Sᵀᴿᴬᴺᴳᴱᴿ

[jock]

JOCK

The veils of cloud covered the bronze sun and cut off its rays of light. The once glistening lake soon became dull and obscure since it only had the ash-hue'd clouds to reflect. The jade grass that blew to and fro daintily in the breeze accompanied by the sun became pasty and just violently quivered in the sudden gusts of win. It seemed as soon as the sun was enveloped in clouds, everything was effected. Even the creatures were; for example, a stallion had made his way into this territory with a very cheery attitude. He was basking in the sunlight and cantering gracefully upon the emerald pasture in such a joyous mood. But now that the sun's warm glow had departed, he suddenly felt very gloomy.

The disappearance of the sun actually reminded him why he had came here. He had recently seen a stallion here and gathered he owned the luxurious territory. Being the arrogant, dominant male he was, he was interested in stealing it. But of course, not so soon. As of now he wanted to get himself known around here. Let the word spread to this territory's leader of his presence. The chestnut stallion had briefly roamed the area for about half a day and this seemed to be the only water source. It meant that if he waited long enough, a horse would show up for a drink sooner or later. And as a bonus, he could pass the time grazing and drink whenever he pleased.

OOC: Sorry for the shortness, I'm hoping for my future posts to be much longer.

[fORTE]

The wind flowed gently through the branches of the trees above Cathedral's head as he grazed, making the soothing background sound that only rustling leaves could make. The sun had been warming the air more and more as the morning wore on, quickly burning off the mist that enveloped the area every morning, and soon it had gotten so hot as to be bothersome out in the open so the stallion had retreated into the little wood between the lake and the tall cliff. His two mares were close at hand, mere shadows shifting form in the dappled light.

The stallion hardly noticed when the sun glided behind a cloud bank, but he did raise his head to smell and listen, for the umpteenth time today, for danger. Cathedral had no idea how the little herd had gone so long without being assaulted by some predator--he knew mountain lions were rather common, since he had seen their tracks and droppings. It seemed that the horses were overdue to be attacked.

But what the gray stallion smelled was not cat or wolf or bear: it was an unfamiliar stallion. Startled, he looked around for his mares to be sure they were safe, and spotted them after a moment. He told them to retreat into the cave where they sheltered in bad weather and other crises, and immediately he was off in the direction of the scent at his swiftest trot.

He, in his health and prime at the height of the good season, covered the few hundred yards in moments without being winded. As he broke out of the wood the breeze presented the full force of the strange stallion's scent, unbroken by trees, to Cathedral, and the stallion was shocked by how saturated the area was with it. Not nearly so much as the scent of himself and his mares, but really, the strange scent was everywhere; the stranger must have been here for quite a while to spread it so far. Anger started to boil in Cathedral's chest, both at the other stallion for being so uppity as to practically make himself at home here, and at himself for not realizing it sooner.

It took no more than a moment to spot the other stallion near the lake, and Cath changed his course to approach him. He did not use his gradually-slowing-down advance as he did with mares, for he wanted to intimidate this trespasser. Instead he made straight for the chestnut stallion in a tight canter, his neck arched and his chest inflated and his ears perked, pounding his hooves unnecessarily hard on the earth as he ran.

With a snort he came to an abrupt halt only meters from the stallion and quickly sized him up. He was the same height as Cathedral, but was built lighter, with thinner bones. No doubt he could run faster than the gray stallion. He was well-muscled however, and presented an impressive front. But Cath was not impressed. All stallions had to be at their best to fulfill their purpose: to further the species. Those who slacked were eaten or otherwise failed to produce foals. Cathedral had seen many a stallion equally fit as himself and as the one before him.

The gray stallion spoke in a voice he tried hard to make unassuming: "What are you doing here?" As if it wasn't obvious, but he had to at least give him a chance. Perhaps the chestnut had been unaware of the presence of another stallion--unlikely, but if so there was always the chance he would leave when he saw that the territory already belonged to someone.

[jock]

JOCK

The stallion quite enjoyed standing solitary for a while by the lake. The clouds had gaps in them, and every so often, he would be able to embrace the golden sunlight once more. But just as soon as one cloud moved, another took its place. The sorrel male grew tired of trying to luxuriously graze in the sunlight beside the sparkling water, since it only ever lasted a few second every time; and so he just decided to splash about for a bit. First, he submerged his front limbs. Then, his back limbs followed suit and together they spoiled the tranquillity of the water's surface. Every time he moved in the peaceful water, swarms of ripples fled from him. The water soon settled though once he stopped moving.

Since he was in the water, he though he might as well take advantage of the moment and stock up on some water. He lowered his head and swan-shaped neck then parted his mandible. A fuchsia tongue draped out of his mouth and skimmed ever so softly over the top of the water. The ripples started up again, but they were much more diminutive when compared to the previous ripples. The stallion's tongue curved in an almost spoon like shaped and returned to his mouth once more. He swallowed gratefully, rather fond of his skilled tongue.

After having his fill of water and cleaning his hooves, the stallion returned to the water bank. The beads of liquid were trickling off of his limbs and onto the grassy terrain. The male glazed each individual bead of water over with his tongue, but was stopped in the process when the smell of what seemed to be the herd drifted into his substantial nostrils. It smelled quite strong, especially that heavenly mare aroma. To thick -- they could be his soon! Then again, there was a powerful smell belonging to the herd's lead stallion. It was quite overwhelming, and every time the horse by the lake inhaled, the smell was getting closer.

So we finally get to meet... Echoed the male's voice in his mind, facing the direction the aroma originated from. Before he even had the chance to blink, over the slope a stallion's figure came into view. It was him at last. He was quite sizeable, perhaps the same size as he was, but what unnerved the stallion was the muscles encased in his body. Sure, that meant when he struck it would hurt, but that didn't necessarily mean he would hit upon striking. The expression upon the opposing male's face seemed to be very serious and almost intimidating. He knew that's what he wanted though. So that's his game? Intimidation? He could play that game as well. The stranger stopped not too far away from him and evidently analysed him. The chestnut mustang just chuffed heavily in his face before letting him speak.

"You seem wise enough to know why I'm here. But if you're really that oblivious; I'm hear to claim your title." The mustang wasn't fooling around, he was very straightforward. "Of course," he continued, "I'd rather make myself known and become more familiar with this place." His tone had taken a swift turn into a more taunting, almost provoking one. "My name's Jock, what's your's, if you don't mind telling me? I'd like to know whom I'm defeating." Jock's voice couldn't get any more taunting, especially after that final word. He flaunted how confident was in just that single sentence.Then again, this stallion seemed just as confident as he was judging from his approach and question.

[fORTE]

Cathedral remained silent and kept his imposing stance--neck arched, head high--while the chestnut stallion spoke, his anger growing all the while. True, he could not blame the stranger for wanting to take his territory; it was simply the way things were. Stallions stole from other stallions. Plus, it was a lovely and peaceful place, but that was even more reason for Cathedral to do his best to protect it. He had spent more than a year here and in that time he had become so familiar with his land that he could probably find his way to all the major landmarks both deaf and blind. Each of them held a special place in his heart and, even, had a personality. The cliffs in the west were fierce and majestic and kingly, and this lake, his home, was friendly and hospitable. He didn't want to lose his home and he would do anything to protect it.

At the chestnut's suggestion that he get to know Cathedral's home before fighting, the gray stallion's fury peaked and he interrupted, running over the last few words of his sentence. ”From what I can smell,” he seethed, ”You seem to be plenty familiar with my territory already. Why wait? Let’s fight right now. We’ll see who defeats whom.” As testosterone and adrenaline surged more vigorously through Cath’s veins he began to make circles around Jock, alternately striding confidently and prancing with eagerness to begin this match.

[jock]

JOCK

It didn't come as a surprise when Jock was interrupted. After all, he didn't expect this lead stallion to be able to withstand his provoking for long. True, he had been on a thorough journey in this territory, but he hadn't gotten himself too familiar with the 'locals'. "Well," purred Jock, a somewhat immature and smug grin attaching itself fluently along his lips. "I'd rather get to know your ladies," he continued; probing at his opponents fuse constantly, "but if you insist..." Adrenaline had already began pumping throughout Jock's veins. He knew the fight wouldn't be too long away; he had guessed that when he saw how the other horse approached him. Jock didn't bother turning his head like some sort of paranoid foal though. He knew his reflexes were sharp, but this stallion seemed decent and worthy enough to wait for his word too, instead of just plunging them both into combat.

"We shall fight now, but first, I insist you tell me your name. After all; you know mine now." His abrading tone finally subsided and was replaced by a more mature, serious one. Whilst he finished off his sentence, Jock stepped forward and stood in front of the other stallion once more, preventing him from further circling him. Jock turned his head, waiting for a reply, but also surveying the environment that could be his quite soon. His gaze immediately fixed upon the ivory mountain beside the lake. It was such a grand landmark and he could imagine himself one day rearing up on there with a hefty harem of magnificent horses. It was such a heavenly fantasy, but this stranger was standing in his way.

His eyes then turned to face what was beyond the mountains. His line of vision was cut short due to the scale of the grand mountains. Jock knew what was over there, slightly, because of his brief exploration in this territory. But he longed to familiarize himself, just as this stallion had. Jock had recently examined other territories that already had lead stallion, but to him they failed in comparison to this glorious area.

[fORTE]

Cath’s anger intensified as Jock’s comment about his mares reached him…in fact, the gray stallion could hardly keep from lunging at the chestnut. He didn’t know exactly why he was restraining himself, but launching into battle without ceremony just didn’t seem right.

The stallion stopped his circling and turned to directly face the intruder. "My name is Cathedral," boomed the gray, barely able to keep his voice steady while his guts trembled with anger. His voice matched his name perfectly, large and impressive, and the sound of them both together caused him to lift his head even further, with pride now rather than in an attempt to intimidate. Even as inexperienced as he was, Cathedral was a stallion to be reckoned with. He was large and strong and though young he had already acquired a territory and two lovely, loyal mares. To Cath these facts went only to show that he was capable of great things. He saw Jock as a learning opportunity as well as a threat: if he were to defeat the interloper then he would have that much more experience at defending his home and family, and while if he lost he would be devastated, he would still be that much the wiser. Again, Cathedral was young; if he lost all that he had gained in only a couple of short years then there were always opportunities to rebuild his life.

Cath’s attention never stayed an inch from Jock for even a moment. All his senses were strained toward detecting his enemy’s emotions and immediate intentions. The twitch of a muscle, flick of an ear, blink of an eye, would not go unnoticed in his hyper-aware state. He was ready for battle. But it seemed that the chestnut was still preoccupied in admiring his territory from the distance held in place by his obligation to fight Cathedral. He snorted irritably, feeling patronized, in an attempt to return the intruder’s attention to the matter at hand. "Excuse my interruption of what I'm sure are...deep thoughts...but I believe the time has come for our brawl to begin."