HOME | DD

Description
The air was thick with smell of spring. New grass, new leaves, new life and a new stallion. Five months had passed since her original owners left her and she has fallen into the routine of her new yet old home. Oats in the morning, Grooming, a ride through the red woods then an afternoon turn out to graze. On the weekends she would be lead down to the ocean with Cherish to run and play on the beach. Though Cherish wouldn't play as much as she would. What about now? Araceli thought, would she be able to be allowed to swim in the ocean with this new stallion? What if he reared at her and sank his teeth into her neck? Araceli shuttered at the thought and began trotting along the fence to erase the image from her mind.

There has never been a stallion here before, she thought. None that she knew of anyway. Maybe before her. Her sire was sold off to a performance group that used horses to please an audience. But he was gone before she was even born. How was she supposed to deal with a stallion? Cherish was in no shape to fight off the urges of a stallion. Her head shot up with a sudden realization. She was now lead mare. It was her responsibility to care for the others in her herd. Lead mare. Did she even want to be lead mare? Before the other horses were taken away an old crabby chestnut with a white face was lead mare. Pine Bar was her name. Why she was even made lead mare was Araceli guess. If she was going to be lead mare she didn't want to be like Pine Bar.

The Azteca was excited and scared of all these new things that were happening. The reality of her position, the reality of a stallion and the reality of loosing a herd-mate. Her hooves fell lightly on the new spring grass and her ears swiveled to alert her to the smallest of sounds.

The gentle creaking of the pine's long branches as they flirted with the persistent wind. Some squirrel barking at a jay for a scrap of food left out by Cassie. A bee buzzing around that last bit of pollen before nightfall and the stallion's soft nickers from the run behind the stables.

The stallion.

Again her flesh pricked beneath her skin causing her shoulders to twitch. Clip clop, clip clop, clip clop. Her trot broke out to a full gallop and she raced back and forth in her spring softened pasture sending clods of earth into the air. She couldn't eat or drink, couldn't doze off in the warmth of the spring sun like she normally would have. What was happening to her? Was she going crazy just because of him? That stallion? It wasn't like this when Cherish came, though she was nothing more than a giant mess of walking bones and fur. Araceli was concerned, even motherly towards the new mare. Nothing like this.

She wished Cherish could be with her now. But she was still under constant watch. What she ate and how much, even her movements concerned everyone. The vet had been out three times with needles and wormers for the starving mare. She is so week and defenseless yet they put that black horse with her...that stallion.

Araceli bucked and pounded her forelegs into the ground snapping her neck and head in a fit of fury. The white hairs of her mane fallowing like a wedding veil around her head. A loud deep neigh filled the pasture and she froze.

First her ear moved to the place where the neigh came from. It wasn't Cherish. No way she had enough strength to produce that kind of billowing sound. It had to have been the stallion. Her head then fallowed her ear, moving slowly around until a black mass was peering at her from the metal poles of the run. She dared not look. The stallion neighed again fallowed by a soft yet explosive snort. A sound meaning neutral, ready to go either way.

Araceli just stood there unsure of how to answer. The black stallion pawed the dirt impatiently exploding short bursts of air. At fist she was going to walk away. Not give him the time of her day. Then she remembered the laws if she was to be lead mare. She had no choice, she had to become lead mare. She was the only one who could. Swinging her hind quarters Araceli faced the mass behind the steel straws and neighed back at the stallion. But it was caught in her throat and sounded more like the high pitched squeal of an excited foal. Humiliated she lowered her head and began chewing with nothing in her mouth. Which meant she was comfortable. Willing to accept his presence.

After her first act as self proclaimed lead mare she moved out of the stallion's sight to the old dog wood tree at the far end of her pasture and stood embarrassed underneath. She began reciting the laws of lead mare as her dam had taught her.

The law of pride and pride of place, a mare must set no other beneath her.
The law of courage, in war and in the games of war.
The law of Heart, the concern for those in your care.
The law of Knowledge, to know and obey the laws.

These laws mean that the Lead Mare has pride of a stallion for her herd, the courage of a Second-in-command in war, the heart of a Caretaker in the matter of foals and the knowledge of a Dreamspeaker.
These are the laws I must obey to become Lead Mare.

As the afternoon wore on and the thought of her new title weighing heavily on her mind she began to doze off into a dreamless sleep and was content.

Took me a while to think up this bit of story for Araceli so I hope you liked it. Not much of a writer lol. Still was fun XD

Tools Used: pencil, scanner and GIMP.
References: None
Lineart:
Coloring:

Description
The air was thick with smell of spring. New grass, new leaves, new life and a new stallion. Five months had passed since her original owners left her and she has fallen into the routine of her new yet old home. Oats in the morning, Grooming, a ride through the red woods then an afternoon turn out to graze. On the weekends she would be lead down to the ocean with Cherish to run and play on the beach. Though Cherish wouldn't play as much as she would. What about now? Araceli thought, would she be able to be allowed to swim in the ocean with this new stallion? What if he reared at her and sank his teeth into her neck? Araceli shuttered at the thought and began trotting along the fence to erase the image from her mind.

There has never been a stallion here before, she thought. None that she knew of anyway. Maybe before her. Her sire was sold off to a performance group that used horses to please an audience. But he was gone before she was even born. How was she supposed to deal with a stallion? Cherish was in no shape to fight off the urges of a stallion. Her head shot up with a sudden realization. She was now lead mare. It was her responsibility to care for the others in her herd. Lead mare. Did she even want to be lead mare? Before the other horses were taken away an old crabby chestnut with a white face was lead mare. Pine Bar was her name. Why she was even made lead mare was Araceli guess. If she was going to be lead mare she didn't want to be like Pine Bar.

The Azteca was excited and scared of all these new things that were happening. The reality of her position, the reality of a stallion and the reality of loosing a herd-mate. Her hooves fell lightly on the new spring grass and her ears swiveled to alert her to the smallest of sounds.

The gentle creaking of the pine's long branches as they flirted with the persistent wind. Some squirrel barking at a jay for a scrap of food left out by Cassie. A bee buzzing around that last bit of pollen before nightfall and the stallion's soft nickers from the run behind the stables.

The stallion.

Again her flesh pricked beneath her skin causing her shoulders to twitch. Clip clop, clip clop, clip clop. Her trot broke out to a full gallop and she raced back and forth in her spring softened pasture sending clods of earth into the air. She couldn't eat or drink, couldn't doze off in the warmth of the spring sun like she normally would have. What was happening to her? Was she going crazy just because of him? That stallion? It wasn't like this when Cherish came, though she was nothing more than a giant mess of walking bones and fur. Araceli was concerned, even motherly towards the new mare. Nothing like this.

She wished Cherish could be with her now. But she was still under constant watch. What she ate and how much, even her movements concerned everyone. The vet had been out three times with needles and wormers for the starving mare. She is so week and defenseless yet they put that black horse with her...that stallion.

Araceli bucked and pounded her forelegs into the ground snapping her neck and head in a fit of fury. The white hairs of her mane fallowing like a wedding veil around her head. A loud deep neigh filled the pasture and she froze.

First her ear moved to the place where the neigh came from. It wasn't Cherish. No way she had enough strength to produce that kind of billowing sound. It had to have been the stallion. Her head then fallowed her ear, moving slowly around until a black mass was peering at her from the metal poles of the run. She dared not look. The stallion neighed again fallowed by a soft yet explosive snort. A sound meaning neutral, ready to go either way.

Araceli just stood there unsure of how to answer. The black stallion pawed the dirt impatiently exploding short bursts of air. At fist she was going to walk away. Not give him the time of her day. Then she remembered the laws if she was to be lead mare. She had no choice, she had to become lead mare. She was the only one who could. Swinging her hind quarters Araceli faced the mass behind the steel straws and neighed back at the stallion. But it was caught in her throat and sounded more like the high pitched squeal of an excited foal. Humiliated she lowered her head and began chewing with nothing in her mouth. Which meant she was comfortable. Willing to accept his presence.

After her first act as self proclaimed lead mare she moved out of the stallion's sight to the old dog wood tree at the far end of her pasture and stood embarrassed underneath. She began reciting the laws of lead mare as her dam had taught her.

The law of pride and pride of place, a mare must set no other beneath her.
The law of courage, in war and in the games of war.
The law of Heart, the concern for those in your care.
The law of Knowledge, to know and obey the laws.

These laws mean that the Lead Mare has pride of a stallion for her herd, the courage of a Second-in-command in war, the heart of a Caretaker in the matter of foals and the knowledge of a Dreamspeaker.
These are the laws I must obey to become Lead Mare.

As the afternoon wore on and the thought of her new title weighing heavily on her mind she began to doze off into a dreamless sleep and was content.

Took me a while to think up this bit of story for Araceli so I hope you liked it. Not much of a writer lol. Still was fun XD

Tools Used: pencil, scanner and GIMP.
References: None
Lineart:
Coloring: