08-07-2019, 01:59 AM
Aten had decided to make a venture outside Taiga's territory for the first time since Owin's birth, the stallion wishing to stay by Lethia's side for some time after to ensure her safety. He could not put off his duties forever though, even if Lepis and Wolfbane didn't really have him doing anything important at the moment. When he'd been the leader, he hadn't just sat back and watched, his instincts were itching to take action.
And so like many nights before, the golden stallion departed for one of the common lands to see if there were any fresh faces out and about. It was less the case at night, especially in the fresh days of summer when the mares with young foals still turned in early and herded them back to their glens where the little ones could rest in peace and the mare could graze without having to always watch over her shoulder for potential danger to her young. Aten, a stallion and with no foal to watch over, found no qualms about being out in the open, since not only were his instincts sharp and ready to detect danger, but he was not alone either.
Turul had decided to venture out with his friend, also wanting to see if any action would take place since the golden stallion never really had any interesting news when the raptor returned from one of his hunts or a fly over the redwoods. This journey would serve as a way for him to not only catch up on things and find out if Aten wished for him to do anything else, but also to stretch his wings and hunt for some prey he didn't often find in Taiga's woods.
That wouldn't be the case this evening, since his chosen prey was a simple waterfowl. Upon arriving in the Meadow, Aten and Turul, the latter soaring overhead, meandered through the tall grass to see if there were still any horses about. Aten spotted a few within the range his eyes could detect, while Turul informed him of scattered clusters peppered throughout the meadow ranging several yards away.
The golden stallion would think of how to approach them first, see if he wanted to be more direct and state why he was here, or try to make friends first. Both options were known to have worked in the past, but it really depended on the horse. It was also somewhat late in the evening, and Aten didn't want to go bother any horses if they showed signs of fatigue and were getting ready to return to their homes.
Aten settled in by a creek that flowed among the tall grass, lowering his head to graze while Turul decided to hunt for himself. He spotted some waterfowl in the river near his friend, the former not seemingly bothered by the arrival of the large horse. The falcon sized up his chances before swooping down and gliding over the water at startling speed, his eyes locked on a younger waterfowl that had strayed further than it should have from it's group.
The impact was like hitting a cliff wall; there was almost an audible noise as Turul's claws found their mark and he flapped his wings to gain some momentum, lifting himself above the water and taking his prey along for the ride. He circled back around and landed on the ground near Aten, dropping his prey before so he wouldn't land clumsily. The golden stallion merely glanced his way before returning to graze while Turul settled in to feast, his beak shredding the waterfowl's flesh and feathers to get the tasty meat underneath.
Aten had seen his friend hunt, and knew what he ate. To one that ate mostly plants, of course the sight was a bit... unsettling, but not as much as it did when he first saw it. Aten moved over towards the creek when his throat grew parched, lowering his head so his lips touched the icy water for him to drink.
The stallion had his fill, and went to go back for some extra just to ease the tingle in his throat when something unexpected happened. The water beneath his head appeared to be changing color, rapidly, almost as if it wasn't really there. But the stallion's eyes saw it, no mistake. He wondered at first what it could be... was there an injured creature somewhere upstream? If Turul hadn't taken his prey out of the water, he might almost think it was the dead waterfowl.
Driven by sheer curiosity, and a desire to help if he could, Aten left his friend to his feast and started walking upstream. He rounded a small bend that was partially masked by tall grass, bush, and a pair of large trees, coming to a stop when he glimpsed the potential cause of the blood in the water.
A lone horse was standing by the riverbank, blood dripping from her lips into the water beneath her hooves. He at first didn't know what may have caused the blood, but he started putting the puzzle pieces together given where they were both standing.
He too also saw the looks some of the horses around were giving her, the other horse seeming to look around with a wild expression in it's eyes. Aten was indeed curious himself, but more so as to why she chose to act, to feast, the way she did. He would not question why she was the way she considered herself, one who didn't eat plants. He merely watch from the distance to see what she would do next, standing in the open so that she could easily spot him and approach if she wished.
In most times, Aten would make the first move, but this situation seemed a bit tricky right now. So he sat back and waited, fighting his curiosity of wanting to know more about this horse before she felt comfortable in his presence.
@[Davina]
And so like many nights before, the golden stallion departed for one of the common lands to see if there were any fresh faces out and about. It was less the case at night, especially in the fresh days of summer when the mares with young foals still turned in early and herded them back to their glens where the little ones could rest in peace and the mare could graze without having to always watch over her shoulder for potential danger to her young. Aten, a stallion and with no foal to watch over, found no qualms about being out in the open, since not only were his instincts sharp and ready to detect danger, but he was not alone either.
Turul had decided to venture out with his friend, also wanting to see if any action would take place since the golden stallion never really had any interesting news when the raptor returned from one of his hunts or a fly over the redwoods. This journey would serve as a way for him to not only catch up on things and find out if Aten wished for him to do anything else, but also to stretch his wings and hunt for some prey he didn't often find in Taiga's woods.
That wouldn't be the case this evening, since his chosen prey was a simple waterfowl. Upon arriving in the Meadow, Aten and Turul, the latter soaring overhead, meandered through the tall grass to see if there were still any horses about. Aten spotted a few within the range his eyes could detect, while Turul informed him of scattered clusters peppered throughout the meadow ranging several yards away.
The golden stallion would think of how to approach them first, see if he wanted to be more direct and state why he was here, or try to make friends first. Both options were known to have worked in the past, but it really depended on the horse. It was also somewhat late in the evening, and Aten didn't want to go bother any horses if they showed signs of fatigue and were getting ready to return to their homes.
Aten settled in by a creek that flowed among the tall grass, lowering his head to graze while Turul decided to hunt for himself. He spotted some waterfowl in the river near his friend, the former not seemingly bothered by the arrival of the large horse. The falcon sized up his chances before swooping down and gliding over the water at startling speed, his eyes locked on a younger waterfowl that had strayed further than it should have from it's group.
The impact was like hitting a cliff wall; there was almost an audible noise as Turul's claws found their mark and he flapped his wings to gain some momentum, lifting himself above the water and taking his prey along for the ride. He circled back around and landed on the ground near Aten, dropping his prey before so he wouldn't land clumsily. The golden stallion merely glanced his way before returning to graze while Turul settled in to feast, his beak shredding the waterfowl's flesh and feathers to get the tasty meat underneath.
Aten had seen his friend hunt, and knew what he ate. To one that ate mostly plants, of course the sight was a bit... unsettling, but not as much as it did when he first saw it. Aten moved over towards the creek when his throat grew parched, lowering his head so his lips touched the icy water for him to drink.
The stallion had his fill, and went to go back for some extra just to ease the tingle in his throat when something unexpected happened. The water beneath his head appeared to be changing color, rapidly, almost as if it wasn't really there. But the stallion's eyes saw it, no mistake. He wondered at first what it could be... was there an injured creature somewhere upstream? If Turul hadn't taken his prey out of the water, he might almost think it was the dead waterfowl.
Driven by sheer curiosity, and a desire to help if he could, Aten left his friend to his feast and started walking upstream. He rounded a small bend that was partially masked by tall grass, bush, and a pair of large trees, coming to a stop when he glimpsed the potential cause of the blood in the water.
A lone horse was standing by the riverbank, blood dripping from her lips into the water beneath her hooves. He at first didn't know what may have caused the blood, but he started putting the puzzle pieces together given where they were both standing.
He too also saw the looks some of the horses around were giving her, the other horse seeming to look around with a wild expression in it's eyes. Aten was indeed curious himself, but more so as to why she chose to act, to feast, the way she did. He would not question why she was the way she considered herself, one who didn't eat plants. He merely watch from the distance to see what she would do next, standing in the open so that she could easily spot him and approach if she wished.
In most times, Aten would make the first move, but this situation seemed a bit tricky right now. So he sat back and waited, fighting his curiosity of wanting to know more about this horse before she felt comfortable in his presence.
@[Davina]