surviving - astarte herd

[September ‡]

It was so nice to be heading back home again. Sept's thoughts were a blur, much like the scenery about him. Love, Altair, foals, Year, August, and traveling was all that had come to mind while he was cantering across this land he had grown accustomed to, to get back to Astarte after a long time away. There would be more than just him, Altair, and Flyte however. A newborn foal would soon start growing in their lead mare's body, to enter their world. The thought scared him a little, but made him happy all the same. Sept shook his head, jumping swiftly over a fallen log, the damage from what seemed like a spring thunder storm. It had only happened around the water region, hopefully Astarte hadn't been badly hit. Sept screamed a little as he collided with the ground, sliding along a long row of mud. His white coat was lathered in the disgusting substance, the slop dripping off of him as he got to his feet. Sept shook his head again, flinging bits around the area. Great. Hopefully Altair hadn't seen this happen. How embarassing. Sept lifted one hoof and heard a loud sucking sound. The mud hole was deep, though not as bad as a sinkhole. He took slow steps out of the wet dirt, shaking himself all over. He looked down at his hooves and noticed some small hoof-prints leading into the underbrush. His curiosity came to an end as he heard the beats of Altair's hooves and he turned from the strange signs to continue farther into Astarte's labyrinth.

--

The creek was bursting with water, its banks wet and part of the winding current. Sept observed this was a puzzled expression. Flooding? Now? He looked up, shaking his forelock from his eyes. This was indeed odd. How time would pass. He brought his head down, rubbing it against his leg. Mud still left stains on his porcelain-colored coat. If the waters proved safe, he would wash off. If not, it mattered nothing. It was just the outside, what should he care? He did care about Altair though. Where was she? He had to be extra careful of her now.. More so than he was now. Sept nickered to himself, reassuring his conscience that everything was okay. For now, at least. Sept laughed, shaking his head. He followed the bloated river down to its empty point and got a big surprise. There were lilies floating in the basin, reeds had shot up, and a solitary white swan was floating in the waters. His jaw dropped at this beautiful sight and he just marveled at the newfound beauty of Astarte in the spring. Flowers had bloomed all over the jagged rocks that made up the cliff where the waterfall fell. The waterfall was flowing more beautifully than ever and he was simply transfixed by it.

To picture a foal in this place was a thought that had been haunting his dreams, in a good way though. Just to see him, Altair, and the new foal all together in the same place was his dream. Everything was being put together. One ebbing feeling remained in his mind, where was Flyte? The mare hadn't shown up for days. He knew she had not been stolen, for the vain stallion would come up to his face and laugh and call him a fool. Sept scoffed to himself, holding his head high. He was better than all of them, he knew it. He shook himself all over and put a tentative hoof in the lake. It came up to around his hock and it was cool and refreshing. Placing his other hoof in, he walked into its depth quickly, wading towards the swan. The majestic bird raised its elegant head, blinking at this sight. A horse, swimming? Sept swam in so deep that his head was partly submerged in the crystal waters, making him look like a strange white crocodile. When he got closer, the swan honked loudly, taking flight. Sept grinned, kicking himself back to shore. The mud stains had nearly been washed off. Satisfied, the stallion trotted away from the near center of Astarte, looking around for the two mares he loved most, and his cousin.

--

It was just the strangest sight ever. A small chestnut paint colt stood quivering before him, his coat wet and his eyes wide. What's wrong? Sept asked in a fatherly voice, kneeling down to see him. Prongs shook his head and nickered softly. I dunno where to go anymore... He squeaked, stamping his hind legs to shake out the coldness. It's alright.. Do you belong anywhere? He smiled. No. Prongs said simply, blinking at the strange stallion. Hmm. Who is your mother? Sept looked at the colt with a confused look in his eyes. She left me. Prongs shrugged his little shoulders. Father? Pause. I never had one. Prongs shook his head, drops of water flung in Sept's direction. Okay.. Listen, you shouldn't be here. You should go back where you came from. Do you know where that is? Prongs shook his head fearfully. I don't want to. She left me... He whined. Oh boy. Sept realized, he hated little kids. How would he have one with Altair? Uhm.. Just.. Go home. Prongs snorted. You're mean. He stuck out his tongue. Sept snorted back. I know, because you're getting me angry. Go. Prongs turned from the white stallion and cantered off as fast as his spindly legs could go. Sept shook his head. That's what I'll have to deal with now. He cursed under his breath, turning from the spot and trotting back towards the waterfall.

Once he had reached that spot of loudness, Sept whinnied. August! He called first, out of instinct. She should be here so they can get along. Altair! She came next, because he loved her and she was important to him. Flyte! Then Flyte, though she wasn't around much, he still loved her. Just in a different way. Funny how much feminine company Sept lived with. They were to be going soon, to depart to Year. Where are you guys? Sept shook his head and nickered to himself, stretching his neck out and down, to drink. The water flowers bumping against his nose as he did so, brought there by the strong current from the waterfall. He looked up, water dripping from his muzzle. He sneezed, taking a step back. And now he just needed to wait for them to show up. It would take forever, but it didn't matter. Alone time was nice once in a while. But he was never alone.

i still hear your voice, when you sleep next to me.
i still feel your touch in my dreams.
forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why.
without you it's hard to survive.

[Altair]

ooc: Wow. Good post.

Altair cantered through Astarte as if there was no end to the time. She had to get the feel of the place before she would be torn from her home. But, those darker thoughts were pushed to the outermost edges of her mind, as she wished to enjoy her time in Astarte as if it were any other day. One hoof got caught in a sink-hole, causing Altair's peaceful canter to come to an abrupt end. She managed to catch herself at the last moment and after a few seconds worked her hoof free before resuming her canter; a little more careful this time. She could have pulled a tendon or injured herself a little more seriously. But, Altair was in luck. She only laughed and thought no more of it, for not much could ruin her good mood.

All sorts of exotic flowers and plants had seemed to pop out of nowhere in Astarte and cover the ground with a jovial array of color. Altair paused to nibble at a few, before deciding that they did not taste very good and began a simple trot. Astarte had changed, and no longer was all the water in Astarte slowed; instead the spring rains had added an extra abundance of water (which truely wasn't needed) and the waterfalls poured of the cliffs harder than ever. There seemed to be a few more sinkholes, also, as Altair had just discovered. But, there was the matter that even more plant life now covered the ground and held fast to the soil, so it was a bit of a counter-action. Altair heard a strange sound, and looked around quickly before seeing a strange bird gliding gracefully above. Its vivid colors contrasted against the pale indigo sky, and its call was nothing like Altair had heard.

She sighed, it would be difficult to leave. Her thoughts were pure and light, warm thoughts, but tinged with the news that August had brought. She did not blame it on August or Sept, just wished it could be brushed aside and forgotten, which it obviously could not.

Seeing a painted colt dash past her made her thoughts take a dramatic turn and soon Altair was dreaming of the foal that grew inside of her, and wondered what the foal would think like, look like, act like, and other things. Altair would look forward to teaching the foal all of her knowledge, teaching the foal to survive and the ways of life. She wondered how much the foal would be like her. It was only after all these thoughts and distractions did Altair wonder what the colt was doing here, but it was way late now for he was long gone. She scolded herself for being scatter-brained; she would ask Sept about the colt later.

Altair heard her name called distantly over the roar of waterfalls, creeks, and other water forms and answered with a sharp whinny before trying to find where the call had come from. She sprang into a lively trot and followed her best guess of where the noise had come from. It had sounded like Sept. She did not know much in the way of where he was. Partly the problem with Sept's pure white coat is that it blended in with the waterfall mist so well and made him hard to find at times. So, not only did she hear him so well, she also could not find him so well. It didn't work out so well. Altair lifted her head to whinny again, this time questioned where he was. Having it be spring time with the increased roar and mist definitely didn't help. A distant waft of his familiar scent entered her nostrils, and she was able to connect that with about where the source of his voice was, and could feel she was getting a little closer. She could make out a vague outline in near one of the larger waterfalls with her eyes, and drew a little closer. No wonder she could not find him so well. As Altair got closer she could clearly see it was Sept.

Yes, Sept? I apologize it took me a while to find you, I was merely looking around Astarte. Altair said after a moment of silence. She nickered to him affectionately, and waited for a response.

[Altair]

ooc: Yay for muse! Wow, I didn't know I wrote that much. -brings out cake with 'I Love Muse' written on it-

[Flyte]

ooc: [stares] Yes, wow.

Flyte was, as can be expected from such a mare, annoyed. She always seemed to end up wandering alone and, more to the point, she always seemed to get lost. She'd passed the same waterfall three times now.. at least she thought it was the same one, magnificent as it was she could hardly forget it. Her limbs were aching and the constant deafening drum of the waterfalls was playing havoc with her ears, one of which had buried itself deep into her ebony tassels.

Despite her irritation she couldn't ignore the beauty of the land surrounding her, everything seemed so perfect, when she thought it couldn't possibly get any better, she saw something even more wondrous. It was like a painting, almost. Constantly being added to and improved in order to achieve the best possible result.

Raising her head quickly she caught a glimpse of a smaller paint equine, a foal? She was about to call out but the creature just passed her by, where did he come from, anyway? Walking deliberately slowly she carried on through the lands, spooking as a bird made a hasty departure from a nearby tree. Half smiling and straightening herself, amused by her own stupidity, she picked up a lazy trot, taking a turn in the hopes of finding something she hadn't seen countless times already.

The bays patience was at its lowest when she heard a whinny, surprisingly close in fact, Sept? Ah, so she hadn't been abandoned then. It was her own fault if she had, really. She hadn't bothered to ask where Sept and Altair were going, she couldn't have followed them and August had gone. Flyte was just too polite, or too lazy to do anything but amuse herself.

Heading in the direction in which she thought the sound had come from she muttered something quietly to herself as her name was called, and sauntered on. Raising her dial and forcing herself to at least try to find him she shook aside her forelock, looking out ahead of her rather than at her hooves. Then, there they were.. or were they? Maybe she'd just got so fed up with her own problems she was imagining a solution, in the forms of Sept and Altair? Unlikely, but she thought it nonetheless. Stepping towards the pair she plastered a smile to her mug began swinging her tail as a cow might and halted again. Made it. she spoke without thinking, shook her head and corrected herself. I mean.. sorry I took so long. She felt unusually happy now, her previous agitation dissipating, most likely due to the fact that she'd found her way off the track she'd been running and the others had returned. What was there not to be happy about?

[September ‡]

[meep. i left the compy be accident and i was still logged in. post coming!]

[September ‡]

His mind turned twice at the quick arrival of both Flyte and Altair. He smiled at the two, both bays. Sept pursed his lips, listening to both of them. One ear flicked back, catching the flutter of wings and a small splash. The swan had returned, a beautiful white along the pale blue of the lake. He looked behind his shoulder to admire it, smirking. Looking back at Altair and Flyte, Sept chuckled. Sorry.. I'm admiring Astarte's beauty. He shook his head and smiled. Nothing Altair, just.. gathering the herd up. Flyte, how have you been? He questioned the mare, she had been away for quite some time. Probably got lost. He also figured she didn't know about their little trip.. Had Altair caught up with her and told her? He'd have to ask her. Sept looked around. He would have to leave this place.. And go back to the worst place he could imagine. Home.

[ew. compare that to my entry post. xD oh well.]

[August]

The young mare's thoughts as she trotted uneasily around sinkhole after sinkhole were quite different from those of the other horses already gathered. They admired the beauty of the waterfalls and all the rest of the land, but August's expression plainly showed disgust, and a twinge of annoyance. It was a ridiculous location for a herd, on ground where footing wasn't safe. Every other step she heard a squelch of mud and moss under her hooves. It had been a long walk back to this miserable place. Her two days of waiting had been rather uneventful, that was, after her meeting with Hydro and Aero. Mostly she lounged around the forest area, sleeping and grazing. But at last she would return home, where nothing short of hell awaited her. She would have liked to leave in quiet for once, but the waterfalls provided a constant roar that made her ears ache.

She drifted on, almost absentmindedly, eyes listlessly searching the surrounding area for any sign of her cousin or one of his mares. No luck. He blended in a little too well, and she couldn't spot a single bay coat. She gave a sigh, flipping her forelock away with a toss of her head. The waterfalls pounded on, jets of water that bounced against the rock like fountains. The ground became a little firmer as she went on, a relief to her. She quickened her pace, moving past a cluster of trees, renewed with the green leaves that spring always brought. It was her least favorite season, when everything got slightly warmer and flowers sprung up. She liked autumn the best. When she was younger, it had always been great entertainment to push others into the leaves. Back at Year. Where she was going soon. She snorted. They told her to get September and come back. They never specified if she would finally be allowed to leave. She didn't think so. This place was all right, not Astarte, but the whole thing in general. She could live here, maybe. She didn't even want to hope, though. Her uncle and her mother would never let her leave. She would trapped in that hellhole forever.

She moved on, passing the waterfalls and trees, the landscape swirled together in a multitude of colors as she passed. Faintly, she thought she could hear voices. With her ears perked, she broke into a canter, rushing along the ground like some small demented train. She whirled past another one of those abundant waterfalls, and there they were. Sept, Altair, and Flyte, crowded around as if in a conversation. She hurried towards her cousin. Sept. She greeted, in a tired tone. She nodded vaguely in the vicinity of the two mares. Forcing a smile, she turned her head to one side. Ready to go?

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[Altair]

ooc: Since this post wasn't really directed to me I'll just wait for Sept to post.

[September ‡]

Sept turned at the abrupt entrance of August, frowning. No more time left. They had to leave. But Flyte didn't know this. He looked over at the mare, puzzled. Hey Flyte, we're going on vacation. I'm bringing you and Altair with me and August to go to my old home and settle some stuff out, okay? So.. Yeah, I think we're ready Aug. He shook his head. This was crazy. Why was he doing this? Remain unfound, unknown. But something told him. Do it.

[ack.. um, flyte, you can create an account here:
theyear.proboards74.com
and roleplay flyte there.. then we shall be on our way!]

[Hydro]

[and astarte'll be under hydro's protection, so no one will be able to steal or fight for it until sept returns. that's the deal.]

[Flyte]

ooc: Ok, done.

[September ‡]

[alright.. now we just have to wait for august's reply.]

[Altair]

ooc: -yawns- okay. Just saying I'm here.

[August]

Blink. What? August stared at Sept, not entirely sure if she had heard right. They're.. coming with us? She said, dumbfounded. She frowned, shaking her head in disagreement. I don't think that's such a good idea, September. Of course it wasn't. They didn't belong at Year. They lived here, they should stay here, they had no reason to go. She wanted to scream at them. They would be an extra burden, wouldn't be able to keep up, too much trouble.. The thoughts were a whirlpool in her mind. They couldn't go, couldn't go, couldn't go.. A moment passed before she spoke again. Whatever. I don't care. I'm not stopping if they lag behind, though. Pause. She looked at the two bay mares, then at her cousin. Let's get going. She was already started, pacing and shifting. Time to go home.

[/size]

[September ‡]

They're coming, that's final August. Sept replied firmly. And they won't lag. He snorted, shaking his head. It was time to go home for once.. A long journey with three mares, one with a foal. It would be strenuous, but he knew they could make it. They always could. Sept pawed at Astarte's soft ground, wondering how long they would be away from the place. Hopefully not forever. He nodded to August and turned, walking away into the underbrush and seeing the open ground spread out around him. Let's go. Closing his eyes, Sept sprang into an easy lope away from Astarte and the land it occupied. Home sweet home.

[ew. okay, posting in year now.]

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