Ooo Shiny! (Open)

[Deleted]

Having found this lovely stream, the dun and grulla marbled stud had decided to follow it's twisting and turning curves for a bit of fun. One never knew where a river would go, specially the first time. The water had been crisp and delightful to sip on as he ventures on. It was a mild spring day with a bit of a breeze, he'd cross the water or pound a few miles in the stream before returning to the grass and rocky banks. The mosaic of a stallion had no agenda for the day so it'd taken him probably half a day of traveling after initially finding the stream before he'd found the rainbow's end. Once the sound of louder rushing water had reached his thorns, Toorop had kicked up pace out of curiosity of how big the waterfall was going to be. He was pleasantly surprised at how the river opened up wide over a huge U shaped rock ridge and poured over the edge into a deep clear inviting pool.  Toorop wasted no time on skirting the steep path on the edge of the waterfall to reach the pool, snorting with delight, his amber orbs lit up with energy. Plunging his dunny body into the cool waters, there was little area of shallows before it seemed to plunge into a deep depth. Whinning to himself in pleasure as the liquid splashed and rolled over his back as he kicked his irons beneath him to swim across to the neighboring side of the pool. Hoisting himself out once he reached a good spot, snorting and bobbing his head up in the air with a snort, spraying water around him. Toorop indeed was pleased with this little find he had found. As excited as a foal finding a butterfly for the first time, he through himself back into the pool.  Fighting the current, he powered with his chest and forelegs towards the thundering falling water, keeping his head as high as he could as he went. Taking a deep breath before intentionally going into the tremendous curtain of falling water, soaking his enter head and body, pushing his body down into the water, it was one hell of a fight for him to keep under and even pass through behind it. Once clear and into the shadowy alcove behind the liquid curtain, Toorop was ecstatic to find a narrow rock ledge that if he was careful, in which he was, he could pull himself up and be standing behind part of the waterfall. Looking out and seeing the blur of the pool past the curtain looked way cool and he nickered to himself. It had been well worth the journey of following the stream to find this place. The water was quite chilling at the moment but he had a good feeling this would be a wonderful place come hot summer days.  After catching his breath while standing on the ledge, the mist of the plunging falls continually soaking him, Toorop ventured as far as he could in on direction on the ledge, it did not reach out past the falls to make a dryish escape. Without bothering to check out the other direction, the youthful brute boldly jumped back into the water and fought the current of the falling curtain again. This time though, once he was initially passed the strongest part he let the flow push his body out into the middle of the pool before he really had to continue kicking his hooves to complete the voyage back to dry land on the banks of the pond. Once out he shook himself vigorously, he felt drenched to the bone now and being it evening had a feeling he wouldn't dry out till morning. He shrugged that worry to the side, now feeling a bit exhausted from such a different physical feat. Toorop quickly found a rich patch of long grass by the rocky banks of the pond. This place had a cozy feel to it and he was liking it more and more the longer he hung around, he hoped some pretty damsel would come by here tonight. Who wouldn't for such clean drinking water and rich feeding? Toorop ~ 3 yrs ~ Stallion ~ Zebra dun(SM-Grulla) ~ 14.3hh ~ Brumby+Fjord

[fennecfyre]

Aryel had grown up knowing only open plains and rocky steppes. As a result, regions such as this, where trees grew tall and stout to block out the sun and thick underbrush tangled her hooves, served to make her a bit antsy. She disliked not being able to see far ahead and around, and she remained more alert than usual, concerned about what kind of beasts lurked in the woods. Nevertheless, she had come here on purpose--she wanted to see what secrets this forest held within it, and she wasn't about to be scared off by some overgrown shrubbery. 

She ambled down a game trail, following it's twists and turns through the trees. She was beginning to wonder where she would end up when her ears caught the distinct, distant roar of moving water among the trilling insect song and rustling leaves. She perked up and quickened her pace--loud water meant open space, and she was starting to feel a bit thirsty anyway. The sun was beginning it's downward arc as well--she much preferred bedding down in a clearing to taking her chances in the forest come nightfall.

The source of the noise, when she found it, took her breath away. Water cascaded down a curved face of rock, where the land rose up suddenly and sharply in a cliff of clay and granite. At the base of the cliffs, the water collected into a deep, clear pool, which was surrounded by thick green grass. Entranced, she stepped into the clearing, only then realizing that she was't alone. A stocky stallion with a peculiar coat was grazing nearby. He was soaked, she noticed, and she guessed that he had gone for a swim--an excellent idea.

Never one to shy away from company, she neighed to draw his attention, stepping down into the small meadow. "Hope I'm not bothering you," she called over. "Just came to do some sightseeing."



@txep

[Deleted]

Enjoying himself in the peace and quiet of the evening as the water drip drip dropped from his pelt, banner and whipcord, Toorop contently munched away at the lush greens. The slight chill from being wet as the sun slowly scooted away out of sight was a good feeling, though his burn scar over his shoulders and neck kept twitching with a small ache to the chill. This was nothing new, since the injury was acquired, everything bothered the almost hairless scar tissue that was left there. The aches and pains of it were something he'd grown use to and ignored, only severe bitter cold winter weather made it unbearable, this last winter really had proved that too him since he hadn't any sleeping partner to snuggle next to to keep warm with. That was a thing to change before the return of that cruel cold season.  The nicker of another disturbed his thoughts and he popped his crown up high in the air with pricked ears. Smiling with delight as seeing it was a darling little grulla mare that had shown up to the waterfalls. "Evening Miss. No bother, " He reassured her as his amber orbs drunk in the sight of her, the short cropped mane and the long bangs, it reminded him a bit of himself yet his was due to burn trauma, Toorop couldn't see any damage to her flesh from this distance. It was an adorable look for her, "It's a great sight to see from here. The waterfall is pleasant to see too." He wasn't sure if she'd catch what he'd thrown in there, a form of a compliment.  Just by her stance and the way she held herself, Toorop was instantly attracted to her, it was probably a similar wild energy he often basked in himself that he was sensing off her. "I'm Toorop, if you care to know." Smiling with charm as he flicked his tail in a confident manner, " The water is a bit cold yet for spring but it feels fantastic if you were wondering at all." Attempting to make conversation, though he rarely liked too, he found if he could get a female to relax enough in the first interactions with some verbal exchange. Later on, so many words were not needed for him to get across what he wanted from them and a mutual understanding would be greater. Also he was still up for a bit of game if he picked up such vibes from this pretty little lass, being a strict serious type wasn't really his thing in most cases.  Toorop ~ 3 yrs ~ Stallion ~ Zebra dun(SM-Grulla) ~ 14.3hh ~ Brumby+Fjord fennecfyre

[fennecfyre]

She couldn't help but cock a brow at his suavely-delivered compliment, though season being what it was, she was hardly surprised. Most unions were between longtime mates, but there was always a handful of stallions and mares looking for little more than a brief fling--not that she had much interest in burdening herself with a foal just yet. For now, however, she'd enjoy the pleasant company. 

He introduced himself as Toorop, and she nodded politely. "Nice to meet ya. Mine's Aryel." As she drew closer, she noted with interest that his mane appeared to be short like hers, but on closer inspection, it became obvious that, unlike hers, it wasn't naturally cropped. A wicked-looking scar sat astride his shoulders, likely from a bad burn judging by the size of it. The mane there had yet to grow back into it's full length. She did have to admit, though, the mark gave him an almost rougeish look. 

Realizing that she might have been looking at his scar for a bit longer than was necessary, she quickly averted her gaze to the pool nearby. "It does look lovely. I might take a swim in the morning, then." She didn't fancy sleeping with a wet coat, but brisk dip come daybreak would be just the thing to help wake up, and she could dry off and warm up as the dawn became day. She glanced back at him, grinning. "I can tell you've already splashed around some yourself." 

Her stomach produced a rather insistent rumble, and she dropped her head to snuffle at the grass. She could talk and graze at the same time, and now that there was another horse nearby, she could relax while she ate rather than keep alert for predators. "So," she said through a mouthful of grass, "do you live around here, or are you just passing through, like me?"


@txep

[Deleted]

"Yes indeed, had a good dive one could say. Perhaps a few strides in and its a bit of a drop off. " Toorop nodded, looking over at the swirling pool of water that the waterfall poured into on a constant basis. It was a breath taking sight with how it was such a wide curved ridge for the water to tumble over, definitely unique in itself. "A good way to relax after a hard days travel." Commenting as he looked back at the grulla doe, she already seemed to be relaxed to a certain level with just being around another individual, he smirked noticing she had been staring at him a bit long but didn't mind. Everyone did as it wasn't a common thing to see the scars of a burn adorning ones features around in the wild. It was just an additional unique trait to him even if his somatic mutated coat color already gave him a queer look, this just made for a good silver lining to it all. Though the sun rays were fading from the sky and it was getting shadowy with his pelt being damp, Toorop supposed his multi-colored canvas wasn't overly noticable in the lighting of everything. Ah he didn't overly care anyone, he knew he had a level of handsomeness that couldn't be compared and even if it was comparable he didn't care. Smirking he strode forth towards her to close most of the remaining gap, " Depends, could be passing through, could be staying put. Depends if I find a reason to stay or go. Currently not considered a resident by any means though. " Having eaten a bit before she'd arrived, he didn't overly have the urge to join her in grazing. So he allowed Aryel to graze while he looked around and let his ears swivel and flick as he checked the area visually and by sounds, nothing seemed amiss. Flaring his nares to scent the atmosphere, no predatory aromas assaulted his nose, so he was quite confident they were at peace with the surrounding wildlife.  In a swift and none threatening motion, overall at first to glance around beyond the grulla doe, Toorop then fluently finished the motion to lowering his head to Ayrel's shoulders and begin lightly nibbling and grooming her withers. A very comfortable motion by him, as if he were just tending to an old acquaintance in the least worrisome ways, everything about this gesture was calm and open. Perhaps a bit forward right off the bat, yet he hoped she wouldn't mind the courteous gesture of a friendly groom and massage, Toorop enjoyed soft nibbles himself in the middle of being groomed as it felt like light massaging of his normally tense muscle. Pausing for a moment to gage her reaction while he asked, " Do you ever stay in one spot long Miss Aryel?"  Toorop ~ 3 yrs ~ Stallion ~ Zebra dun(SM-Grulla) ~ 14.3hh ~ Brumby+Fjord

[fennecfyre]

"Ah," she said, swallowing the clump of grass and lifting her head slightly to grin at him, "you're an adventurer then, same as me." She couldn't say she was surprised by this revelation, he had the same air of free-spiritedness about him that she herself possessed. Though she wasn't averse to finding a new home, she was in no hurry to settle while there were still parts of Tathra she had yet to tread. "I've been in Tathra for maybe...a year, now? Wandered all around, but never really found anywhere that felt like home to me." She turned her attention back to her meal for a bit as he kept watch, grateful for the extra set of eyes. That was one aspect of herd life she missed--having others around to watch your back. Whenever she set her head down to eat, she had to be ready to flee at a moment's notice. With him nearby, she could afford to eat leisurely, savoring the fresh grass rather than simply trying to take in as much nutrition as quickly as she could.

She noticed him coming closer, but thought little of it. It was only when she felt his velvety lips brush her shoulders, causing the skin there to jump as if to dislodge a fly, did she pause her meal and glance up at him, brow cocked. He halted his ministrations briefly to ask after her own travel patterns. "Can't say that I do. I might spend a day or two exploring one spot, but then I'm off again." She made no movement to shoo off his attentions, but she didn't return them either--at least not yet. There was a teasing, almost challenging grin on her face. "Not that that doesn't feel wonderful, but don't you think you're being awfully familiar with someone you've just met?" 

@txep

[Deleted]

The ease the mare had while she graze was a bit of a reassuring sign for Toorop, it meant she was relaxed enough around him that she naturally trusted he'd keep an eye out. In which he had no problem doing so, in fact it was the slightest stroke on his pride that made him more bolder in the moment. If mares could naturally put their trust in you to protect them, the better off the stallion was on making it in have a prosperous life. If a stallion couldn't gain a mare's trust then all hope was lost in ever being able to achieve much else in life. He could help but smirk as she replied and then questioned him on his intrusive actions.  "That's a similar day by day pattern of lie I run by as well." Liking her response of not staying in one area for too long. "Mmm yes perhaps a bit too quaint yet if it bothered you to much, I bet you'd have chased me off by now. Anyway, if you aren't bothered, continue eating and don't mind me." His low vocals were bit of a purring reassurance over trying to be seductive. He touched his nares to the base of her cropped mane and blew lightly, "Physical interaction of the simplest sorts are more desirable to me than small talk." He stated in a light tone as his velvets parted and he began lightly nibbling and grooming at her withers, making sure to hit the spots that he himself enjoyed having groomed, itched and rubbed by another's willing touch. In the mean time he continued to pause and look around, swivel his ears to listen for any unusual wary sounds. Scent the air and when he felt fit everything was still fine he continued his attention on Aryel, slowly working his way down her spine, rubbing with his chin a bit more firmly if he felt any tight muscles along her back.  Toorop almost seemed lost or too amerced into what he was doing. It'd been so long since he'd drunk in the sweet scent of a mare and able to be physcially touch one in even the most innocent of ways. He was relishing in giving her attention and hopefully some enjoyment even if she decided not to return it. Toorop would deal with it, after all he had no claim on her and couldn't request anything of her. Perhaps that was a thought he could ponder on later but for now he was happy being on the giving end at the moment.   Toorop ~ 3 yrs ~ Stallion ~ Zebra dun(SM-Grulla) ~ 14.3hh ~ Brumby+Fjord

[fennecfyre]

He was unfazed by her pointed question. Though part of her certainly bridled at someone just assuming they could groom her, she had to admit that the attention wasn't entirely unwelcome, and he at least knew what he was doing. She rolled her eyes at his cocksure demeanor, but set her head back down and resumed her grazing, though it was getting steadily more difficult to concentrate on the grass. She let out a quiet, blissful sigh as he rubbed at a particularly stiff muscle on her spine, her ears drooping contentedly.

The roan mare pondered for a moment, then huffed playfully, swinging her head back up to . "Oh, fine." With a gentle grin, she set to grooming him in returning, nibbling at his mane to dislodge dust and twigs. She worked her head down slowly, skipping over his scar in case it was tender to the touch. The mare studied it for a moment, wondering what had happened to leave a burn that large, then turned her attention to a spot lower on his withers, scratching him as he had scratched her. It was equally nice to give and get attention, and she most certainly wasn't complaining about the kind of company he had found. Toorop was a charmer, albeit a boneheaded one, and come to think of it, he smelled rather--

Down, girl.

She paused for a moment to lay her head over his back, looking over at him. "Just so we're clear on things," she quipped, looking at him eye to eye,  "this won't be going any further than grooming." She wasn't totally naive--she knew what season it was and she knew what it did to horses' heads. He was pretty, and she was impulsive, but she had enough common sense left in her spring-addled mind to avoid doing something she knew she would regret later.

@txep

[Deleted]

Amber gold orbs kept glancing down to watch and see Aryel's expressions and reactions as he went on massaging her back with his lips and ivories, he smirked with satisfaction to see her enjoy it with soft sounds and sighing.  He'd missed those small notes of appreciation from another so greatly, it spurred him on to continue his assault of affection on her, wanting to hear more of it and see her relax even more. Though her sharp outburst of  Oh, Fine made him chuckle and pause in his administrations as he watched her curl her boa around to reach for his withers and neck, "Really you don't ha.. ve too.. Mmm." Toorop meant to reassure her she could continue eating and just enjoy herself but the moment she touched his nape and started grooming, he basically melted under her touch. Having to stop himself from completely leaning into her, Toorop had truly missed the affections of another, this showed it.  Having to toss his dome a little to get him to refocus and continue returning the favor, he felt like he was in second heaven. Unconsciously he stepped even closer to her so his shoulder and side were pressed against hers as he groomed. Though her scent was intoxicating, it definitely kindled a desire deep down in him, he wasn't overwhelmed with the need to act on it. Just simply being allowed to touch and caress her body was enough to sate any of his other desires, so when she wrapped her head around his back to look at him to clarify terms, he smiled at shook his head. "Of course not," Out of a urge he arched his head back and lipped tenderly above her soft nose, " Though an inviting thought, I am happy with keeping it simply to this. It'd be rude of me to think I could get away with such a thing anyway. " He nudged the side of her cheek and winked at her. Drawing his crown back around, Toorop trailed his lips down the outside of her back leg, gently getting at any tender spots he knew flies loved to chew on. Hopefully it didn't tickle her and he wouldn't get a face full of hoof, he trusted if it tickled her to much, she'd warn him. "I know this is an odd way to meet and greet, Aryel. I appreciate it that you haven't run me off yet, I have missed spoiling a mare with affection like this. Its been a long time since I've had the privilege." He commented conversationally.   Toorop ~ 3 yrs ~ Stallion ~ Zebra dun(SM-Grulla) ~ 14.3hh ~ Brumby+Fjord

[fennecfyre]

He seemed to melt under her ministrations, much as she had done when he started grooming her. She chuckled, gently rubbing at an old fly bite on his back. Though Aryel might have been a loner, she was a herd animal by nature, and grooming satisfied her instinctual need for socializing. She was relaxed as could be, and quite happy that she had found someone like Toorop. 

He conceded to her terms, and she gave a quiet, satisfied snort, internally relieved that he didn't press the issue. He lipped at her muzzle, prompting her to blink and giggle, returning the gesture with a nuzzle to his lower jaw. "Good," she murmured, reaching up to tug gently at his ear, "I think we can have plenty of fun like this without having to take it any further." She could have purred as he turned his attentions to her legs, commenting on how long it had been since he had gotten to fuss over a mare. "I should be thanking you. It's not every day I meet someone quite so cuddly," she responded. "Not that I'm complaining at all." Far from it. She studied his scar for a moment, then began to massage it with her upper lip, remaining gentle and keeping an eye on him so as to gauge whether or not it was enjoyable or painful for him. The corded scar tissue was firm to the touch, and she again found herself wondering how he had gotten such a mark. Her curiosity finally won out, and she ceased her rubbing for a moment and rested her head against his withers. "Hey, 'Rop...If you don't mind me asking, how'd you get this scar on your neck?"


@txep