horsing around

Saul Stormbringer · 08-30-2011, 03:28 PM

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18th August . 2pm . Broken Arrow Ranch . Optime Form

The dappled grey creature had been in his possession for almost two weeks and he hadn't had a clue what to do with him. From what he could tell, the colt was roughly the same age as his own foal Arete, who was bordering on ten months by his reckoning. He wouldn't be able to give an exact date to her birth but he guessed it to be about October. He'd temporarily named the colt Storm and had been keeping him in the same stall as Arete. They'd become fast friends and stayed by each others side for a lot of their waking hours. Perhaps it was the fact that at the moment, they were the youngest in the barn. Or maybe it was because of Saul's choice to board them together. But they were on the same specialised feed that Adonia had designed for Arete to help put on weight and the male knew that his firey little foal would be good for the sometimes shy dappled colt. He'd made his first attempt just two days ago to breed Maia and Hermes together, a process that had taken a lot of patience on his part. Both horses were inexperianced, a little immature and completely unsure of what to do. It had happened in the end, but he couldnt be sure Maia was pregnant for a good few months. He'd kept her away from other stallions for now, sure she was still in heat by the way the others' heads moved in her direction when she walked by. She was allowed to stay with Hermes for the obvious reason that the deed had already been done.

It had struck him just this morning who the colt should belong to. He'd risen early and made his way out to the East River, noticing the strong pang of loneliness in his gut as he realised that he'd woken alone again. The previous day had been spent coaching Shiloh in matters of Ichika, from the traditional Namaste greeting, to the ritual given after a kill. It wasnt like Shiloh was going to be killing anything, but Lewis might and he should know these things. All in all the meeting had gone well and Saul had been pleased to spend time with his sister after such a long time apart. Of course, it had made him stop to think about how he hadnt spoken to Gideon in recent days and the thought had been interupted by the dappled grey colt who had no owner. It would be good for his brother to branch out his skills and learn something new. He'd slipped a note under his brothers door on his way out this morning, instructing him to meet him out at the ranch after noon sometime.

Saul had made his way over to the barn that he intended to fix up with a new vigor. For two weeks he'd had no idea what to do with the colt he'd affectionately dubbed Storm. But now he did and he walked into the barn with a grin on his face. The horses were already out in the paddock, the two youngest playing off to the side. As soon as Arete caught sight of him she gave a great whinny and charged forward, her manservant close to her heels. 'Storm' didnt like to leave his new lady friend alone for any length of time and it was good to get the colt socialised at least a little. Clambering over the fence he was rewarded with a headbutt to the stomach, which he responded to with a soft shove to the black filly's head. "Hey sweetheart. Hows lover boy?" He chuckled, reaching out to touch the dappled colt's muzzle. It was the furthest he'd managed to go in two weeks, a touch to the nose. But it was enough and he was getting there.

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Gideon Stormbringer · 08-30-2011, 04:00 PM

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He had recently come out to the barns to have a look around, this being an area that he had known little to nothing about previously. Gideon had checked out the various animal that were kept in Ichika, especially the odd looking creatures that he’d heard about…the llama things. The male had gotten a nice, long look at them but hadn’t come too close to them before he had been distracted by another pack member who had needed help with her initiation task. The warrior had spent the rest of the day planting flowers, which hadn’t been as bad an experience as he had thought when Rendall had first asked for assistance.

Saul’s note had puzzled him, but he decided to go and see what sort of help his brother needed at the barn. He was glad to see Saul keeping busy with things – Gideon hadn’t seen Siku around very much lately, but hoped that she was keeping the other Stormbringer happy. He had Nayru and wanted to see that Saul found that same kind of happiness. If things with Siku didn’t work out, he’d see what he could do about introducing his sibling to another nice female in the pack. A set-up of sorts, perhaps! Oh, he would be quite the matchmaker. First he would need to get to know more of the eligible females in the pack, though, so he could decide which to try and throw at Saul first. The Stormbringer walked toward the barn, keeping his eyes open for his sibling. He had to be around there somewhere. ”Saulllll, you here?” He called. Maybe he was a bit too early.

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Saul Stormbringer · 08-30-2011, 04:12 PM

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omnomnomnomnom <33

Another headbutt in the stomach caused the young man to suck in a deep breath. Arete was an impatient filly and she hated it when others got attention. But Saul also knew that it was important for the colt to get used to others touching him, grooming him and the general trust he'd managed to create with Arete and Hermes. Maia was a different story but there was really nothing he could do about it other than spend a lot of his time trying to get her to trust him. He'd managed to convince her to let him close enough to slip a headcollar over her chestnur face and that had been enough to tie her to Hermes' saddle and go for a ride with the two of them. Riding the mare himself was going to take a while, but he could at least exercise her properly with this method. Using his left hand he stroked the black filly, taking a step towards her man friend. He tossed his head in the air with a snort but remained in place. With a grin Saul lay his palm cleanly on the colt's face, chuckling softly when the male allowed it.

Both foals jumped away as a voice came from around the barn. He recognised Gideon's tones straight away and turned to see his dark coated brother trying to find him. He'd caused the foals to jump away, but there was really nothing he could do about that. Clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth a few times he called Arete back over, but the colt stayed where he was, grey eyes looking towards him with disbelief and wary caution. I'm out in the paddock Gideon. Come and join me! He called, running a hand down the filly's neck and back. He pressed down lightly when he reached her back, an exercise they'd been doing a lot. He shifted his feet so that he faced her side, leaning his torso against her back while he waited for his brother. It was to get her used to the idea of having weight on her back and she seemed to be doing fairly well so far.

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Gideon Stormbringer · 08-30-2011, 04:25 PM

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He had never thought of saddling up a creature and attempting to ride it anywhere. Gideon was a bit old fashioned in some of his ways - even for longer journeys the male had always walked or run by himself. That could be tiring, true, but he could put trust in his own two feet that he wasn't sure that he could put into an animal. At least, not one that he didn't know pretty well. He wouldn't want to get bucked off of it or anything, or have it flip out for some reason and carry him away. The male had little to no experience working with beasts, and wasn't at all certain that one would even want to have him on its back. He was a pretty big fellow.

Was this what Saul had called him out to the barns for? He looked at the animals in the paddock as he approached it, standing alongside his sibling. "What've you got here?" He had seen Saul with a horse a few times in the past, but horses were horses to him. Was this the one that he had been riding? He didn't know. "Your note didn't sound too urgent...but I came as fast as I could." Gideon said. "I wasn't sure if you needed help with a project or had found something interesting out here...I saw some of those llama things the other day. Kind of freaky looking things."

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Saul Stormbringer · 08-30-2011, 04:50 PM

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omnomnomnomnom <33

He thought he saw a dubious look in his brothers eyes as he approached but he couldnt be sure. Come to think of it, he couldnt remember ever seeing his brother around other animals, let alone horses. For a second he considered that his choice of owner was a bad idea but quickly dismissed it Even if Gideon chose never to rid the stallion, it would still belong to him. Since Saul caught him, he belonged to Saul. And now Saul was going to give him as a gift and he would be Gideons. To do as he pleased. Gideon approached and leant against the fence as Saul put just a touch more weight onto Arete's back. She was used to the treatement and stood still. It would take a lot more patience and trust for him to do this with Maia, who only really tolerated the headcollar because it meant she got to run properly. Gideon spoke and Saul grinned softly.

This is Arete, who I've had for over two months now! But the colt behind me I caught a couple of weeks ago, so he's relatively new.

Saul offered in return, turning back to look at the colt. He had inched a few steps closer, unhappy to be this far apart from Arete it seemed, but not unhappy enough to come right up to the wolves just yet. Gideon began speaking and Saul inwardly chuckled. His brother had a notorious habit of gushing, allowing the words to spill from his lips. He allowed his smile to deepen as Gideon mentioned the llamas. Tawny had only been back a few days and he was unsure how many were aware of the recent addition to Ichika's livestock. Yeah, they're pretty strange looking. Tawny is besotted with them though and I do find the smallest one quite sweet. I think the lead one is pregnant, so we might have baby llama's running around soon!

He chuckled, running his hand down Arete's neck and giving it a pat. He straightened up, glancing back towards the stormy colt. I've got a present for you, hence the summons out here! He said, looking back towards Gideon. He would wait and see if his brother could figure it out before he revealed his present to him. See if he could put the clues together.

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Gideon Stormbringer · 09-06-2011, 11:36 PM

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Gideon wasn't sure what kind of use there was for a llama, really. Did it give milk? Provide meat? Or could it perhaps pull things? The luperci had great strength...but maybe a few llamas tied together could pull even more than they could alone. Still, horses would be even better for a task like that. So he wasn't sure what the llamas were there for. He looked at the horse that Saul had mentioned first, Arete, then to the colt that stood off in the distance behind her. That one did seem more wary of them - had they both come from the wild, then? He wondered if they were alright to be kept away from their mothers. Saul had to have more horse knowledge than him if he had managed to catch and keep Arete for so long, though, so he'd just have to trust his judgements when it came to them.

"I guess I don't understand their purpose. Horses can do work...carry us, pull things that are very heavy, go longer distances than us, at times. But those things just...I don't get them." He said, continuing to speak about the llamas. At the mention of a gift his head tilted to the side - this puzzled him. "Oh? What do you mean?" He didn't see anything in the immediate area around them and Saul didn't seem to be carrying any presents..."Is it hidden somewhere?" Gideon asked, unsure of exactly where or what this present was.

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Saul Stormbringer · 09-07-2011, 10:43 AM

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omnomnomnomnom <33

Gideon was still caught up in the llamas. Saul could see in his eyes that he was trying to figure out something, a thought that was lodged in his brothers brain that wouldnt leave. He'd thought much the same of the llama's when Tawny had bought them home- they were good for guarding sheep but so were wolves. Their one redeeming quality was their wool which was a ridiculously soft and comforting texture and Saul hoped that Tawny would be able to somehow figure out how to make them into clothes. They would be good for any pups born here- the mountains provided little protection and in general Ichika was a very cold place to be. So perhaps their wool would make good clothing or blankets, which would be a better option.

"I see what you mean brother... They aren't like the horses we have. I guess they're good guard animals and their wool is so soft- have you felt it?"

He asked, momentarily sidelined by the memory of how their fur felt. He remembered the day Tawny bought them home, the conversation they'd had. It had been so awkward that Saul didnt want to remember it. His brother's excited words made him pause and chuckle. No, he hadn't hidden it. It was right in front of the dark man, he just didnt realise it yet. Saul shuffled his body weight from foot to foot as Arete lost interest and moved back to her new play mate. The stormy coated colt was happy to have his filly back again and the two began to play a came of tag with each other. Or something along the lines.

"Okay, so you may not understand my motives, but I thought it would be good for you. The little colt has no owner, and I want to give him to you as a present."

He said quickly, hoping his brother wouldnt be too against having a horse. It would be good for him to learn about horses, especially since he was in the warrior tier- he might one day have to use horses for something. Green eyes turned towards his brothers, hoping beyound anything that he would be happy with his gift.

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Gideon Stormbringer · 09-19-2011, 07:00 PM

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He was completely surprised by this gift. Gideon had been given other things by his brother, but a horse of his own? He had never thought of owning one, so he wasn't sure how to react for a minute. Then a surprising expression came to his face - "Wow! Thanks, brother! I never thought about owning a horse before. He looks pretty big already...you think he'd grow to like me over time? I don't know how to ride or anything...so we'd have to learn it together. Me and him." He was already imagining it. "I just...didn't expect it at all. But that's great! I wish I could speak to the lower creatures and talk to him...maybe it's something I ought to try."

Wretch knew to, he knew...but he wasn't sure of anyone else who could. Maybe the girl would help him tame the little guy down and help him communicate with it. "I don't know what else to say other than thanks. I wish I had something to give to you, too" It was definitely better than getting one of those weird llamas as a gift - he really wouldn't have known what to do with him. "There isn't anywhere closer to Cerne Rise I could keep him, though, is there?"

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