Post by Unbridled Freedom on Apr 9, 2007 20:53:22 GMT -5
Taking a deep breath of the fresh mountain air Diablo finally felt like he was home. He seemed to remember this place from ages ago; although he had never been to this place. It reminded him of the place he had been born. He remembered his mother’s soft brown optics and felt like he wanted to cry. He remembered his father’s strong figure and felt so proud to have him as his father. Thinking of that only made his heart hurt even more. He didn’t want to think of his sire and dam. It only reminded him of home and that made his heart hurt. He let his crown droop so his kissers almost reached the ground. Why had I followed her? Why? Diablo asked himself in a low whisper. If I ever find her again I will make her fall and then ask her, ask her why she had made me follow her… He vowed to the silent landscape of the mountains and pine tree forests. One single tear trickled down his cheek and onto the earth making a small clear pool on the dusty, light brown earth. He watched the small tears drop, in a sort of trance. He just watched it, looking at the tear that had come from him. It was like a diamond. A ray of sun shone onto the tear making it sparkle. A smile tugged at his kissers as he studied the tear; a small piece of beauty in an ordinary day; no… It wasn’t an ordinary day; no days that he lived now were ever ordinary. None of them were every the same. One day he was trespassing on another stallion’s terra and getting chased off, the next day he was galloping as fast as he could away from a pack of starved wolves. Diablo shook his noir dial and sighed. This was insane; then again there was no better time to live his life to the fullest. Sure he was young, only two summers but that did not mean he didn’t get to live his life. He wasn’t going to let another stallion boss him around, no; he would not stand for it. He raised his dial high and proud. He took a step forward and took a long breath through his nostrils then let it out through his mouth. He felt the cool mountain air rush in then rush out. He felt free… Like he would never be caught by the two legged or have to hang around with a herd, watching them all the time.
Diablo broke into a smooth but reckless canter. He tossed his ebony whipcords and arched his boa. A long, excited call burst from his vocals. He turned sharply from the pine tree forest he was in at the moment and cantered over to a narrow passage way of rock. If you were to fall off that edge it would be the end of you. This passage led all the way up to the top of the mountain. It was narrow, steep and not exactly what you would want to climb for fun. It looked unstable as well; yet this… This colt dared to take it on at a canter; he was determined and didn’t look like he was going to stop for any one. He was young and free. He was also reckless and inexperienced. How would this turn out? Would he fall to his doom or make it to the top of this mountain and find the place he was looking for? He was going to find out, now wasn’t he?Don’t look down… Do not look down. He told himself then laughed weakly. He glanced down quickly then felt his heart skip a beat. That… That’s a long way down… He murmured. He stretched out his boa and charged on, he didn’t want to fail at this task. He didn’t want to fail like he had in chasing the young vixen that he had followed. Maybe it had been a good thing that he had followed her. If he hadn’t he wouldn’t be free from his herd –not that he didn’t love his herd-, he wouldn’t have found this amazing place either. There must have been over one hundred leagues of land for this terra. This mountain cascaded down then shot up one more to form more mountains. The dark emerald pine trees were like blankets that covered this place. There were waterfalls that tumbled down the sides of a few of the mountains. Once the waterfalls had reached the earth they continued to run, they ran far away making a stream; then the streams halted. There was one certain river that reached a small meadow and made a lake. The sun shone onto the crystal clear lake making it sparkle and shine. Diablo gasped at its beauty. He continued to gawk at the site then focused back on the narrow path way that he cantered upon. He slid to a stop as quickly as he could. He had reached the end of the strait pathway. The reason he had halted was because the path just stopped then turned sharply and then began to climb the side of the mountain one more. Okay… That was a close one; I need to pay attention to the path now. I can look at my surrounding once I reach the top. Diablo told himself. He shifted his weight slightly and as he did so a small pebble got knocked by one of his daggers and fell off the side of the path way. He listened to rock against rock. He gulped as he watched the small pebble plummet to the bottom of the mountain, or at least where there was a small cliff. The idea of him tumbling off the side of the mountain like that pebble had made him feel sick to the stomach.
Diablo slowly moved around the corner then broke into a canter once more. He did not dare look down again; now that he was only getting higher. He was tempted to look at the beautiful landscape a few times but resisted and continued on. Only a mile or two left… He told himself. He had to get to the top of this mountain, he didn’t have a clue why but he just had to. He felt as if he there was something pulling in toward the top of the mountain. It was a strange feeling; he had never felt it before… Wait! Yes he had felt it before. He had felt it when he had followed that young vixen. He couldn’t stop himself from going that way. He tried to dig his heels in but it wasn’t working, as he fought it he only increased speed. Soon as he fought harder and harder against the speed he began to gallop. It was the least thing he wanted to do on this path way. Wait, if what ever wants me to get to the top it wouldn’t kill me, would it? It wants me to get there, and quickly. Diablo realized and without the help of the force pulling him toward the peak of the mountain he picked up speed. He made his pillars stretch out, forcing his strides to get longer and longer. His daggers beat upon the stone that made up the narrow path on the side of the mountain. He tossed his dial and whipped his ebony banned across his onyx hued haunches.
Diablo began to think about the young vixen he had followed; he absent mindedly galloped along the pathway, not really paying attention. He wondered why the young vixen had led him away from his home. It was odd. He tried to picture the vixen in his head once more but couldn’t really remember her. He had chased her for hours, why could he not remember what she looked like? All he could remember about her was she reminded him of a ghost; a beautiful ghost at that. Maybe she was a spirit? Maybe she was the one pulling him toward the top of this mountain. Spirits could do that, couldn’t they? Strong spirits were the ones who could probably do that. She hadn’t seemed like the strongest spirit ever. Wait, what am I saying? I’m getting a head of myself. This vixen might not even have anything to do with me trying to get to the top of this mountain, but why did she make me follow her? I wish she would show up again, I need to ask her so many questions. I guess I wouldn’t knock her down… that would be terribly rude and cruel. I’m not that cruel, am I? I’m not a wimp either. Would I push down a femme? I guess it would depend on the situation… Ack! I’m getting way off topic! I need to concentrate on getting to the top of this mountain. I don’t have anything better to do so I guess I should just get to the top. Diablo told himself then focused on the path. He just looked in front of him, not to the side, nor down. He had to keep going, nothing was going to stop him now.
Diablo was so temped to look over the edge once more. He wanted to gaze at the beauties of the landscape. He wanted to look at the waterfalls that plunged down the mountain sides and ran into rivers. He wanted to watch the rivers flow through the valley then bleed into a lake. He wanted to watch the wind blow through the emerald pine trees. He wanted to watch the eagle soar above his head and over the valley, letting its long, beautiful songs leek from its vocals. Diablo sighed as he heard an eagle sing above his dial. He wished to look up at it; he wished he could gallop bellow it and race it. One single tear trickled down his ebony cheek but he ignored it. The wind blew it away like a mother wiping away a tear from her infant’s cheek. The wind tousled Diablo’s onyx locks as if to cheer him up then it calmed and stopped. Diablo shook his dial then looked up at the eagle. He let a friendly hello escape from his vocals toward the eagle. His call most certainly reached the eagle because it called back to him and soared over to his side. It flew along his side, letting its song pierce the quiet air. The eagle seemed to be his friend; Diablo thought. A smile crept onto his maw and he let out a small laugh. He was beginning to become cheerful again. He was homesick, yes; but as he just realized he was going to get kicked out of his herd soon any way. It was better that he had left on his own, he had decided.
A few minutes pasted and Diablo continued to gallop. He wasn’t very tired but he knew he would soon begin to tire. He slowed to a canter then a trot. He was bored of trotting so he slowed once more and walked. He blew a piece of his ebony forelock out of his dark chocolate optics and lowered his dial. He lazily flicked his banner back and forth. He did feel like going quickly at the moment; the second reason was that the part of the mountain he was on wasn’t shaded by tall pine trees. It was a plain patch, no trees, just rock and grass. The sun beat upon his ebony coat furiously. It seemed as if his coat just soaked it all in; like a patch of moss soaking up the rain water that surrounded it. Diablo glance dup at the sun, it was on its way down. That was good in a few ways. One way was that the sun would be gone and it would be cooler out. One of the bad things about the sun going away was that it was dark and if it was cloudy it would be difficult to see, also creatures would be coming out of their hiding places. There were creatures that hunted equines that would be coming out. I need to get to the peak before nightfall. If I do not I will be in trouble. Because a lone equine; on a mountain; at night isn’t a very good situation. A pack of wolves or mountain lion could easily get me. Not like any one would really miss me besides my dam and sire. Or would a vixen miss me? Maybe? I wonder what she would look like and…. Diablo began to day dream, thoughts of young femmes and if they missed him clouded his head. Diablo shook his dial to free his mind from those thoughts. What am I doing?! It’s getting later and later! I need to get to the top of the mountain! Diablo realized then bolted into a gallop, trying to get to the peak. It was apparently farther then he had thought.
Taking longer then he expected Diablo sped up. He was tired but trudged on any way. He was so close to the peak he could taste it! His thoughts drifted off once more. He began to think about what the peak actually looked like. He had a few idea of what it looked like but couldn’t really image the top being like that. The first idea he had of the top of the mountain was just a plain meadow with a few trees. It wasn’t something amazing. The second idea he had of the mountain peak was a snow covered, cold and not a place to live. He thought this peak might be like that because it was still spring. There was usually still snow on the peaks of the mountains in spring. Just thinking of that made him shiver. Diablo disliked the cold and hoped that the peak wasn’t going to be like that. The third idea he had of what the top of the mountain was going to look like. It was a paradise. The grass was lush and green; the color of light emeralds. There would be a small grove in the corner of the meadow the trees would be all pines except one, one would be an apple tree. It would grow the juiciest, reddest apples in the whole valley. A waterfall would tumble from the true peak and make a sparkling stream that ran through the meadow. It would fall off the edge of the mountain peak making another waterfall. That was what Diablo wanted the peak of the mountain to look like. It was unlikely the peak would look like that though; but it was always nice to day dream.
Diablo had been off in his own little world for a while and hadn’t noticed how far he had gotten. He was on the other side of the mountain, now in the shade of the pine trees. It didn’t really matter because the sun was starting to set and it would be dark in an hour or two. Diablo began to walk once more; he was tired of cantering and galloping. He held his crown low from fatigue and walked slowly. He was having a bit of a difficult time of not dragging his daggers. He didn’t want to trip over his own daggers and fall visage first over the pathway. Diablo looked up, the sun was just setting. The sky was red, orange, yellow and blue. A few stars were starting to appear in the heavens. It was a beautiful sight but it also meant Diablo had been galloping, cantering, trotting and walking up this mountain. How long was it going to take him to reach the top? He hoped it wasn’t going to take more then a day. He really didn’t feel like hiking up this mountain the next day. He just wanted to get to the top of the mountain so he could rest and eat and drink. At least he hoped that he could do all of those things. He hoped there was fresh green grass; he hoped there was a stream full of cool, clear liquid and he hoped it wasn’t inhabited by wolves or another stallion and his herd. Even if it was inhabited by another stallion and his herd he would sleep there any way. He let a sigh escape him and let it drag on. He was tired and wanted to sleep but he also wanted to get to the peak of the mountain. Maybe he could just stop and rest for a minute, what harm could that do?
Diablo glanced around quickly, not like any one else was on this path. He let out a sigh of relief then kneeled. He tucked his front pillars in then his back pillars. He laid his dial down on the stone ground and closed his dark chocolate optics. He knew it was a bad idea to take a nap on the side of a mountain but he really didn’t care at the moment. He just wanted to sleep. He didn’t care where, he just wanted to sleep. Diablo drifted off into a deep sleep.
After two hours of sleeping all the stars were out in the indigo heavens and the moon was high in the sky. Diablo continued to slumber. He was still regaining all of the energy he had lost the previous day. After another hour of sleeping Diablo was awoken by the sound of hoof beats beating lightly on the stone path. Diablo kept his optics shut but his mind open. The hoof beats were ahead of him. How could an equine be ahead of him? I would have known if some one had passed him, or would he have? He had been in such a deep slumber he would had probably not been able to notice if another equine had passed him. But why would another equine pass him? How would they be so close to him without him knowing? These questions lazily went through Diablo’s mind. Some of his thoughts made no sense what so ever. He decided he was too tired to get into these kinds of complicated thoughts. He slowly opened his optics and blinked a few times to clear his vision. Diablo got up and shook his pelt from the dust that had settled on it. It was still night and there was plenty of it left. Diablo yawned once then walked on. As he walked he stretched and woke up. He felt refreshed and full of a new energy. He was glad he had taken a few hours to sleep.
Fifteen minutes after he had awoken he was cantering once more. His auds flickered back and forth catching all the sounds that came to his auds. He was trying to see if he would hear the hoof beats again. Hoof beats that weren’t his. As he turned another corner he saw a ghostly figure up ahead. It was the figure of an equine. He recognized the figure, it was the vixen! It was the vixen that had lured him away from his herd and to these mountains. He wasn’t going to let her get away this time. He needed to talk to her; he had so many questions to ask. He wanted to know why she had taken him away from his family and why she had brought him here. He had already fallen in love with these lands and would never leave them so they could be taken by another stallion.
The young vixen halted and gazed at Diablo with her sky blue optics. The moonlight made her pelt glow giving her the air of a ghost. If he didn’t know better he would have thought she had been a ghost. She was silent as the night; her pelt was ivory like the moon. She reared up; standing on her haunches. She pawed at the air with her front daggers and tossed her silver locks. She opened her maw to let a magnificent sound escape them. It burst from her vocals like a bird from a cage. The voice was different then he had expected. Then again it sort of was what he had been expecting for her to sound like. Her voice was more like a song then just a whinny. Her melodic voice floated across the land then rebounding off of the mountains across the way then coming back to the femme. Her voice seemed to just leap back into her throat as it just disappeared as it came back to her. The vixen winked at Diablo then wheeled around and bolted off.
Diablo was left there, mouth hanging open. He quickly recovered and bolted after the vixen at full speed. “Wait! Come back! Don’t go!!” Diablo screamed as he chased after the vixen. He turned a corner and saw the vixen in plain sight. She wasn’t getting away from him this time. The vixen whinnied once more as she galloped ahead of him. “Wait! Please! Slow down!” He cried desperately. The vixen looked back at Diablo and slowed slightly, doing what he had asked. She galloped only a few feet in front of him now. Diablo realized that he wasn’t very far from the top. He could almost see the meadow. The young vixen glanced back at him once more then flicked her silver banner in his visage. She seemed to be taunting him, teasing him, making him follow her. Diablo shook his dial and continued on, he didn’t care if he was falling into her trap; he knew what he was doing. He could escape this vixen if anything happened. She was just as old as he was; he could out run her and out fight her. Then again he didn’t know what this vixen was capable of doing.
Soon they were at a small hill that then sloped down and into the meadow at the peak of the mountain. The vixen halted at the entrance to the meadow and gazed back at Diablo, waiting for him to come to her side. Diablo did what the vixen wanted and halted beside her. He quickly studied the meadow, hoping it was what he had wanted. The meadow had lush emerald grass that was almost knee deep from no horses or creatures grazing upon it for many years. There was a spring at the very top of the mountain that ran down the small cliff and into the meadow making a waterfall that bleed on and made a small stream that ran through the meadow then down the side of the mountain once more. There was a small forest in the corner of the meadow. All of the trees were pines except for one at the very front which was an apple tree. It had the reddest apples Diablo had ever seen on it; plus they were all in reach. There was another cliff at the back of the forest making a small shelter that could fit at least two horses. Diablo sighed in awe then turned his attention to the vixen. “What’s your name? Why have you taken me away from my family and why have you brought me here?” Diablo demanded as he began to flood the vixen with dozens of questions.
At first the vixen did not reply to Diablo and just waited for him to stop speaking. “Are you finished?” The vixen demanded. Diablo nodded his dial slowly. Hearing the vixen’s voice was like listening to one of the most beautiful songs he had ever heard. She was amazing in every way. “Good.” She said. Her voice was firm and strong but still had melody in it. “My name is Temptation. I did not take you away from your herd you took yourself away. You didn’t have to follow me but you did, that is not my fault. Why did I lead you to these lands? Because this is your old home; your true home. I do not and cannot explain all of this to you because it will confuse you too much. All I have to tell you is this: This is your true home; you will always be drawn back to the mountains, Diablo. Take these lands as your own, fight the stallion who owns them. I know you’ll succeed.” Temptation assured Diablo. “I must part now, I will see you around.” She said with a grin then galloped away, back down the mountain. Diablo wheeled around and watched Temptation leave. She was the most beautiful vixen he had ever seen then reminded himself that it wasn’t always beauty that mattered. It was the inside that mattered not the outside, although it helped sometimes. He felt worry spread through him thinking of challenging for these lands. Yes, he loved them, but he was only two years old! How could he battle against a full grown stallion?! I guess I’m just going to have to deal with that when it comes up. Diablo said to himself then trotted into the meadow. He began to explore his surroundings. He got a drink from the stream. The cool liquid ran down his throat refreshing him. He then moved a few feet away from the stream and dropped his crown to graze for a moment. He got a few mouthfuls of the grass then lifted his crown once more. He sighed contently. He mulled the taste of the grass around in his mouth for a few seconds then smiled. The grass here was excellent. Diablo broke into a canter and leaped over the small stream, jumping it like it was a five foot jump. He had sort of over jumped it but he didn’t care. He cantered smoothly into the grove of trees. He halted in front of the apple tree and reared up. I snatched an apple from the tree with his ivories and finished eating it in two bites. He walked forward as he munched on the rest of the apple. He slowly looked around, taking everything in. The forest was nice and would make a good shelter when it was raining. Diablo turned around at a trot and trotted out of the forest. He then picked up his pace and broke into a canter. He made a quick downward transition once he reached the middle of the meadow. He sighed then prepared himself to challenge for the land.
Rearing up on his haunches he tossed his noir dial into the air and let a cry emerge from his vocals. “I challenge for this land! The stallion who owns these lands has three days to respond!” He screamed at the top of his lungs then came crashing back down to the ground. The wind blew and tossed his locks around his visage. No one responded so Diablo began to wait. Wait for the stallion to show up or else he would get the land. That’s what he hoped because he didn’t want to fight.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Diablo had trudged back down the mountain to go to his side of the mountain range. He and the other stallion had sorted out who got what. The other stallion didn’t want to fight nor give up his land so they had made a deal. He would get one side of the terra and the other stallion would get the other. Luckily the whole terra was huge; the largest terra around in his point of view. Diablo saw the stream that divided the terra in two. He broke into a canter and cantered through the stream. After he was a few miles away he found where he would like to keep his heard. It was a large meadow with small patches of pines growing in it. There was also a forest that surrounded the meadow. The grass was lush and green; there was also a stream that ran through it as well. Man, this terra has a lot of streams in it. Diablo muttered to himself with a small laugh. A waterfall poured down a small cliff that was at the end of the meadow behind the forest. It must have been where the stream had come from. This place will be good. Diablo declared speaking to the trees and the wind; but mostly to himself. He had no heard and he was only two. What vixen would want to come join his heard? Diablo shook those thoughts out of his head and trotted around the meadow that he had made as the main part of his side of the terra. It would be where his heard would rest and live for most of the time. When winter would come they would find another, sheltered place to live until it ended. If they needed a new grazing area they could move to another part of his half. Diablo sighed, content with how things where going to work out. Splitting the terra in two to make two terras instead of one wasn’t too bad. He and the other stallion were both lead and he hoped to never see him again. Not even make eye contact. He hated that stallions guts but would never admit it to his face because he didn’t want to fight him, not because he was afraid but because he didn’t want to lose what he had.
Diablo broke into a smooth but reckless canter. He tossed his ebony whipcords and arched his boa. A long, excited call burst from his vocals. He turned sharply from the pine tree forest he was in at the moment and cantered over to a narrow passage way of rock. If you were to fall off that edge it would be the end of you. This passage led all the way up to the top of the mountain. It was narrow, steep and not exactly what you would want to climb for fun. It looked unstable as well; yet this… This colt dared to take it on at a canter; he was determined and didn’t look like he was going to stop for any one. He was young and free. He was also reckless and inexperienced. How would this turn out? Would he fall to his doom or make it to the top of this mountain and find the place he was looking for? He was going to find out, now wasn’t he?Don’t look down… Do not look down. He told himself then laughed weakly. He glanced down quickly then felt his heart skip a beat. That… That’s a long way down… He murmured. He stretched out his boa and charged on, he didn’t want to fail at this task. He didn’t want to fail like he had in chasing the young vixen that he had followed. Maybe it had been a good thing that he had followed her. If he hadn’t he wouldn’t be free from his herd –not that he didn’t love his herd-, he wouldn’t have found this amazing place either. There must have been over one hundred leagues of land for this terra. This mountain cascaded down then shot up one more to form more mountains. The dark emerald pine trees were like blankets that covered this place. There were waterfalls that tumbled down the sides of a few of the mountains. Once the waterfalls had reached the earth they continued to run, they ran far away making a stream; then the streams halted. There was one certain river that reached a small meadow and made a lake. The sun shone onto the crystal clear lake making it sparkle and shine. Diablo gasped at its beauty. He continued to gawk at the site then focused back on the narrow path way that he cantered upon. He slid to a stop as quickly as he could. He had reached the end of the strait pathway. The reason he had halted was because the path just stopped then turned sharply and then began to climb the side of the mountain one more. Okay… That was a close one; I need to pay attention to the path now. I can look at my surrounding once I reach the top. Diablo told himself. He shifted his weight slightly and as he did so a small pebble got knocked by one of his daggers and fell off the side of the path way. He listened to rock against rock. He gulped as he watched the small pebble plummet to the bottom of the mountain, or at least where there was a small cliff. The idea of him tumbling off the side of the mountain like that pebble had made him feel sick to the stomach.
Diablo slowly moved around the corner then broke into a canter once more. He did not dare look down again; now that he was only getting higher. He was tempted to look at the beautiful landscape a few times but resisted and continued on. Only a mile or two left… He told himself. He had to get to the top of this mountain, he didn’t have a clue why but he just had to. He felt as if he there was something pulling in toward the top of the mountain. It was a strange feeling; he had never felt it before… Wait! Yes he had felt it before. He had felt it when he had followed that young vixen. He couldn’t stop himself from going that way. He tried to dig his heels in but it wasn’t working, as he fought it he only increased speed. Soon as he fought harder and harder against the speed he began to gallop. It was the least thing he wanted to do on this path way. Wait, if what ever wants me to get to the top it wouldn’t kill me, would it? It wants me to get there, and quickly. Diablo realized and without the help of the force pulling him toward the peak of the mountain he picked up speed. He made his pillars stretch out, forcing his strides to get longer and longer. His daggers beat upon the stone that made up the narrow path on the side of the mountain. He tossed his dial and whipped his ebony banned across his onyx hued haunches.
Diablo began to think about the young vixen he had followed; he absent mindedly galloped along the pathway, not really paying attention. He wondered why the young vixen had led him away from his home. It was odd. He tried to picture the vixen in his head once more but couldn’t really remember her. He had chased her for hours, why could he not remember what she looked like? All he could remember about her was she reminded him of a ghost; a beautiful ghost at that. Maybe she was a spirit? Maybe she was the one pulling him toward the top of this mountain. Spirits could do that, couldn’t they? Strong spirits were the ones who could probably do that. She hadn’t seemed like the strongest spirit ever. Wait, what am I saying? I’m getting a head of myself. This vixen might not even have anything to do with me trying to get to the top of this mountain, but why did she make me follow her? I wish she would show up again, I need to ask her so many questions. I guess I wouldn’t knock her down… that would be terribly rude and cruel. I’m not that cruel, am I? I’m not a wimp either. Would I push down a femme? I guess it would depend on the situation… Ack! I’m getting way off topic! I need to concentrate on getting to the top of this mountain. I don’t have anything better to do so I guess I should just get to the top. Diablo told himself then focused on the path. He just looked in front of him, not to the side, nor down. He had to keep going, nothing was going to stop him now.
Diablo was so temped to look over the edge once more. He wanted to gaze at the beauties of the landscape. He wanted to look at the waterfalls that plunged down the mountain sides and ran into rivers. He wanted to watch the rivers flow through the valley then bleed into a lake. He wanted to watch the wind blow through the emerald pine trees. He wanted to watch the eagle soar above his head and over the valley, letting its long, beautiful songs leek from its vocals. Diablo sighed as he heard an eagle sing above his dial. He wished to look up at it; he wished he could gallop bellow it and race it. One single tear trickled down his ebony cheek but he ignored it. The wind blew it away like a mother wiping away a tear from her infant’s cheek. The wind tousled Diablo’s onyx locks as if to cheer him up then it calmed and stopped. Diablo shook his dial then looked up at the eagle. He let a friendly hello escape from his vocals toward the eagle. His call most certainly reached the eagle because it called back to him and soared over to his side. It flew along his side, letting its song pierce the quiet air. The eagle seemed to be his friend; Diablo thought. A smile crept onto his maw and he let out a small laugh. He was beginning to become cheerful again. He was homesick, yes; but as he just realized he was going to get kicked out of his herd soon any way. It was better that he had left on his own, he had decided.
A few minutes pasted and Diablo continued to gallop. He wasn’t very tired but he knew he would soon begin to tire. He slowed to a canter then a trot. He was bored of trotting so he slowed once more and walked. He blew a piece of his ebony forelock out of his dark chocolate optics and lowered his dial. He lazily flicked his banner back and forth. He did feel like going quickly at the moment; the second reason was that the part of the mountain he was on wasn’t shaded by tall pine trees. It was a plain patch, no trees, just rock and grass. The sun beat upon his ebony coat furiously. It seemed as if his coat just soaked it all in; like a patch of moss soaking up the rain water that surrounded it. Diablo glance dup at the sun, it was on its way down. That was good in a few ways. One way was that the sun would be gone and it would be cooler out. One of the bad things about the sun going away was that it was dark and if it was cloudy it would be difficult to see, also creatures would be coming out of their hiding places. There were creatures that hunted equines that would be coming out. I need to get to the peak before nightfall. If I do not I will be in trouble. Because a lone equine; on a mountain; at night isn’t a very good situation. A pack of wolves or mountain lion could easily get me. Not like any one would really miss me besides my dam and sire. Or would a vixen miss me? Maybe? I wonder what she would look like and…. Diablo began to day dream, thoughts of young femmes and if they missed him clouded his head. Diablo shook his dial to free his mind from those thoughts. What am I doing?! It’s getting later and later! I need to get to the top of the mountain! Diablo realized then bolted into a gallop, trying to get to the peak. It was apparently farther then he had thought.
Taking longer then he expected Diablo sped up. He was tired but trudged on any way. He was so close to the peak he could taste it! His thoughts drifted off once more. He began to think about what the peak actually looked like. He had a few idea of what it looked like but couldn’t really image the top being like that. The first idea he had of the top of the mountain was just a plain meadow with a few trees. It wasn’t something amazing. The second idea he had of the mountain peak was a snow covered, cold and not a place to live. He thought this peak might be like that because it was still spring. There was usually still snow on the peaks of the mountains in spring. Just thinking of that made him shiver. Diablo disliked the cold and hoped that the peak wasn’t going to be like that. The third idea he had of what the top of the mountain was going to look like. It was a paradise. The grass was lush and green; the color of light emeralds. There would be a small grove in the corner of the meadow the trees would be all pines except one, one would be an apple tree. It would grow the juiciest, reddest apples in the whole valley. A waterfall would tumble from the true peak and make a sparkling stream that ran through the meadow. It would fall off the edge of the mountain peak making another waterfall. That was what Diablo wanted the peak of the mountain to look like. It was unlikely the peak would look like that though; but it was always nice to day dream.
Diablo had been off in his own little world for a while and hadn’t noticed how far he had gotten. He was on the other side of the mountain, now in the shade of the pine trees. It didn’t really matter because the sun was starting to set and it would be dark in an hour or two. Diablo began to walk once more; he was tired of cantering and galloping. He held his crown low from fatigue and walked slowly. He was having a bit of a difficult time of not dragging his daggers. He didn’t want to trip over his own daggers and fall visage first over the pathway. Diablo looked up, the sun was just setting. The sky was red, orange, yellow and blue. A few stars were starting to appear in the heavens. It was a beautiful sight but it also meant Diablo had been galloping, cantering, trotting and walking up this mountain. How long was it going to take him to reach the top? He hoped it wasn’t going to take more then a day. He really didn’t feel like hiking up this mountain the next day. He just wanted to get to the top of the mountain so he could rest and eat and drink. At least he hoped that he could do all of those things. He hoped there was fresh green grass; he hoped there was a stream full of cool, clear liquid and he hoped it wasn’t inhabited by wolves or another stallion and his herd. Even if it was inhabited by another stallion and his herd he would sleep there any way. He let a sigh escape him and let it drag on. He was tired and wanted to sleep but he also wanted to get to the peak of the mountain. Maybe he could just stop and rest for a minute, what harm could that do?
Diablo glanced around quickly, not like any one else was on this path. He let out a sigh of relief then kneeled. He tucked his front pillars in then his back pillars. He laid his dial down on the stone ground and closed his dark chocolate optics. He knew it was a bad idea to take a nap on the side of a mountain but he really didn’t care at the moment. He just wanted to sleep. He didn’t care where, he just wanted to sleep. Diablo drifted off into a deep sleep.
After two hours of sleeping all the stars were out in the indigo heavens and the moon was high in the sky. Diablo continued to slumber. He was still regaining all of the energy he had lost the previous day. After another hour of sleeping Diablo was awoken by the sound of hoof beats beating lightly on the stone path. Diablo kept his optics shut but his mind open. The hoof beats were ahead of him. How could an equine be ahead of him? I would have known if some one had passed him, or would he have? He had been in such a deep slumber he would had probably not been able to notice if another equine had passed him. But why would another equine pass him? How would they be so close to him without him knowing? These questions lazily went through Diablo’s mind. Some of his thoughts made no sense what so ever. He decided he was too tired to get into these kinds of complicated thoughts. He slowly opened his optics and blinked a few times to clear his vision. Diablo got up and shook his pelt from the dust that had settled on it. It was still night and there was plenty of it left. Diablo yawned once then walked on. As he walked he stretched and woke up. He felt refreshed and full of a new energy. He was glad he had taken a few hours to sleep.
Fifteen minutes after he had awoken he was cantering once more. His auds flickered back and forth catching all the sounds that came to his auds. He was trying to see if he would hear the hoof beats again. Hoof beats that weren’t his. As he turned another corner he saw a ghostly figure up ahead. It was the figure of an equine. He recognized the figure, it was the vixen! It was the vixen that had lured him away from his herd and to these mountains. He wasn’t going to let her get away this time. He needed to talk to her; he had so many questions to ask. He wanted to know why she had taken him away from his family and why she had brought him here. He had already fallen in love with these lands and would never leave them so they could be taken by another stallion.
The young vixen halted and gazed at Diablo with her sky blue optics. The moonlight made her pelt glow giving her the air of a ghost. If he didn’t know better he would have thought she had been a ghost. She was silent as the night; her pelt was ivory like the moon. She reared up; standing on her haunches. She pawed at the air with her front daggers and tossed her silver locks. She opened her maw to let a magnificent sound escape them. It burst from her vocals like a bird from a cage. The voice was different then he had expected. Then again it sort of was what he had been expecting for her to sound like. Her voice was more like a song then just a whinny. Her melodic voice floated across the land then rebounding off of the mountains across the way then coming back to the femme. Her voice seemed to just leap back into her throat as it just disappeared as it came back to her. The vixen winked at Diablo then wheeled around and bolted off.
Diablo was left there, mouth hanging open. He quickly recovered and bolted after the vixen at full speed. “Wait! Come back! Don’t go!!” Diablo screamed as he chased after the vixen. He turned a corner and saw the vixen in plain sight. She wasn’t getting away from him this time. The vixen whinnied once more as she galloped ahead of him. “Wait! Please! Slow down!” He cried desperately. The vixen looked back at Diablo and slowed slightly, doing what he had asked. She galloped only a few feet in front of him now. Diablo realized that he wasn’t very far from the top. He could almost see the meadow. The young vixen glanced back at him once more then flicked her silver banner in his visage. She seemed to be taunting him, teasing him, making him follow her. Diablo shook his dial and continued on, he didn’t care if he was falling into her trap; he knew what he was doing. He could escape this vixen if anything happened. She was just as old as he was; he could out run her and out fight her. Then again he didn’t know what this vixen was capable of doing.
Soon they were at a small hill that then sloped down and into the meadow at the peak of the mountain. The vixen halted at the entrance to the meadow and gazed back at Diablo, waiting for him to come to her side. Diablo did what the vixen wanted and halted beside her. He quickly studied the meadow, hoping it was what he had wanted. The meadow had lush emerald grass that was almost knee deep from no horses or creatures grazing upon it for many years. There was a spring at the very top of the mountain that ran down the small cliff and into the meadow making a waterfall that bleed on and made a small stream that ran through the meadow then down the side of the mountain once more. There was a small forest in the corner of the meadow. All of the trees were pines except for one at the very front which was an apple tree. It had the reddest apples Diablo had ever seen on it; plus they were all in reach. There was another cliff at the back of the forest making a small shelter that could fit at least two horses. Diablo sighed in awe then turned his attention to the vixen. “What’s your name? Why have you taken me away from my family and why have you brought me here?” Diablo demanded as he began to flood the vixen with dozens of questions.
At first the vixen did not reply to Diablo and just waited for him to stop speaking. “Are you finished?” The vixen demanded. Diablo nodded his dial slowly. Hearing the vixen’s voice was like listening to one of the most beautiful songs he had ever heard. She was amazing in every way. “Good.” She said. Her voice was firm and strong but still had melody in it. “My name is Temptation. I did not take you away from your herd you took yourself away. You didn’t have to follow me but you did, that is not my fault. Why did I lead you to these lands? Because this is your old home; your true home. I do not and cannot explain all of this to you because it will confuse you too much. All I have to tell you is this: This is your true home; you will always be drawn back to the mountains, Diablo. Take these lands as your own, fight the stallion who owns them. I know you’ll succeed.” Temptation assured Diablo. “I must part now, I will see you around.” She said with a grin then galloped away, back down the mountain. Diablo wheeled around and watched Temptation leave. She was the most beautiful vixen he had ever seen then reminded himself that it wasn’t always beauty that mattered. It was the inside that mattered not the outside, although it helped sometimes. He felt worry spread through him thinking of challenging for these lands. Yes, he loved them, but he was only two years old! How could he battle against a full grown stallion?! I guess I’m just going to have to deal with that when it comes up. Diablo said to himself then trotted into the meadow. He began to explore his surroundings. He got a drink from the stream. The cool liquid ran down his throat refreshing him. He then moved a few feet away from the stream and dropped his crown to graze for a moment. He got a few mouthfuls of the grass then lifted his crown once more. He sighed contently. He mulled the taste of the grass around in his mouth for a few seconds then smiled. The grass here was excellent. Diablo broke into a canter and leaped over the small stream, jumping it like it was a five foot jump. He had sort of over jumped it but he didn’t care. He cantered smoothly into the grove of trees. He halted in front of the apple tree and reared up. I snatched an apple from the tree with his ivories and finished eating it in two bites. He walked forward as he munched on the rest of the apple. He slowly looked around, taking everything in. The forest was nice and would make a good shelter when it was raining. Diablo turned around at a trot and trotted out of the forest. He then picked up his pace and broke into a canter. He made a quick downward transition once he reached the middle of the meadow. He sighed then prepared himself to challenge for the land.
Rearing up on his haunches he tossed his noir dial into the air and let a cry emerge from his vocals. “I challenge for this land! The stallion who owns these lands has three days to respond!” He screamed at the top of his lungs then came crashing back down to the ground. The wind blew and tossed his locks around his visage. No one responded so Diablo began to wait. Wait for the stallion to show up or else he would get the land. That’s what he hoped because he didn’t want to fight.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Diablo had trudged back down the mountain to go to his side of the mountain range. He and the other stallion had sorted out who got what. The other stallion didn’t want to fight nor give up his land so they had made a deal. He would get one side of the terra and the other stallion would get the other. Luckily the whole terra was huge; the largest terra around in his point of view. Diablo saw the stream that divided the terra in two. He broke into a canter and cantered through the stream. After he was a few miles away he found where he would like to keep his heard. It was a large meadow with small patches of pines growing in it. There was also a forest that surrounded the meadow. The grass was lush and green; there was also a stream that ran through it as well. Man, this terra has a lot of streams in it. Diablo muttered to himself with a small laugh. A waterfall poured down a small cliff that was at the end of the meadow behind the forest. It must have been where the stream had come from. This place will be good. Diablo declared speaking to the trees and the wind; but mostly to himself. He had no heard and he was only two. What vixen would want to come join his heard? Diablo shook those thoughts out of his head and trotted around the meadow that he had made as the main part of his side of the terra. It would be where his heard would rest and live for most of the time. When winter would come they would find another, sheltered place to live until it ended. If they needed a new grazing area they could move to another part of his half. Diablo sighed, content with how things where going to work out. Splitting the terra in two to make two terras instead of one wasn’t too bad. He and the other stallion were both lead and he hoped to never see him again. Not even make eye contact. He hated that stallions guts but would never admit it to his face because he didn’t want to fight him, not because he was afraid but because he didn’t want to lose what he had.
