Post by Deleted on May 7, 2019 22:55:47 GMT -7
It was mild, the atmospheric conditions ideal for the birthing of young ones. The herd was experiencing a baby boom, multiple dames falling into labor in an almost seemingly synced schedule. The flaxen mare was no exception and she collapsed, sudoriferous and her breathing labored, rapid, hard. After what felt like an eternity, foals hit the terrain, maternal instincts taking toll on the exhausted mothers, who then cleaned off their youngsters. The flaxen was up and immediately dipped her tiara, her salmon hued tongue osculating over her newborn colt. The ebon dyed tyke shifted, his mothers caresses rousing him. His opticals parted and they revealed bright blue hues to welcome the world. Green reflections danced within their liquidy surface, his mothers silhouette curved and bent with their shape.
A small whinny broke from his still moist maw. His mother eyed him, her own pools meeting his. For a split second, she smiled and the colt felt his heart glow. The herd stallion, the reason for all the foals dropping this season, was making his rounds. He congratulated the mares and nuzzled them before moving on to the next. As he approached the flaxen, the babe was wobbling about as he attempted to stand for the first time. He had an audience of his parents, who watched him carefully. His mother looked at the leader expectantly, her eyes wide and full of the desire to please him... His sire, black as night, cocked a brow with every fall the colt took. With a few tries, the colt was up and standing, proud of himself he turned to smile towards his parents. His sire's towers fell back, unimpressed. "This is what you have produced for me... He took longer than the rest. You seemed to have trouble giving birth, and look at you, with that new mother type vibe..." His mother was shrinking visibly, and the colt tilted his head.
"I also did not want any blacks... I specifically allowed you to be one of my chosen mares to be bred due to your light color and your locks... You failed to pass them on. You failed before to be a good woman, hence why you were shunned in the first place. You and your child, oh I will not be claiming him as my own, will never be allowed within the inner ranks of the herd." The ebon brute stated the last sentence loudly, taking care to ensure everyone had heard him. None were to socialize with them for extended periods, no foals should be allowed to dwell around them for extended periods... Period. "Perhaps next season, I will give you another chance... But that chance will be your last, and if I do not get what I want, you will be banished, if not downright killed for your insolence."
The colt nuzzled his dame who elicited no response. He drank his first time, once again, no reaction from the young mother. Tears seemed to be staining the cheek bones of the dame, who hung back as every other mare walked off with the stallion. No one looked back, not even a sideways glance. The duo hung around the outskirts, his mother seemingly gone mute, emotionless. She didn't bother acknowledging her colts existence. He watched as the other mothers doted on their foals his heart aching. As his birth passed, he found himself lonely most of the time. He played with rocks and twigs that fell from the trees. At one point, his rock rolled and he chased it only to collide with another foal of the same age. Feeling the loneliness bounce in his mind, the ebon prince let a hopeful smile light his facade up. "Hi! Who are you?" The other foal eyed him, almost in disgust. "My mommy and daddy said I should never talk to you. You are dirt, your mommy is dumb, and do you even have a name?" The young colt thought about it. "What is a name?" His harks fell and he hung his dial as the other laughed. "That's what your mommy and daddy calls you, you know, like I am Princeton. My mommy is Ana, and my daddy is Zehari. How pathetic that you are nameless." He felt anger for the first time as the other foal turned, kicked out and knocked him back onto his haunches.
Tears stung his voids as he walked back towards the lone figure of his silent mother. "I can get a name you know! I can be named... named..." His voice cracked and the young colt collapsed in a heap under a tree, finally breaking down into a crying episode. A few hours passed slowly before the raven hued prince stood up. His tears dry, his eyes dark, his facade shadowed. The other foals were playing, wrestling, enjoying their families. He looked towards the lead. Cerulean pools shone in the sunlight as he studied the Arabian stallion. Zehari. He rolled the name in his mind, the stallion happened to look towards the youngster and his mothers spot and the two made eye contact. Young prince pinned his harks and tucked his chin towards his chest. The stallion rolled his pools and looked away. "Why am I so different? Why does no one love me?" His little head turned to his mother. "Mama... Why don't you love me?" His voice was small and weak sounding. His mother turned to him, her blue eyes blank and almost dead... He got no reply, only a look of disgust.
The colt took it on his own duty to crawl as close as he could to the others. He listened to their stories, listened to their teachings, listened to everything, he watched everything. He learned some chunks of life from mares who had no idea they were teaching multiple foals at once. He grew angrier towards everyone with every day that passed. No one liked him around and when he was caught, he was chased away, his mother never defending him. One day, he was on the edge of the herd, kicking a rock around, when some foals approached him. "Hey, dumb face!" He tried to ignore the calls, his harks falling back against his skull. "Hey! We're talking to you! Are you so dumb you don't know how to talk now?" The group laughed. "Yeah, he's probably so lonely out here that he can't talk, he can probably only cry." The group was now exchanging different insults and scenarios as to why the youngster was not responding to their calls.
The biggest of the foals, a colt, shoved him down. He guffawed as his breath left his little body. Tears threatened to spill over as he looked up at the others. "Go away." The group laughed. A small hoof found itself lodged against his throat. "Don't tell me what to do maggot. See, I'm in charge here. Us? We're royalty, next heirs to the position of lead of this entire herd. You... Look at you, weak legs, dumb face, stupid mother. You're nothing but dirt under our hooves!" A wad of spit found itself splattering on his face. The bully removed his hoof and stepped back. "Just leave me alone! I wasn't doing anything to you!" He struggled to stand but got knocked back down. After a few more minutes of verbal insults, the group kicked and bit him before running off when their mothers called them, wondering where they went off to.
He lay there silently crying to himself. One day, one day I will destroy them all. His little mind reeled with anger and hatred as he fought to stand up. He hurt, his body was hot and he sported a small limp as he made his way back to his spot with his mother. At least she never refuses to feed me... I guess. He internally thanked his luck. He knew he needed his mother for a while after birth, how would he survive without her milk? Her nutrients? He shivered gently as he suckled his dinner. He curled up next to the boulder and dozed off, his body aching but his stomach full.
Day broke and the colt blinked in the rising sun's rays. Yawning, he grimaced as he stood up, stiff and still sore from the attack yesterday. His mother was nowhere to be seen. He whinnied, he needed breakfast... Did she abandon him to die? Did she finally realize that all she had to do was leave and she would be rid of him? He panicked and ran all around the area she usually stood around in. He couldn't sniff her out. In his panic, he ran towards the herd. Maybe they let her back in? Maybe they'd both be getting better lives and she was just trying to make it a surprise... She didn't love him, she wouldn't do that... Or would she? He raced between the mares who were now waking up from the small hoof falls pounding the ground. One mare, the highest ranking, caught sight of him and immediately ran towards him, her towers invisible as they fell beneath her golden locks. The colt attempted to stop, tripped, and rolled before frantically jumping to his feet and fleeing the angry mares teeth.
As she chased him back to the outskirts, she screamed at him "Don't ever let me catch your filthy self try to sneak within the herd again! We don't want your kind!" He looked back towards the herd, now all awake and trying to figure out what was going on, then all turning and pinning their ears in his direction. He backed up slowly and the herd turned away from him. Sniffling, the young colt kicked the ground and screamed in anger. "I don't need you!" He growled and huffed as he stomped about. "You don't need them?" He froze in place as an unfamiliar voice broke the silence. Was it his mother? He had never heard her speak before... He turned and no... It was not his mother, instead, it was a tall mare whom he had never laid eyes upon before. Her lean build coupled with her height was intimidating to say the least. "No... I don't need them." He pinned his harks towards the other equine. "Good, perhaps I need you." He tilted his little head. "Come, we will talk on the way." Against his better judgement, the young colt nodded and followed the mare.
They reached another area, farther from his place of birth than he'd ever been before. Another herd of horses grazed, their foals playing, the mares conversing, and what few males were around, they seemed to be wrestling each other. "Welcome to my home. This is my herd." The mare glanced to the young colt. "Don't look so shocked, yes a woman can lead." She laughed and nudged the colt, who in turn tried to bite her muzzle. "Now now, I like your energy. How's about you being a part of this herd?" He eyed her carefully, cerulean blues shadowing as he furrowed his brows. "I still need my mother's milk..." The mare cocked a brow. "No doubt, but where is your mother?" She paused. "You do not know, therefore, I will find you a suitable replacement. On one condition." She offered him a small smile, "I need more warriors for the herd's guard, you will begin training as soon as you are strong enough." With a small nod, the two came to an agreement. "What do they call you?"
"Nothing... I was never given a name." The young colt eyed the mare. "How unfortunate... But I will call you Snake Eyes, and you will be my newest recruit." At a month old, the youngster got a chance at life. He learned a lot but he remained ever hateful. Watching how disgusted a herd could be at your existence messed with his head. He appreciated the mare and what she gave him, but he remained closed off. He excelled in his training, however. He vowed to one day destroy his former herd. He didn't know when and where it would happen but he would do it. He discovered how cruel a world could be, how mean others were capable of being.
&& Notes: Trying for the following bonuses
You Talk Too Much
&& Art: done by me sta.sh/21l0kmbs2tfx
This W O U N D E D Soldier still has some fight in him