Prisoner Of War

[[esperanza]]

Again, Nombre was alone.

They--the humans, those odd two-legged creatures, that is--had let the horses out to pasture. A false spring had allowed some grass to grow, but last night a storm had rolled in and dumped the land anew with snow. It had let up now--was it morning or afternoon? He couldn't tell, the sky was always so gray--but there were still large, fat snowflakes falling lazily, sometimes lifted up to fall at an angle by a stray gust of wind.

Nombre was alone because the other horses were huddled together in a circle, their noses pressed in together. It wasn't that they had excluded him; instead, he was too proud to go over them and try to fit in. So he was alone, a white ghost in a white ghostly land.

To the north, barely visible beyond the hazy fall of a distant snowstorm, he could see mountains.
Home.

[[R].ebel]

..::you.cant.take.me::..
..::i'm.free

Muscles churned under ebony hide dusted with white flakes of crystals. Hooves slushed through the snow, having worked the fresh snow into a muddle of mud, snow and water. Pacing back and forth against the railing that kept him from freedom. Not to mention the looming fence that casted shadows over his ebony hide as if to try to hold him here within this trap. No, he would not stand for that. By now, most who had been here for any length of time would know this mustang, if not by his color and size, it would be by his unbreakable determination.

Duke.

He had been pacing this fence half the night, studying evey angle of it, searching for a weakness that he could break through. The ebony stallion had not stopped his pacing since he began, thus leaving a trench of mud, snow and ice beside the length of the fence. Hard eyes never left the view beyond the fence, thoughts focused on only one thing: escape. Duke did this often, pacing the fence back and forth, unwilling to cease his determined mind to leave. There was no doubt, he was going to escape.

Duke slowed to a stop, slamming a hoof down in the slush he had created. Eyes scanned the area, looking for anything that would aid in his escape, but today would not be the day. The time, the weather and the conditions were just not right. As much as Duke hated to admit it, it seemed that he would have to wait until spring. Standing aside the fence, Duke looked to the distant hills, grayed out by the sky, over the walls that bound him in, one thought on his mind: his son.


A strong, fit bay stood off to the side of the other horses, standing much like a lead stallion would over his herd, only this stallion was no one to lead a herd. He was a true fort horse. Ikusa lifted his head from grazing, noticing two other stallions that were seperate from the group. They were contrasted in color, which Ikusa found to be quite strange; one black, one white. He knew of the white one, Nombre, a once wild stallion who was never really trained to be an army horse. As for the black one, Ikusa only knew that he had never been able to be handled and refused to allow any human near him, with the exception of sending him to the pasture. Ikusa knew his name to be Duke, another wild stallion.

Ikusa couldn't recall if he had spoke to Nombre before. Normally, Ikusa was very busy with the Colonol, working the fort and what-not. With a snort, he broke away from the others and approached the white horse, his own head held high and proud, an eye glancing to the black stallion. He stopped a few yards away from Nombre, eyes watching the black stallion with a look of disrespect.

"Nombre, right?"

[[esperanza]]

The white stallion watched Duke with mild interest, a cynical light in his eyes. "You're never breaking out that way, you realize that, right?" he said sardonically.

At the sound of his name, Nombre turned his attention to the strong bay who had addressed him. He frowned, wondering why in the world any horse would be proud to live in captivity. "Yes, that's my name," he said flatly, his ears swiveling back for a moment.

[[R].ebel]

'You're never breaking out that way, you realize that, right?'

Duke's gaze did not break from the outside world. His determination was unbreakable, and he would prove this world wrong. Duke was not going to break from this hold today, but he would. If not this way, it would be another, and he would prove them all wrong.

'Yes, that's my name'

Ikusa's ears pinned at the flat remark, a snort of irritance escaping his nostrils. With a swish of his tail, Ikusa turned away to find better grazing, having at least spoke to Nombre. Ikusa already didn't like him.

"Untamed filth..."

As the bay left, the black turned his head to look at Nombre, a determined, hard gaze in his eyes. He had not forgotten what Nombre had said and was ready to retaliate.

"I'll break out by any means necissary. The only thing that will stop me is my death..."

[[esperanza]]

"Untamed Filth."

The words hit Nombre like a boulder, right in the middle of his chest. His ears flattened against his skull, and he darted to intercept Ikusa, half-rearing and letting out an angry whinny. "Watch your tongue, slave," he snarled, not even attempting to mask the acid in his voice.

Nombre's eyes narrowed at Duke's comment. He said nothing, but fixed the black stallion with a steady glare. On a normal day, he wouldn't have been so ready to make enemies with these two other stallions, but Nombre had been pushed to the limit of his sanity, and any remark would have been enough to set him off.

[[R].ebel]

'Watch your tongue, slave'

Ikusa met Nombre head on, glaring him in the eyes as ears pinned flat to his head. The black stallion by the fence just watched with a hard gaze, uninterested in what they were doing. Hot angry words came out from the bay like a hiss from a snake, a very angry snake.

"No slave works by his own will and I choose to work here. At least I have done something with my life instead of standing around like fool."

[[esperanza]]

The ivory horse was silent for a long time, letting Ikusa's hot words sink in, all the while pinning his ears back and fixing the other with a hard glare, a dangerous light in his eyes. Then he snorted with disgust.

"And just what have you accomplished? You're nothing but a servant to those lowly two-legs." Nombre lifted his head a bit higher and arched his neck proudly. "You couldn't survive a day without them feeding you. You couldn't protect yourself against wolves and cougars, much less a herd. What do you have to proud of? Those ropes and the bit in your mouth?"

[[R].ebel]

'And just what have you accomplished? You're nothing but a servant to those lowly two-legs. You couldn't survive a day without them feeding you. You couldn't protect yourself against wolves and cougars, much less a herd. What do you have to proud of? Those ropes and the bit in your mouth?'

Ikusa met Nombres' gaze with his own, ears flat to his head. The words deeply cut into Ikusa's pride, but he felt he had far more to proud of than this lowly stallion. With an irritated snort, he retaliated to Nombres' words.

"I've done more than you could ever take claim to have done. You say I'm nothing but a servent, but I chose to be here, working for a living. Unlike you, you untamed filth, who stands around having your feed brought to you, making you nothing but a fat pony. While I and others are out working, willing to put ourselves to good use. I'd survive alot longer than you ever could out on the range. I am proud that at least I am doing something with my life."

[[esperanza]]

At the words "fat pony" Nombre trembled with anger and had to fight hard to keep from lashing out at Ikusa. His lips started to curl back in a snarl as he listened to the rest of the stallion's rebuttal. When the white stallion replied, his voice was even and quiet, but rippling with an undercurrent of total rage.

"What you are doing with your life is destroying my homeland."

He badly wanted to fight this other stallion who, Nombre thought, had probably never fought with another in his life, but he wouldn't strike first, either. He also wanted to walk away and let his biting words sink in, but he was too proud to just walk away from any battle, be it one of strength or rhetoric.

[[R].ebel]

'What you are doing with your life is destroying my homeland.'

Ikusa only sneered at Nombres' words, unphased by them. His homeland was here, so it did not matter to him as to whose land the humans were destorying. This was his home and he would protect its name and value to him. With a snort, he replied to Nombre.

"That's not my problem."

Duke wated the fort with hard eyes, only mildly listening to the twos' conversation. The black stallion thought thier actions to be stupid and childish. Pride was something that caused too much war, pain and suffering. Duke was not a prideful stallion, at all. What did he have to be proud about, anyway? Surely not the evil spawn he came from. Surely not his brother, who lived to destroy. Duke was not proud of the day his mate was killed and his son seperated from him; as Duke had not been there to protect them. What did Duke have to be proud of? Nothing. Nothing at all. Pride was foolish emotion and both these stallions were acting like two foolish colts. Hard eyes moved to the two, studying them over with no interest and he spoke up, sick of hearing them talk.

"Both of you swallow your pride and walk away. You are acting like a couple of colts. What is it that either of you have to actually be proud of? Pride is a foolish emotion and you two standing her fighting only proves such a thing.""

[[esperanza]]

Nombre was furious. Simply furious.

Ears twitched to Duke's words, and the white stallion turned his glare to him instead. After a few seconds that felt like centuries for the Darksun horse, he tossed his head contemptuously and started walking away, sending a hard look over his shoulder as he passed the bay stallion. He walked slowly, deliberately, to the edge of the fence and stared once again at the distant mountains. The weather had cleared, and the snow-capped highlands was clearly visible against a sky that was slowly turning blue.

He had to get out of here.

[[R].ebel]

Ikusa snorted as the white stallion walked away, glaring back at him with set, angry eyes. He gave the same glare to the black stallion, whipping his tail in an irritated fashion before trotting off towards the other horses, pushing them out of his way to get to good grazing.

Duke let out a feirce sigh, at least somewhat glad the fight was over. Perhaps now he could think clearly. Returning his gaze to the large gate that locked him in, he stood in thought for a long momment. It wasn't until he just happened to glance around when he noticed the white stallion was searching the distant hills; a look in his eye that Duke found to be quite familiar; his own. Perhaps...

With a soft snort, Duke walked towards the stallion, walking behind him and stopping at the shoulder of the stallion, only facing away. His eyes never met that of the ivory's but the undying determination still burned within those dark eyes.

"If you want out, work with me. We'd have a better chance of escaping if we worked together. With or without you, though, I will escape."

[[esperanza]]

Nombre had been hoping that Ikusa would throw another insult at him, so that he would have had a valid excuse to wheel around and rip his throat out.

Unfortunately for him--or perhaps it was good fortune--that didn't happen.

"If you want out, work with me. We'd have a better chance of escaping if we worked together. With or without you, though, I will escape."

He hadn't heard the other stallion walk up behind him. Nombre glanced at Duke before turning again to the wild lands beyond. He was silent for a long time, thinking. Finally he spoke up.

"Do you have a plan?"

[[R].ebel]

The silence of the ivory colored stallion was matched by that of the ebony stallion, he awaiting a reply. Duke had been planning this for a year now, and it would be over soon, whether by fleeing this place or by his death while trying to flee. Either way, Duke was going to get out of here, the sheer determination to find his son, and face a certain someone, his fuel to getting out of here.

'Do you have a plan?'

So the offer hadn't been turned down, but it hadn't been answered either. Still, Duke would give an answer. Looking to the large double doors that had closed Duke in here a year ago, he nodded his head to them in acknowledgment.

"My time here has allowed me to study the behaviors of the two-leggeds. Over time, I've noticed a predictable pattern in thier behavior: one in the morning and once at night, those doors open, for sure, allowing for troops to go out and return back in. Of course, thoughout the day they may or may not open for various reasons, but they are not predictable such as the two times for sure they open. It's gotten to the point now that I can tell exactly when they open the doors. My plan is this; in the morning, when the troops prepare to leave, that is when we break for it. But I figure if there are two of us, one could make a distraction right after the doors have been opened, so that they remain open and unguarded for a very short time. During that time, the other will run through, which should distract the two-leggeds from the distractor, which will give that one a chance to leave as well. The one thing we'll have to remember is, all those troops that are preparing to leave will be on horseback, which means we'll have to run as hard and as fast as possible... else we right back where we started, or dead."

[[esperanza]]

Nombre was silent as he listened to Duke's plan, nodding when he was finished. Then he jerked his head at the mountains. "We should head north. Those mountains are the closest way out of the desert, and I expect that the humans won't want to venture up there--cougars, and they won't know the terrain. We'll be in Cimarron territory then" --here his lips curled up with disgust, but his voice remained flat as ever-- "but we can follow the river south. It goes through the heart of their territory, but if we travel by night, we should get through...Spirit won't fight us," he snorted with contempt.

And then what?

Nombre fell silent, watched the last snow cloud fade in the afternoon sky--it was going to be a clear, cold, starry night. And then Nombre realized something: he had been talking as if Duke and him were going to stay together. He stole a glance at the black stallion then turned away again, his dark eyes narrowing.