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Description
In the green of the valley, the herd stopped to rest.

The sun shining down made their coats gleam in a way that comes only from good health. Although the season was new, it had been kind to them. Minisa’s red coat blazed in the sun, as bright as it had ever been when she had a human to bathe and groom her. Sharra’s coat was a rich chocolate hue in this lighting, all warm and glorious, and when Cassana moved her coat rippled over her well-muscled body in a way sure to attract bachelors. Even Alyssa’s white, always hard to keep clean, was as bright as freshly fallen snow. The tall spring grass had been good for all of them.

While the mares grazed and Sharra kept watch, Alyssa went to investigate all the pretty flowers that lined the fields. All of the adults present kept half an eye on her, which was almost a full two eyes when combined, and Cassana followed her lazily as she explored, allowing Sharra to focus elsewhere. Really, she was quite safe and able to be utterly oblivious to any dangers.

“They’re all so pretty! Do you like them, momma?” Alyssa had found another patch of flowers, and dropped to her knees to smell them, burying her head in the colorful petals.

“I do love the Mariposa Lilies,” Sharra admitted, pausing in her grazing to watch her daughter smell the flowers. “They have such pretty centers. My favorite are the irises, though.”

“Really? What color?”

“Maybe blue?” Sharra considered, taking a long look around the field. “But probably purple.”

Minisa thought that was fitting for such a mare. Sharra was a good leader, and purple irises symbolized power, royalty, and wisdom. Not to mention the deep purple flower would look stunning with her deep chocolate colored coat.

“I’m fond of orchids,” Cassana has been watching Alyssa sniff each flower individually. “Or maybe lillies. Sharra is right, there’s just something about a good lily that’s so pretty,”

“Well, lilies so symbolize motherhood, so it’s not strange to like them,” Minisa mused.

“You know, we had a mare in my father’s herd who knew all about flowers and herbs,” Cassana said, as she flicked her tail to rid herself of a particularly annoying fly. “She was always telling the foals about them.”

“What do orchids mean, then?” Alyssa asked, eager to know everything she could about her latest discovery. She’d been very young last year when the flowers were this bright, and didn’t remember them very well.

“Fertility, I think.” Minisa had learned things about flowers from her own mother, back in the stables, and from other horses whose humans spoke of them often. She wondered how the wild horses learned of them. “And irises are royalty.”

“Good choice, then,” Cassana said, to Sharra, who snorted in return. Sharra was very much aware that she was a beauty, but she disliked being complimented on it when there was so much else to compliment her on. Cassana’s choice made her look away in embarrassment. “What about you, Alyssa? Do you have a favorite?”

“I think these are pretty,” Alyssa pointed out a blue flower with the movement of her ears, ducking her head to get a better look at it.

“That’s a forget - me - not,” Cassana, who was the closest to her, said. “What do those mean, Minisa?”

“Faithfulness and enduring love,” Minisa thought the blue was pretty too, expecially against the cream and white of Alyssa’s coat. The filly would be a true beauty in a few years, but right now she was leggy and excitable.

“We’ve forgotten to ask Minisa,” Sharra noted. She was a feet first kind of mare, the kind that sent bachelors running and chose herd stallions and started a fight with another herd over who got to drink first at the watering hole, but she didn not neglect the social politics that all mares played. “What is your favorite flower?”

“Roses, I think,” Minisa mused. She’d not thought too much about it, but roses had certain associations and the brightest of them matched her coat color.

“What do roses mean, then?” Alyssa asked, looking up from where she had been rolling on some of the flowers.

“A lot of things. Red roses are for love, romantic usually. Pink for happiness. Yellow is jealousy and white can be innocence.” Minisa had half expected to be scolded for choosing a flower so commonly associated with humans, and hedged her bets.

Sharra seemed amused. She paused in her sentry duty to look down at her daughter, who they’d come closer to as they ambled across the grass and Alyssa rolled on the ground. “Flowers can also indicate other things too. I was loved by a filly once who declared her interest with violets. We were young, and she left the herd, but she was sweet and clever.”

Minisa caught her eye over the filly, and offered what Sharra had not. “Roses are often a symbol of the trans community. Violets of lesbians, and other flowers have similar meanings. Green carnations, pansies, lavender, and such. Sometimes the color of them is substituted for the real thing.”

“I knew a quarter horse mare that said humans are more exacting about it,” Cassana offered, although she had never been offered any such flower. “I assume because they can get the flowers?”

“Did the humans create the meaning?” Alyssa asked, ever curious, and although Minisa knew the answer she let Sharra speak instead.

“Who knows? Our ancestors were born in this land, long ago, but now we all have more familiarity with humans than I would like. Us horses, the wolves and big cats, and particularly the cattle who graze on our land.” Sharra nudged Alyssa’s shoulder, cleaning away some of the grass left there from her rolling. “That is why you should stay far away from humans. They’re like a creeping weed, they want to be a part of everything.”

Alyssa considered this, frowning, as her mother cleaned her coat back to white. “So does that mean that humans have a meaning too? Like weeds?”

~oOo~

Horses Mentioned:

Minisa
Cassana
Sharra
Alyssa

Player(s): <@837024500755071034>
Estimated Stat Count: 11

+1 Headshot
+1 Color
+1 Shaded
+1 Background
+5 1,000 Words
+1 Recruited Bonus
+1 Constitution (per mare?) for Healthy Sheen

Response To:
Summary: The herd discusses their favorite flowers and what they mean.

Requests: I think this qualifies for Healthy Sheen

Description
In the green of the valley, the herd stopped to rest.

The sun shining down made their coats gleam in a way that comes only from good health. Although the season was new, it had been kind to them. Minisa’s red coat blazed in the sun, as bright as it had ever been when she had a human to bathe and groom her. Sharra’s coat was a rich chocolate hue in this lighting, all warm and glorious, and when Cassana moved her coat rippled over her well-muscled body in a way sure to attract bachelors. Even Alyssa’s white, always hard to keep clean, was as bright as freshly fallen snow. The tall spring grass had been good for all of them.

While the mares grazed and Sharra kept watch, Alyssa went to investigate all the pretty flowers that lined the fields. All of the adults present kept half an eye on her, which was almost a full two eyes when combined, and Cassana followed her lazily as she explored, allowing Sharra to focus elsewhere. Really, she was quite safe and able to be utterly oblivious to any dangers.

“They’re all so pretty! Do you like them, momma?” Alyssa had found another patch of flowers, and dropped to her knees to smell them, burying her head in the colorful petals.

“I do love the Mariposa Lilies,” Sharra admitted, pausing in her grazing to watch her daughter smell the flowers. “They have such pretty centers. My favorite are the irises, though.”

“Really? What color?”

“Maybe blue?” Sharra considered, taking a long look around the field. “But probably purple.”

Minisa thought that was fitting for such a mare. Sharra was a good leader, and purple irises symbolized power, royalty, and wisdom. Not to mention the deep purple flower would look stunning with her deep chocolate colored coat.

“I’m fond of orchids,” Cassana has been watching Alyssa sniff each flower individually. “Or maybe lillies. Sharra is right, there’s just something about a good lily that’s so pretty,”

“Well, lilies so symbolize motherhood, so it’s not strange to like them,” Minisa mused.

“You know, we had a mare in my father’s herd who knew all about flowers and herbs,” Cassana said, as she flicked her tail to rid herself of a particularly annoying fly. “She was always telling the foals about them.”

“What do orchids mean, then?” Alyssa asked, eager to know everything she could about her latest discovery. She’d been very young last year when the flowers were this bright, and didn’t remember them very well.

“Fertility, I think.” Minisa had learned things about flowers from her own mother, back in the stables, and from other horses whose humans spoke of them often. She wondered how the wild horses learned of them. “And irises are royalty.”

“Good choice, then,” Cassana said, to Sharra, who snorted in return. Sharra was very much aware that she was a beauty, but she disliked being complimented on it when there was so much else to compliment her on. Cassana’s choice made her look away in embarrassment. “What about you, Alyssa? Do you have a favorite?”

“I think these are pretty,” Alyssa pointed out a blue flower with the movement of her ears, ducking her head to get a better look at it.

“That’s a forget - me - not,” Cassana, who was the closest to her, said. “What do those mean, Minisa?”

“Faithfulness and enduring love,” Minisa thought the blue was pretty too, expecially against the cream and white of Alyssa’s coat. The filly would be a true beauty in a few years, but right now she was leggy and excitable.

“We’ve forgotten to ask Minisa,” Sharra noted. She was a feet first kind of mare, the kind that sent bachelors running and chose herd stallions and started a fight with another herd over who got to drink first at the watering hole, but she didn not neglect the social politics that all mares played. “What is your favorite flower?”

“Roses, I think,” Minisa mused. She’d not thought too much about it, but roses had certain associations and the brightest of them matched her coat color.

“What do roses mean, then?” Alyssa asked, looking up from where she had been rolling on some of the flowers.

“A lot of things. Red roses are for love, romantic usually. Pink for happiness. Yellow is jealousy and white can be innocence.” Minisa had half expected to be scolded for choosing a flower so commonly associated with humans, and hedged her bets.

Sharra seemed amused. She paused in her sentry duty to look down at her daughter, who they’d come closer to as they ambled across the grass and Alyssa rolled on the ground. “Flowers can also indicate other things too. I was loved by a filly once who declared her interest with violets. We were young, and she left the herd, but she was sweet and clever.”

Minisa caught her eye over the filly, and offered what Sharra had not. “Roses are often a symbol of the trans community. Violets of lesbians, and other flowers have similar meanings. Green carnations, pansies, lavender, and such. Sometimes the color of them is substituted for the real thing.”

“I knew a quarter horse mare that said humans are more exacting about it,” Cassana offered, although she had never been offered any such flower. “I assume because they can get the flowers?”

“Did the humans create the meaning?” Alyssa asked, ever curious, and although Minisa knew the answer she let Sharra speak instead.

“Who knows? Our ancestors were born in this land, long ago, but now we all have more familiarity with humans than I would like. Us horses, the wolves and big cats, and particularly the cattle who graze on our land.” Sharra nudged Alyssa’s shoulder, cleaning away some of the grass left there from her rolling. “That is why you should stay far away from humans. They’re like a creeping weed, they want to be a part of everything.”

Alyssa considered this, frowning, as her mother cleaned her coat back to white. “So does that mean that humans have a meaning too? Like weeds?”

~oOo~

Horses Mentioned:

Minisa
Cassana
Sharra
Alyssa

Player(s): <@837024500755071034>
Estimated Stat Count: 11

+1 Headshot
+1 Color
+1 Shaded
+1 Background
+5 1,000 Words
+1 Recruited Bonus
+1 Constitution (per mare?) for Healthy Sheen

Response To:
Summary: The herd discusses their favorite flowers and what they mean.

Requests: I think this qualifies for Healthy Sheen