peculiar.
___ Keeping a watchful eye, he knickered to his mares, who followed in a tired and sore procession at his heels. Cy seemed to have taken the run the worst, being the eldest among them and also quite heavy. The serous leakage of her nares was laced with threads of bright capilary blood, like an overworked race horse. Jingsheng and Tangaloor had held up surprisingly well - despite Jingsheng's recent foaling. Said foal Sjorna had held up well to the challenge, a testament to her superior breeding. Despite being cranky with ears pinned and tail flicking, she was merely a tad winded, not exhausted like some of the older horses. Even Fecia, merely three years old, looked more tired than the youngling. And poor Fhera and Yarrabe, the shortest-legged of the group? Well, they kept a brave face, hoping to show their strength and endurance to their stallion, but both could not hide the heaving of their spotted flanks.
___ Approaching proudly, his head held high in a stately manner, but ears perked amicably and steps not too bold, Dargason came to stand before the large herd of mares. Sniffing the air first then bobbing his head in a friendly greeting, he addressed the group.
___ "Greetings, fair ones. My name is Dargason. I have come in search of my dearest Elamsi, who I believe stands among your ranks." He paused, knowing he had to chose his words carefully. "I note the scent of man upon these lands. Much of ours have been scorched, yet I daresay it may still be safer there." It was true enough that the wolves did tend to avoid eating horses of herd, due to their large size. "Should any of you wish for protection or perhaps a safer pasture, I would welcome you among my herd; it is only my regret that I can not fight to prove my worth."
___ Uchefuna listened to the male carefully, examining him with a critical eye. He was not a young animal, nor void of scars, but to have maintained a herd and from the looks of this still be producing foals at his age was impressive - a testament to his strength and vitality. His body condition was lean and muscular, and his mares appeared well fed; this suggested watchful patrolling on his part and ample food on theirs. Overally, he was a far more impressive specimin than Nondaire, and judging by the large, robust yearling among the group, also virile. It might be worth considering. She flashed a glance to Chema, her equal in dominance, questioning.
___ Alleb gabe no such consideration; she saw a large, healthy stallion and was immediately smitten. Prancing a few steps his way, she looked at him with the doe-eyed innocence of youth, ears perked and a smile dancing at her maw. Even if no one joined her, she fully intended on leaving with the group. Swishing her pale blonde tail over her stygian haunces, she spoke out to him.
___ "Valkyrie has told me much about your valor and kindness as a herd leader. I am honored by your offer!" She spoke eloquently enough, but couldn't keep the giddiness out of her voice.
___ "Yes, he must have been grand for her to have left." Said Tyzofiya cynically. Yemima sighed a bit at her harsh remark, and quietly nudged her side.
___ "Don't be unkind, Tyzo."

((Ok... other horses yay? Did we ever figure out who gets who? I'm probably going to give Uchefuna and Valkyrie to Ulfric, Vardit to Aggro (because a super-optimistic horse + him would be funny), and Alleb & Mehira to Dargason. That leaves Gibora, who would like a smaller herd, and Tyzofiya/Yemima, who are a package deal. Any takers?))

[RandomWiktor]

((Please excuse my minor powerplaying assumptions in the first paragraph))

~Elamasi wasn't quite sure what to make of all of the attention. The herd she had come upon was certainly friendly, but perhaps exuberantly so. And some of them just seemed a little too interested in where she had come, and who was that stallion they smelled on her? Even some of the older mares seemed rather excited about it. She wondered why, exactly, these mares were out on their own if they wanted a herd so much.

She was wondering if she would ever get to greeting everyone when she heard a herd approaching. Frankly, only one herd could be that large. Relief flooding through her, the mare turned among the group surrounding her to watch, as best as she could, as Dargason and the herd emerged from the smoke. Much as she was rather tough and spunky, she was relieved to see the herd and to know they were safe. She did wonder why Dargason had dragged practically everyone so far, though; some of the mares looked positively exhausted.

Well, whatever, the point was that they were all there. With a bit of mumbling and shoving, the tired mare pried herself from the mob and approached Dargason and the herd. She waited for Dargason to finish his speech -- well-spoken, she thought, but clearly an attempt to get the mares to come with him. Stallions would be stallions -- she brushed his muzzle in greeting, giving him a smile that said "I'm fine, really, don't make a fuss", then stood nearby to see what the herd would do.

Chema was making similar observations to Uchefuna. The herd that had come with them was impressive, and what was more, she scented two stallions among the herd. Dargason's scent was apparent, but she could barely detect that another stallion had mingled with a mare or two; indeed, as Elamasi returned to the herd, she realized that this mare had another male scent masked well under Dargason's. It then had to be a well-developed herd for two stallions to be permissible.

She was impressed, and it was far better than being alone, no matter Dargason's age. Looking at Uchefuna, the aging mare nodded, then carefully approached Dargason, at first trying to mask her limp, then giving in and approaching at a normal pace. Alleb beat her to it, however, declaring her honor at being given such an offer and trying to butter up a stallion she barely knew. Chema managed not to roll her eyes and groan.

"We are all honored to receive such an offer, I am sure. I would be willing to return with your herd, as I am sure some of my fellow mares would be."

It was an open invitation; she knew that some of them, her ungrateful daughter for one, would not want to come. Chema knew better, though; she was lame, she was old, and she was easy prey for human and wolf alike. She would be better in a herd, preferably a large one that offered much protection. She had been given an opportunity she didn't plan to refuse.

Zakiah indeed was very aggravated with the situation. She had only come to greet Elamasi to be polite, and now this stupid stallion had come along and pretended his offer to join them was a concern for their health. She could see right through it: he just wanted more mares, without any care for their health. After all, look at all of the mares he had dragged through the smoke and fire to find Elamasi. Surely their exhaustion wasn't worth one old, tiny mare.

But you don't want to get caught by the humans, do you? The thought stopped Zakiah short. Surely the rest of the mares were going to go along with this offer; they were all so desperate for a stallion, after all. That would leave Zakiah alone... Which would be fine, if it wasn't so dangerous. Zakiah wasn't stupid; she knew she was vulnerable alone, no matter how much she desired it. Hate the offer though she did, she slowly realized she couldn't refuse it either. There was protection in numbers, and even though she would only be around for status purposes with this stallion, at least she could get better protection.

The mare snorted bitterly as she realized that hell, it would be in her best interests to accept the stupid offer. Shaking her head with disgust, the mare stepped up.~

"I'll go with you."

Chema just about fell over, casting her daughter a dumbfounded look. Zakiah snorted bitterly and stared at the ground in return. Chema understood immediately; the mare realized she wouldn't survive alone. Well, antisocial her daughter may be, but at least she had sense. Sighing, the mare looked back at Dargason, wondering how he would react to Zakiah's blatantly unhappy tone.~

((Wow, bad post, apologies. Anyway, I don't care where Chema or Zakiah go, though I think Zakiah stuck with my stallion Arek would be really funny (kind of like your case with Aggro and Vardit, RW, except flipped). She may prefer Aggro, though. Chema will go anywhere as long as the stallion accepts her; she's not picky. Arek really needs mares, so he'll take the "package deal" if no one else wants them))

[Herd]

((Arek can def. have Tyzofiya/Yemima. If AshleyTrinity is still around and herd-building, one of her guys can have Gibora. If not, one of your guys could (I can't remember if you have just Arek or if you have other stallions). Or, if the Bobruna/Amequoi thing ever happens and they leave the main herd, maybe Gibora can go with them. :;whistles:: Dargason doesn't seem to mind oldies like himself, so he'd be delighted to have Chema. Zakiah can go to Arek or Aggro, whichever you prefer. Or hell, even Loki; I think it's about time he "fledged" so to speak. Also, once all this herd shit sorts out, I call Horse Orgy/Foalfest.))

___Dargason smiled warmly when Elamsi approached, greeting him and taking her place at his side. He nuzzled the side of her neck happily, knickering softly, then returned his attention to the assembled mares. The herd's two dominants, apparent from their posture, were eying one another knowingly, apparently sharing some kind of psychic decision making process. He wondered what their conclusion would be, knowing that in the absence of a stallion, these mares likely dictated decision making. Yet it was not Uchefuna nor Chema that approached first; a plucky young black mare, practically a filly, trotted up exuberantly and accepted his offer. She didn't look like the sturdiest thing, but she was young, healthy, and would probably produce excellent foals if he didn't snap her back attempting to mate. Ears flicked forwards, the stallion took a few paces forwards to greet the bold mare, sniffing at her muzzle and leaning down to exhale across her nares.
___"Very pleased to meet you... and what might your name be?" he chuckled, realizing that in her eagerness the mare had omitted her name. Alleb's dark eyes widened a bit with sheepish humiliation.
___"Oh - !" She looked down for a moment, pawing the earth in embarrassment. "My name is Alleb. Pleased to meet you too Dargason, sir." She bobbed her head then looked eagerly to the herd catching its breath behind him, apparently eager to join their ranks. However, she paused, craning her elegant neck over her dark shoulder to see if anyone else in the herd would be accompanying her.
___Uchefuna was pleased to see that Chema was apparently thinking along the same lines that she had; even if they ultimately didn't stay with this particular stallion, it would be foolish to pass up an offer that could move them away from dangerous human territory and under a successful male's protection. Yet before she said anything, she wanted to see Dargason's reaction to Chema: she failed to mask her limp, and this paired with her age made her an unlikely candidate for breeding. Would he still remain so amicable to mares that were of little value to him?
___Dargason looked up from greeting Alleb to see who had spoken. One of the herd's two dominant mares was advancing - the older of the two, with a slight limp [+ a description... this thread is so old that I don't recall what she looks like. Pic plz?]. This was crucial even if the mare himself wouldn't make a very impressive addition - her approval might turn the tide for the rest of the group, which appeared undecided at best. Bobbing his head to the mare and extending his large sloping muzzle in a friendly gesture, he addressed the female.
___"It would be my pleasure to welcome you, as well as any others who wish to join me."
___This was enough for Uchefuna: Chema approved, and Dargason apparently was willing to extend his welcome irregardless of their age, condition, or disposition. If he felt confident he could support such a large number of mares, even imperfect or inexperienced ones, the land he spoke of was probably favorable indeed. And, though she expected his eagerness to welcome the mares to be contrived, a thinly veiled cover for herd building, he did seem genuinely pleasant. Thus, she too stepped forward, tail flicking over her roan haunches and posture proud.
___"I, too, would like to accept your offer." She looked beyond Dargason, wondering what the reaction of the herd's dominant mares would be. From what he could gather, an old dappled gray and Elamsi were her main competition - not much competition, to be frank. Cy did not seem remotely disturbed by the thought of other mares joining the herd, spending her time sniffing Elamsi over for any injuries in a very maternal fashion that suggested she'd probably had any foals in the past. Good, so in addition to protection, the integration would likely be fairly benign.
___ One thing no one had foreseen was Zakiah accepting the invitation. Though Chema and Uchefuna could understand the movite, Tyzofiya was practically slack jawed in shock, her ears back and drooping in mortification. Great, so now both of the lead mares, plus Zakiah, Alleb, and from the looks of it Valkyrie (who had worked her way over to Fecia and appeared to be catching up) were ready to canter off into the sunset after the stallion's cheesy overtures. She looked around at Mehira, Vardit, and Gibora, who were curiously examining the herd with obvious interest. Casting a desperate gaze at Yemima, her last resort, she found her friend only giving a defeated droop of her shaggy gray posture, as if to say, "Well, what other choice to we have?" Scowling, Tyzofiya scowled down at her hooves. So much for feminine solidarity.
___"Well, I guess you just hit jackpot then, eh? I mean, is anyone not going along with this?" The surly paint eyed the rest of the herd and found no dissenters. "You should thank your mare for getting lost... and I guess your own inability to keep her with the group," she added under her breath. He probably heard it, but oh well; she wasn't about to bow at his big stupid fluffy hooves just because he'd won the rest of the herd over.
___Dargason could see that not all of the mares were pleased to be coming along, but this was ok with him. He fully suspected that some might stray once they returned from the grasslands; mares appreciated a big herd, sure, but they also had to realizing that he wasn't apt to foal with all of them, especially considering how impressive some of his original herd was physically. Even if he lost some of the newcomers, their presence might distract other stallions for targeting some of his core harem, and any who stayed could only benefit him. So, he ignored the rude remarks from Tyzofiya and Zakira's obvious reluctance. Looking over his mares and the large group of newcomers, he raised his head then turned in the direction of the slowly clearing smoke.
___"Well, I suppose that settles it then? We can head back towards the river and the others, graze along the banks until the smoke and ash has cleared." He wondered how the new mares would feel about the mention of still other herd members waiting by the river, but suspected they would be less tense when they saw how non-threatening the four absentees were.

[Horses]

((Woot, Foalfest! Ameqoi will be in on that one. Loki or Aggro sounds fine to me. As for Chema, as I recall she's a relatively long-coated white mare with chestnut speckles))

Elamasi was amused by the situation more than anything else. Alleb's behavior was what she would expect from only a few seconds of knowing the mare; bold, a tad foolish, and humiliating herself in the process. She forced down a knicker, but her ears were perked and a small smile on her face, so clearly something had amused the blue roan mare.

She was not surprised that Dargason was willing to accept all horses, lame, old, or antisocial. It was simply the way he was, and besides, it wasn't like most of them would stay. Tyzofiya looked ready to vomit at Dargason's feet, even though she angrily accepted the invitation. Elamasi turned her gaze onto the mare, posture stiff, and pawed the ground once with her hoof. Perhaps Dargason was willing to ignore blatant rudeness, but Elamasi was not about to let the mare bitch at her stallion without a reminder of her place.

"Perhaps you would like to be placed into a wild fire among smoke and see how you fare?"

Chema turned her gaze upon Elamasi and knickered softly in approval, ears forward. Zakiah turned her attention to Elamasi as well, but it was not with aggravation. Rather, Elamasi had just earned brownie points with her. The mare was in fact not loyally at her stallion's hooves. Sure, she was defending him, but also herself, and with no gentle pretty tone either. Zakiah did not like Tyzofiya more than any other horse, and so she felt no offense at Elamasi's attempt at putting her in her place; rather, she only approved of Elamasi for it. Perhaps there were more independent mares in this herd than she could see.

Meanwhile, Chema had completed a sharp glare in Tyzofiya's direction and made her way up towards the herd, nodding at Dargason's words. Elamasi, knickering at Cy and brushing muzzles with the mare to reassure her that she was fine, turned around as well, facing the clearing smoke in the distance. She was not eager to stick around human territory, and wanted to assure the rest of the group that she was fine.

"I say we go now, before the humans notice us."

She trotted forward, looking back to make sure that the others followed. To her surprise, Zakiah did, galloping to catch up with the blue mare and stopped near her side, ears perked but head low, careful.

"I'd like to walk with you."

She did not ask permission, but simply stated her interests. Elamasi bobbed her head.

"If you wish."

Zakiah smiled wryly, pleased. Perhaps she could better meet this mare who was still independent even under such a stallion. Chema, meanwhile, focused on walking and tried hard to ignore her daughter's mysterious change in heart. If she thought too hard about it, she would most certainly collapse and be left behind as useless.

((Bleh. But hey, now we can get back to GF and begin all the fun))