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Getsu - Chapter One
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The stallion stalked silently through the night, his pale coat gleaming like an embodiment of the moonlight shining down on his back. Muscles rippled beneath his sleek coat as he strode confidently forward on flint-hard hooves. A twig cracked beneath his hoof on the next step, and the stallion threw up his head with a snort of alarm, leaping backwards and standing with one leg poised gracefully in mid-air, his magnificent head swiveling regally atop his powerful neck as he surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings. All around him were tall trees stretching, or so it seemed, right to the heavens. He could not even see the leaves that clung to their highest branches, and he only knew that they were there from the dappled light that fell across his back.
He raised his dainty muzzle and swung it in circles, drinking in the scents of the surrounding area. He could scent the dew soaking the loamy forest soil, he could scent the birds in the trees and even the faint, metallic smell of his own blood from where the angry branches had lashed at his hide during his flight – but what stood out more than anything was the absence of the one scent that had always been there before: His family.
He shook his head, violently, snorting his disbelief, then pranced in a circle with his head and tail flung high – his legs floating high over the ground and touching down so lightly upon it that it seemed he was gliding. When his circle was complete, the stallion came to a standstill and jerked his head into the air, trumpeting his summons into the night. His whinny was carried by icy wings on the night air as it resounded around him, but all that returned to him was an eerie echo – sounding sinister in the chilly silence.
The stallion snorted nervously and stepped out into a trot, his head snaking from side to side with each step – his muzzle nearly trailing along the floor, as though he was herding a band that was not there.
A frayed piece of rope hung from around his neck, and the flesh surrounding it showed clearly through the sparse fur – rubbed raw by the endless fighting and pulling he had been doing a moment before. The rope suddenly caught on a tree, and the stallion was jerked to a standstill. A sudden savagery ignited in his white-rimmed eyes, and a furious snort was whipped from his flared nostrils as he shook his head viciously back and forth, dancing on his cracked hooves. After a moment more fighting, the rope was tugged off with a soft rip, letting the stallion stagger backwards. He threw his head up, rolling his eyes in alarm and pressing his ears flat back against his skull as he retreated hastily away from the rope. A distant, haunted expression stole over his deep brown eyes as he gradually calmed himself and stood motionless, staring at the rope – which was now caught on a branch of a tall tree beside him.
He remembered all too well what had happened... How that rope had gotten around his neck in the first place...
Shouts and cracking whips invaded the peaceful silence that had blanketed the plains just a moment before, and as one: The herd jerked up their heads. Bays, chestnuts, blacks – horses of every colour burst into action in one singular motion. They plunged forward into a gallop, their powerful muscles bunching and thrusting them forward into a rainbow of movement. Hammering hearts punctuated the thunder of hoofbeats as the desperate beasts dashed on – ever faster. But they were scattered, disorganized, and from behind they could hear the voices drawing nearer… The mares began milling hopelessly together, screaming helpless whinnies to the winds as they ran hopelessly in circles – searching for order. The lead mare darted back and forth, nipping at their heels and trying to get them in line, but they refused to listen. They waited for one thing, and one thing only.
Then he came. With a thunder of hooves that caused the stones to rattle on the hard desert clay, the stallion plunged up the rise and charged toward his band, snaking his head close to the ground in a herding motion. He did not allow his gallop to falter, but simply muscled his way right through the bunch, scattering his family to clear a path for himself. As one, they followed their leader, and the band burst into a full fledged stampede just as the yelling riders crested the rise. Their horses raced toward the band on legs of steel – slowly gaining on the rapidly tiring band. They were limited to the speed of the slowest members, and their stamina was failing them. In fact, the entire band seemed little more than skeletons coated in fur. One elderly, emaciated mare faltered in her gallop. She stumbled, then fell, and when she hit the ground the breath was knocked out of her. She did not try to rise again. Her colt danced around her on spring-loaded legs, his beseeching squeals lost beneath the pounding hooves of the herd as they dashed onward – unaware of their loss. The mare grunted suddenly and struggled to rise as the riders drew nearer, but she could not get her bony haunches off the ground. Their pursuers drew rein beside the pair, staring down at their frantic struggles in vague amusement.
Their greedy eyes offered no mercy.
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Set Free
Great story I hope there is more.
Great story I hope there is more.
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Nov 6, 2010
• 4,913 views
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HPH Polo
Very well written!
Very well written!
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Nov 6, 2010
• 5,014 views
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Finally There
POLO! You always have the best articles!
POLO! You always have the best articles!
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Nov 6, 2010
• 4,882 views
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Polo the Weirdo
MOD
Very glad you guys are liking it so far! ^_^ Sorry, I am terribly slow to start, and I never work through much in a thousand words... I hope to get chapter 2 written soon though, so I really hope you'll read it... And enjoy it, or at least pretend to enjoy it... :P Haha! *sheepish grin*
Thank you all very much! ^_^
Very glad you guys are liking it so far! ^_^ Sorry, I am terribly slow to start, and I never work through much in a thousand words... I hope to get chapter 2 written soon though, so I really hope you'll read it... And enjoy it, or at least pretend to enjoy it... :P Haha! *sheepish grin*
Thank you all very much! ^_^
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Nov 6, 2010
• 4,875 views
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ImaCoolCowgirl
You write like my mom!!! She is a very good writer (because that is what she does for a living!)!!
You write like my mom!!! She is a very good writer (because that is what she does for a living!)!!
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Nov 6, 2010
• 4,913 views
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Weber98
Wow! This is awesome, can't wait for more!
Wow! This is awesome, can't wait for more!
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Nov 6, 2010
• 4,892 views
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Polo the Weirdo
MOD
ICC: Really?! Wow, thank you! I am so honoured! ^_^ *grins* I am really hoping that I can make a living for myself from writing... I love it! :D I just wish I had a better imagination... Hehe! I seldom have good ideas. :)
Weber98: Yay! I am so glad you like it! :D I think I'll continue then! :P
ICC: Really?! Wow, thank you! I am so honoured! ^_^ *grins* I am really hoping that I can make a living for myself from writing... I love it! :D I just wish I had a better imagination... Hehe! I seldom have good ideas. :)
Weber98: Yay! I am so glad you like it! :D I think I'll continue then! :P
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Nov 6, 2010
• 4,875 views
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Rein or Shine
I love it so far Polo. :) I, too, love to write and hope to be a real author someday...being published in a recent youth magazine seems rather measly compared to having a novel published, does it not? :P
I love it so far Polo. :) I, too, love to write and hope to be a real author someday...being published in a recent youth magazine seems rather measly compared to having a novel published, does it not? :P
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Nov 7, 2010
• 4,895 views
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Dixie Chick
When is the next one going to be posted?
When is the next one going to be posted?
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Nov 26, 2010
• 4,904 views
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