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Okay ,,, so

didn't have it planned to go about this way. didn't even have Hoki planned - it just kinda happened ,,, and I don't hate it. Kinda love it, actually.

Also didn't feel like drawing out an entire scene, so instead you just get slightly baby Garnet about to be bitten by Hoki.

Word Count: 5101
Summary: Garnet fights the sabino bachelor, freeing Cherry and Neha. To sike himself up, he
remembers another bachelor member - Hoki. Much to Garnet's sadness, as he finds Neha to be
the most intriguing thing since he first saw his own reflection, they lack the chance to
become introduce.
Because WGR captures them.
Dang nabbit.

“I thought you said he was alone?!”

        We duck back behind the thick brush, whispering frantically to one another. Toast shakes her head in wonder - a dangerous movement considering her horns. “I promise, he was! He must have had her hidden away. I swear he was alone when I ran down here to size em’ up. And that just wouldn’t make much sense, seeing as he was out here with Cherry. Don’t see why he’d keep one mare close but not the other.”
    I watch her horns nervously. Just to be cautious, I take a step back before breathing again.
     “Do you think, maybe, that he found her since then or something? Cam and Aine fighting didn’t exactly speed up the process of getting here, so I suppose he might have had time to wander off.” We all peek back around the edges of the bush at the mare standing with Cherry.

She’s beautiful. I had thought Cherry was the epitome of classic beauty, but now I knew she had to be just one example. Cherry was flashier. She always caught the eye of everyone when walking through. Cherry had looks that could convince you to do anything. This other mare had something soft and feminine about her that Cherry lacked. I had imagined myself immune to looks. Yet, here I am. Willing to do anything just to save the damsel in distress.

    I nearly left when we first arrived. They seemed content, happy. At first glance, nothing more than a pair of mares sunning while their stallion grazed. The pair looks bored, not hurt or anxious. But something was off. Neither mare was talking, swishing flies away, or even napping. Their eyes were open. Wide, wide open - as if they were worried about what could happen if they blinked. That, and Cherry looked mad. And Cherry can be scary when she’s angry.
        Morgan sighs, but admits,”I don’t know what we’re going to do now. If he was hiding her away, what if he has an entire herd somewhere? Or what if he grabbed her from another herd and they come looking for her? We obviously can’t just sneak in, grab Cherry, and hit the road like we had hoped.”
    We look away from each other for a moment, as if it will make that fact less visible. I shift my weight. Though our cover is thick enough to hide us, it feels like even the slightest movement will have us caught. My tail twitches, begging to take my own anxiety out on imaginary flies. “What if-” I stop mid-sentence.
    The bachelor’s ears are perked up, and he’s looking away from us. The wind picks up. As it blows toward us, it carries the smell of the bachelor. I am surprised at what it tells me. Just his own scent and that of the plains, not a hint of other males, mares, or even another creature. Whoever this stallion was, he had been very much alone until recently.

    I perk my ears towards him when he shuffles a few steps away, looking purposeful. The thick grass atop the hill rustles with the sound of a creature walking through it. If he lacked the scent of a herd, who could be coming now? The true stallion of that mare?
    Then, with surprising grace, a horse comes into view. It stops on the crest of the hill.
    Morgan sucks in a surprised breath, thoughtlessly mummering,” A human.” The young woman in question sits astride her mount. She looks down on us silently, passively.
    The bachelor snorts nervously, shuffling back toward the two mares. I watch as the lady picks something out of a bag and turns it toward him. It shines metallic in the sunlight. We all tense. A few moments pass then the human clucks at her horse. They fade back out of existence without a word to any of us. We sigh a breath of relief.
I peak at Morgan out of the corner of my eye, catching her with a dorky grin on her face.
     “Why the big smile, Morgan? Ready to go back to your people so fast?”
    She snorts in response. “Not quite. But I do think I have an idea. Why don’t we send Toast out there to see what happens? See if he’s hostile?”
    I look down at the little cow. Her lips are curled up into a full, semi-malicious grin. “Oo, yah gonna let me spook the big boy out there? Chase ‘em off for you?” I drop my ears back. For such a small creature, I was quickly finding myself terrified of Toast.
    “Uh - not quite. But I did catch his scent on the wind, I believe he is a lonesome bachelor. So, well, just be yourself. Act like a lost cow just wandering around or something. See if you can get him to tell you about Cherry and that other mare.” She nods, her face arranged in a militant expression.
    “Will do. More or less.”

    As she prances out the wilderness, I can instantly tell that we might not have thought this plan through quite as well as we should have.
    The bachelor spins on his heels, huffing indignantly. Toast trots toward him with a big, dorky grin. As she gets closer, the big stud frowns. He drops his head down to watch her walk toward him, just staring at her. She stops a few feet shy and soundlessly drops her head to graze. I watch as the stud stares for a for a moment, confused. With a frown, he finally questions,” Who are you?”
    Though worried, I find myself grinning at her antics. Who could have guessed that little Toast would be an A class actor?

    The heifer jerks her head up, still chewing her clump of grass. Flakes drift back down to the ground as she opens her mouth. “Huh? Oh! I’m Toast. What about you?” She picks up her heels, trotting in a big circle around the stallion. “You kinda look like a uhhhh an Avery? No! Kingsly?”
    The bachelor snorts, pinning his ears back. “My name does not matter to you. But it’s certainly not either of those!”
    Toast nods dramatically. She peers up at him a big, open mouthed smile and wide eyes. “Of course, of course! A Bailey, then?” He huffs, stamping his hoof in warning. With his pinned ears, swishing tail, and gruesome face, I have to admire Toast’s dedication.

    Or stupidity.

    The sabino grinds his teeth.”I said it doesn’t matter! Now go away, nuisance.” He snaps at the heifer, but she’s much too quick for him. Within a moment, she’s standing in front of the mares. “Nuisance? I said my name was Toast! So anyway, since big ol’ grumpy over there doesn’t want to talk, who might you two fine ladies be?” The bachelor paces closer, watching the cow closely.
    Cherry reaches out to Toast first. “Huh, so you’re our savior? Neha, darling, I do believe we are doomed.”
    My brain processes the information quickly. Cherry, of course, sounded annoyed. Maybe a little jealous. But, Neha. A fitting name for such a beautiful mare. Then, I finally process her words. Savior? Doomed?
    Neha chooses to stay mute. Her white tail snaps out defiantly, slapping against her hide like the crack of a whip.
    In her place, the bachelor chortles. “Savior? A laughable idea! I’ve already explained it to you well, Cherry. This is your herd now, so you better start accepting it. You seemed quite content just a few hours ago.”
    He leers at her, but Cherry just snorts humorously. “A means to an end.” He snaps at her. Cherry watches him with little emotion.
    Then Toast breaks in. “Huh. Well Simon it seems you’re running a tight ship here. So, what’re your plans if some other colt tries to take them away, huh? Or what if they go trotting off into the sunset of their own free will?”
    He turns back to the heifer, frowning. “Why are you still here? I told you to leave!” He snaps at her again, but is still much too slow. The cow trots off a few feet, the stops defiantly.
    “Geez, okay Henry. No need to be like that. I’m just a lonesome little cow, wandering the plains. Looking for my home sweet home!” I cringe at her monologue. A little too much, Toast.
    He frowns even deeper, but answers. “Huh. You’ve got those tags dangling from your ears, so why aren’t you back with your humans? Was that one on her slave-horse here looking for you?”
    Toast tuts. “Why? Jumpy much? Afraid that these two here might have stallions on their way to save them, rather than a little old cow?”
    His ears flatten again, but I watch Toast instead. She looks up, meeting my eyes. Though comprehending her meaning, I balk. I did not stand a chance against this horse. He was experienced, strong. And I am just a skinny colt with four left hooves.

    Then, in my ear, Morgan whispers. “Go, Garnet. Kick that colt in the head again if you must. But he needs to be taught a lesson. You can’t treat mares like objects to be collected!”
    I spare a glance at her. Her expression is firey with enough passion that I don’t have the heart to tell her - stallions most certainly did treat their mares like possessions. Quite often, in fact.
    With my tail between my legs and my ears against my neck, I trumpet. He jerks his head in my direction. Carried on a wave of the stallion’s confusion, I find myself galloping toward him. His eyes widened in surprise. As I charge, I try to think back to the fights I had been in with my bachelor brothers. What would they tell me to do?

     Kip had always been the planner. He could think fast on his hooves, come up with moves mid-battle. But he wasn’t who I needed to think of right now. Though he had been the smartest and won the most often in spars, he never won in true battles. His mind spent far too much time thinking rather than doing. It always ended up being one of us saving his tail in the end.

No, I needed to remember Hoki.

    He had been the youngest of us all, just a yearling when we found him. We were never sure where he came from or why. But more important than any of that, Hoki was fast. The colt could strike like a viper - efficiently, accurately, deadly. When he was still young, he often fought us. His hooves were points of steel and his teeth as strong as a bear’s.
    The twins had protected me from his wrath at first. They were both bigger, faster. Smarter. But, eventually I did find myself in battle with the fiery colt. It had started as a playful sparring match. He was growing into a well-developed colt at just over two, and I had been teasing him about the mares he would chase.
    -

    “Aye, Hoki! I saw you talking to those mares earlier. They seemed positively smitten!”
    He looks up at me with a raised brow. “Oh totally, Garnet.” His tone was all sarcasm.
    I paw at the ground, enticing him to play. “Don’t be like that!” My laugh was loud and clear, a perfect sound to encourage the twins to not worry. Hoki hadn’t been mad in ages, and I was laughing. What harm could there be?
    When he failed to answer me again, I prodded him.“So, tell me really. Did you fool around with them? I saw that sweet little pinto giving you the eye.”
    He stood more firmly on his hooves then, frowning. “No, Garnet. You know I didn’t.”
     I kicked out at him, taking his stance to mean that he was willing to spar and chat. His hooves kicked up dust as he bucked at me, his mid twisting. We reared together, pawing out softly toward each other’s chest and squealing like fools.
    Not perturbed, I continued on with my antics. “Oh, but Hoki - you’re a real stallion now! And the mares love your hazel eyes and mysterious ways. What swooning! If they had spared Kip a glance, you just know he would have been thrilled.” Ilaughed genuinely, not caring that he failed to laugh with me.
    Then, his hoof landed firmly on what should have been a glancing blow. My ribs pulsed with a sudden rush of blood. Confused and a bit shocked, I paused. “Hey, Hoki! You actually landed that one, be a little more careful.”
    His ears nearly smacked his neck with the speed at which they moved. Quick as a snake, he reached out with teeth bared. Having been mid-rear at the moment, I could only whip my head around and watch in surprise as the colt sunk his teeth into my flank.
    A throaty, terrified squeal left me, and I kicked out at him as I ran away. “What the hell, Hoki! I was just teasing!”
    With blood running hot down my leg, I stopped not ten feet away from him. We both stood there, panting. My eyes were wide, his narrowed in anger.
    “Just joking Garnet? Just joking?! Are you really so dull?”
    He paced. With my blood still staining his teeth and lips, he looked like a terrifying beast.
    “Yes! I don’t understand Hoki. It’s just teasing okay, I don’t mean anything by it!” I was nearly in tears by this point. My words were panicky, half-choked. He stopped, watching a single, hot tear carve a trail down my face. His expression was more hurt than my own. And I was the one with a chunk missing!

    “Just joking still hurts Garnet! Are you really going to make me spell it out?” I had perked my ears up, confused. “Well, I would really like a good reason as to why you felt the need to taste my blood on your teeth.” He paced some more.

    That summer had been exceptionally hot and bothersome. The dust was thicker than the grass, and his heavy hooves had made it billow up into clouds thick enough to choke you.

    Finally, after my wound had already begun to dry and I had nearly forgotten what we were fighting over, he turned to me.
    Quick as lightning, the colt was in my face. I balked. Skittering a few feet to the side in surprise, I stuttered. “H-hoki? For the love of the gods, don’t do something like that after biting me!”
    His lips quirked up in a small, sad smile. “Garnet, do you promise you’ll never hate me?”
    Surprised, I grew still. “Depends on how many more times I find myself with missing pieces.”
    Hoki’s smile had turned up in a big, joking grin. “Only a few, hopefully.” I waited.
    Another moment passed with him looking off, his eyes heavy with thoughts. Then, with a final, world-weary sigh, the colt leaned into my ear. I could feel his heartbeat through his skin as it pressed against my own. We both had pulses fit for a rabbit, and both sped up even more as his teeth got frighteningly close to my fragile skin. I really did not want to lose an ear today, but I trusted him.
In a quiet, almost sultry whisper, he crooned,” Garnet, I'd never chase those mares. Or any like them. The only horse in all of Cottonwood Valley I want to chase is you.”
    I had jumped back a few steps, his words still ringing in my ears. Me? He wanted to chase me? But … did that mean?
    With wide eyes, I questioned,” Me? But, Hoki…”
    He looked scared, perhaps even a little sad.
    “Hoki, we’re like brothers.” His eyes met mine, surprised.
    “Brothers? That’s the problem you have with it? For that matter, we have only known each other for a year and in the time have spent very little time together. So, don’t ’brother’ me, Garnet. You’re a strange stallion, yes, but I have spent quite a bit of time watching you. And I know for a FACT that you don’t mean it when you say we are brothers. So, go on. Tell me what you really think.”
    A rush of blood flooded my face. Had I not been covered in fur, one might have said I even visibly blushed.
    “Uh, well - er. That’s not how it works, Hoki. Stallions chase mares and lead herds. It’s what we were born to do, our only real task in life.” His ears quirked up, pointing toward me. Something in his eyes told me he could see something in my words that I did not. And he understood it. His voice was calm and warm. Comforting.
    “Oh, Garnet. I should have guessed. Of course Deheune would tell you that. Yes, generally speaking, our ‘job’ is with the mares. But, I ask, does that mean that we cannot still care for anyone we want? You can still lead a herd and not lead it alone. Just look at the twins. Their brotherly love makes it easy for them to stay together. They even plan on leading a herd together one day. It’s not conventional, no, but this is a big valley. And in such a place anything can happen.”

    His words were something new, a thought I had never had. My sire, Deheune, had always told me that emotions were senseless. As a herd leader, a stallion needed to be firm but fair, understanding - but punishing when need be. You were the example of the herd, the stallion after which your foals would be modeled. If you were partial to a mare, only she should know it. And, it had worked for him. His herd was vast, his reign supreme. But, would I have been happy like that? He had always been this serious and stern figure presiding over us foals, but he had not been a father. A sire, yes, as any mare who went outside of the herd was punished by being chased out, but a father? A caring figure in my life? No, not even to me. His chosen son.

    I turn my eyes back to Hoki, and found him still waiting patiently for a response. “You - you’re not wrong. It was Deheune that told me as such.”
    The colt stared me down. I knew he was waiting for something else, but what could I say?
    He frowns, asking,”And about everything else?”
    The answers are heavy on my tongue, but could I tell him? Explain to him what I had felt throughout my life - what I thought of his proposal? Could I trust him as a confidant?

    The answer had been yes.

    After that day, Hoki and I had many more spars. He taught me not only speed and precision, but many other things. Among them, I learned one thing through him that might help me now.

    When a horse makes you really, really mad, sometimes it is okay to just take a chunk out of him.

-
    The bachelor and I meet with raised hooves and a shared bugle. We parry for a moment, showing off as loudly as possible. He reaches out, teeth bared, after we drop back to the ground, but I dodge his bite. My hooves kick out toward his side, landing a warning glance. We take a step back, posturing.
     “You’re the colt that kicked me in the face! Oh- I - I should tear you apart! Give you a good message from my own hooves!” He darts toward me again with a squeal.
    I cowhop away from him, rearing up. He meets me just quick enough to prevent a real injury, but I still manage a few nips at his side. One of his hooves scrapes my stomach. Skin stinging, I fall back on the ground heavily. I pant.
    Quick enough that I might have even landed one on Hoki, I spin. My hooves are fast and forceful, landing solidly enough on his shoulder to bruise. The skin opens up, trickling blood slowly through tiny cuts.
    He paces back with a snarl.
    With a final, angry look toward Cherry and Neha, he turns on me. “Fine, colt. You can have ‘em! But I will find my way back to you one day. And I will give you the kick to the face that you deserve.”
    His hooves kick up dust as he dashes off, bucking and rearing in a final show.

    “Way to go Garnet! Now that’s how you get ‘em, boy!” I whirl on Toast, eyes wide.
    She chuckles. The heifer rubs her head against my leg, and for once I do not fear her horns.
    “Well, let’s go say howdy to your damsels in distress. COME ON MORGAN, HE WON!”
    The bay dun walks out of the brush with a big smile and instantly starts gushing. “Oh! That’s so good Garnet! I’ll admit, I was not too confident when you started walking out there like the humans had banded you five minutes before. I even closed my eyes because I didn’t want to see you die. But look at us now!”
    She turns toward the other two mares. “CHERRY! We saved you!”

    As we reach the pair, Cherry grins a mocking grin. “Oh, my big bad savior stallion. How could I ever repay you!”
    She snorts out a laugh, turning away. “I was already planning on coming back eventually, but then he showed up with this priss over here. Hmph. He knew the plan when I found him, so I don’t know why he thought I was going to let him change it.”
    Morgan stops mid-reach, her nose nearly touching Cherry. “The plan?”
    The tobiano gives Morgan a bored sigh. “Yeah. Did you really think he could get me here if I didn’t want to come?”
    Morgan's eyes widen and I realise something. She truly had not believed that Cherry would willingly let another stallion steal her.

    Even I, who admittedly always saw the good in everyone, knew that Cherry did this on purpose. Though I had argued it with Cam, that was only to win the argument. Cherry had been hanging off of me for the entire week, flirting and roughly harassing. She had been lashing out, causing any havoc she could.

    I interrupt Morgan’s coming accustion, instead demanding. “So, did you get what you want out of this?”
    She meets my eyes with a leery smirk. “Oh, certainly! What’re you going to do about it?”
    The tobiano’s entire posture shifts. She stands taller, arches her neck, lifts her tail. Was she really that proud of herself?
    “What do you mean, Cherry? I saw your face when Cam told us about that bachelor. It’s not like I can say I blame you.”
    All three mares, and Toast, stare me down.
    Incredulous, Cherry asks,” What? You’re not mad?!”
    Her posture drops, almost like she had hoped I would be angry with her. Why? Why would she WANT me to get mad about this?
    “No? Cherry, I’m the one who turned you down. It’s not like you went to that bachelor before me.”
    She sputters. “But- but Cedar would have …” This time, Mogan steps in.
    She still looks shocked. Hurt, even.
    “Garnet is not Cedar, Cherry. And you’re not Maple.”
    She looks away from us, lost.

     It occurs to me then what exactly it was Cherry wanted. Not a foal, not some fun. Just to have us turn our attention on her and solely her. Even if it would have been bad, dangerous attention, she wanted it. I give her a strange look. What had made this mare act like this?

    I sigh, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. I look up, finding myself catching the eye of the mystery mare. Her eyes are blue. Who was she? Where had she come from?
    The mare already had me infatuated. I wanted to stand beneath the stars and swap life stories with her, learning everything about her life that had made her into the creature she now had become.
    My teeth show as I smile at her, likely making me look like a mad-man. Already blushing, I try to smooth myself back out.
    “Oh, and hello to you as well. I’m Garnet!”

    She tilts her head like a puppy and doesn’t smile. “Neha.”
    I grin at her, ready to charm. “A beautiful name for a beautiful-”
    She stops me cold with a glare. “Don’t.”
    My eyes widen and Cherry snorts gleefully. The tobiano bumps Neha roughly, already laughing and back to her old self. Acting like she can forget what just happened.
    “Oh, Neha here doesn’t speak much. That bachelor found her grazing just over the hill and forced her back here. You should have seen the fight she put up! It put quite the damper on our mood.”
    The mare frowns, then looks away from us. After a moment’s complentation, she turns back to me. Looking into her eyes feels like being weighed down with lead. There’s something terrifying about them.
    “I suppose you plan to hold me hostage as well?”
    I shake my head, smiling. “No, you’re free to do whatever you want. We came for Cherry.”
    She continues to stare me down for a moment. Then, without a sound, turns her gaze on everyone else. She looks at them each in turn. Cherry frowns at her, her ears drawn back. Morgan smiles when it’s her turn to be surveyed, but it’s a tired smile. And, as the mare’s steely gaze turns on Toast, the little cow laughs.
    “You’re a tough one, eh? Quit acting like that already. You’re a horse, hon, not an assassin.”
    At this, she smiles. It’s a slow movement, like liquid mercury rippling.
    Finally, her eyes find me again. “And this? Is it your herd?”
I look round at the eyes watching me. My eyebrow raises and I laugh. “Not quite.” Her eyebrow raises in kind, but her smile stays. “I will join you, then. For now.”

    I begin to nod excitedly, but the sound of thundering hooves steals my attention away. The wind picks up again, and with it comes a tide of information. Horses. An entire herd. And, mixed in with it, the stink of sweat, leather, and of humans. My flank twitches in trepidation. Then, as the dust starts to roll over the crest of the hill, I ask,” Do- do you smell that?”
    Without a single spoken word, I can easily decipher that they do.
    We stand for a moment like a herd of deer in headlights. Then, the first rider comes into sight. He makes a big, loud whooping noise at us. A second rider follows at his heels. Then a third, a fourth! They all make jarring sounds. Whistles, clicks, yells. Their arms swing wildly around their heads, and the horses they ride creak and groan from all the leather they wear.
    I jerk my neck up, yelling, “Run! Toward home!”
    The entire group spooks as one. I snap at their heels, spurring the mares on. Morgan and Toast take the lead, running neck and neck. Though the heifer was much smaller, she was flighty. With very little weight holding her the earth, she seemed almost to blur as she tottered on. Neha gallops behind them, her tail high and ears back. She kicks her heels up every other step. Cherry and I take up the rear. She, for whatever reason, tries repetitively to throw herself outside of the group. The scent of her fear is strong, but I can do nothing about it. I nip at Cherry’s sides, trying to force her to move faster. The rider’s keep their distance, and for a moment I almost believe we might get away. Then, the tree line opens up in front of me. We enter the gulch that had become home. My eyes catch sight of Aine standing at the bottom of the hill.
    Though I cannot truly feel the excitement of it, my pulse spikes. In front of her, obviously having been mid-conversation, stands Asteria! A thin, black-coated foal stands quietly at her side. Before I can get a good look at her foal, Cameo comes streaking across the grass. With her head down and back straight, she reaches the small group much faster than us. Behind her, another group of riders follows.
    We reach the rest of the herd, and questions and greetings called out as we all blend together. We surge into one fluid group and Cameo takes the lead. She rounds out the left side, bringing Aine deeper inside of our circle. Next to the long-legged chestnut, Asteria takes center post. The black foal lags near her rear, running with its head up. To my surprise, I see another foal running wildly on her other side. I push Cherry forward one last time, appreciating the surge of speed she picks up. We enter the edge of the trees in one fluid mass. The riders stay hot on our tails, nearly encircling us.
    Fearful, I try to think of a way out, With riders on both sides on horses just as fast as us, what could we do? The trees tighten around us as we gallop deeper into the forest.
    Cameo switches tracks, leading us toward the entrance to the gorge. It had been where they hid out before - when I fought with the bachelor the first time. It was deep and dangerous if not expected, but provided good clean water if one did not want to venture all the way to the river. With a narrow walk-way and steep walls, the humans would not be able to surround us. They would be forced to follow the edges, giving us a chance to escape!
    I call out to her encouragingly, but she ignores me. The herd enters into the thicket of sycamore and elm trees with a quiet whoosh. We’re quickly swallowed by rocks, but something is off. The humans stop entirely, dropping back. Not a single one tries to follow us into the gorge. I start to point this out, but it’s too late.

    We run into a tall, reinforced fence. It comes out of nowhere, popping in sight just as we round the first bend. Cameo doesn’t see it fast enough and slams into it forcefully, screaming as the air is forced out of her. I try to come to a stop, to turn around, but the humans are faster. Another gate slams closed behind me.

And just like that, we find ourselves captured.

Stallion: Garnet (12)

In Response To: mare stolen (Cherry) + encounter human + windy day + captured (good people)

Art Features: Garnet

Lit Features: Garnet , Hestia , Cameo , Aine , Cherry , Asteria , Laramie II , Nokomis , Neha , Bachelor 14 , Cedar , Maple

Words: 5111

Aging: n/a

Healing: n/a

Preggos: n/a

Stolen: Cherry 3/3

Captured: 1/3

Items: Peanut wood

Companions: Toast (protecting)
Mentions: BootifulWolf (Blake's bach #14), LannisterHeir (Maple)

Other: all of my mares should be on pregnancy prevention except for those that are nursing, already pregnant, and Cherry - because she's getting a bachelor baby

Description
Okay ,,, so

didn't have it planned to go about this way. didn't even have Hoki planned - it just kinda happened ,,, and I don't hate it. Kinda love it, actually.

Also didn't feel like drawing out an entire scene, so instead you just get slightly baby Garnet about to be bitten by Hoki.

Word Count: 5101
Summary: Garnet fights the sabino bachelor, freeing Cherry and Neha. To sike himself up, he
remembers another bachelor member - Hoki. Much to Garnet's sadness, as he finds Neha to be
the most intriguing thing since he first saw his own reflection, they lack the chance to
become introduce.
Because WGR captures them.
Dang nabbit.

“I thought you said he was alone?!”

        We duck back behind the thick brush, whispering frantically to one another. Toast shakes her head in wonder - a dangerous movement considering her horns. “I promise, he was! He must have had her hidden away. I swear he was alone when I ran down here to size em’ up. And that just wouldn’t make much sense, seeing as he was out here with Cherry. Don’t see why he’d keep one mare close but not the other.”
    I watch her horns nervously. Just to be cautious, I take a step back before breathing again.
     “Do you think, maybe, that he found her since then or something? Cam and Aine fighting didn’t exactly speed up the process of getting here, so I suppose he might have had time to wander off.” We all peek back around the edges of the bush at the mare standing with Cherry.

She’s beautiful. I had thought Cherry was the epitome of classic beauty, but now I knew she had to be just one example. Cherry was flashier. She always caught the eye of everyone when walking through. Cherry had looks that could convince you to do anything. This other mare had something soft and feminine about her that Cherry lacked. I had imagined myself immune to looks. Yet, here I am. Willing to do anything just to save the damsel in distress.

    I nearly left when we first arrived. They seemed content, happy. At first glance, nothing more than a pair of mares sunning while their stallion grazed. The pair looks bored, not hurt or anxious. But something was off. Neither mare was talking, swishing flies away, or even napping. Their eyes were open. Wide, wide open - as if they were worried about what could happen if they blinked. That, and Cherry looked mad. And Cherry can be scary when she’s angry.
        Morgan sighs, but admits,”I don’t know what we’re going to do now. If he was hiding her away, what if he has an entire herd somewhere? Or what if he grabbed her from another herd and they come looking for her? We obviously can’t just sneak in, grab Cherry, and hit the road like we had hoped.”
    We look away from each other for a moment, as if it will make that fact less visible. I shift my weight. Though our cover is thick enough to hide us, it feels like even the slightest movement will have us caught. My tail twitches, begging to take my own anxiety out on imaginary flies. “What if-” I stop mid-sentence.
    The bachelor’s ears are perked up, and he’s looking away from us. The wind picks up. As it blows toward us, it carries the smell of the bachelor. I am surprised at what it tells me. Just his own scent and that of the plains, not a hint of other males, mares, or even another creature. Whoever this stallion was, he had been very much alone until recently.

    I perk my ears towards him when he shuffles a few steps away, looking purposeful. The thick grass atop the hill rustles with the sound of a creature walking through it. If he lacked the scent of a herd, who could be coming now? The true stallion of that mare?
    Then, with surprising grace, a horse comes into view. It stops on the crest of the hill.
    Morgan sucks in a surprised breath, thoughtlessly mummering,” A human.” The young woman in question sits astride her mount. She looks down on us silently, passively.
    The bachelor snorts nervously, shuffling back toward the two mares. I watch as the lady picks something out of a bag and turns it toward him. It shines metallic in the sunlight. We all tense. A few moments pass then the human clucks at her horse. They fade back out of existence without a word to any of us. We sigh a breath of relief.
I peak at Morgan out of the corner of my eye, catching her with a dorky grin on her face.
     “Why the big smile, Morgan? Ready to go back to your people so fast?”
    She snorts in response. “Not quite. But I do think I have an idea. Why don’t we send Toast out there to see what happens? See if he’s hostile?”
    I look down at the little cow. Her lips are curled up into a full, semi-malicious grin. “Oo, yah gonna let me spook the big boy out there? Chase ‘em off for you?” I drop my ears back. For such a small creature, I was quickly finding myself terrified of Toast.
    “Uh - not quite. But I did catch his scent on the wind, I believe he is a lonesome bachelor. So, well, just be yourself. Act like a lost cow just wandering around or something. See if you can get him to tell you about Cherry and that other mare.” She nods, her face arranged in a militant expression.
    “Will do. More or less.”

    As she prances out the wilderness, I can instantly tell that we might not have thought this plan through quite as well as we should have.
    The bachelor spins on his heels, huffing indignantly. Toast trots toward him with a big, dorky grin. As she gets closer, the big stud frowns. He drops his head down to watch her walk toward him, just staring at her. She stops a few feet shy and soundlessly drops her head to graze. I watch as the stud stares for a for a moment, confused. With a frown, he finally questions,” Who are you?”
    Though worried, I find myself grinning at her antics. Who could have guessed that little Toast would be an A class actor?

    The heifer jerks her head up, still chewing her clump of grass. Flakes drift back down to the ground as she opens her mouth. “Huh? Oh! I’m Toast. What about you?” She picks up her heels, trotting in a big circle around the stallion. “You kinda look like a uhhhh an Avery? No! Kingsly?”
    The bachelor snorts, pinning his ears back. “My name does not matter to you. But it’s certainly not either of those!”
    Toast nods dramatically. She peers up at him a big, open mouthed smile and wide eyes. “Of course, of course! A Bailey, then?” He huffs, stamping his hoof in warning. With his pinned ears, swishing tail, and gruesome face, I have to admire Toast’s dedication.

    Or stupidity.

    The sabino grinds his teeth.”I said it doesn’t matter! Now go away, nuisance.” He snaps at the heifer, but she’s much too quick for him. Within a moment, she’s standing in front of the mares. “Nuisance? I said my name was Toast! So anyway, since big ol’ grumpy over there doesn’t want to talk, who might you two fine ladies be?” The bachelor paces closer, watching the cow closely.
    Cherry reaches out to Toast first. “Huh, so you’re our savior? Neha, darling, I do believe we are doomed.”
    My brain processes the information quickly. Cherry, of course, sounded annoyed. Maybe a little jealous. But, Neha. A fitting name for such a beautiful mare. Then, I finally process her words. Savior? Doomed?
    Neha chooses to stay mute. Her white tail snaps out defiantly, slapping against her hide like the crack of a whip.
    In her place, the bachelor chortles. “Savior? A laughable idea! I’ve already explained it to you well, Cherry. This is your herd now, so you better start accepting it. You seemed quite content just a few hours ago.”
    He leers at her, but Cherry just snorts humorously. “A means to an end.” He snaps at her. Cherry watches him with little emotion.
    Then Toast breaks in. “Huh. Well Simon it seems you’re running a tight ship here. So, what’re your plans if some other colt tries to take them away, huh? Or what if they go trotting off into the sunset of their own free will?”
    He turns back to the heifer, frowning. “Why are you still here? I told you to leave!” He snaps at her again, but is still much too slow. The cow trots off a few feet, the stops defiantly.
    “Geez, okay Henry. No need to be like that. I’m just a lonesome little cow, wandering the plains. Looking for my home sweet home!” I cringe at her monologue. A little too much, Toast.
    He frowns even deeper, but answers. “Huh. You’ve got those tags dangling from your ears, so why aren’t you back with your humans? Was that one on her slave-horse here looking for you?”
    Toast tuts. “Why? Jumpy much? Afraid that these two here might have stallions on their way to save them, rather than a little old cow?”
    His ears flatten again, but I watch Toast instead. She looks up, meeting my eyes. Though comprehending her meaning, I balk. I did not stand a chance against this horse. He was experienced, strong. And I am just a skinny colt with four left hooves.

    Then, in my ear, Morgan whispers. “Go, Garnet. Kick that colt in the head again if you must. But he needs to be taught a lesson. You can’t treat mares like objects to be collected!”
    I spare a glance at her. Her expression is firey with enough passion that I don’t have the heart to tell her - stallions most certainly did treat their mares like possessions. Quite often, in fact.
    With my tail between my legs and my ears against my neck, I trumpet. He jerks his head in my direction. Carried on a wave of the stallion’s confusion, I find myself galloping toward him. His eyes widened in surprise. As I charge, I try to think back to the fights I had been in with my bachelor brothers. What would they tell me to do?

     Kip had always been the planner. He could think fast on his hooves, come up with moves mid-battle. But he wasn’t who I needed to think of right now. Though he had been the smartest and won the most often in spars, he never won in true battles. His mind spent far too much time thinking rather than doing. It always ended up being one of us saving his tail in the end.

No, I needed to remember Hoki.

    He had been the youngest of us all, just a yearling when we found him. We were never sure where he came from or why. But more important than any of that, Hoki was fast. The colt could strike like a viper - efficiently, accurately, deadly. When he was still young, he often fought us. His hooves were points of steel and his teeth as strong as a bear’s.
    The twins had protected me from his wrath at first. They were both bigger, faster. Smarter. But, eventually I did find myself in battle with the fiery colt. It had started as a playful sparring match. He was growing into a well-developed colt at just over two, and I had been teasing him about the mares he would chase.
    -

    “Aye, Hoki! I saw you talking to those mares earlier. They seemed positively smitten!”
    He looks up at me with a raised brow. “Oh totally, Garnet.” His tone was all sarcasm.
    I paw at the ground, enticing him to play. “Don’t be like that!” My laugh was loud and clear, a perfect sound to encourage the twins to not worry. Hoki hadn’t been mad in ages, and I was laughing. What harm could there be?
    When he failed to answer me again, I prodded him.“So, tell me really. Did you fool around with them? I saw that sweet little pinto giving you the eye.”
    He stood more firmly on his hooves then, frowning. “No, Garnet. You know I didn’t.”
     I kicked out at him, taking his stance to mean that he was willing to spar and chat. His hooves kicked up dust as he bucked at me, his mid twisting. We reared together, pawing out softly toward each other’s chest and squealing like fools.
    Not perturbed, I continued on with my antics. “Oh, but Hoki - you’re a real stallion now! And the mares love your hazel eyes and mysterious ways. What swooning! If they had spared Kip a glance, you just know he would have been thrilled.” Ilaughed genuinely, not caring that he failed to laugh with me.
    Then, his hoof landed firmly on what should have been a glancing blow. My ribs pulsed with a sudden rush of blood. Confused and a bit shocked, I paused. “Hey, Hoki! You actually landed that one, be a little more careful.”
    His ears nearly smacked his neck with the speed at which they moved. Quick as a snake, he reached out with teeth bared. Having been mid-rear at the moment, I could only whip my head around and watch in surprise as the colt sunk his teeth into my flank.
    A throaty, terrified squeal left me, and I kicked out at him as I ran away. “What the hell, Hoki! I was just teasing!”
    With blood running hot down my leg, I stopped not ten feet away from him. We both stood there, panting. My eyes were wide, his narrowed in anger.
    “Just joking Garnet? Just joking?! Are you really so dull?”
    He paced. With my blood still staining his teeth and lips, he looked like a terrifying beast.
    “Yes! I don’t understand Hoki. It’s just teasing okay, I don’t mean anything by it!” I was nearly in tears by this point. My words were panicky, half-choked. He stopped, watching a single, hot tear carve a trail down my face. His expression was more hurt than my own. And I was the one with a chunk missing!

    “Just joking still hurts Garnet! Are you really going to make me spell it out?” I had perked my ears up, confused. “Well, I would really like a good reason as to why you felt the need to taste my blood on your teeth.” He paced some more.

    That summer had been exceptionally hot and bothersome. The dust was thicker than the grass, and his heavy hooves had made it billow up into clouds thick enough to choke you.

    Finally, after my wound had already begun to dry and I had nearly forgotten what we were fighting over, he turned to me.
    Quick as lightning, the colt was in my face. I balked. Skittering a few feet to the side in surprise, I stuttered. “H-hoki? For the love of the gods, don’t do something like that after biting me!”
    His lips quirked up in a small, sad smile. “Garnet, do you promise you’ll never hate me?”
    Surprised, I grew still. “Depends on how many more times I find myself with missing pieces.”
    Hoki’s smile had turned up in a big, joking grin. “Only a few, hopefully.” I waited.
    Another moment passed with him looking off, his eyes heavy with thoughts. Then, with a final, world-weary sigh, the colt leaned into my ear. I could feel his heartbeat through his skin as it pressed against my own. We both had pulses fit for a rabbit, and both sped up even more as his teeth got frighteningly close to my fragile skin. I really did not want to lose an ear today, but I trusted him.
In a quiet, almost sultry whisper, he crooned,” Garnet, I'd never chase those mares. Or any like them. The only horse in all of Cottonwood Valley I want to chase is you.”
    I had jumped back a few steps, his words still ringing in my ears. Me? He wanted to chase me? But … did that mean?
    With wide eyes, I questioned,” Me? But, Hoki…”
    He looked scared, perhaps even a little sad.
    “Hoki, we’re like brothers.” His eyes met mine, surprised.
    “Brothers? That’s the problem you have with it? For that matter, we have only known each other for a year and in the time have spent very little time together. So, don’t ’brother’ me, Garnet. You’re a strange stallion, yes, but I have spent quite a bit of time watching you. And I know for a FACT that you don’t mean it when you say we are brothers. So, go on. Tell me what you really think.”
    A rush of blood flooded my face. Had I not been covered in fur, one might have said I even visibly blushed.
    “Uh, well - er. That’s not how it works, Hoki. Stallions chase mares and lead herds. It’s what we were born to do, our only real task in life.” His ears quirked up, pointing toward me. Something in his eyes told me he could see something in my words that I did not. And he understood it. His voice was calm and warm. Comforting.
    “Oh, Garnet. I should have guessed. Of course Deheune would tell you that. Yes, generally speaking, our ‘job’ is with the mares. But, I ask, does that mean that we cannot still care for anyone we want? You can still lead a herd and not lead it alone. Just look at the twins. Their brotherly love makes it easy for them to stay together. They even plan on leading a herd together one day. It’s not conventional, no, but this is a big valley. And in such a place anything can happen.”

    His words were something new, a thought I had never had. My sire, Deheune, had always told me that emotions were senseless. As a herd leader, a stallion needed to be firm but fair, understanding - but punishing when need be. You were the example of the herd, the stallion after which your foals would be modeled. If you were partial to a mare, only she should know it. And, it had worked for him. His herd was vast, his reign supreme. But, would I have been happy like that? He had always been this serious and stern figure presiding over us foals, but he had not been a father. A sire, yes, as any mare who went outside of the herd was punished by being chased out, but a father? A caring figure in my life? No, not even to me. His chosen son.

    I turn my eyes back to Hoki, and found him still waiting patiently for a response. “You - you’re not wrong. It was Deheune that told me as such.”
    The colt stared me down. I knew he was waiting for something else, but what could I say?
    He frowns, asking,”And about everything else?”
    The answers are heavy on my tongue, but could I tell him? Explain to him what I had felt throughout my life - what I thought of his proposal? Could I trust him as a confidant?

    The answer had been yes.

    After that day, Hoki and I had many more spars. He taught me not only speed and precision, but many other things. Among them, I learned one thing through him that might help me now.

    When a horse makes you really, really mad, sometimes it is okay to just take a chunk out of him.

-
    The bachelor and I meet with raised hooves and a shared bugle. We parry for a moment, showing off as loudly as possible. He reaches out, teeth bared, after we drop back to the ground, but I dodge his bite. My hooves kick out toward his side, landing a warning glance. We take a step back, posturing.
     “You’re the colt that kicked me in the face! Oh- I - I should tear you apart! Give you a good message from my own hooves!” He darts toward me again with a squeal.
    I cowhop away from him, rearing up. He meets me just quick enough to prevent a real injury, but I still manage a few nips at his side. One of his hooves scrapes my stomach. Skin stinging, I fall back on the ground heavily. I pant.
    Quick enough that I might have even landed one on Hoki, I spin. My hooves are fast and forceful, landing solidly enough on his shoulder to bruise. The skin opens up, trickling blood slowly through tiny cuts.
    He paces back with a snarl.
    With a final, angry look toward Cherry and Neha, he turns on me. “Fine, colt. You can have ‘em! But I will find my way back to you one day. And I will give you the kick to the face that you deserve.”
    His hooves kick up dust as he dashes off, bucking and rearing in a final show.

    “Way to go Garnet! Now that’s how you get ‘em, boy!” I whirl on Toast, eyes wide.
    She chuckles. The heifer rubs her head against my leg, and for once I do not fear her horns.
    “Well, let’s go say howdy to your damsels in distress. COME ON MORGAN, HE WON!”
    The bay dun walks out of the brush with a big smile and instantly starts gushing. “Oh! That’s so good Garnet! I’ll admit, I was not too confident when you started walking out there like the humans had banded you five minutes before. I even closed my eyes because I didn’t want to see you die. But look at us now!”
    She turns toward the other two mares. “CHERRY! We saved you!”

    As we reach the pair, Cherry grins a mocking grin. “Oh, my big bad savior stallion. How could I ever repay you!”
    She snorts out a laugh, turning away. “I was already planning on coming back eventually, but then he showed up with this priss over here. Hmph. He knew the plan when I found him, so I don’t know why he thought I was going to let him change it.”
    Morgan stops mid-reach, her nose nearly touching Cherry. “The plan?”
    The tobiano gives Morgan a bored sigh. “Yeah. Did you really think he could get me here if I didn’t want to come?”
    Morgan's eyes widen and I realise something. She truly had not believed that Cherry would willingly let another stallion steal her.

    Even I, who admittedly always saw the good in everyone, knew that Cherry did this on purpose. Though I had argued it with Cam, that was only to win the argument. Cherry had been hanging off of me for the entire week, flirting and roughly harassing. She had been lashing out, causing any havoc she could.

    I interrupt Morgan’s coming accustion, instead demanding. “So, did you get what you want out of this?”
    She meets my eyes with a leery smirk. “Oh, certainly! What’re you going to do about it?”
    The tobiano’s entire posture shifts. She stands taller, arches her neck, lifts her tail. Was she really that proud of herself?
    “What do you mean, Cherry? I saw your face when Cam told us about that bachelor. It’s not like I can say I blame you.”
    All three mares, and Toast, stare me down.
    Incredulous, Cherry asks,” What? You’re not mad?!”
    Her posture drops, almost like she had hoped I would be angry with her. Why? Why would she WANT me to get mad about this?
    “No? Cherry, I’m the one who turned you down. It’s not like you went to that bachelor before me.”
    She sputters. “But- but Cedar would have …” This time, Mogan steps in.
    She still looks shocked. Hurt, even.
    “Garnet is not Cedar, Cherry. And you’re not Maple.”
    She looks away from us, lost.

     It occurs to me then what exactly it was Cherry wanted. Not a foal, not some fun. Just to have us turn our attention on her and solely her. Even if it would have been bad, dangerous attention, she wanted it. I give her a strange look. What had made this mare act like this?

    I sigh, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. I look up, finding myself catching the eye of the mystery mare. Her eyes are blue. Who was she? Where had she come from?
    The mare already had me infatuated. I wanted to stand beneath the stars and swap life stories with her, learning everything about her life that had made her into the creature she now had become.
    My teeth show as I smile at her, likely making me look like a mad-man. Already blushing, I try to smooth myself back out.
    “Oh, and hello to you as well. I’m Garnet!”

    She tilts her head like a puppy and doesn’t smile. “Neha.”
    I grin at her, ready to charm. “A beautiful name for a beautiful-”
    She stops me cold with a glare. “Don’t.”
    My eyes widen and Cherry snorts gleefully. The tobiano bumps Neha roughly, already laughing and back to her old self. Acting like she can forget what just happened.
    “Oh, Neha here doesn’t speak much. That bachelor found her grazing just over the hill and forced her back here. You should have seen the fight she put up! It put quite the damper on our mood.”
    The mare frowns, then looks away from us. After a moment’s complentation, she turns back to me. Looking into her eyes feels like being weighed down with lead. There’s something terrifying about them.
    “I suppose you plan to hold me hostage as well?”
    I shake my head, smiling. “No, you’re free to do whatever you want. We came for Cherry.”
    She continues to stare me down for a moment. Then, without a sound, turns her gaze on everyone else. She looks at them each in turn. Cherry frowns at her, her ears drawn back. Morgan smiles when it’s her turn to be surveyed, but it’s a tired smile. And, as the mare’s steely gaze turns on Toast, the little cow laughs.
    “You’re a tough one, eh? Quit acting like that already. You’re a horse, hon, not an assassin.”
    At this, she smiles. It’s a slow movement, like liquid mercury rippling.
    Finally, her eyes find me again. “And this? Is it your herd?”
I look round at the eyes watching me. My eyebrow raises and I laugh. “Not quite.” Her eyebrow raises in kind, but her smile stays. “I will join you, then. For now.”

    I begin to nod excitedly, but the sound of thundering hooves steals my attention away. The wind picks up again, and with it comes a tide of information. Horses. An entire herd. And, mixed in with it, the stink of sweat, leather, and of humans. My flank twitches in trepidation. Then, as the dust starts to roll over the crest of the hill, I ask,” Do- do you smell that?”
    Without a single spoken word, I can easily decipher that they do.
    We stand for a moment like a herd of deer in headlights. Then, the first rider comes into sight. He makes a big, loud whooping noise at us. A second rider follows at his heels. Then a third, a fourth! They all make jarring sounds. Whistles, clicks, yells. Their arms swing wildly around their heads, and the horses they ride creak and groan from all the leather they wear.
    I jerk my neck up, yelling, “Run! Toward home!”
    The entire group spooks as one. I snap at their heels, spurring the mares on. Morgan and Toast take the lead, running neck and neck. Though the heifer was much smaller, she was flighty. With very little weight holding her the earth, she seemed almost to blur as she tottered on. Neha gallops behind them, her tail high and ears back. She kicks her heels up every other step. Cherry and I take up the rear. She, for whatever reason, tries repetitively to throw herself outside of the group. The scent of her fear is strong, but I can do nothing about it. I nip at Cherry’s sides, trying to force her to move faster. The rider’s keep their distance, and for a moment I almost believe we might get away. Then, the tree line opens up in front of me. We enter the gulch that had become home. My eyes catch sight of Aine standing at the bottom of the hill.
    Though I cannot truly feel the excitement of it, my pulse spikes. In front of her, obviously having been mid-conversation, stands Asteria! A thin, black-coated foal stands quietly at her side. Before I can get a good look at her foal, Cameo comes streaking across the grass. With her head down and back straight, she reaches the small group much faster than us. Behind her, another group of riders follows.
    We reach the rest of the herd, and questions and greetings called out as we all blend together. We surge into one fluid group and Cameo takes the lead. She rounds out the left side, bringing Aine deeper inside of our circle. Next to the long-legged chestnut, Asteria takes center post. The black foal lags near her rear, running with its head up. To my surprise, I see another foal running wildly on her other side. I push Cherry forward one last time, appreciating the surge of speed she picks up. We enter the edge of the trees in one fluid mass. The riders stay hot on our tails, nearly encircling us.
    Fearful, I try to think of a way out, With riders on both sides on horses just as fast as us, what could we do? The trees tighten around us as we gallop deeper into the forest.
    Cameo switches tracks, leading us toward the entrance to the gorge. It had been where they hid out before - when I fought with the bachelor the first time. It was deep and dangerous if not expected, but provided good clean water if one did not want to venture all the way to the river. With a narrow walk-way and steep walls, the humans would not be able to surround us. They would be forced to follow the edges, giving us a chance to escape!
    I call out to her encouragingly, but she ignores me. The herd enters into the thicket of sycamore and elm trees with a quiet whoosh. We’re quickly swallowed by rocks, but something is off. The humans stop entirely, dropping back. Not a single one tries to follow us into the gorge. I start to point this out, but it’s too late.

    We run into a tall, reinforced fence. It comes out of nowhere, popping in sight just as we round the first bend. Cameo doesn’t see it fast enough and slams into it forcefully, screaming as the air is forced out of her. I try to come to a stop, to turn around, but the humans are faster. Another gate slams closed behind me.

And just like that, we find ourselves captured.

Stallion: Garnet (12)

In Response To: mare stolen (Cherry) + encounter human + windy day + captured (good people)

Art Features: Garnet

Lit Features: Garnet , Hestia , Cameo , Aine , Cherry , Asteria , Laramie II , Nokomis , Neha , Bachelor 14 , Cedar , Maple

Words: 5111

Aging: n/a

Healing: n/a

Preggos: n/a

Stolen: Cherry 3/3

Captured: 1/3

Items: Peanut wood

Companions: Toast (protecting)
Mentions: BootifulWolf (Blake's bach #14), LannisterHeir (Maple)

Other: all of my mares should be on pregnancy prevention except for those that are nursing, already pregnant, and Cherry - because she's getting a bachelor baby