All That Remains (open)

[seelestudio]

Dusk came quickly, with a cooler wind dragging down from the north. Salvatore shivered, his scared hide still held a shaggy winter coat, though it was thinning every day. His legs were caked with mud and moss, even some of his belly fur had gotten the rotting muck on it, and his mane and tail were tangled without hope of ever being straight again. His deep brown eyes and ears constantly scanned the surroundings, they seemed waiting to sense the monster that plagued his mind.

He had just woken from a fitful and forced sleep, he felt like he hadn't slept in days and wariness dragged at his entire being. He scented the air cautiously, but it seemed whatever caused this unease was nowhere to be found. Tore sighed, but he was far from relaxed, his eyes and ears still flicked across the horizon and he flinched as he looked behind every tree. A pain in his gut accompanied by a loud grumble startled him for a moment. He hadn't eaten in days, at least from what he remembered.

With a heavy sigh he forced his eyes to focus on finding grass instead of predators. It didn't take him long as he was in a dryer part of the territory. As soon as he saw the meal laid out in front of him his overstrained brain shut down and instinct took over. A small thought crossed the back of his mind,' I hope no one finds me here.'

OOC: Bare with me, I am soo not used to this :\
246 words

[Hud]

"Oh say, can you see my eyes? If you

can, then my hair's too short!"

Devereaux didn't like to start his daily patrol when he was in such a frustrated mood, but start it he did. The job needed to be done, whether his father was lazy and arrogant or not. The raggedy-haired stallion started at a brisk trot, lifting his red legs high and quick. Trekking over log and limb, Dev exited the bogs of inland Bastein and felt his hooves hit harder ground. Much to the ignorance of many, Bastein was not simply wetlands, but also housed a lovely forest caked in moss. The ground was sturdy here and supported larger animals, such as the majestic moose. Dev knew the musk of a moose well, but this time the smell he'd captured wasn't cervine.

The large paint was a surprise to Devereaux. The white of his coat made him easier to spot than a solid color might, though he was still well-hidden. Natives of the bayou were raised in a mucky, damp landscape so they were trained to see past it all and spot discrepancies in the scenery. "Salut, monsieur," Dev greeted him as he came out from behind the cypress knees and brushes. "Ah think yer new to this land..." Devereaux gave him room to explain his presence in a respectful way...

[seelestudio]

Salvatore snapped up the grass greedily, his hungry stomach didn't even notice the slightly muddy taste. He was so starved for food that he couldn't be bothered to hear the stallion coming. His stomach grumbled once more, painfully, it made Tore wince and stop his meal. Thats when he heard Devereaux. It was so sudden in his mind that he literally jumped away from the stallion.

Tore looked at him almost scornfully, ears back in warning," You just st-stay back oh-okay?" His voice came out shaky and harsh, as if it hadn't been used in forever. The stallion didn't look overly threatening or hostile, but to Salvatore everyone could be considered an enemy. Tore suddenly got the feeling that this stallion wasn't the only one coming, he looked around hurriedly picking his ears forward. He saw no one else, but that didn't really mean anything to him.

Turning his attention back to the light red stallion he said," What..." He swallowed hard, feeling like a piece of grass might be stuck in his throat," What do you want?" Tore wasn't being very 'nice', in fact was almost hostile.

OOC: ehhh

[Hud]

"Oh say, can you see my eyes? If you

can, then my hair's too short!"

Devereaux was taken aback. This was not an expected response! He wasn't sure he'd ever had such a negative response from a simple Basteinian greeting. The stallion took a step back, his brown-tinged red ears falling against his skull. A soft nicker left his lips as he thought hard about how to respond to this volatile stallion. Was he a challenger? Mother help Armand if he was. The old codger would never be able to fight at his age, try as he might... Devereaux decided he better think long and hard about his words and actions around this one. The equine continued to step back as he was ordered. "Okay, okay... Ah'm keepin' mah distance..."

Devereaux considered his question. What did he want. 'I wanna know why you're so tense.' Dev thought immediately. He knew it wasn't the question to ask and expect a welcome response. Bastein's prince stood his ground, making no effort to come any closer. "Ah'd like to welcome you, f'that's awlright monsieur... Ah'm Devereaux, y'see, the prince of dis bayou."