if you feel me falling {snidget!!)

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S P Y R O S

the thundering sound through the forest was not the stormy rains that had been promised a season or so from now. no, it was the quick and loud hoof-beats of a large and stocky buckskin, pulling his way through the dense forest with a short, yet speedy stride. his head was held high as he ran at full speed, being careful not to run into a tree or some other obstacle. he was large and not very agile, but he wasn't completely immobile. for the first time in a long time, he had a destination. back when he was only a yearling who had just left his herd, he had stumbled upon a beautiful patch of water that was shaped like the four hooves he walked on. he had stayed here for a long time before he finally found some adventure and stopped wallowing in the loss of his mother and older siblings. every colt has to set off at this age, you will start a family of your own, start a herd. you will be the best leader this land as seen. his mother had told him the day he had set off. he believed her words, ready to take on the world and everything it could throw at him to build the biggest and strongest herd on the horizons. 

finally, the clear waters came into view and the buckskin stallion slowed his pace down to a steady lope. when he hit the surface, he lowered his black and gray painted muzzle to the surface, sucking up the refreshing liquid before throwing himself up in the air. the stallion balanced on his hind legs, kicking out his fore legs with a powerful stretch, before he flung himself into the water. instantly, the splash sounded and his body was pulled under the water - head and all. for a few moments, he swam underneath, kicking his legs with a strong stride and forcing his blue-grey eyes open. the water here was better and clearer than any he had ever seen before. he could see through the water, the few fish that lapped against his legs. when his lungs screamed for air, the buckskin finally pulled himself to the surface, his head bobbing as he sucked air and allowed his lungs to expand. 

he swam in the water for a bit longer before he pulled himself up onto the shore, stumbling a moment as his sodden, heavy fur weighed down his legs. but, once he found his balance he shook out his fur, splattering water everywhere and letting out a playful kick of his hind legs. oh, how much the young horse loved this beautiful place. 
@snidget

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M O N D

Thunder rumbling off a clear blue sky was a strange thing indeed, as harsh as it was over the roar of the falls and the startled flutter of birdwings. It woke Mond with a start, his slumbering figure up with a jolt as he gathered his hooves beneath him. Muscles bunched beneath his hide though his form was as still as the elder forest around him. There wasn't much to be done about thunder or the prospect of spring rain but brood over the very fact. Except, the thunder didn't turn out to be thunder at all. As his ears prickled and twitched this way and that, Mond realized the ruckus was echoing between the trees and the rocks, not the crystalline sky.

As if to reward his keen skills of observation, a lone figure erupted straight from the underbrush. They appeared not to notice him on the far side of the pool, but that was just fine with Mond. The musty scent of another stallion filled his nares with the arrival of this buckskin stranger, who wasted no time in tossing himself straight into the depths like a foolish colt. Despite his reservations the bay's ears pricked with apt curiosity as he could scarcely believe what play before his eyes. Seconds ticked by, then what must have been a full minute, and Mond wondered if he'd been yanked from his nap for the sole purpose of watching someone drown themself.

The rippled water didn't look so inviting to Mond as he peered into its depths. The notion of flitting back to the forest himself was a tempting one, as he didn't fancy himself for the macabre or the morbid like watching a dead body float by. That idea broke with the same abruptness of the surface though. The stallion reeled backwards when a very equine head popped up, ears erect, eyes bright and very much alive as Mond quickly put several feet between him and the shoreline. All he'd wanted was sleep and now this!

When he'd regathered his wits he snorted harshly at the figure, auds glued straight back to his neck. As the other finally trudged onto the shoreline Mond was almost of the mind to give him a good lashing for disturbing the peace. "Watch where you're flinging that water." As much a growl as he could produce, it rumbled from his chest with the irate stomp of a hoof. Two large steps carried him forward, abrasively chipping away at the distance still between them. He stopped abruptly however, snorting as he sized the stranger up.

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@avalanche
NOTES: Kids these days!

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S P Y R O S

watch where you are flinging water. a voice broke into the stallion's head and he raised blue-grey eyes to meet a tall, bay form in front of him. he hadn't even noticed the other stallion when he had first entered the little area, which probably had to do with the fact that he was running like a mad horse and not even hesitating before flying into the water. but, now, here he was, all moody and stomping in front of him. as the other stallion began to back away, the mustang followed. for every two steps the bay took back, the other took one forward. only when the other horse stopped moving and stomped his hoof did the buckskin turn sideways and give his fur another hard shake before pelting a good four horse lengths away. there was a cheeky grin on his face as he turned back to look at the bay stallion, a taunting twitch of his tail swinging before he allowed himself to race the other chest first.

a curious tilt of his head, before he finally spoke up in his young and oddly calm voice. "one would think if you weren't ready for a bath, you wouldn't be standing so close to the water." the buckskin stallion murmured, though his voice was a simple, matter-of-fact tone. when he had found the spunk that he had lost in the moment of tredding water, he lifted his thick head high and walked until he was almost nose to nose with the stallion. "i am spyros, but most i speak to on more than a single basis just call me, spy." he nickered, a small flick of his tail following afterwards. "what can i call you, oh, royal bay prince?" the buckskin bent one of his forelegs and bowed his head at the bay stallions hooves, as though he were trying to please the other into bringing him into his lands. though, it was all for fun. spy had a strange way of going about things, though he never seemed to have any fear.

he was the kind of horse that went out of his way to be kind, even to the biggest sticklers, but most of the time just found a fight. not that he ever cared, it was something that would give him more experience in his life if he managed to survive it. and truly, it took a lot more than a couple of spars to send the spirit of the north running for cover. if the stallion decided to give the name, spy would give another brief duck of his head before rising to his hooves and trotting back to the riverside. he would then lower his muzzle and take a much needed drink. there was no need to go thirsty. if the bay stallion wanted to attack him, then he could knock himself out. spy was always ready for a fight, though he did prefer a conversation of the tongue and not the hooves. if he was hit in the right spot, it could sting for days to months, and to be honest, he wasn't that excited to be wounded in the spring of the ladies.
@snidget <3

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M O N D

"Water is useful for things besides soaking strangers," snorted Mond, near a grunt of amusement mingled with exasperation. This stranger was either younger simply in his mannerisms or, indeed, young. Mond wasn't aged extensively, but with the years he had lived came with a sense of maturity. At least, that's what was swimming around in Mond's head when he thought on it. He certainly didn't flounce around pelting others in pond water with frequency.

Lifting his head at the approach of this Syros, he eyed him with a cautious flick of his auds. From the tips of his ears, down to his hooves and cross his spine he felt strangely tense from the boldness of the other male. When mixed with others he was typically the one to take charge, typically the one to flaunt himself about the space and command them with his presence. Still, he certainly wouldn't have begged anyone to bow before him and he could smell the palpable flare of mockery on the air. It settled into his gut with a sour taste.

"My name is Mond, kid," he shot to the back of Spyros' retreating form. Mond stood stock still as he watched him return to the water's edge, and only followed when he was sure it wasn't a ploy to splash him. The specks of water that littered his coat already would evaporate quickly. He wasn't overly fond of swimming, but a cool drink under the hot afternoon sun wasn't something he could pass up once the idea stuck in his head.

He joined the stallion, whisking his tail over his haunches to chase away the biting flies that had crept from the shelter of trees. When he lifted his skull back up, the bay took a swift glance about the place before looking to the buckskin. He was a couple yards down the bank, just enough room for Mond to avoid bursting his own personal space or the other's. He wasn't a mare, therefor he had few motivations other than his irritation to hang close. And he didn't feel like taking a chunk out of him just yet. "Say, what was snapping at your tail before? Why in such a dramatic rush?"

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@avalanche
NOTES: