Unbridled Love - Private rp with Brooke0518

[tenebria]

Ember gulped as the stallion's eyes landed on her, her words disappearing for a few seconds. Thankfully, Tempest was talking, explaining the harder part. A sudden warmth filled her as he said friend. She was his friend! She had a friend! The knowledge made her relax slightly, and she gave a nod to Tempest, taking a step forward and dipping her head to the white stallion, managing to find her voice. "I am Ember, I am very pleased to meet you" she said softly, then added "As my friend" she paused for a second, a smile slipping over her face before she continued "well and rescuer, mentioned, I have thrown off the yoke of the humans, as I see the wild has a freedom like no other" she said, glancing back to Tempest with a sudden grateful look. He had rescued her. Without him.... she couldn't even imagine what would have happened if he hadn't been there!

[brooke0518]

Tempest watches the interaction between the two horses, as Cloud stretches his neck out a bit, to sniff Ember's side. He wasn't too worried, but he knew that it was best to still be wary. Cloud was too old to find a mate. That, and he was loyal. He had lost his mate to illness and starvation two winters ago, so now he was on his own. But he never let his guard down, around another stallion. "Well, young lady. You're in safe hands, with Tempest. just be careful and stay close to him. Plenty of stallions would like a nice, young, healthy mare for their herd. But they are careful when it comes to Tempest. They know that he's not to be messed with. Learn what you can from him, and you'll be confident enough in no time," He says, pausing for just a moment. "If you have any questions, this is a good time to fill a curious young mind," He says.

[tenebria]

Ember stiffened, drawing her head back as the stallion sniffed her, and shifting a bit closer to Tempest. Finally the stallion spoke and she relaxed, her ears pinning slightly at his forthright words. Stallions in captivity had been scary enough... but out here? They seemed horrifying. "Th...Thank you" she said, dipping her head slightly to the old stallion, then glancing back to Tempest with a slightly curious look. Who was he really that he had such a name for himself? She turned back to Cloud and gave a slight shy smile. "Thank you sir, I will do my best to learn all I can, he already is a good teacher" she said, then blinked slightly. Questions.... what questions were there? Everything was so new she hardly knew what to ask! "I..I'm not really sure... I haven't thought about questions.. true questions in a long time" she said, her tail swishing uncertainly. "I do wonder though... how.. how often do humans come out here?" she asked, the query springing to her mind.

[brooke0518]

Looking over at Ember, Tempest could tell that she was a bit on edge, when it came to Cloud. Of course, he completely understood. She was smart. Out here, stallions could be very unpredictable, regardless of age. But he would let Cloud defend himself. Chances were very high, that he wouldn't judge her for her reaction to him. "It's okay, dear. I'm not going to do anything to you. I had a mate, when I was your age, and she was the only one for me. I lost her a couple of years ago and have no desire for another mare. You are safe with me, and you should stay close to Tempest. You have good instincts, and I can see you doing very well out here. As for humans...you are much more likely to see them in spring, since that is when the herds often grow in size. But you need not worry. Tempest will make sure that you never end up in a human's hands again. You are out here and free, and you deserve that freedom," Cloud says.

[tenebria]

Ember gave a slight smile to the stallion as he reassured her. "Thank you Cloud" she said quietly, then frowned. So the humans DID come. She gave a small shudder. But at Cloud's reassuring words, she looked over to Tempest, trust in her eyes. "I'm lucky he found me" she agreed with a small smile before looking back to the older stallion. "It is only until today that I truly understood what freedom is, but I can feel it all around me now. And I know that I would never give this up again" she said firmly.

[brooke0518]

Cloud nods, glancing up at the sky. It was a beautiful day......a really good start for Ember to be out here. "You are very lucky, as there is a lot to learn out here, and you will have that freedom, that you've been longing for. There are other friendly horses here, that you can befriend. Just be cautious around stallions. You can trust Tempest, since he has been there for you, and won't try anything on you. But there are some stallions, who might not take so kindly, to a mare not in a herd. If there is ever a horse that makes you uncomfortable, then trust your instincts. You might've lived with humans, but all horses have basic instincts, when it comes to possibly dangerous situations. It's been dormant, but now that you're here, they will reawaken," He says.

[tenebria]

Ember smiled again, but it faded as he once again warned her of stallions. With how much both Tempest and Cloud were alerting her of this, it struck a deep fear in her. Would she be able to protect herself out here, with stallions so much bigger and stronger than her? Of course her mother had told her of stallions... but out here it seemed so much more dangerous in that area. She gave a slight shiver, finding herself stepping closer to Tempest, her eyes nervous again. "I..I hope my instincts awaken" she said quietly, her gaze traveling back to the stallion standing beside her. Looking at him suddenly made her feel safe. She hadn't felt this safe before. But she knew. Tempest wouldn't let any stallion get near her. The fear faded from her eyes. "How do I make my instincts awaken?" she asked in a much more calm tone as she looked back to the wise older stallion.

[brooke0518]

Looking over at Ember, Tempest could see the apprehension in her eyes, at the mention of stallions. He knew that it could be rough, for a mare, who had no experience out here.....to be nervous of other stallions. Leaning over, he touches his muzzle to her shoulder. "It's alright, Ember. The two stallions who pose the biggest threats, are Aries and Cedar. But you need not worry. We are further away from their territories, so the chances of us running into them, are low. Springtime usually is the hardest time, when it comes to stallions, but I know a place where we can go, to avoid all of that," He says. He knew that he would protect her, from both Cedar and Aries. maybe bringing her to meet his brother, Jigsaw, would be a good choice, but there was no guarantee, and he was not going to throw that at her, right off the bat.

Twitching his ears, Cloud offers Ember a calm, wise look. "It's really hard to describe, because it is something that is instilled in us, in our very being. Even horses, who live with man, have those basic instincts. You already have them; they are just a bit more muted. You can't really make them come out. You'll know, your body will know, and it will tell you, when it is time. Let it come naturally and don't try to force it, and everything will be fine," He says.

[tenebria]

Ember stiffened automatically as she felt Tempest's muzzle brush her shoulder, but the warmth from his touch left her feeling even more safe. She turned her gaze to him again and gave a trusting nod, ears relaxing as she spoke sincerely "I trust you Tempest, and I know i'll learn how to take care of myself and survive out here." she said with faint courage beginning to come forth. Her gaze shifted back to the older stallion and she gave him a small smile "I'm not sure I totally understand about my instincts yet, but if any horse has them, then I suppose I'll just have to trust it's the same for me" she said with a thankful nod to him.

[brooke0518]

Nodding, Cloud turns to head towards the trees. "I think that you'll do just fine. Just trust in Tempest and your instincts. I promise that they are there. Just be patient and trust in yourself, and you'll find that you know a lot more, than you think that you do. You are a bright, young mare, and the good thing about that...is that you are capable of learning so much out here. It is tough, I won't lie, but it is so freeing at the same time. I have seen so much in my old age, and I know that with time, you will be giving advice to other young horses, as well," He says, before disappearing into the trees.

Looking over at Ember, Tempest gives her a moment, to process everything that she had heard. It would be a lot for her, but he had faith in her. She was young and strong, she just needed confidence, and that was something, that would take time, naturally. It couldn't be forced into her. "Are you ready to go? We can either go and explore, or we can go to the place, where I often go to sleep. In case you are tired, there are places, within these woods, that horses will go, especially if they are not within a herd," He says.

[tenebria]

Ember listened with perked ears to all Cloud had to say. He seemed so wise!! Although he spoke so much of her own qualities... qualities she honestly didn't see in herself. But she was grateful. "Thank you Cloud!" she called after him, standing still as she watched him disappear into the forest. So much to remember. Instincts and warnings and everything in between. After a few moments, Tempest spoke and she turned to him smiling slightly in thought "Oh both sound wonderful" she said undecidedly. A decision. It was such a small decision... but she hadn't actually made decisions in a long time. Which one was best to do? Did horses sleep all the time in the wild, or did they only sleep at night? What was she supposed to do? After a few moments of awkward silence, she suddenly gave a firm bob of her head "I think I want to explore a little bit more, but then I think i'll need to rest my leg" she said, hoping that sounded sensible.

[brooke0518]

Nodding, Tempest gestures with his head, towards a portion of the forest, that was in the opposite direction that Cloud had gone in. "Come with me. There are some places that I have seen that I think that you would appreciate. Sometimes, there is something good about a horse like you. For horses that were born here, we take these nice places for granted, so they might not seem as nice. But to a horse, that hasn't been around something like this, each place can tug at that wild side, or even just that sense of curiosity, that you have. When a new horse comes to this valley, it is easy to see them appreciate sights, that most of us see, every day," He says. Walking towards the wooded path, he makes sure to go nice and slowly, so that Ember would be able to keep up. There was plenty that he would show her, plenty of sights to show off.

[tenebria]

Ember's ears pricked at his words and she stepped after him, catching up and staying at his shoulder, so far the most safe place she'd found. His words caused a bit of confusion for her, and she tilted her head the slightest. How could anyone take this for granted? It was.... she couldn't even find the words. To have apples and grass and clean clear water almost everywhere, free to take... that was a miracle! Surely no one could take that for granted! "Is it truly like that? Do you take all this for granted?" she asked him, unable to remove the slightly shocked, dubious tone from her voice as she limped at the easy pace into the shady fresh scented woods. She blushed slightly after she said the words, adding swiftly "I..I just don't see how... I never even knew most of these wonders existed, so to me it's... strange to think anyone could live with all this and simply assume it will always be there for them" she said quietly. She'd known to not take anything for granted. If she got a flake of good hay one day, she savored it, knowing the next would be virtually inedible. If she happened to get clean rainwater in her bucket, each drop was precious.

[brooke0518]

Looking over at Ember, hearing her words, Tempest nods, "Yes, some horses do, actually. it might be hard to believe, but it's true. There have been some disruptions around this place, that can make terrible messes amongst the herds. The western herd is not originally from this area, but unfortunately, according to the lead stallion, a large manmade fire tore through his homeland, and his herd was forced to flee. The large mass of land that we have, now has to be split again, to make room for this new herd. There are places, that some herds used to have, that are no longer theirs, because of this new herd. We have had o decide, what is worth protecting, and what we can give up. The eastern herd has refused to cooperate, so there is still a great deal of negative strife between herds," He says. "Things that also are so familiar to us, that we can't imagine a world without them, makes it hard to believe that we could lose them. Humans are moving in all the time, clearing land, taking horses. We have roamed these lands for generations, but times are changing," He says.

[tenebria]

Ember's eyes grew wider as she listened, confusion growing slightly. Wait.. the horses actually owned the land in herds? This just kept getting complicated. She hurried her pace slightly to get closer to him, trying to take in everything he was saying. Strife between herds... horses fighting over land? She had thought only humans did that! At the mention of just those creatures, she shuddered slightly, but her curiosity swept away her fears, for the moment. "Do.. do you have a herd? Do I have a herd? How do we know what land we can be on? Why do they fight over it instead of just coming together as one big herd?" she queried innocently in confusion, then flattened her ears slightly embarrassedly "Those are probably foolish questions" she said, ducking her head.