Carnival of Rust

[Swifthoof]

[Without your love]

The sound of crunching snow echoed in the silent forest as not even the wind stirred to disturb the silence. Not like it mattered to the stallion that was digging half heartedly for food or anything edible. A small snort escaped his nostrils as he tossed his head, his white forelock moving out of his dark blue eyes.

Almost out of habit, his gaze moved to the direction of the rival terrain of the Darksun Herd. Usually he would sneak onto it, but now..he had no reason to anymore. Now that Coldheart, his mate and former member of the Darksun herd, was dead. She had caught a fatal disease during the late autumn and had died just when the first snowflakes of winter had started to fall. It was if the earth was mourning along with him.

Sighing, he raised his head to the sky as the gloomy, gray abyss passed by above him. It almost matched his mood. Shaking his head, he soon started to walk, not even paying attention to where he was going. Not like it mattered to him.

[My life is nothing more than a carnival of rust..]

[[esperanza]]

f i c t i o n r e a l i t y [c o l l i d e]

The world was white. The bare limbs of trees, dark brown and gray against the coroless shade of the snow that weighted them down. A few green conifers added a rare splash of color to the forest scenery. The top layer of snow had been half-melted and then frozen again, and it was criss-crossed with the tracks of rabbits and deer. Above, the heartless sky was still and grey.

A palomino mare pawed at the ground, hoping to uncover a shred of edible food. Her pink hoof hit against dry, cold, empty soil. The land was barren.

Like a phantom of night, the grey stallion passed before her. Esperanza looked up, feeling a pang of sympathy in her heart as she saw the crushed look on his face. She recognized his scent; he was one of the herdmembers.

The mare nickered softly, a voice filled with concern and motherly love, and still hinting of pain.

f a c e l e s s s o u p

{OOC//I just heard this song on the radio: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfbMvSGPgLE }

[Swifthoof]

Ears pricked as they caught the nicker of concern and his tail flicked in acknowledgement to the mare, yet his eyes were slightly glazed as he reminised all the times he went to the Darksun teritorry to see his mate. The thought of spilling out to Esperanza probed the back of his mind, but what would she do if she found out that he had had a relationship with a Darksun?

He sighed before flicking his eyes over to her, still wondering wether to tell or not. A common equine probably would, to get it off his chest in hopes of feeling better. But somehow, Graystorm had the feeling that if he told, it would still remain anyway like a dark cloud. His mouth soon opened to speak and all that came out was Hello, Esperanza he said, his voice slightly raspy from not using it for a long time.

[[esperanza]]

y o u v ' e s e a r c h i n g [y o u ' v e] b e e n [r e a c h i n g] o u t

A small burst of cold wind lifed the flaxen mane off Esperanza's neck. Her ears perked up at his voice; she caught how raspy and undecided he sounded.

"Hello, Graystorm," she nickered in reply.

Her eyes lifted to the sky above. Dark clouds were lingering on the horizon; there would probably be a snowstorm this evening. The weather was depressing enough, but the stallion's mood was only adding to the weighty feeling that was beginning to settle in her heart.

"Is everything alright?"

w i l l [y o u] b e [d e s t r o y e d] b y y o u r ' e [d o u b t] ?

[Swifthoof]

Hello Graystorm

His dark sad eyes flicked over to her as she answered and he briefly nodded as her next set of words caught his ears.

Is everything alright?

He stopped as his head lowered to the ground, a small pit of anger boiling in his stomach. His first instinct was to lash out at the mare, but he chose not to..it wouldn't help his grief anyway. Sighing, he felt the anger cool and he soon shook his head, not wanting to say anything in fear of falling apart. Feeling the cold gust of wind, he lifted his head as his white mane blew upward before settling back down onto his neck.

[[esperanza]]

y o u [d e c i d e]

The stallion was silent, but Esperanza noticed how angry he looked. She closed her eyes and sighed, deciding not to ask any further questions. She shifted just a bit to the right, turning her back to the wind. The mare pawed at the snow, kicking the white stuff away in hopes of finding more grass.

w h o [w i l l] y o u [r u n] t o [?]

[Swifthoof]

He watched the mare out of the corner of his eye before sighing and lifting his head to the sky. Shaking his head, he lowered it back down then turned to Esperanza who was searching for grass. Ignoring the cold breeze, he slowly took a step forward, his dark blue orbs filling with sadness. Then he found himself speaking as if his mouth just suddenly took a mind of its own. My..mate had just died in the late autumn...her name was Coldheart...and she..she was from the Darksun herd... he said, his voice so quiet that he wasn't even sure if she heard it.

[[esperanza]]

w r o n g [o r] r i g h t

The mare uncovered a single blade of muddy green and ate it up greedily before pawing more at the snow. It tasted sour, but she had a feeling that she wouldn't find any better tasting grass this winter.

The day was quiet. The breeze had died down, leaving the air still and silent. A few birds could be heard singing and bickering over their territory, but other than that, there was nothing.

Graystorm's whispered voice broke through the silence suddenly. Esperanza's head jerked up, her ears alert. She had not expected him to speak, and for a few seconds, she could only stare in surprise while she processed his words. Then, her expression fell into a mixture of shock and sympathy.

She leaned her head foreward, and with a calming nicker, she nuzzled his forelock. Esperanza had always been the motherly type, even to unrelated horses. "I'm so sorry," she nickered softly, her voice sincere. For the moment, she didn't even think about how he had broken the rules--those thoughts were pushed to the back of her head for the moment.

t h e r e n o [r e a s o n]

[Swifthoof]

He blinked as he felt the palomino's nuzzle, hearing her words. All he was able to do was nod before nuzzling her back. It's fine... he answered, not even noticing the single tear that fell from his eye. Sighing, he shook his head as his gaze went to the sky. I'm just glad..that she didn't suffer..before the disease took her.. he murmured as his head turned into the direction of the Pool of Peace. He had been going there for days sometimes even spending the night there in hopes of being able to see Coldheart, but every time he went, there was still no sign.

[[esperanza]]

f o r [y o u] to [h i d e]

She caught sight of the tear on his face and smiled comfortingly. "I'm sure she was a wonderful horse."

{{OOC//I'm going to go on a whim and assume Esperanza's mate is dead, since I know zip about him.}}

She followed his gaze to the overcast sky. A single ray of sunshine broke through the clouds, casting a pale gold light over the land. Esperanza stayed silent for a moment before speaking softly. "I still miss Strider," she said, mostly to herself. "But I know he wouldn't want me to spend time mourning for him. We will meet again. I know it."

o n l y [l o v e] c a n [v h a n g e] y o u r [l i f e]

[Swifthoof]

His ears pricked at her words and he nodded. Yes..she was he murmured as his dark blue gaze caught the single ray of gold that shone on the land. A soft snort escaped his nostrils as she spoke about someone named Strider. He let out a soft nicker before looking down at the snow covered ground. I loved her...but I know several horses who would probably consider me a traitor and want me exiled.. he said, sighing.

[[esperanza]]

o n l y [l o v e] c a n [c h a n g e] y o u r [l i f e]

Esperanza closed her eyes, losing herself in thought. Hearing his words, she looked at him. Her brown eyes were warm with compassion. "Graystorm, I know you would never do anything to purposely harm our herd. The judgement will be up to Spirit--but whatever he chooses, I forgive you."

The afternoon sunlight was starting to melt the snow. Catching sight of green, Esperanza trotted foreward a few yards to find a relatively large patch of muddy grass. She began to graze, then looked over at Graystorm and stepped back, wandering if he wanted to eat also.

y o u [d e c i d e]

[Swifthoof]

Graystorm, I know you would never do anything to purposely harm our herd. The judgement will be up to Spirit--but whatever he chooses, I forgive you.

A small smile crossed the stallion's face and he nodded. Thank you..I just hope Spirit will think that too he answered, watching as the sun broke through the clouds, melting some of the snow to reveal some stalks of grass. He watched as the palomino ate then stepped back to offer him some. Nodding his thanks, he stepped forward and plucked off a few strands. Tossing his head, he stepped back, swallowing before his eyes flicked around for danger.

[[esperanza]]

G o d c a l l i n g [o u t] to [y o u] a g a i n

She flicked her flaxen-colored tail as he grazed, eyes searching the trees. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a branch cracking. Her ears perked up, and she looked around for what had made the sound. Through the trees, she saw for a fleeting moment tawny colored fur. The older mare took a step back. "Graystorm," she whispered. "Be careful..."

l e t [H i m] p u l l [y o u] l e t [H i m] t a k e [y o u] i n

[Swifthoof]

The sound of a branch breaking soon caught the stallion's attention and he looked around, catching a glimpse of tawny fur. A soft, cautious snort escaped his nostrils as he heard Esperanza's words and he nodded, keeping track of the cat as it seemed to circle around, watching for weaknesses. Tossing his head, he squealed in warning and reared up, snorting angrily. Dropping back down, he pawed the ground, watching for any signs of the cougar as his muscles tensed, preparing for an attack.

His ears soon pricked to the sound of a snarl and he whirled around to see the cat leaping at him. Letting out an angry squeal, he reared, stricking his hooves out at the cougar. The cat managed to dodge and aimed his claws at his belly. Graystorm landed and leaped back, the cat's claws raking across his chest. Grunting in pain, he charged for the cougar, snorting in anger. The feline, seeing that he couldn't win against prey that fought back, retreated back into the trees, snarling.

Graystorm sighed in relief and looked at the wound on his chest. It wasn't very deep however it still bled profusely. Tossing his head, he turned to Esperanza. Are you okay? he asked, walking toward her.