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Description

Word Count: 1,427
Activity: stat training-galloping-for: Zynnia, Beetle
Season: Summer
Location: forest, Caputalis Isle
Herd Member(s): Zynnia , Beetle
Lead Stallion: SunSplaash
"Wait, really!?"
Beetle practically hops in place, bubbling with excitement. Beside him Stardust steps away, rolling her eyes at him, though excitement is still evident in the way she twitches her tail back and forth.
"Yes, yes really," SunSplaash chuckles. "There's a small lake-well really it's more of a pond-nearby. I was thinking we could go and spend a day there."
"Yes please!" Beetle shouts happily. "It's been forever si-"
Stardust gives a sharp jab at Beete's side, pinning her ears at him. Beetle immediately goes still, eyes widening. Comically he has the look of one realizing he had just messed up.
"Hold on there, it's been forever since what?" Zynnia asks sternly, standing tall behind her colt, huffing angrily at the back of his neck.
"U-um..." Beetle stutters, slowly turning his head to look up at zynnia's angry face. He glances over at SunSplaash for help, brown eyes huge and pleading.
"Alright alright, let's calm down," SunSplaash says. This earns a harsh glare from Zynnia. "We can talk about this later. We'll burn the day away by arguing."
"He's right," Twila steps in, her voice cool and neutral. She glances at Beetle for a moment, before looking up at Zynnia, then turning her gaze back to SunSplaash. "I'd like to get there BEFORE the sun sets, please."
"Right..." SunSplaash clears his throat awkwardly as he sees Zynnia pin her ears angrily at Twila's implication. "L-let's focus on getting there. Even though it's close, I don't want to risk anything, so I want the foals in the middle, with their mothers. Rook I want your bird's eye view from the sky, alert to any danger you might come across. I'll be at the front leading the way."
SunSplaash pauses, looking at each individual herd member, waiting for questions. His eyes pause on Zynnia, who gives a nod of encouragement. Her smile warms the anxiety buzzing in his chest, and he stands just a bit taller.
"Let's move out then!"
-------
Quiet murmuring bounces back and forth within his herd as SunSplaash leads the way through the forest. He tries his best to appear calm like he knows what he's doing. But it's impossible to stop the slight tremor in his legs with every step he takes.
The mulch doesn't help, as it's slippery beneath his hooves. He tries his best to focus on the noises within the forest, to distract his mind as he listens for danger. But he can't stop the jumbled web of thoughts from scratching at the back of his mind, trying their best to distract him from the task at hand.
He takes a deep breath, tilting his head back to look up at the sky. He easily spots the dark feathers of Rook between the canopy of the forest trees above, the leaves not having grown in enough to block out the sky completely yet.
One of his ears angles backward as he hears a horse trotting up beside him. He turns his head, raising a brow with surprise to see Twila's dark form easily matching his pace as she walks beside him.
She stays silent for a moment, her blue eyes completely indifferent to the situation she's found herself in. SunSplaash remains quiet, giving Twila the chance to collect her thoughts and start the conversation between them.
Finally, with her voice sounding a tad bit too cold, she says, "Your son is a complete annoyance to everything around him."
SunSplaash grits his teeth as he feels the instinctive anger bubble up in his chest. He struggles with himself to not immediately lash out at Twila for her insult, swallowing thickly as he struggles to wiggle through the burning words in his mind to find something actually logical to say.
"He can be quite rambunctious." This is what he finally settles for, though he can't hold back the bite in his tone.
If Twila noticed, she doesn't comment on it. "So I'm going to guess that, since you appear to be closest with Zynnia, she's your lead mare? And since she has a foal, she's in the middle with him instead of helping guide the herd."
SunSplaash stumbles over everything Twila had just said. So much so that he actually almost falls face-first into the ground. Luckily enough he manages to catch himself, his heart rocketing to his stomach.
Twila only raises a brow at him, and SunSplaash REFUSES to glance back over his shoulder at the others as embarrassment floods through him.
"U-um," he stutters, flicking his ears anxiously. "I have no idea what you just said."
"I can repeat it."
"No, no I-well I heard you, but...um...I don't exactly understand the meaning."
"Okay...what part should I explain to you?" Twila asks, her voice taking on a more curious undertone as she angles an ear toward him.
"Lead mare?" SunSplaash practically chokes out. He can't get over how calm she is, almost to the point it's somewhat intimidating.
Twila gives a nod. "Yes, lead mare. Do you...not know what that is?"
"Nope."
Twila gives a small click of her teeth, finally turning her head to look at him clearly. There's curious confusion in those deep eyes of hers, her brows still elegantly raised.
"Well, I'm sure you can probably put it together."
"I-well yeah..." Insecurity wells up in SunSplaash's chest again as he sheepishly looks away.
Twila lets out a small humm beside him. Any insults or degrading words he had been expecting to hear from her never come. Instead, she turns her gaze back ahead of them and flicks an ear again.
"It refers to a mare that's in charge, alongside the lead stallion. She helps out with the herd, like a second in command. They share the responsibility of lead, thus taking some of the stress off the stallion. Of course, the stallion is still in charge of everything, but it's easier if he has a partner to fall back on when in need of support."
SunSplaash nods as he listens intently to her words. Her voice is smooth as she glides through her words expertly. She doesn't stumble once, not even on a single letter. She speaks wisely, yet not a hint of her tone is condescending.
"I honestly never know that was a thing..." SunSplaash trails off, frowning. He's pulled back to his days as a colt, by his mother's side. Having the father he did, with the way he treated his mares, there was only so much his mother could teach him when it came to being a leader himself.
"Every stallion I've been with has always had a lead mare with them. I'm...quite curious about why you didn't know what it was?"
SunSplaash shrugs uncomfortably. "Ah, it...I didn't really have the best role model when it came to being a lead. My mother...well she taught me as best she could."
Twila's brow furrows in just the slightest. She gives a curt nod and flicks her tail. "I understand. You...well I've noticed how you act alone with, well everything. I've noticed you've been stressed. I...suggest talking with her about it. Despite my initial thoughts of her, I do believe that she would make a good lead mare."
SunSplaash hums in thought. "I-I should, actually. Thank you, Twila. This...you really don't know how much better this makes me feel."
Twila, although reluctant, gives a small smile of her own as she meets his eyes again. "I know more than I let on, stallion."
Suddenly Rook lets out a call from above. SunSplaash immediately perks up, the herd pausing behind him as Rook flutters down towards them.
"Sky is clear and the day is young! Pond's just ahead!" Rook caws happily, circling above the herd a few times before landing with practiced ease atop Silhouette's back.
"Okay-"
There's a blur that passes right beside SunSplaash, taking him completely off guard as he watches his son gallop past, kicking up loose leaves and mud as he bucks with excitement.
"Beetle you little brat get back here!" Zynnia shouts after him, before quickly galloping after her son. The rest of the herd watch, blinking a few times to register what had just happened.
"Well then," Shelly chuckles, shaking out her mane to break the silence. Beside her Stardust only huffs, her expression deadpan as she watches the two disappear ahead between the low-hanging branches of the large bushes and trees.
"Come on then," SunSplaash chuckles as he starts trotting along the path kicked up by Beetle.
"He's rambunctious alright." Twila deadpans beside SunSplaash.
The stallion huffs. "Oh don't start with me."

---------------------------
~References Used~

-Poses
-i.pinimg.com/564x/1c/2b/aa/1c2…
-i.pinimg.com/564x/63/a0/aa/63a…

-Background
-wallpaperaccess.com/full/11852…

Description

Word Count: 1,427
Activity: stat training-galloping-for: Zynnia, Beetle
Season: Summer
Location: forest, Caputalis Isle
Herd Member(s): Zynnia , Beetle
Lead Stallion: SunSplaash
"Wait, really!?"
Beetle practically hops in place, bubbling with excitement. Beside him Stardust steps away, rolling her eyes at him, though excitement is still evident in the way she twitches her tail back and forth.
"Yes, yes really," SunSplaash chuckles. "There's a small lake-well really it's more of a pond-nearby. I was thinking we could go and spend a day there."
"Yes please!" Beetle shouts happily. "It's been forever si-"
Stardust gives a sharp jab at Beete's side, pinning her ears at him. Beetle immediately goes still, eyes widening. Comically he has the look of one realizing he had just messed up.
"Hold on there, it's been forever since what?" Zynnia asks sternly, standing tall behind her colt, huffing angrily at the back of his neck.
"U-um..." Beetle stutters, slowly turning his head to look up at zynnia's angry face. He glances over at SunSplaash for help, brown eyes huge and pleading.
"Alright alright, let's calm down," SunSplaash says. This earns a harsh glare from Zynnia. "We can talk about this later. We'll burn the day away by arguing."
"He's right," Twila steps in, her voice cool and neutral. She glances at Beetle for a moment, before looking up at Zynnia, then turning her gaze back to SunSplaash. "I'd like to get there BEFORE the sun sets, please."
"Right..." SunSplaash clears his throat awkwardly as he sees Zynnia pin her ears angrily at Twila's implication. "L-let's focus on getting there. Even though it's close, I don't want to risk anything, so I want the foals in the middle, with their mothers. Rook I want your bird's eye view from the sky, alert to any danger you might come across. I'll be at the front leading the way."
SunSplaash pauses, looking at each individual herd member, waiting for questions. His eyes pause on Zynnia, who gives a nod of encouragement. Her smile warms the anxiety buzzing in his chest, and he stands just a bit taller.
"Let's move out then!"
-------
Quiet murmuring bounces back and forth within his herd as SunSplaash leads the way through the forest. He tries his best to appear calm like he knows what he's doing. But it's impossible to stop the slight tremor in his legs with every step he takes.
The mulch doesn't help, as it's slippery beneath his hooves. He tries his best to focus on the noises within the forest, to distract his mind as he listens for danger. But he can't stop the jumbled web of thoughts from scratching at the back of his mind, trying their best to distract him from the task at hand.
He takes a deep breath, tilting his head back to look up at the sky. He easily spots the dark feathers of Rook between the canopy of the forest trees above, the leaves not having grown in enough to block out the sky completely yet.
One of his ears angles backward as he hears a horse trotting up beside him. He turns his head, raising a brow with surprise to see Twila's dark form easily matching his pace as she walks beside him.
She stays silent for a moment, her blue eyes completely indifferent to the situation she's found herself in. SunSplaash remains quiet, giving Twila the chance to collect her thoughts and start the conversation between them.
Finally, with her voice sounding a tad bit too cold, she says, "Your son is a complete annoyance to everything around him."
SunSplaash grits his teeth as he feels the instinctive anger bubble up in his chest. He struggles with himself to not immediately lash out at Twila for her insult, swallowing thickly as he struggles to wiggle through the burning words in his mind to find something actually logical to say.
"He can be quite rambunctious." This is what he finally settles for, though he can't hold back the bite in his tone.
If Twila noticed, she doesn't comment on it. "So I'm going to guess that, since you appear to be closest with Zynnia, she's your lead mare? And since she has a foal, she's in the middle with him instead of helping guide the herd."
SunSplaash stumbles over everything Twila had just said. So much so that he actually almost falls face-first into the ground. Luckily enough he manages to catch himself, his heart rocketing to his stomach.
Twila only raises a brow at him, and SunSplaash REFUSES to glance back over his shoulder at the others as embarrassment floods through him.
"U-um," he stutters, flicking his ears anxiously. "I have no idea what you just said."
"I can repeat it."
"No, no I-well I heard you, but...um...I don't exactly understand the meaning."
"Okay...what part should I explain to you?" Twila asks, her voice taking on a more curious undertone as she angles an ear toward him.
"Lead mare?" SunSplaash practically chokes out. He can't get over how calm she is, almost to the point it's somewhat intimidating.
Twila gives a nod. "Yes, lead mare. Do you...not know what that is?"
"Nope."
Twila gives a small click of her teeth, finally turning her head to look at him clearly. There's curious confusion in those deep eyes of hers, her brows still elegantly raised.
"Well, I'm sure you can probably put it together."
"I-well yeah..." Insecurity wells up in SunSplaash's chest again as he sheepishly looks away.
Twila lets out a small humm beside him. Any insults or degrading words he had been expecting to hear from her never come. Instead, she turns her gaze back ahead of them and flicks an ear again.
"It refers to a mare that's in charge, alongside the lead stallion. She helps out with the herd, like a second in command. They share the responsibility of lead, thus taking some of the stress off the stallion. Of course, the stallion is still in charge of everything, but it's easier if he has a partner to fall back on when in need of support."
SunSplaash nods as he listens intently to her words. Her voice is smooth as she glides through her words expertly. She doesn't stumble once, not even on a single letter. She speaks wisely, yet not a hint of her tone is condescending.
"I honestly never know that was a thing..." SunSplaash trails off, frowning. He's pulled back to his days as a colt, by his mother's side. Having the father he did, with the way he treated his mares, there was only so much his mother could teach him when it came to being a leader himself.
"Every stallion I've been with has always had a lead mare with them. I'm...quite curious about why you didn't know what it was?"
SunSplaash shrugs uncomfortably. "Ah, it...I didn't really have the best role model when it came to being a lead. My mother...well she taught me as best she could."
Twila's brow furrows in just the slightest. She gives a curt nod and flicks her tail. "I understand. You...well I've noticed how you act alone with, well everything. I've noticed you've been stressed. I...suggest talking with her about it. Despite my initial thoughts of her, I do believe that she would make a good lead mare."
SunSplaash hums in thought. "I-I should, actually. Thank you, Twila. This...you really don't know how much better this makes me feel."
Twila, although reluctant, gives a small smile of her own as she meets his eyes again. "I know more than I let on, stallion."
Suddenly Rook lets out a call from above. SunSplaash immediately perks up, the herd pausing behind him as Rook flutters down towards them.
"Sky is clear and the day is young! Pond's just ahead!" Rook caws happily, circling above the herd a few times before landing with practiced ease atop Silhouette's back.
"Okay-"
There's a blur that passes right beside SunSplaash, taking him completely off guard as he watches his son gallop past, kicking up loose leaves and mud as he bucks with excitement.
"Beetle you little brat get back here!" Zynnia shouts after him, before quickly galloping after her son. The rest of the herd watch, blinking a few times to register what had just happened.
"Well then," Shelly chuckles, shaking out her mane to break the silence. Beside her Stardust only huffs, her expression deadpan as she watches the two disappear ahead between the low-hanging branches of the large bushes and trees.
"Come on then," SunSplaash chuckles as he starts trotting along the path kicked up by Beetle.
"He's rambunctious alright." Twila deadpans beside SunSplaash.
The stallion huffs. "Oh don't start with me."

---------------------------
~References Used~

-Poses
-i.pinimg.com/564x/1c/2b/aa/1c2…
-i.pinimg.com/564x/63/a0/aa/63a…

-Background
-wallpaperaccess.com/full/11852…