Claiming [Open]

[Deleted]

Regular, "Words", Thoughts


Underneath the blazing sun, my coat felt hot. It made me curse the fireball in the clear, blue sky. Wasn't my fault I had such a dark coat! I didn't see why the darned sun had to take it out on me. My onyx pillars carried me down the steep bluff to the green valley below. I had seen it from the mountaintops; the lush grass and full, crawling vegetation. The valley was bordered by the tall, stone cliffs that rose up to the heavens, keeping wind and rain to a minimum. By the looks of things, it wouldn't snow here on this side. It looked marvelous!

The valley was large, but not vast. A small forest of willow trees and birch grew around the base of the cliffs, opening up in the center to a clear meadow. A stream ran from the rocks above and pooled below near the base of the only oak tree in the area. It was a beautiful, hidden valley in the middle of a harsh, barren rock land.

I liked it.

Slowly and with care as not to slip and fall, I picked my way down the mountainside. Had to be slow...this cliff was steep. One wrong step and...well, you get the picture. Pebbles clattered from under my black hooves to the ground below, and I made sure not to knock loose any large ones, in case if I did they blocked my path shall they fall. "Tis quite amazing." I muttered under my breath as I gazed about the pretty valley. It just took my breath away!

My hooves touched the packed earth as I took the final steps down from the rocks and I trotted further into the grove. The water from atop the mountain was very cold. It was like ice as I drank, but quenched my thirst and was refreshing. I doubted anyone other than myself had been here. There were no scents; new or old, and the air was quiet. Only birds made themselves known among the green trees. I was alone.

[.๑whovian๑.]

Big Daddy and Hit Girl

Daddy
Hit Girl

"Daddy, what if he's a psychopath?"
"Awe child, he'll be fine. If he's not, Daddy will slit his throat."
"Do you think he's staying?"
"I don't know child,"
I looked up at her father's armored skull, reassured. Through the mask, I could see his bright, dark brown eyes, warm with affection for his only daughter, and I smiled back at him. He was such a warm, caring soul. I was well aware that my father was also a mass murderer, but that did not bother me in the least. Besides, he only killed guys who caused trouble for other people. He also had a bad habit of seeking revenge. My father was a patient man, he would wait for months, even years if he had to to get his revenge. He always wanted it to be perfect. And that was how it was.

The wind was blowing up the canyon, so the newcomer would not have picked up his neighbor's scents, but that made Daddy happy anyways. He liked to be the first one that knew what was going on. Some people thought Daddy was scary, because his armor was made of steel. Those he killed said he looked like the Grim Reaper before he killed them, and he liked to say that he was worse. Now, my Daddy wasn't a bad man - he was a hurt man. His face was marred and discolored from terrible burns in a fire that he had caused to destroy his greatest enemy, but his plan had backfired. It was the only plan he ever devised that did so.

"Mindy, don't go wandering too far ahead," Daddy said, his voice full of worry. I trotted briskly to the top of a ledge, and looked down the canyon. It was a beautiful place, and though the sun scorched my sensitive nose, it was still wonderful. We had moved in during the fall, and had stuck out a brutal winter at Headquarters. However, our cave was nice and sheltered from the wind and snow, so we had stuck it out quite well. I snorted happily.

"Come on Dad, don't worry about me," I said cheerfully, but I cantered back to his side despite my words. I loved my Daddy. The newcomer's scent came from below, where a stream ran through the canyon, which was where we came to drink during the summer when the creek stopped running up at our place. It often dried up and ran down a different path during the summer, so we had been going down to the bottom creek until the newcomer came. That was why we were investigating; we needed to know if he was going to be friendly enough to share - otherwise we'd have to kill him. Survival of the fittest!

"So, if we have to, can I help?" I asked Daddy. "I could use the practice."
"Well now Mindy, let's see about that..." Daddy paused, and I knew what was going to happen. "Alright, pop quiz. What breeds can you not take a hit from unless you're over two?"
"Easy! Friesians, Shires, and all other Draft Breeds," I said quickly.
"Good! Now, how fast can a sixteen hand horse go ten feet from a stand still?"

It went on like this for about five minutes, and I answered every question flawlessly. I was a pro, but of course I was! I was taught by my Daddy! However, we hushed as the smell became strong.

"He probably knows we're here by now," I said quietly. Daddy made a soft hushing sound and nodded. Nonchalantly, we walked for another minute or so in silence, and then we took a turn, and there he was. He was a medium sized Friesian horse, a muscular looking build, and black as a raven. He was drinking from the icy stream, and my throat became very dry just looking at it. I looked up at Daddy. He was standing still, some fifteen feet away from the other horse, his head high, and his ears pricked, and nostrils flared. He was drinking in the scene, and I knew that if it came down to a fight, I would have to leave it to Daddy - Friesians were to dangerous for my yearling frame, even though I could climb things and dart around much quicker than he could, I wanted my Daddy not to worry.

"Hello stranger!" Daddy finally said in a jovial tone. Even though he was tensed for a kill, he could at least act like he was greeting an old neighbor. I loved my Daddy.

words; 776
muse; good
notes; hello neighbor!

[Deleted]

Regular, "Words", Thoughts


Perhaps I should have investigated further into the valley. Perhaps I should have been just slightly more careful. My thoughts that this area was deserted had been wrong. The instant I realized this, a pair of horses - one a stallion and the other a young filly - appeared. I lifted my large head to look at them curiously.

"Hello stranger!"

The stallion seemed to be in a cheerful mood, but I could tell he was tense, as if he expected me to be hostile. I could understand his logic. If this was his home - there was really no doubt that it was not - then he had a right to be careful. I turned fully to face him and who appeared to be his daughter. The armor that covered the stag looked heavy, but it probably did not hinder him in the slightest. "Good afternoon." I greeted with a nod of my head as I came closer to them, swishing my tail slightly at the buzzing flies that enjoyed the hot sun. "Sorry to intrude. I sensed nor smelled anyone here, so I assumed it deserted. Guess I was wrong." I gave a small shrug and smiled almost sheepishly.

There was no lie in my words. I wondered...how did these two keep from their scents being caught? It was a curious mystery that maybe I could ask sometime. Maybe they could even show me how they did it?

Words: Near 300 :/
Muse: Arrrrgggh!!
Notes: Lol, howdy!

[.๑whovian๑.]

Big Daddy and Hit Girl

I knew he was a friendly beast from the moment he turned to look at us. He was calm, relaxed, no tension in his muscles and his eyes were friendly and warm. He smelled nice too, not that I was interested, as I was too young anyways, but it was a kind, almost sort of woody smell. It was friendly smell, at least, for us. I didn't know his "inner workings" but I knew that he was not going to be a problem for us. I smiled at him warmly, however Daddy did not share his warmth. Daddy could not understand body language, scents, and emotions like I could, he was good at seeing aggressive behavior a mile away, but if he didn't see that then he would simply remain suspicious. The half a foot long gleaming metal horn swished threateningly as Daddy tossed his head. He wasn't thoroughly convinced, though his voice still seemed jovial.

"Hello!" I called, and decided it was safe to approach. I meandered my way down towards him and his stream, and Daddy lurched forward, going with me so that he could protect me. Mentally, I rolled my eyes. He needed to loosen up, I knew what I was doing. I made my way down to the stallion, his dark coat gleaming in the blazing sun. I stopped several feet away from him, just in case he was a really good actor. However, I did not think that was the case. I grinned at him. "I'm Hit Girl," I said cautiously, but still friendly. Now let me clear something up here. I didn't trust him, but Daddy thought that I did. I was ready to dive for his legs if necessary, trip him if he tried to attack and run while Daddy finished him off. Daddy was not very tall, but he was burly and strong, and a very good fighter. I was already almost as tall as he was, and I would probably top out taller than him, but I was still lanky, with long fragile legs.

"And this is Big Daddy," I said after a moment, realizing that he wasn't going to say anything, just look surly and mistrusting. "Don't worry you're not intruding, we're just your new neighbors," I said with a grin. I looked over at Daddy, seeing if he was going to say anything. He shuffled a little, and then finally, he said something.

"We're from up the mountain, and it is well fortified, so don't even bother trying to ambush, because it is constantly watched by either myself or Hit Girl. We have no intention of harm, but if you show any ill intentions, I will have to kill you. Also, if this stream is part of your territory, I would like to ask if a section of it can remain neutral ground, because it is the only water source for miles. Would that be agreeable?" he asked. Then, he added. "If not, then I'll have to kill you."

Now I rolled my eyes. "Charming Daddy," I said sarcastically. I smiled warmly at the stallion. "Don't worry about him, he's a worrisome old man, that's all but unfortunately..." I sighed. "He's serious. I don't care, but Daddy doesn't take any crap...he's got no sense of humor see, so if somebody plays a joke on him then he'll kill them straight away without a second thought," The stallion had to know the truth of his neighbors, it was simply the way things were. However, I was fairly certain that he wasn't going to be a problem. I tried to seem friendly towards him. Daddy smiled, more at me than the stranger, but it was something that wasn't a look like he was about to charge the stallion head on and run through his chest.

Then, something else came to mind, and I looked the stallion in the eye. "What's your name?" I asked him.

words; 678
muse; good
notes; lol.......

[Deleted]

Regular, "Words", Thoughts

Well, at least the tension in the air eased up a little bit. The filly - actually, she was old enough to be called a mare - seemed a little more relaxed than her father. She approached, calling out a hello, and I nodded at her with a friendly smile."Interesting names." I commented, wondering if either of them went by any other names. My guess was that the names I'd just heard were code names. Names that were not their real ones.

The mare's father, Big Daddy she called him, spoke with purpose. I listened carefully to his words. "Ambush!" I exclaimed with a short laugh. "Why I would never! Haha, what is just one horse all by his lonesome going to do anyway?" I chuckled and then looked directly at the big brute with a wry smile. "No doubt if I even raised a hoof at you or your daughter, I'd be squashed flatter than a pancake!" I nodded my head as if to affirm this. The stallion before me was large indeed, and that armor on his head looked wicked.

Yep, I wouldn't last five seconds against him.

Even his daughter looked tough. He had probably trained her much in her years. If I was to face off against the both of them...I inwardly shook my head. It would never happen, but I was nothing compared to this brute. Possibly even the mare When the mare spoke again, I realized that she had asked me for my name. I hadn't told them yet! Well, I guess it's better late than never. "I am called Black Jack. Most just call me Jack, however." I smiled. "It is very nice to meet you two."

Words: 368
Muse: Pretty Good
Notes: O.O