Animal // paddeh

[lady shady]

Ava picked up her hooves as she trotted through the dense foliage of the south lands, scenting the moisture that hung heavy in the humid air. High above her, she could sense electricity gathering in the ominous-looking cloud that was barely visible through the bushy treetops. Shivering slightly, she continued to move forward in search of shelter when the first drizzle began to fall. Finding a great tree with large spreading branches, she halted underneath. Though it was still cold, at least it was dry. A sudden single tear streaked down her delicate dished face as she remembered the rainy days of her past, Rhyn cuddled up by her side, nosing inquisitively at puddles from time to time, dozing securely in her protection. But she hadn't been able to protect him forever. He was gone now. The young mare exhaled softly, in a steamy cloud that hovered around her dialated nostrils. Some company would be nice right about now, for she was cold. The springy moss beneath her hooves would make a soft bed, and as her eyelids fluttered, she was tempted to lie down. But what if a predator happened upon her? What if something happened?

Ah well, it didn't really matter. Perhaps something would happen. At least she would finally be with Rhyn again. She lay, head stretched out in front of her, eyes staring blankly ahead. It didn't matter...a sudden falsh of lightning illuminated the shadows and a huge booming thunderclap followed, sending her scrambling to her feet in terror. Slim brown and cream sides heaving, eyes rolling, her stiff legs carried her backwards, startling her when her rump brushed the rough bark of the big tree. In a panic, she jolted forward, only to catch her hoof in a gnarled root. Tugging desperately, she let out a feeble cry, but it was no use. She was stuck.

--behind the post--
316 words

sky © skystockprovider.deviantart.com, horse © whitdawg1221.deviantart.com[/size]

[paddeh]

Whisky snorted softly. The air was humid, and big rolling clouds made everything worse. He stood up and stretched softly. The rest was nice, even though the thunder had woke him. A bright flash of light that reflected of his dark bay coat, followed by a booming clap that echoed of the dense trees.

Whisky shivered, icy cold rain drops fell and ran down his sides. His ears pricked as he heared a soft feeble cry, and he sprung forward, the soft moss silencing his steps as he cantered slowly forward, careful not to get to close to the trees. He saw a tri-colored mare standing their, tugging against a tree root. Frightened. She was beautiful. Whisky whinnied softly to her, stepping forward.
'It's okay.'
He said softly, and walked up to the petite mare, she was shivering and her eyes kept rolling back. Whisky dropped his head in respect, then went to examine the root. It was an easy snag, and he pushed her hoof out from under it with his soft grey muzzle, before pulling his head back up, smiling at her.
'There you go. It's all okay. I'm Whisky, by the way.'

A large flash of lightning followed directly after by the loudest clap of thunder yet, throwing Whisky sideways. He smelt smoke, and his eyes watered as he saw a tree ablaze not far from where they were standing.
'GO!'
Whisky hollered, pushing the mares hidequarter and running after her, alongside her. His heart drummed against his chest, his eyes searching for shelter. There. A large cave not far from where they stood, but they would have to risk running straight through a empty meadow. Better then standing here. Whisky pushed the mare faster, and across the meadow, into the cave. It was warmer, and dry, and large patches of moss made nice beds to sleep or rest.
'We can stay here until the storm passes. Are you okay?'
Whisky said, his voice cracking, hoping she wasn't hurt or scared of him. Just in case he backed to the other side of the cave.

-----
405 words .
Please, please, hope she doesn't freak on him, he only wanted to help the new beautiful mare XD .

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[aPPY]

Keanu slowly walked forward, shivering as the rain started to pelt his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, continuing to walk forward before opening them again. He jumped, running into a tree as thunder rumbled, shaking the ground. He heart skipped a beat and he whimpered helplessly. At least he was awake. He wasn't asleep like last time. And there was no fire. He repeated these facts over and over again as he forced himself to continue forward. He had t keep moving. He had to find shelter, some place safe. Some place that couldn't catch fire. If he didn't, he would never get any rest. Not that the storm itself would allow him to relax, but it might be a little easier. He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and trying to remain calm. It would be okay. It was just rain, and thunder, and lightning. That was it. No Ember, no fire, no anything. It was going to be alright.

He stopped, throwing his head up and taking a step backward as a call of panic entered the air. He snorted, his ears flickering before he stepped forward again. He didn't know if he should try to help, or not? He skittered to the side as he heard another voice. There were two in the woods with him. He took another breath, trying to calm himself. They weren't trying to hurt him. They were just a lot closer than he had thought. He could hear someone speaking, though he couldn't make out the words. He slowly shook his head, trying to gather his wits. The strange horses paired with the thunderstorm was making him anxious and afraid.

Then, lightning flashed and he heard the cracking of wood and the smell of something burning. He jumped forward, twisting to see the orange flames start to consume the defenseless timber. His eyes widened and he was frozen, staring at the destruction as it started. His whole body began to shake, the fear immobilizing him and making his heart beat rapidly. The sounds of the other horses retreated broke him from his trance and he immediately pivoted, lunging forward and running as fast as he could. It was going to kill him this time, he was sure of it. You couldn't escape the grasp of the flames twice in one lifetime, could you? And he had barely escaped the first time, the heat leaving its mark on his pelt.

// 415 words

oh noes. D: fiah!
the things i put this guy through. xD

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[lady shady]

A soft whinny reached her ears and she swung her head around wildly, looking for its source. A tall, dark bay stag was moving toward her, and before her frenzied brain had time to react, he had slipped her hoof out from underneath the root, successfully freeing her. The newcomer introduced himself as Whisky; he was not altogether unpleasant, in fact he was quite calming...her breathing slowed, and she opened her mouth to introduce herself when another burst of lightning lit up the forest. The thunder deafened her this time with its nearness, and she heard the sickening crack before she saw the tree, split down the middle, blackened and ablaze. Steam and smoke were rising from the ruined trunk, and she could feel the heat on her pelt. Sparks, carried by the wind, lit on her pelt and she felt them singe her sides, making tiny burns in her hair.

"GO!" the stag thundered, herding her out of the vicinity of the blaze. They galloped out of the forest momentarily, through a wet meadow, and into a rocky cave. Their footfalls echoed in the entrance, and she hung her head, sides heaving in exertion. She hadn't run like that in a while, for she'd had no cause to. She'd been alone for weeks. And she hadn't cared. But now, a handsome stranger had saved her, and here they were together, safe from the storm. Ava felt that she must express her gratitude; however, just as she turned to him, she heard his hoofbeats skitter across the floor of the cave. He had retreated, as if he had decided to treat her with caution. He couldn't possibly know about the other stags...! Stop it, Ava, you know he can't. He mustn't.

'We can stay here until the storm passes. Are you okay?" he asked quietly, still seeming slightly nervous. No, her rescuer mustn't be nervous, this was all her fault...she must show him that she was friendly, yes...

She moved towards him, going to stand before him to speak. "Yes," she replied sweetly, taking care to keep her voice gentle, "yes, I believe that would be a good idea. Thank you, my Rescuer." She reached out and touched his shoulder lightly before continuing. "I'm Ava, please excuse my lack of manners!"
Brushing past him, she turned so as to stand beside him, looking out at the rain. She leaned ever so slightly on her Protector, gazing up at him happily as her heartbeat slowed. She must please him, was he pleased?

Suddenly, she saw a flash of white streaking from the forest, a phantomlike horse escaping the dying blaze. Nudging Whisky, she spoke again. "Look!" She wondered why they hadn't heard this new horse coming. Perhaps he was a phantom after all. She shivered and moved closer to Whisky.

--behind the post--
Ava totally has no clue how to act around stags because she's never really had a relationship with one. Her "mate" was an older stag with a large harem, and she was bred at like, two, so she's just pretty confused about this whole thing. She won't go psycho on him probably until she finds out about Rama.

sky © skystockprovider.deviantart.com, horse © whitdawg1221.deviantart.com[/size]

[paddeh]

Whisky smiled softly, as the mare walked over.
'Yes, yes, I believe that would be a good idea. Thank you, my Rescuer.'
She reached out and touched his shoulder lightly before continuing.
'I'm Ava, please excuse my lack of manners!'

Whisky laughed quietly. Rescuer? Lack of manners?
'I couldn't just leave a beauty like you out there.'
He said softly, and nudged her muzzle softly.
'And your manners are perfect, how were you supposed to speak then?

She then moved to stan next to him, and lean on him slightly, and he smiled happily. A flash of white in the giant blaze, she had seen it too.
'Look!'
It must be another horse. Why hadn't he heared that horse?

'Wait here.'
Whisky said, nudging her softly, then sprinting out into the meadow as a a bolt of lightning hit another tree further off. Whisky coughed, smoke filling his lungs as he entered the forest. His eyes darted around and saw the other stag. He was frightened, so was Whisky, and he darted forward, pushing the stallion out of the way just in time, but the burning tree landed hard on his leg, sitting there for a second before rolling off. Whisky screamed in pain, but stood up, and went to the other stag, his eyes watering.
'We need to go, now.'
ANd without an answer, he pushed the stag into a gallop, directing him to the cave, and he fell behind because of the white hot pain in his left hind leg. Whisky watched as the other stag got to the cave, before collapsing to a heap on the ground, his breathing ragged. He needed to get up, get to the cave. He needed to get to Ava. Whisky shakily stood up, and limped over as fast as he could to the cave, before collapsing again on some of the moss in it. The other stag looked shaken, and Ava was just where he had left her. His heart drummed against his rib-cage and blood was coating his leg. It didn't feel broken, but the flesh had torn down to where you could see the bone. He would be fine though, and he slowed his breathing, ignoring the pain.

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-----
442 words .
Whisky is such a flirt, and he had to save the other stag, his leg will be fine, but it hurts right now .

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[lady shady]

"I couldn't just leave a beauty like you out there.
And your manners are perfect, how were you supposed to speak then?"

At these words, Ava turned towards him to get a good look at his face. A beauty like her? He thought she was beautiful? She eyed him with the slightest trace of suspicion. She had heard those words before, and the other stags flashed through her mind, oh she had made them sorry for what they had tried with those words. But she must please Whisky, her Rescuer, yes, she must please him. So if he wanted to call her beautiful, she would like it. She let out a low giggle of pleasure, running her muzzle down his face, letting it slide over his eyes and past the contours of his jaw. He moved slightly, and she stopped. Following his gaze, she saw that he had seen the other horse too.

"Wait here."

In a sudden fluid movement, the dark stag leapt from the cave towards the forest, just as another bolt of lightning rocketed down from the sky. Fear choked Ava's scream before it could escape her lips, and she watched as if rooted to the spot at the scene that unfolded before her. Whisky had emerged from the forest with the other horse...he collapsed...the cremello stag drew closer...Ava laid her ears back at the newcomer. Another stag here was making her antsy, she couldn't handle two at once, they were too strong. Whisky limped in behind him and she felt an odd sense of gratitude for his wound. That was better, at least the stags didn't have their full strength. Though she was determined to please Whisky, stags still made her nervous. She could never tell their intentions, and her past encounters with them had left her so mixed-up that she didn't know what to feel anymore. Her thoughts centered on that older stag, her mate, she supposed. Whatever had become of him? It didn't matter, she decided, with a touch of bitterness. The only good thing he'd ever given her was Rhyn, and Rhyn was dead. Any affection towards him, real or forced, had died with their son. Her son.

She was jerked back to reality at the smell of blood and burned flesh. Whisky's leg was injured, and she had to force herself not to recoil at the sight. It reminded her too much of that awful battlefield on that awful night. She couldn't do this...she realized that she had been standing stock still this entire time, not outwardly reacting to anything that had just happened with the exception of that single silent scream. But she couldn't do this, it was so much, especially after weeks alone. Ava closed her eyes and pretended that she wasn't there.


--behind the post--
yeah. she's kind of odd. she just doesn't cope very well since she had so many confusing experiences before she was even fully grown up. she wants to make Whisky happy, but she really only knows one way, which she can be extremely skittish about, and poor keanu makes her nervous just because he's a stag.

sky © skystockprovider.deviantart.com, horse © whitdawg1221.deviantart.com[/size]

[aPPY]

The other stag appeared out of no where, barreling towards him. Keanu paused, backing up and becoming utterly confused. What was going on? Why was he coming for him? His body shook with uncontrollable tremors of fear. Lightning struck again and Keanu jumped to the side, crying out in alarm and distress. His sides heaved in and out, his heart beating rapidly. His eyes were consumed with the view of fire, his body convulsing as clumbsily backed up, into a tree. He was trapped, there was no where to go. He was going to die a painful death, consumed by the flames that were lazily coming toward him. The other stag appeared in front of him and Keanu tried to back up further, forgetting the tree in his way. He managed to rear, twisting to the side and staring forward, trying to calm himself down. "We need to go, now." the stag said and Keanu nodded rapidly, his movements jerky.

He followed the stallion, stretching his legs to carry him further with each stride. The sounds of the wood cracking and burning fueled him to go faster and faster, to get further away. He clattered into the cave, skirting around a mare that stood near the entrance. He pushed his hind legs underneath him, trying to somehow come to a stop before he collided with the back wall. He skittered across the stone floor, helpless to stop and thudded against the cavern wall with an exhale of air. He slid to the ground, thrashing to regain his balance and stand again. He didn't know these others, they couldn't be trusted yet. He snorted loudly, the sound lost in the midst of the thunder as the cave was blindingly lit up from the nearby lightning. He moved on the ground, forcing himself to stand. His breathing was choppy and his heartbeat sounded loud in his ears. He didn't how much he could cope with, but he was standing dangerously close to the edge.

Keanu jumped as the stallion dropped to the ground, noticing for the first time that he was injured. He gagged on the smell of burnt flesh, closing his eyes and backing even further away. It all reminded him too much of before, of that night, of his injuries, of his impending death. His legs shook, his hooves scraping against the stone. He couldn't do this. Flashes of the past were resurfacing, after he was almost able to suppress them. He whimpered, able to almost feel the fire burning its mark into his own skin again as it had done to this stranger. Fire was a destroyer and he would never be able to forget that. He carefully stepped forward, pausing when a new round of thunder clashed outside and waiting for it to pass before continuing. He stopped a few feet away from the stallion, eying the wound and trying not to smell it. The orange flames from the burning trees cast colored shadows across the ground and the entrance of the cave. He eyed them warily, pushing himself into the wall and trying to breath evenly; or as evenly as he possibly could.

// 530 words

poor, poor keanubaby.

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[paddeh]

It was all over so fast.
His leg was singed.
A new horse was in the cave.

And Ava had recoiled when he had got back, and was now standing there with her eyes closed.
Whisky sighed deeply, the other stag was at the back of the cave, trying to steady his breathing. Whisky forced himself up and dropped his head to the mare, what had he done wrong?

Go to her. Common. Do it. Just go over there. She had obviously shown you some affection.
No.

Whisky was having a war in his head, but didn't say anything the whole time. His leg really didn't hurt to bad. He swung his head back, looking at the wound. Torn flesh just above the knee, almost down to the bone, with burn marks around it. It would heal fine, just with a scar. Lightning still lit up the sky, and it looked as if it would last over night. Whisky started to drag the moss into three beds, all as far as part as possible and he snorted and layed down on his, it wasn't that uncomfortable, and he rest his head on the soft squishy moss. He watched the other two though, just in case one of them struck out. He hadn't thought of that. Should he stand up? Or should he trust them? He didn't think the mare would attack him, but the stag might. Oh well, he could lay here for a bit, he didn't have to fall asleep. Even though it felt as if his eye-lids just got heavier and heavier with the passing seconds....

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-----
319 words .
Bleh, short post, as always t.t .
So, whisky's leg isn't too bad, he's wondering what he did to upset pretty Ava though xD .

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[lady shady]

The thunder continued, reverberating around the cave, and she flattened her ears at the sound. No, she took that back, at least the thunder was drowning out the cremello's ragged breathing and distracting her from the scent of burned flesh. She could see that Whisky was falling asleep, and she wanted to go to him, but she couldn't bring herself to get any nearer to that injured leg. Even now, the only things holding her from retreating were the downpour outside and the stranger behind her. Once again, she was stuck. She risked a glance behind her at the stag. He was trembling; his eyes were wide and vacant, as if in that moment he was caught in a horrifying memory. His cream-colored coat lay smooth over his body, though dotted with a few scars here and there. However, what caught her gaze was his legs. Pink and exposed, they were scarred beyond repair, a telltale sign of an awful experience. Ava couldn't keep herself from wondering how he'd gotten them. They didn't look like battle scars at all, but she narrowed her eyes just in case. Perhaps they were from something else, yes, they mustn't be battle scars. They couldn't be. For if they were...

Her eyelashes fluttered as she lost the battle to a slow sneaky slumber. She fell into a light doze, lulled by the sound of the falling rain on the earth. However, she had scarcely closed her eyes when the all-too-familiar nightmare scenes began to flash across the insides of her eyelids. Screams filled the air, screams she couldn't identify, cries of terror, roars of fury...then there was an awful silence and the sound of a thousand hooves marching away. Please let him be alive, please let him be alive...! Searching, searching, lakes of blood marring the green green grass...did she know that face? Keep moving, keep moving, must find him, must help him...what was that? Her heart stopped, couldn't breathe, couldn't think, NO! Rhyn, Rhyn, he was dead, he was dead...

Another thunderclap jerked her awake from her misery. Shivering, she inhaled softly to calm herself. Noticing that the smell of blood and burning had subsided, she decided that she could go to Whisky now. It was safe. Moving over to his outstretched form, she nosed him gently, hoping that it was the right thing to do. Was he angry with her? He must not be angry. She only knew one way to please stags though, had only learned one way. They were frightening when they were happy though. Too frightening. And she was too scared to do anything that would frighten her more at the moment. So she stayed, muzzle on his neck, quietly breathing in and out, in and out, until she fell asleep.

--behind the post--
yeah. idk.

sky © skystockprovider.deviantart.com, horse © whitdawg1221.deviantart.com[/size]

[aPPY]

Keanu stood with his eyes closed, trying to keep it together. They weren't trying to hurt him, it wasn't a threat. It was okay to be here, out of the way of the fire outside. He winced as the sounds of the other moving around in the cave echoed and vibrated across the ground and up his legs. It was alright, they weren't trying to hurt him. They saved him. It was okay. He took a deep breath that came out rather shakily, and he tried again, the breath stronger and more even. It was alright. Everything was going to be alright. Though, once the thunder rumbled again he lost the small amount of calm he had gained. His eyes squeezed shut, little lines fanning out from his lids in an attempt to imagine himself somewhere else; anywhere else. No. Not anywhere. This was better than some places his mind might take him. He forced himself to focus on the present, instead of retreating into his head, into himself. This, being in the cave with two other equines and the raging fire outside, this was better than what lurked in the shadows of his mind, waiting to remind him of his past over and over again. He shook his head, his eyes still closed, his neck stretched down and his cranium held below his knees. He would be okay. It would be fine.

He slowly opened his eyes, the sounds around him starting to subside a little. The rain was transitioning to a dull roar and fading away from the other sounds; blending in with everything else instead of overpowering it. The stag that had come after him was laying on the ground, the rock was covered with green moss. His eyes went to his leg, seeing the burnt flesh made him take a step back, even further into the cave wall than he already was. He couldn't help but think it was his fault the stranger had gotten hurt. It had happened when he had went out again to help him, right? It was Keanu's fault. He blinked slowly, guilt washing over him. Why did he always hurt others around him? It never failed! Something bad always came to those he met. Perhaps he isolated himself not because he couldn't cope with the company, but because deep down he knew something bad would happen to them. He stayed away from others for their own good. He sighed, looking at the ground a trying not to jump when the thunder shook the ground again.

The mare seemed to have fallen asleep, standing upright and breathing somewhat evenly. Though it didn't appear as if her dreams were nice and her breathing began to esculate. He couldn't help but wonder what she was dreaming of. Did she have bad memories tied to the storm like he did? Did her bad memories sneak up on her when she dreampt as well? He never got an once of peaceful sleep it seemed, always being woken with a start. He couldn't remember the last time he wasn't tired, the last time he had taken the time to just rest. The last good sleep he actually had, more than a couple of hours long and not haunted by memories in the least. Yes, sometimes Ember wasn't there to torture him in the dreams, but it was always something. Something to keep him awake and leave him tired and unable to truly focus once he woke up.

Thunder clapped again and he was startled from his thoughts, the mare too, her head jerking slightly as she was bbrought back to active consciousness. She slowly stepped forward, toward the stag on the ground. She gently nosed him and Keanu looked over at his slow moving form. He should be fine, the inury wasn't too bad, and if Keanu had survived his own tragedy, then he would. Though Keanu still had no idea how he had miraculously healed his own burns. He sighed again, leaning into the rock wall beside him and slowly sliding to the ground. He should at least try to rest his body a little, even is his mind wouldn't get a rest. He stretched his head across the ground, along the section where the wall met the ground, looking out of the cave entrance. He could still see the fire in the distance, though the rain was slowly dimming the light. The orange flames still made him anxious and afraid, though he knew they weren't going to get him in here. He would be okay.

// 774 words

lalala.
morning time now, i guess? (:

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