Claiming Thread: open to posts!!

[Velnias]

D E S M O N D

"It would be quite enjoyable--"
"Quiet!"
"--If we went ahead with it."
"I say, quiet!"
"Come on, Des. If you knew what's best, you'd listen to me..."
"I don't have to listen to you!"
"Altair, you heard the boy. Don't force me to subdue you."
"Oh? How do you plan on that; you're just a dead speck of dust anyway."
"And you're any better off?"
"Would the both of you--"
"Ezio, you're making him angry!"

"JUST SHUT UP!!" The bay horse tossed his head violently, throwing his body into a momentous lurch sideways. He was near enough a tree to fall into it if he aimed himself well---when a sudden force caused him to throw his haunches around and his chest spun with it. The move made him sick and he splayed his limber legs to stop himself. "You," he spat, his eyes rolled white now focusing on a point somewhere above his head. He threw his curses at something unseen in the sky. In his head. "You did that on purpose!" A ripple shuddered inside his head that formed into a slightly hoarse, gravelly laugh. A slick and cool voice spoke as the rippling continued, drumming into the background of his brain. "Anything you do to hurt yourself hurts us, too, Des." The bay horse furrowed his brow in stiff anger. "But--" "But you have to admit that was quite amusing, Altair. Although be careful next time. It made me sick," spoke the thick, throaty, gravelly voice, the second one.

"Oh, Ezio, you old stonehead." The younger voice snapped in his head at the other one, a hint of resentment in his voice. Then again Altair spoke, whispering to Des, "Why'd you put me in here with him? Hmm? You know he just boasts and lectures and...gets sick on me." Desmond sighed, casting his eyes into a monotonous roll. He stood straight up, and stamped a foreleg with impatience. "You know I didn't even ask for either of you. It's bad enough the situation you've put me in." "But even you know," snapped Ezio in a rasping voice, suddenly appearing in the front of his mind. "You'd be dead without us. They would have caught and slaughtered you already. We're trying to keep you safe, Des."

Des opened his mouth to speak aloud again, but Ezio's grizzly voice had already faded away and there was silence in his head. Even Altair had dissipated for the time being. Des sighed deeply, his nostrils flared as he breathed in the warm air. Without the voices, the forest was oddly still and subdued. He found it very pleasurable, for once. Drooping his head, he huffed his breath over the ground and specks of dark brown soil flew around his muzzle. He looked up, looked around him. No one was in sight. Glancing back forlornly at the large tree he'd passed, he walked by. Stepping back on the trail he tossed his head up. There was a faint aroma of strange smells around him and he was instantly alert, the thought process coming as second nature to him now. The soil around his feet down the well-traveled path was dark and flecked with sand. As he walked along, his gait springy and brisk at a trot, the surface underfoot changed to sand. The young stallion's mane was blown away from his neck by a sea breeze and he narrowed his eyes. A little while ago Ezio had warned him they were straying from main land, but he didn't realize they'd run up to the coast already.

Looking around somewhat nervously, he remembered Ezio's words of caution: Never find yourself with your back to a wall or the end of the land. It looked, now, like he'd done just that. What a stupid move! But anyway, Des's ears were perked ahead as he heard the soft wash of waves on sand, and he figured it wasn't worth the journey going back. Oh yes, to him the danger was certainly there, drilled into his head by Altair and Ezio, but also from experience. He had seen them himself; following him over land and sea, they wanted no less than to find and catch him. But they wouldn't suspect he would travel to a place such as this, and besides, who knew how far behind him they were? He'd taken steps to mask his scent, and Ezio had taught him that. Being an unreadable hunter, being able to blend into a crowd.

The sounds drew nearer to Des and he found himself stopping, staring off into the trees on his left. There were rows of them but visible in the distance was the end of the forest, and he caught glimpses of golden sand sparkling in the sun. With a cautious glance back down the dirt trail, he saw that the endof it disappeared into the deep jungle of the forest once more and suddenly the point at which it disappeared seemed dark, foreboding. So with a hard stare through the trees, Des made his choice. He swished his tail alertly, careening off through the low shrubs. He ducked his neck to avoid low branches, picked up his young dark hooves to step lithely over vines and uneven ground. Each bounding stride brought him nearer to freedom from the forest, trees all around him. Before he knew it, he was out. A wide expanse of perfect white-gold sand stretched out before him, the coast stretching on both sides of him and far, far away into the distance.

Down one area of the beach, black cliffs rose up. They looked like the Crumbling Cliffs, a dangerous place he'd been to only once and Altair and Ezio warned him never to go back again. Too easy to be cornered, they said to him. But these cliffs, the ones enshrouded by low-hanging mist in the distance, stood proud and mysterious and tall, overlooking the sparkling blue water. Out on the ocean, there were thin sandbars and Des believed he even saw a stretch of green on some of them. His eyes flickered luminously at the sight and for once he was calm, overtaken by this land's breathtaking beauty. His hooves making soft prints in the sand, he felt the heat blasting him from above and underfoot, and the sea water looked welcoming to him. He blew a powerful snort, leaping into a lope and paused only a second at the water's edge before wading in up to his knees. He closed his eyes and felt the peace of the place, the cries of the birds and the fingers of the breeze. His assassin life and memories left him to revel in his quiet, and he lifted his face to the sun, letting the warmth bathe it.

Returning to the water's shore, Des looked around the place. No markings,no traces of any scents. It was a wonder no one had been here, nobody in so long that their traces had been swept away by the sea. It was so beautiful, so breathtaking. The stallion's forelock fell over his dark eyes as he lowered his muzzle, covering his round diamond-shaped white star. He put a foreleg forward, traced it in the wet sand as the tide began drawing out. He made the sign of a D, then an E, S, M, O, N, and D. Altair had taught him to write, to write his name in the dirt many lands away. And Desmond wrote his name in the golden sand to forever mark the place as his. Even though the frothy seawater came up over his ankles and washed the sand out, covering the letters, when the ocean withdrew again there were still traces of his name. It was like the ocean accepted him, printed his name for good in the wet sand. He smiled, and he felt his hoof outstretch and stamp into the sand; he lifted his regal head high and didn't need to call out the words, didn't need to exclaim that he'd claimed this place and it was his, his only.

Altair, his voice smooth and quiet, spoke, "Good choice, old friend. Take care of it."

WORDS 1,445
MUSE great!!
NOTES Probably will make this his first herd thread.

[Deleted]

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

The rumble and crash of the ocean's waves reached the red mare's ears as she walked slowly down the dark, dirt path. Specks of sunlight filtered through the trees, casting shadows and patterns upon the ground below her hooves. A bird chirped in the branches above her and she smiled at the calm and peacfulness around her. This was all she wanted. Peace and quite and some time to get away from the hectic life she used to live.

How did she escape such a horrible place, she wondered? Her mother had been trying for three years...and now look, she was dead. Of course her heart mourned for her dam, but Spitfire wasn't going to let that keep her down. She'd awoken to find herself free. And free she would stay! She would never let those people catch her, nor would she ever go back! Not of her own free will anyway. They'd have to kill her if that were to happen. And she wasn't going down without a fight, mind you.

With a toss of her mane, Spitfire picked up her pace as the golden sparkling of beach sand caught her eye. She snorted and loped forward, ready to splash into the water and bask in the warm, bright sun. Her speed increased as she left the dense trees behind, mane flying out behind her, tail held high.

Quite suddenly, she realized that there was someone in her way. She could go around them. That probably would have been best and would have saved her much of a headache in the long run...but her curiosity won out and the red mare snorted and slid to a stop, golden sand spraying about her back legs. She was maybe a foot or two away from the proud-looking young stallion. "You look like someone who just won a great race." she brok the silence without hesitation, her expression friendly and warm.

She smiled, hoping that her presance here was not going to offend him. If she had to guess, she'd say that this stallion had just decided to take over the coast. She glanced around once. If so, it was a good choice.

[.๑whovian๑.]

"A great race? Maybe a great race to his death, but nothing more."

The tall dark stallion jumped down from the rock, and stood a mere two or three feet away from the bay stallion. He stared straight into the horses face, ignoring the mare next to him. He could see him perfectly fine through his mask, though the stallion could not see his face properly. The horn was slightly closer to the stallions face, but Daemon liked it that way. The young stallion had a slightly odd look about him, and the tall dark stallion realized that he had probably just claimed this land. Daemon smiled at him a moment.

"Daddy, that doesn't even make sense."

He looked around, but his daughter remained elusive. Good girl. What a good girl, staying hidden till Daddy told her it was okay. He walked away from the stallion a moment, and looked at the chestnut mare. He yawned. "Don't think having a lands going to do you much good right now." he said casually. He looked at the mare. She was quite a pretty thing. He walked right up to her. "Unusual weather lately," he said. He walked away from her. He stood there, right in front of them, then made a decision. They were safe. These two were not a threat to them.

"You can come out now Baby Doll," he called softly. She appeared by his side moments later, her pretty bay coat glistening. She had shed out her baby fur now, and was as beautiful as ever. Oh, dear child, she was growing up. She was slender and lovely, just like her mother. She didn't really look anything like him. She smiled at him, then surveyed their new....well, he wasn't sure if they were friends, foes, or acquaintances, but he would find out soon enough.


------

Of course, he was making things awkward and confusing as always. That was his specialty, but Daddy had never been a social man. He spoke to people like they were stupid half the time, except to her. Sometimes she wondered if he had ever been socialized properly. Good Lord. He was now talking to two intelligent creatures like they were earthworms. She rolled her eyes.

"Never mind him," she said exasperatedly.
"You should mind me," her father replied.
"No, not really," she spat.

Her father smiled under his mask.

[Velnias]

D E S M O N D

The wind licked at his mane and Des tossed his head with a wild flourish. He felt a change in the air and maybe it was only the spur of the moment, the excitement that maybe, just maybe the new smell drifting in and out of the breeze was the smell of change. Of something good. He was Thoroughbred-blooded, hot and restless, and his legs danced as he felt the rush of adrenaline pumping like blood in his veins. He wanted to run. To see all that there was to see of his land. It looked endless! The mere thought of owning the place excited him, but at the same time he wondered: will I be safe? If Altair and Ezio are right? Is it only a matter of time? What if I'm restless...what if I worry about it? What if a home isn't good enough for me to stay?

What if it really is in my blood to run away?

At the very second the frightening thoght popped into his head, his ears swiveled around. Pitching his nostrils up jhe tok a heavy dose of the noon air and his eyes narrowed. It shouldn't have left his sad, but somehow realizing that a mare's sweet, flowery scent was all that was appealing to him brought on a rush ofdisappointment. In his head he heard the rippling laugh of Altair and pinned his ears, cacking his teeth irritably. He always ended up so ticked off at Altair's habit of making fun of him.

"Come on, old man. Tell me my thousand year-old ladies' charm hasn't been passed down to you!"
"Don't kid yourself, Altair. You couldn't charm a fruit bat."
"Enlighten me, old fellow. What's a fruit bat?"
"No, I take it back. All you ever charmed were snakes. And I told you to listen but all you ever let 'em do was come back and bite you on the -ss!"
"I say, what's a fruit bat! I'll bludgeon you, Ezio. I've never seen one!"
"Pardon me if your prattling little escapades took you no farther than the bedchamber."

He was about to give up on them both. He'd been trying, really. All to no avail. Whenever he wanted them the least, there they were. Always bickering, and it did him no good! Stamping a hoof in frustration, he let the slowly falling sun attract his shimmering cold eyes out over the horizon. The noise of the argument faded into the buzz and drone of his thoughts. As soon as he heard a little snap in the twigs within the forest behind him, he knew she was near. And he scented another more harsh smell suddenly. It was like this other thing, a stallion, too, had jumped from being behind the wind and into its blow, so Des could catch his scent. Des lifted his head proudly, regal and poised on his steep sloping shoulders. He watched the fiery sorrel emerge from the trees, looking around like she hadn't seen anything like this place ever, in her life. Of course, dear, Des muttered in his head, you only find a place like this once. Whether or not you get a chance to treasure it.

"Oh, oh!"
Des cursed under his breath, so low she couldn't hear him. "What now?" he muttered before she came too close.
"Well, isn't she a sparkle? Too bad I'm not really there to appreciate her."
"Good gods, Altair. How do you propose to do that?"
"Well, I'd charm her up for once. Des here is too slow for that."
"She looks too dainty for you. You'd probably scare her off."
"I'm smooth, Ezio. You forgot I can charm snakes."
"Just shut up. Let the boy do his thing."

"Thank you, Ez," Des whispered forcefully and still resenting the fact they were there at all. He made himself put a brisk smile on his face and look at the young mare. She was light on hr feet, at least. And she wasn't a fat slug. That much Atair would be proud of. "I don't know, she could use a little less girth," Altair suggested. "Make her run up the beach of a morning. Make good use of your little place. Real estate, after all, is all about curb appeal and efficiency." Des rolled his eyes when he looked away a moment. It was difficult to keep a straight face with all the blabber. "How did you learn about curb appeal and not fruit bats, Altair?"

The sund of hooves, heavy and soft on the sand, approached. It was the stallion, the way his breath smelled even from meters away, and Des turned to glance at the tall, dark, and surprisingly handsome stallion. Although his face had a gruff look, his eyes an evil kind of glint. The mare just looked at his, looked out over the water with her sparkling eyes and suddenly blurted in a singsong voice, "You look as though you've just won a great race." Des didn't want to be mean but it was all he could do to subdue a scornful laugh. "A little oblivious, isn't she?" "Careful, Ezio..." he whispered. At that moment the stallion sauntered into he conversation and Des's ears perked up to what he said, although he heaved a great sigh out of his chest. The sun was in his eyes and it was time to find a cooler place to stand. He walked around the deep-chested horse and under a ragged release of breath he said, "You've no idea."

Then the sharp and blistering sun overhead passed by a cloud. The glare lessened and he turned to face the mare. He gave her a smile. "Welcome to my home, as you've guessed no doubt." Des's eyes were cold and they passed a quick glance over her, but he was fully alert when he turned to the stallion. "I'm warning you now, Des. There's another with him." Ezio was correct; he could smell it on the stallion's coat. Des had become so good at calculating and deducing that in the blink of an eye he concluded three things: the stallion hadn't come here alone, his companion had been a young female from the scent, too young to be anything but his daughter, and thirdly his horse was every bit as alert as Des. But he hadn't hidden all from this bay Thoroughbred; Des silently thanked Altair for his lessons in these kinds of things.

Maybe the times had changed but Des didn't want to give his name up yet. And consiering the fact the up until about six seconds go all he'd had for company were...were...himself, really, then he wasn't too social and now Des found it hard to talk to the mare and kep an eye peeled on the stallion. Usually any herd bachelor would flip if another male came on his land and although the little voices were quite literally jumping around inside his head, he realized he hadn't tried to sweet-talk Des or kill him. That was a good thing; although from the looks of this horse he was out for a reason. Des decided to keep this newfound mare close to him for now, so that perhaps if this stallion had any notion of etiquette he'd not try anything sly while she was present. Although there was that gleam in his eye...

Des cast a steady loo at the stallion as he whispered something under his breath. Altair was going haywire in his head and Des knew why. He had been right--Altair, of course, had taught him to be. There from the trees sidled a pretty young filly, from the looks of it being no more than a few seasons old and her coat was freshly shimmery and bay for the spring. She approached with a gliding gait naturally obtained with practice. Des took in the details of her movement, the contur of her face and fine shape of her neck and legs. He looked away, a little cross that this stallion dared come to this land, probbly at least a ways from where he'd journeyed from (Des had noted the horse's rate of breath as he arrived, calm and unnassuming as he'd tried to make himself seem). Not only that, but he'd brought a little spy. Then again he hadn't ambushed him at the least, which was good. Des liked that. And his...other halves...must have been satisfied as well, for although they seemed edgy they were at least quiet, for once.

"I'm sorry, miss. Impolite of me not to ask a guest's name in this land?" Des spoke softly to the mare. He momentarily turned his attention from the other two and spoke to the chestnut. For once the irritable light in his eyes softened, sensing something hidden in the back of her own. Des wanted to aologize to the mare for having been handed probably more than she bargained to come for, but he would admit it--he was a little proud. Oh, yes! Honorable of course, but apologizing too many times made certain entities frustrated at him. But the young bay gave her a strained smile and pulled his attention back to the mare and her father. He gave the filly a sideways glance, not really concerned about her. She scolded her father and then met Des's eyes. He wasn't really taken in byher youthful beauty. She was pretty, dazzling with that look of pride on her face, but es knew not to be fooled by surface looks. It got Altair into trouble...and he wouldn't be learning from that facet of his ancestor's life. Not at all.

"You might consider dropping yours, then." Des's voice was conined and cold, referring to how the stallion obviously looked down n him at first, offhandedly scorning him claiming a land and all. The dark brute obviously wasn't the herd-family type but then again, Des wasn't sure he was, either. "Why'd you walk all he way out here to be disappointed, I'm afraid, by my choice of land?" And who gives you the right to decide? Des asked himself, though he didn't say it. His eyes, lively and rich, noticed the oddity of the stallion's face now that he saw him more clearly. He hadn't really noticed it before; it hadn't mattered. And the daughter seemed like she wasn't all there, like she was being pulled along a little by this father of hers. The way it turned out, Des didn't see himself being able to sway the horse to let her go. Even if she wanted to leave him, there was a slim chance she'd stay here with Des and an even slimmer chance these two had come today for the purpose of wedock.

Des's eyes grew heavy. He looked out over the horizon, the too blue shades of deep water, he too yellow sun burning his vision, and the barely drifting gray wisps of clouds off in the far sky. His heart drooped a second. The young bay nodded his head and his eyes met the other stallion's. "If that's all you came to tell me, and I assume it isn't," his voice bellowed, suddenly a shade of a whisper, "then I already know."

True it was. Change was here.

WORDS 1990
MUSE O.O Holy crap.
NOTES xD Didn't mean to type THAT much...

[Deleted]

The moment the words she spoke left her mouth, Spitfire caught wind of the other stallion. He jumped down from a few rocks and landed quietly nearby, his horn meters away from the first stallion. She snorted and layed her ears back, aggrivated when the darker stallion spoke quit arrogantly. The smell of another was on his coat and she realized that he was not alone. He spoke to the other stag first, commenting about having land and that it wouldn't do much good. Then he walked right up to her, close to her face.

With a snort, she stared back, ears pinned as he spoke to her this time. "Unusual weather lately," he said to her and she shook her mane as he turned away. "Yes, quite unusual." she shot back, her tone low and irritated. Who did he think he was, acting all supirior like that? It was downright rude!

The other stallion looked over at her and she turned her head to look at him, awaiting for him to speak. He welcomed her and she dipped her head politely. "Thank you." she replied. She stomped a hoof as some flies annoyed her and shifted her weight slightly.

UNFINISHED