take everything i have

Saul Stormbringer · 02-20-2012, 04:46 PM

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[455]
21st February 2012 . 12.00pm . Casa di Cavalieri East Borders . Optime Form

The night had been long and laborious for both Saul and the four horses he'd bought with him from Ichika. Every step had hurt, walking away from everything he'd ever known. But X'yrin was right when she said he was a man still in the making. He didn't know half of the world that the lived in and he knew he needed this, this break away from the comforting lands that he knew, to thrust him into the limelight of his own maturity. He'd always been an old soul, there was no doubt about that. But he also recognised how little he'd lived in life, how little he'd actually experienced. He'd only ever been drunk three times in his life and he'd made the mistake of being seduced by the elusive Imari Hart and had a small bundle of joy rushing about his heels to prove it. The young boy kept up a constant stream of noise as he chased his fathers paws, hanging off his tail and becoming constantly distracted with the various spring time fauna roaming around. Saul did his best to educate his son on the world around him and he would stop occasionally to make sure Temeraire understood what he was saying.

Coming down to Halycon Mountains, Saul had had somewhat of an epiphany. When leaving Ichika, he hadn't been entirely sure of where to go, who to take refuge with. While he was on a journey of self discovery, he needed some form of security that he hadn't yet been sure of. Halfway down the mountain, inspiration had struck when an icy cold blast of wind had reminded him of the chill he'd felt out on the lake with Lilin. And then he'd realised he wasn't on his own at all. Lilin might not be particularly family friendly, but there was still something in having family that he might be able to go to. Of course, he wasn't sure on where she actually lived and he'd continued on his course towards Casa di Cavalieri.

He'd decided that he would ask Wayne and Dixie if they could take in Maia, and take back Gypsy, until their respective foals were born. It would be safer than having pregnant mares with him, especially since he was unsure of his destination overall. He figured they would be fine with having Gypsy back and he hoped beyond anything that they wouldn't begrudge another mare for another few months while the foal finished cooking in Maia's warm belly. He'd come close to Casa just the noon crested and he'd paused at the borders. He threw his head back, a deep howl resonating forward to call the two ranchers to him. Hopefully this meeting would go well.

If I had words to make a day for you,

I'd give you a morning, golden and true.

I would make this day last for all time,

Give you a night deep in moonshine.

Wayne McCoy · 02-24-2012, 11:22 AM

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Sorry for the wait! Powerplay of Dixie approved. +3

The cowpokes were out riding when the call from the borders came. It had been far too long since they’d simply rode together, both too busy making sure the horses were taken care of as well as attending to other duties, such as Wayne and his training. Duke and Fern had been happy to trample through the Casa di Cavalieri territory at a gallop, and eventually the pair of luperci had practiced roping—with mixed results. As true as their aim with the lassos was, the unpleasant sensation of being jerked off a horse was something Wayne could do without; he was glad that they were going at only a trot by this point.

The loop came soaring over his head when he heard the howl, and the dusty-furred man quickly reached up and caught it with his fist, tugging hard to the Samoyed mix almost fell off her small stallion. He offered her an apologetic look then gestured in the direction of the call, already tossing her the rope back.

Nudging Fern’s flanks with his heels, the Rispetto male cantered in the direction of the borders with the woman following. He grinned as he glanced over at her, her petite body balanced perfectly on the stallion, as if she and the horse were one. He staved off any more thoughts—of that starlit night—and focused on reaching the territory boundary so they could attend to whoever was asking for them. They’d gotten plenty of visitors before, and Wayne had gotten used to taking time to patrol to make sure no potential joiner was overlooked, so he adapted well to the quickest path there.

Familiar smells reached his nostrils then, as they came out from the sparse trees. One was canine, Ichikan, male, Saul. The others were equine scents, with one in particular that tugged at his heart. He grinned and barked over his shoulder at Dixie-May, who brightened in realization of the same conclusion he’d come to, and finally slowed down the final yards to the Casa borders.

“Saul!” Wayne greeted, dismounting from the large horse in a fluid motion. He stepped toward the other large male, offering a hand to shake—while not bothering to hide his appraisal of the horses with him. Regardless, he was unusually happy to see the wolf he’d gotten to know better during his stay in Ichika no Ho-en, but of course part of that was spurned on by his happiness at seeing Gypsy, who was making scolding noises at Duke already. He chuckled then met the Stormbringer’s green eyes. “What brings ya down here?”

Dixie-May Jackson · 02-28-2012, 11:41 AM

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BLAH / +3

The riding was nice. It had been a while since Dixie and Wayne had been able to get out with the horses and just go for a relaxing ride, they’d been way too busy with chores. Training the other horses in riding, pulling the wagon, different commands and such took a long time and a lot of effort. When they weren’t training, they were cleaning the horses and herding. Hunting sometimes, weapons training, keeping the fort grounds clean and well taken care of, and of course Dixie made her baskets and other relatively useless things when she had the time. Overall they simply had no time at all to relax and be together, unless it was night time and the few hours that they took to sleep.

Even now, as they took this ‘time off’, they were still working and practicing their roping skills. Dixie yelped and tensed her frame up as the rope tightened around her body and jerked her clean from Duke’s back. The small stallion snorted and tried to jump to the side and prevent her from falling, but he wasn’t fast enough. Instead, his hoof came down on her tail, which made her cry out again in pain. Sitting up, she tossed the rope off, ignoring the bruising spots from falling, and grabbed at her tail. The horse skipped to the side awkwardly and dropped his head low, ears flat in remorse. Whining softly, she rubbed at the spot and sighed, reaching out to pet at the stallion’s face softly. It’s okay, sweetheart, you didn’t mean to.

Everyone looked up, ears pricked, when the howl came floating over the wind. Looking over at Wayne, she tilted her head to the side and stood, taking a handful of Duke’s mane and hopping up onto his bare back. She’d been riding without a saddle for a while, trying to get better with her balance and learning the feel, becoming one with a moving beast. Kicking her heels against his sides, Duke whickered happily and jumped into a straight gallop, challenging Fern playfully with a few little nips to her shoulder and side. The scent of horses hit her before Saul’s very individual smell did, and she immediately recognized Gypsy. Grinning widely, she tugged on Duke’s mane gently and he skidded to a stop, let her off, and then ran over to the paint mare that had been his companion for so long.

Saul! I’m so glad you decided ta visit! She ran over to the large grey male and threw her arms around his waist, hugging him tight before pulling back and looking up at his face. Who is this pretty little girl, hmmm? Pulling away from him, she moved towards the smaller mare and held her hand out for a few moments, letting the golden horse take in her scent.

Saul Stormbringer · 03-01-2012, 02:03 PM

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[915]
-random table change- <333

Saul knew it would be a few moments before either one of them turned up, so he settled to soothing to two horses with him. He'd grown fond of the paint mare since her stay with him and she pushed her head happily into his chest as he stroked her neck appreciatively. He would be sad to see her go, but it been an eventuality that had simply been bought forward a couple of months. Once Gypsy had foaled and recovered, Saul would have been taking her and the foal back anyway, so it really was an inevitability that she be returned. He chuckled softly, stroking her ears and murmuring a soft goodbye to her when Temeraire irritated yip caused the male to look around. His black furred son was scrabbling at Maia's leg, trying his best to climb up the horse and onto her back. His little tongue poked out in sheer concentration and Saul was about to interrupt the boy- to tell him to leave Maia alone lest she kick him- when the sound of hoofbeats caught his attention and he turned back to watch the two people he'd called for approaching, both astride large horses. One he was familiar with- Duke, the harrassed stallion that he'd met when he'd first met Dixie and Wayne, the other he wasn't so familiar with.

Wayne was the first one to speak, calling his name in greeting. Saul's opinion of the Labrador luperci had changed since his visit to Ichika. They spent a while talking over the horses when Wayne had come to see his horse and Saul felt the kindling of an actual friendship spark between them. Of course, it wasn't the same as the instant friendship he felt towards Dixie. Being her friend was as natural as breathing and neither had to work at it. But there was certainly something in Wayne that Saul thought he could relate to and the two had gotten on well back in Ichika. Saul wasn't in Ichika anymore, but there was no doubt in his mind that he would try to further his friendship with the man. He dipped his head softly in return as Dixie flung herself from her horse and wrapped her arms around his waist. With a deep bodied laugh, he curled his arms around her back and swung her around once in joy of seeing her, before her words made him chuckle softly. It was definitely more than a visit he sought them for.

"Its good to see you again, Dixie, Wayne." He paused, glancing back to see that Temeraire had stopped his onslaught of Maia's leg and had flumped down on the ground, blue eyes watching them curiously. Saul was surprised the boy hadn't barged in, but he thought it best to introduce him anyway. "This is my son, Temeraire. Teme, this is Dixie and Wayne, friends of mine from before you were born." He spoke quickly, but not fast enough to confuse the boy. Wayne's question caused his ears to flicker back against his head as Teme clambered to his paws, pottering over to stand at his father's side. "'Lo Dixie, Wayne." He said softly and Saul was just a bit shocked to see his son so shy. With a chuckle, he turned back to answer Wayne's question when Dixie's high soprano rang clear. He looked over to her as she extended a hand towards Maia.

"Oh, Dixie, watch out! She's got a bit of a temper. This is Maia, my brood mare." He explained as the chestnut mare tried to nip at Dixie's outstretched hand. Embarrassment washed over him- he was here to ask if the two would take her in until she foaled and here she was, trying to bite one of them. Shaking his head softly, he ran a nervous hand through his hair before he turned back to Wayne, who would probably appreciate his story more as he'd only recently seen Saul in Ichika. "I left Ichika. Nothing bad happened- I just can't accept all the changes that are happening at the moment, I needed a break from it all. Plus I have a little soul searching to do. Its a shock, but it was needed..." He spoke calmly, but inside his stomach clenched and he felt a little sick. Dahlia had been the only thing stable he'd known and that had changed so much that it didn't exist anymore. It had morphed into Ichika, and that had become his stability. However, like a dormant volcano, it was shifting, moving, boiling up and it had become something that was so unstable, the man hadn't felt safe there anymore.

"The reason I'm here, is to give you back Gypsy and ask you, graciously, if you'd take in Maia until she foals and she's well enough to travel again. I'm going to try and find my cousin Lilin and I don't know how safe it is for two pregnant mares, or what kind of shelter she might provide for them. I thought it would be safer for Gypsy to return to you, and if you have room, whether you would protect my Maia."

He asked, green eyes switching from Dixie to Wayne, a silent plea that they might be able to help him out. His stallions would be perfectly fine with their lot in wherever they settled, but the mares needed a bit more shelter. He hoped that the two of them would be able to offer him some help.

If I had words to make a day for you,

I'd give you a morning, golden and true.

I would make this day last for all time,

Give you a night deep in moonshine.

Wayne McCoy · 03-17-2012, 04:33 PM

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Well here is a reply after like, forever. And Wayne is jealous grumpypants. +5

The welcoming smile on the male’s face faded into a little perplexed frown once the Samoyed cross darted past him, launching herself at the wolf in one of her hugs. The sight of the pair embracing stirred old possessiveness within the cowboy, and the side of his lip twitched, threatening to reveal a tooth. Luckily, the instinctive growl was suppressed and only buzzed inaudibly in his chest. In fact, he might as well not have reacted at all if not for the flattening of Fern’s ears as she recognized the change in demeanor of her owner. She whickered sadly, but Wayne ignored her and only watched Saul with new eyes.

The introduction of the dark little cub distracted him from his thoughts, however, and a genuine smile returned to his squared-off muzzle as he looked down at the puppy. He hunkered down for just a moment, letting out a little “howdy” as the boy sidled closer to his father and greeted them with the uncertainty natural to less outgoing pups. He was surprised he hadn’t seen the child while he was at Ichika, though to be fair, he hadn’t met many of the adult members during his stay there either, too focused on his training.

Wayne turned an appraising eye to the brood mare, who looked like she’d be a handful to work with, when the news of Saul’s departure from Ichika caused the male to turn his had sharply. Perhaps he’d been blind to the unease in the pack during his short visitation there, as this was a total surprise to him. He began to shake his head but kept his ears pricked as the man went on.

The request had the mongrel’s rough features softening, and he looked at the pair of pregnant horses. In his heart, he knew he could not reject them—especially not the chance to bring Gypsy home. He loved Fern, and Fern was the sweetest creature any rider could ask for, but she was lacking in the spitfire personality that he’d come to admire in his old hardy friend.

“Spring’s comin’,” Wayne said after a moment, reaching up to scratch at his dirty-blonde hair. His old hat tilted askew before he adjusted it, clearing his throat. “Don’t see why they couldn’t stay, since feedin’ will be easier with the warm weather, an’ we’ll be able to build a barn. D’ya know if there’s any way we could contact you? If somethin’ happens?”

He wanted badly to just grab the mares and bring them into their new home, but he needed to be the more grounded of the pair. He needed to think, to reason, and he knew this might be a handful with the number of horses that were already part of Casa’s wandering herd. He knew that Hadley liked to help feed the creatures, though, and a few others could take some of the weight off the cowpokes by making sure their personal mounts were tended to.

“Don’t see why not,” he repeated.

OOC ENDING: It's agreed that Saul will come to collect Maia and the foal at the end of June. They talk a little bit about other things, such as where Saul will be headed, and Wayne makes weird faces at him the whole time. :|[/html]

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