A Trios Journey (private rp with wingfeather and tenebria)

[Abbster]

Sugar stood there...shock slightly in her eyes as her friends just walked away. "you alright?" Cinnamon asked. Sugar looked at her new mentor. She knew she should trust Cinnamon...but how could she just pour everything out right then and there. Cinnamon stepped towards her. "Sugar, you're my apprentice now" she said. "You need to tell me things if you're feeling sad, or angry" she said, nudging her a little. Sugar blinked. "Honestly..." Sugar finally said. "I don't know. See, my friends and I got exiled from our old herd...together. We've been through so much together, and now we're just being split up" Sugar said, as she watched her friends just keep trotting away. "lets take your mind off this, come on, I've been organizing herbs into piles so you can begin memorizing them" Cinnamon said. "OO!" Sugar said, pricking up her ears excitedly. "ok, lets go!" she said, following after Cinnamon as she trotted in the opposite direction of her friends. "Cinnamon, wait" Sugar said. Cinnamon turned to look at her. "hm?" she said. "Will I see my friends again?" she asked. Cinnamon trotted back to her. "well. I'm not sure, most likely, yes, but, for the next few days, don't count on it" she said. Sugar nodded a little and continued to follow after Cinnamon.


(fyi wingfeather, gus is a scout apprentice to the horse Applejack, Cinnamon's father)

[tenebria]

Galmúr swiftly caught up to his mentor and remained a few steps behind him, the older stallion moving swiftly into a slow loping canter as they headed away from the herd. He really wanted to ask where they were going, but the silence from Lorcán seemed almost a testing silence, and so he shut his mouth and pushed the questions down, and followed. They moved for quite a few minutes, the horses behind them growing smaller and smaller, until suddenly the older stallion slammed his hooves down and slid to a very abrupt halt. Galmúr fumbled with his hooves for a second, just managing to dodge around his mentor and dig his hooves into the ground, sliding to a stop just past the gray stallion, who was already standing and watching him with an expressionless face. "Sometimes a quick stop can save your life" he suddenly said calmly as he turned to face the young buckskin. "I assume you've learned nothing of fighting?" he questioned in a tone that made it seem it really wasn't a question. Galmúr felt slightly offended by this "Well I've never had to fight anything, but I know I could if I had to, and I can kick pretty hard" he defended himself. The gray stallion gave him an unimpressed look. "Stop trying to impress me, I already chose you as my apprentice and I'm not going to change my mind, unless you keep giving me these half truths" he said with a slight glare. The young buckskin gulped slightly and nodded, feeling sheepish. "Of course, Master, I meant to say that no, i have had no official training" he said quickly. Again Lorcán snorted. "As I thought" he said, then spoke again with an annoyed look "I am not your master either, I do not own you" he snorted again. Galmúr looked slightly flustered and dipped his head "Apologies, Ma... Lorcán" he said quickly, tossing his mane again as he tried not to reveal how eager he was to please his mentor. The stallion looked at him for a moment then turned his head, looking out over the plains as a pained look flashed through his dark eyes. How that simple motion reminded him of his last apprentice... maybe taking on another hadn't been the best idea, if he couldn't even look at him without remembering. After a moment he forced himself to turn to his puzzled yet silent apprentice. "We will not train you in the ways of fighting as of yet, there is much more that a warrior has need to learn besides that. Our first shall be stamina, and memory. We stand upon the threshold of our herd, and, more importantly, the general patrol path. It stretches for miles all around our herd, and at least two warriors or scouts travel it ever morning and every evening" he said, stomping the path slightly for emphasis. "Your training begins now, and at the end of the trail, when we return to this spot, I shall expect you to have memorized certain landmarks." Having said all he needed, the stallion suddenly whirled and cantered down the path, his hooves thudding into the packed down earth that centuries of stallion had trodden before him. Galmúr swiftly charged after him, keeping himself a good length behind his mentor, his gaze sweeping the edge of the path as he began watching for the landmarks... of which he had no clue what to look for, but he was willing to try, especially as he was eager to prove himself to his stern mentor.

[wingfeather]

There were a total of six other scouts, not counting apprentices, which there were three of, before Artemis's arrival. One was the yearling Gus who was apprenticed to Applejack, the next was a white leopard appaloosa with black spots named Raider apprenticed to Captain, and the last apprentice was a light colored palomino named Myth, she was apprenticed to Danger. Artemis met Myth's eyes as they were being introduced, immediately she knew they would be fast friends. What she liked most about the yearling was the glint in her eye that all but spoke the word ''challenge.'' After a whir of introductions and greetings Treth finally took Artemis away from the group to speak with her privately. ''Well, now that you've met the gang your job is to prove that you could be a part of us, to show that I was right in choosing you. Artemis looked up, wondering what he meant. But Treth already seemed to know what she was thinking, ''Artemis, we scouts were watching you and your friends the entire time you were battling the test, and what I saw was a scout, and after you three returned, I went and personally asked Lead mare Swan if you could be my apprentice.'' Artemis smiled to herself wanting with all her will to become one of them, ''I will try my hardest, to serve you and this- my herd as best I can.'' Treth smiled back, ''That is all I can ask,'' he answered.



(Ok, sounds good Abbster  )

[Abbster]

"alright Sugar" Cinnamon said. "point to juniper berries" She said. Sugar blinked a little. She knew what juniper berries were...but there was something blocking her memory from showing her mentor what it was. She stepped forward and pawed at a pile of tansey. "no" Cinnamon said. "Juniper is the one next to it" she said. Sugar looked over and nodded. "ok, lets try something easier, show me cobweb" Cinnamon said. "cobweb..." Sugar repeated. "cobweb..." she said. But her mind was still fuzzy, so she pointed with her nose to the pile of ginger. "NO!" Cinnamon said, her ears pinned in anger. "Sugar, what is going on?" she asked. "The scouts told me that you put cobweb on Galmur's leg during the test, so why can't you show it to me now?" she asked. Sugar took a shaky breath. "Because...I don't remember what it looks like" She said. Cinnamon snorted. "If you want to be herd healer, you NEED to memorize this stuff!" she said. Sugar nodded shakily. "ok, now, show me tansey, ok?" Cinnamon asked, trying to keep her voice calm. Sugar looked at her mentor and then down at the pile of herbs, she pointed to the cobweb. "NO SUGAR!" She said, angrily. Sugar stepped back a little. "are you really meant for this?" she demanded. Sugar nodded. "y...yes" she said. "I am...herbs are my passion" she said. "THEN PROVE IT!" Cinnamon said. Sugar blinked again, her heart pounding in her chest. When suddenly a mare came trotting up, and talked to Cinnamon. "I will be back, Sugar" she said. "when I return, I expect you to remember all these herbs" she said. When she left, Sugar flopped down on the ground. "WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER ANY OF THIS?" She wailed. A little while later, Cinnamon came back. "Get up" she said. Sugar looked at her, and stood up, her legs trembling. "show me cobweb" she said. Sugar nodded her head shakily, and stumbled over to the cobweb, pointing at it with her nose. "YES!" Cinnamon said. "good!" she said. "now, which one is juniper berries?" she asked. Sugar blinked. "I.....I don't remember" she said. Cinnamon closed her eyes and opened them again. "the one beside tansey" she said. Sugar nodded, trying to get that in her head fully. "maybe taking you on as my apprentice was a bad idea" Cinnamon suddenly said. "NO!" Sugar said. "It wasn't" she promised. "I just...I just can't think, thats all" she said. "well, being herd healer, comes with skill, and memory. If you can't remember the herbs, then I'm going to have to talk to lead mare swan to see if she can get you a different mentor" Cinnamon said. "no" Sugar begged. "I can memorize it" she insisted. "I can!" she said. "Really, I can" she said. "Ok" Cinnamon said. "show me, tansey, ginger, juniper berries, cobweb, ant mint" she said. "all at once?" Sugar asked. "you're trying to prove yourself worth of this job, yes?" Cinnamon asked. Sugar nodded. "then yes, show them to me in the order I just said." Cinnamon directed.

Gus looked up from his grazing as Artemis padded up with Treth. "hey, I know you" he said, to her. "You're one of those yearlings" he said. "You're friends with Sugar, aren't you?" he asked her, looking at his mentor, who was also looking at Artemis.

[tenebria]

Lorcán spared a swift glance behind him to his apprentice as they cantered swiftly down the path. They were just in front of the forest, and about to enter when he suddenly slid to another abrupt halt. This time, Galmúr noticed the telltale shift of his muscles and he dug his hooves in, almost sitting as he leaned back, dust rising around the two as they halted at almost the precisely same time. A slight glimmer appeared in the stallion's eyes as he saw this. So, the young yearling was a fast learner. Storing this information, he looked to the forest and motioned "Tell me, what do you see to mark our way in the forest" he questioned abruptly. Galmúr, slightly breathless from the adrenaline of the halt, shook himself and studied the forest for a few moments, then understanding dawned. "Those small scrapes on the trees, they're like the ones in the Test, like hoofprints" he said swiftly. The gray stallion gave the slightest nod of approval "Correct. This mark always guides our path when we are in the forest. Rarely do we use it anywhere else, as you will soon see." Galmúr turned his gaze to study the tree again, then nodded "They were simple enough to follow in the test" he commented, looking back to his mentor who once again nodded. "Precisely why we use them" he was about to move forward, then paused once again "The forest is our most dangerous border, as it is much easier for predators and rogue stallions to slip through. Stay on the alert" he cautioned, then moved forward in a slow trot down the quiet path, his buckskin apprentice following, ears pricked and gaze shifting from bush to tree, a sense of importance and danger thrilling his young veins.

[wingfeather]

''Yep,'' Artemis answered, ''I didn't know you were training to be a scout.''

[Abbster]

Gus looked down. "not many horses do" he answered. "My mother, Oreo was a scout before my sister was born, now she's still nursing my sister." Gus explained. "and my father, is a warrior" Gus said. "and I have some great speed that I can use to be a scout" he explained.

Sugar spent the rest of the morning, memorizing herbs, and when Cinnamon gave her the final test for herb memorization, She nailed it. "good job Sugar" she said. Sugar beamed happily. "thank you Cinnamon" she said. "may I go see my friends now?" she asked. Cinnamon sighed, but shook her head. "I'm sorry Sugar, but your friends have busier tasks than you do." she said. "I don't think you'll be able to see them until they come find you" she explained. "oh...ok" she said. "Can I sort the herbs into their piles now?" she asked. "yes, because I allowed you to move them around, go for it" she said. "do you know how to do it?" she asked. Sugar nodded. "yep!" she said. Cinnamon smiled. "good." she said, as she stood back and watched her apprentice start moving the herbs around into the right piles.

[tenebria]

Galmúr and Lorcán quickened their pace once they had gone a ways through the woods, as no danger seemed to present itself. The former was a bit jumpy considering he was eager to prove himself to his mentor, and the woodland creatures moving through the woods kept him on high alert. Thankfully he had the presence of mind not to alert his mentor to every movement, expect for one deer that crashed through the brush nearby and he had the altered concept that it was a cougar, which his mentor swiftly demolished, pointing out that the scent didn't match at all. An hour later, the sun now indicating mid afternoon, they emerged from the forest, having covered both the eastern and northern side. About halfway across, Lorcán slammed to a halt, the young buckskin behind him swiftly following suit, although a bit late as his attention was taken by the changing terrain. Rocks now dotted the area around them, all in ranging sizes and shapes. The trees had thinned to almost non existence, and he could see all the way across the plains to the faint shapes of the herd. "Now, have you any idea how we keep our path in this terrain?" the stallion questioned, turning to his apprentice who had anticipated the question and was scanning the rock faces. "Considering we can see pretty far all around us... would it be specific large rocks?" Galmúr suggested after a few moments, seeing nothing else that could possibly mark a trail. Lorcán looked slightly pleased, as far as Galmúr could tell, his mentor's expressions were quite hard to read. "Quite correct, young stallion, quite correct" he said, then motioned to a tall rock on their right. "You will be expected to memorize an accurate series of landmarks, so direct the bulk of your attention to our surroundings as we pass through. Not all patrolers have the same landmarks, it is simply whatever catches your attention the most" he said, glancing at a rather low flat rock that was the beginning of his personal landmark path. "Now then, if you wish to return before late evening, follow swiftly" he said, trotting forward and speeding to a swift canter. Galmúr listened carefully, feeling a bit of excitement at being able to pick his own landmarks, and swiftly he galloped after his mentor, his eyes glancing from rock to rock as he mapped out a trail for himself.

[wingfeather]

''Oh do you?'' Artemis asked hoping for a race, unfortunately Treth spoke again, ''Come Artemis, I need to at least show you one of the patrol trails before it gets dark, come Myth, you will come too.'' Swiftly and eagerly the young palomino cantered up, smiling to Artemis, who smiled back. ''We will be taking the Blood Rock Trail,'' Treth said, stepping in front of the two yearlings and leading the way.'' Artemis shot a curios glance at Myth, she laughed before answering, ''each of the scouting trails are secret and are hard to find. We give each of the trails names so that we know which one any of the scouts are talking about, this one is called Blood Rock because it follows some sandstone paths that are on our territory.'' Artemis nodded, understanding.

[Abbster]

Once Sugar finished sorting the herbs into their correct piles, she looked at her mentor. "alright" she said. "what's next?" she asked. "You're done already?" she asked. Sugar nodded. "mhm" she said. "wow....that was fast" she said. "alright" She said, thinking. "ok, if a horse is bleeding, what herb do you use to stop it?" Cinnamon asked. "Cobweb to stop bleeding, and if needed, ginger for pain" she said, brightly. "Correct!" Cinnamon said. "how about now, I show you where to find all the herbs" she asked. Sugar's eyes glowed. "Yes please!" she said. Cinnamon smiled and flicked her tail. "alright, follow me" she said. Sugar followed Cinnamon towards the woods, and as they were walking, they ran into Galmur and his mentor. "Galmur!" Sugar said, a smile spreading across her face. "Hi!" she said. "Sugar, come on" Cinnamon said. Sugar sighed. "see you later?" she asked, she didn't get to hear his answer before Cinnamon called her again. "gotta go!" she said, galloping after her mentor and into the woods.

[tenebria]

Galmúr was so busy concentrating on memorizing certain rocks that he didn't even hear the two horses approaching until his mentor slowed to a stop, dipping his head slightly to the younger horse "Cinnamon" he said in his deep voice, distantly chivalrous. He ignored the apprentice, instead glancing at his own who moved forward eagerly. "Sugar!" he said in surprise, shocked that they were that far out from the herd. As she suddenly cantered away, back the way they themselves had come, he smiled "Bye Sugar, see you later!" he whinnied loudly after her, then turned with a smile to meet his mentor's firm gaze. "In the future, we do not shout. Especially not when on patrol" he said sternly, then glanced back their direction with another frown "I do wonder why Cinnamon brought her apprentice this far out on the first day, I assumed they'd stay nearer to forest that you three took your test in.." he trailed off then shook his head. It wasn't his problem. Turning he once again picked up a canter, his apprentice swiftly following him with a slightly shamed look on his face.

[wingfeather]

The three trotted together for quite some time, Treth pointing out various trail marks, and Myth explaining the origin. ''This,'' Treth spoke, ''is Breakneck Stone,'' he indicated a very ordinary looking stone. Artemis looked inquiringly at Myth, who answered, ''that came from when Breakneck, my mentor's father, dashed his hoof against it, he as lame for about a week after that.'' The trotted for some time more before Treth spoke again, ''This is Appel's Hiding,'' he pointed to a large bowl shaped stone. Artemis looked at Myth, ''this is where, my uncle TallTail hoarded his apples,'' Myth said solemnly. It was not very long before they came to ''Flying Donkey Table. Before Artemis could say anything Myth quickly answered, ''don't ask.''

[Abbster]

When Sugar had learned where all the herbs were, she padded back to the spot Cinnamon stayed, and she sighed. "I'm hungry" she said. "You can graze for a while, you did well today" Cinnamon said. Sugar smiled "thanks" she said, bending her head so she could begin to graze for a while.

[tenebria]

Galmúr continued picking out rocks here and there, one that reminded him of an eagle's nest, another that looked like the jaws of a wolf, and another that he was sure resembled a flash of lightning. The sun continued to journey across the sky as they cantered through the taller grass that surrounded the rocks, until the young buckskin noticed the stones getting smaller and smaller, most of the big ones disappearing completely. Before he could ask about the drastic landscape change, Lorcán glanced over his shoulder at his apprentice. "Our herd is one of the most diverse areas of this land, as we have almost every type of terrain you could imagine. Now we're heading back into the prairie area, the grass is very long and you would do well to watch for snakes" he warned as he slowed his pace to a rocking canter, the grass, as he had said, growing higher. Galmúr listened interestedly then nodded at the end "I will" he said quickly, his eyes glancing to the prairie at his hooves. He knew just how dangerous a snake bit could be, and he was not planning on getting one one his first day in the herd.

[wingfeather]

The sun was beginning to set by the time they completed the course and they had returned to the rest of the scouts, a few were gone on night patrol but the other apprentices were there along with their mentors.