Zin Desert Herd III

[Spirit Dancer]

[x] Since Shade's slowly getting more members, I decided that we needed a new herd topic. <3

Plus, the other one's from like, 2006. lol [/x]

[Taylor]

Why can't you see the way that I love you?
Chocolate brown hide rolled with light muscle as the mare slowed to a stop. Her facade seemed different than any time before. She now appeared tired, though she was still young.

Why can't I say the way that it's true?
Hazel orbs found the water of this oasis in the sands. The femme ignored the crystal liquid for now and looked out upon the vast landscape.

Why am I so shy as to not admit?
White-stockinged pillars seemed stuck to the ground, as she stood very still. A frown was planted on her velveteen kissers. This was a mare who had once been young and lively, inside and out. Now she appeared old, tired... and tearful.

Why am I so scared to just commit?
I stare onto these sands with tears brimming. I love this place. It has been my second home, the only other place besides Oakwood. I convince myself I am not staying her for just that one person, I am here because I love this place. But it is small, our herd minute. I can only think of Shade and Colette, plus myself.
But Shade is off again, I hope recruiting new members. Stress has caused my bones to tire, my eyes to tear. The stress of love unspoken. The truth?

The simple answer is...
"I am in love with Shade..." I speak in a hoarse whisper.

[Spirit Dancer]

Blotchy bay bode of the stallion made its self known, rather clearly, against the golden sand of the desert as he approached the oasis. The oasis had been the offical "home" to Shade's herd since his children were born, but now, he knew nothing of their whereabouts. Or even if they were alive or not.

With such thoughts, dark earth-toned colored occuli glazed over, as a pained look took over hisusually serene features. Undoubtly, the loss of his children would haunt him until his death, or he learned to accept the fact they, along with their mothers, would never return.

Sable tresses cracked in the dry air as he lower his scarred skull so that his maw could meet the cool liquid, dark occuli closing briefly as he drank - only to open and stare at the ragged reflection he saw.
'What have I become?'

[Taylor]

I turn to look at the new face here, but find it is one I have known for very long. Shade.
I debate for a moment. If I go to see him, we could talk, converse. That's all I want.
But if things go badly there, I would be heartbroken. Could Shade be like that? I can't say. His children have gone and I feel as if I am the only Herd member left, though I find that near impossible.
I pluck up the courage and turn, taking quick strides toward the stallion. I stop behind and slightly to the left of him, almost smiling very slightly.
"Hello again, Shade." I begin, looking to the water below us.

[Spirit Dancer]

He could barely reconize the ragged face that stared back at him. The face that bore the scars of battles; both physical and emotional. Bearing the scars of the torment he'd endured as the anguish inside him turmoiled into insanity, the scars of depression, and the faint etching of the happiness he had years ago. The happiness now seemed so out of reach.

The distant voice of Queen broke the aged brute from his thoughts, glazed occuli blinked slowly, as if trying to will his reflection to change so that he could see the younger him - the stallion he had once been when the herd was thriving.

Obviously torn that his image hadn't changed, his gaze turned to the mare beside him.
"Hello Queen."

[Taylor]

I watch Shade with a certain curiousity. He seems displeased with himself, though I couldn't imagine why. It's not like he was the fault of the now small herd. Unless her blamed himself, in which case I felt sorry for the Alpha.
He was not to blame for his family's departure. That much I felt sure of. If only I had the courage to tell him how I feel, he might become happy again.
At first, he was like a protective older sibling figure to me, back when I was young, not even sexually matured. Now that I have grown, and many months have passed, he is more than that. He still holds that protection, but his face has gone to a more special place in my heart.
For one moment I seem to think that Bade was in that place, but remember that we were only friends, for he had no interest in me as anything more. For that I felt rejected and lost.

But like my father before me, I do not dwell on the past. I live in the moment, and at this moment Shade was responding to me. My attention returns, to reality, and to the bi-colored stallion before me.
"Shade..." I begin to speak, then lose my voice for a moment. I do not want to anger or upset the stallion further, so I choose my words slowly and carefully. "It is not your fault that your family has left. Your children... You still have me. A-and Colette, she's around here somewhere." I trail off. The words sound stupid even as I say them, but they can't be taken back now.

"All I am trying to say... is that you haven't lost everything." I finish.

[Spirit Dancer]

My dark brown occuli close, as blotchy audda heard her words, though my brain struggled to register them. I reopened my occuli, to reply to her, though the caught the faint glimmer of the familiar golden coloring of the filly, or the now-mare, I had adopted into the herd years ago. Yantuk. She stooda great distance away, with an equine of a bronze sort of coloring, and who stood taller than Yantuk. It struck me that the equine, more of the brute, beside Yantuk was my only remaining blood child within contact. The Renegade, or Ren. His height was an oddity from his mother's and my own bloodlines, but he didn't care. His attractive coloring had earned him a good bit of attention. It surprised me that I didn't see a vixen standing with pride beside him, with possibly a foal.

Like Father, like Son, I suppose.

My attention returns to Queen despite the disembarking figure of Yantuk and the approaching frame of Ren. It would be quite awhile before the young stallion reached the oasis anyways.
"I know. I'm learning to accept it," I respond with a rare, yet fragile, smile. "Only time will tell how I fair for the rest of my life."

[Taylor]

"Only time will tell how I fair for the rest of my life."
I wanted to answer with, "You'll be just fine, everything will be alright! You'll never be completely alone!"
But the words won't come. The only thing that I can do is stare at the stallion, and past his bode at the endless golden terra outside of the solitary oasis.

I start to speak again, but my voice cracks at the first words. My courage begins to crumble again, and I stare down at my black hooves.
Finally I am returned to the bold nature I have acquired.
"I need to tell you something, Shade. Something... a feeling that has been eating away at me for a long time, in the years I've been here." I pause, and hope that Shade half-way understands what I am saying. After all, I haven't talked this much in a long time.

[Spirit Dancer]

Blotchy audda flickered back, pinning themselves against the sleek tresses of my greying sable mane as I listen to he words. A concerned expression takes to my facade as she looks down towards her hooves, before becoming strong again.
"What is it, Queen?" I ask bluntly, which is rather crude of me seeing how this is tearing up the young mare beside me. Though I had earned to right to be crude when I wanted.

[Taylor]

This is much harder than I thought. I figured it'd be Shade pretty calm and quiet and me just blattering on. I didn't expect him to actually engage in the conversation. But maybe this will make it easier? I don't think so, but of course I'm still young, why should I know too much?

I am once again at a loss for words. Why can't I just blurt out "I love you!"
Because it's not that easy. Thoughts don't always move so quickly to words. I want to tell him that my heart is beating against my chest at this moment, I want him to continue and say my name because I love how it sounds coming off of his tongue.
"I... love you." I finally blurt the words, then stare in horror for a moment at the realization of what I've said. I quickly regain my poise, gaze shifting down to the ground. "No -- I'm in love with you."

[Spirit Dancer]

I stood there, dumfounded. I probably looked it too. I shouldn't be that...well, shocked at the young mare's words. Sure, I had said it before to the mares that had borne my children. But I had never heard the words in return, or being spoken to by either of them.

I don't think, or atleast I can't recall, hearing the words from even my own children.

I begin to sulk on the matter of the mares and my children who abandoned me, before I force myself to think seriously on the situation. I can't say anything wrong, fearing I'll hurt her. More than I have, if I've already hurt her somehow.
"I...I don't know what to say, Queen," I reply quietly, pausing briefly as if to think of something better, or non-cheesy, to say. I stood there, comtemplating, with a slightly puzzled look on my face. If one knew me rather well, like Colette or Queen herself, it would of been clear I was searching deep within myself for something or having a mental struggle.

"Can I ask you something in return, Queen?"

[Taylor]

I am very confused. This whole situation leaves me racking my brain for thoughts. For things that remind me of my own sanity. For something to prove this isn't real, and I didn't really just stupidly say that. But, surprisingly he has accepted me. I sigh gently, for my worst fear has passed. I feared a much different reaction.

But Shade is not angry, though I didn't highly assume he would be. I considered it, but am convinced he wouldn't act like that.
"Can I ask you something in return, Queen?"
I am now completely baffled. He accepted my feelings, and will he return them?
In wait of my confusion, I answer the bi-hued Alpha.
"Of course. What is it?"

[Spirit Dancer]

The situation was rather humourous, now as I watched Queen's expression go into a confused one. I can see the slight relief on her features, as my dark occuli watches her carefully as I remain silent for a few moments.
"First, I want to say thank you."

Thank you?! Good Gods, I was certainly losing it..
"You've made me realize that what happens in the past doesn't matter in the present. Would it be too much to ask you to be my Alphess?" I continue. Nothing really romantic about it, like I had always imagined my proposal to that "special someone" out of my little harem of mares for years. Oh well..

[Taylor]

"You've made me realize that what happens in the past doesn't matter in the present. Would it be too much to ask you to be my Alphess?"
Oh. My.
It takes several moments for the realization of what Shade has said to finally hit me. And when it did, it hit hard.
I do believe I actually staggered backwards a step or two. This is the day I never dreamt of coming. I was sure that my heart would beat right out of my chest from how hard it was pounding. "Oh, Shade..."
This is all I can manage to say for now. Pathetic.

"I-I'm flattered, really." What the hell? Why should I tell him I'm flattered? That makes it sound like I'm going to say no. This makes me think for a moment. Why shouldn't I say yes? I've known Shade since I was three years old. And look at me now, I'm guessing about four years later. Maybe more, maybe less. All I know is that it's been a long time. And Shade was always here. "And..."
"Yes."
Well there's a simple answer.

[Spirit Dancer]

All I can do is grin like a fool. Slowly, my herd would regrow. I knew that, as the facts slowly wove themselves into my disbelieving mind. Either under the rule of myself and Queen at my side, or underneath the rule of my only remaining son. Zin would prosper once more. Hopefully, I would see it reach those Golden Years before The Great Mother came for me. It would make me happier to see it underneath my own reign, but all I can do is hope since I'm well into my older years.
"Thank you, Queen."

[Taylor]

I am now compeltely ecstatic, though almost respond with, "You're welcome!"
Not only did this go terribly well, I'm now the alphess of a place that I always considered home. I'm being loved again, never being have given much of it. With my seemingly perfect lifestyle, one would have never guessed that I was deprived of love in some moments of my life.

"It seems like such a long time ago that I first came here..."
I think out loud; after all I'm the alphess. I better not take this thing too far though, i don't want to get power-hungry or anything.
"I wasn't even a mare then, do you remember?"

[Spirit Dancer]

I nod my crania in response. Of course I do, since Queen had appeared right after Rose, Solo, Tawn, Hidalgo, and Mahrigold had vanished. And then not too long after Queen's enterance, Colette reappeared. With the two, they had kept him for going any further insane, and slowly brought him back to sanity.
"Of course I do, Queen," I reply, my crania still bobbing slightly as I respond, before ceasing after a moment or two. Then, I add jokingly, "Back when I didn't ache, when I wasn't old, and when I was full of life."

[Taylor]

My brows move together in thought. I never considered Shade's age to be a factor in anything. I never really consider anyone's age to be a matter of importance, unless of course they are very young or very old.

"Well, obviously you're not too old to remember, now are you?"
I contradict the stallion playfully, moving my dome closer to his.
"You're not really old at all, as you and I both know. You're young enough."
I slowly reach my muzzle out to his, and touch him lightly. It is the first loving gesture I've ever made to anyone besides my family. Or the first I can remember anyway.
I am embarassed, certainly, but hold my stance until he responds.

[Spirit Dancer]

[x] Skipping Shade, since I don't have any muse for him. D: Just imagine him responding in some way. [/x]

I watch the blotched figure of my father, who's sturdy build stands out against the sand and the bay mare at his side. If she was who I thought she was, then the bay mare was my step mother of a sort. Of course, all of the mares in my father's harem were a stepmother to me.

I stride forward, fluid steps silenced by the golden sand, though my dome is lowered and tucked to my chest. A sign of submission I had learned over my short lived life, to show my father I knew that he was incharge and that I was to step up when he died. I could only hope he would reconize quiet message as I drifted to the left, towards the opposite side of the oasis so that I wouldn't have to hear my father's voice. I knew I would have to, one day, to tell him that my mother - one of his lovers, I presume - had died some time ago while bringing another offspring of his into the world. But with how happy he looked, it could wait for now.

Reaching the oasis, I stood solitarily, though my silvery blue eyes scanned the terra carefully. I knew Xyroca wouldn't be far behind me with Jacoby; the mare who I had promise protection to. It was my duty, by the codes of Chivalry. Atleast I knew something about being a Prince.

[fuzzball]

It hadn't taken me long to decide to follow the gentleman, Renegade. I had no where else to go, and he had to come here, so why not follow? The sand was a bit awkward to get used to, especially when a gust of wind decided to blind us cruelly by kicking it up into our eyes. But by looking back at Jacoby, he seemed to have no problem with it as he romped around playfully before picking up the gait common for Rocky Mountain Horses, the speed of a trot with the smoothness of a walk.

Already his coat was smoothing into a fine, thinner shine instead of his fuzzy one, a bonus when we'd be living in this desert. His mane was starting to grow out nicely too, flipping across his boa slightly. If it wasn't for his hazel gaze and the blonde streaks in his mane, I'd swear he is a younger version of his father, his coat darkening to a bay chocolate color. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind, it's time to forget about him, I've been upset over it long enough. Let him go off and wander with some mare, pity the poor thing that falls in love with him next. I know, because I've been there. And I still sort of do love him, but with each day I slowly forget about him, my care for him melting away piece by piece...

Seeing Ren not too far up ahead, I watched him greet a stallion respectfully. Must be his sire that he was talking about. I flicked my ears back nervously, wary of the strange lead stallion, whether or not he was related to Ren I was still uneasy of him. I was uneasy of most stallions still, even a bit with Ren. But the reason for my being wary, Jacoby, was completely opposite. With a big grin on his face, I watched curiously as he stopped beside Ren, watching him carefully. Seeing him tuck his muzzle, Jacoby looked up to Shade and copied the move. Guess we know who his role-model will be...