The Lost Islands
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Your King
Asmodeus
Your Queen
Nyimara
The Second
None
The Herd
Name, Name, Name
The Sub-Herd
Name, Name, Name
Allies
Name (Land)
Enemies
Solomon (Cove)
The Rules
  • There will be no fraternizing with enemies. If you put yourself knowingly in danger, don't expect a rescue.
  • We are only as strong as our weakest link. See to it that you are getting stronger in some skill that is useful, whether it is battling, recruiting, charming, etc.
  • The King and Queen have final say in all matters.
bite me
Posted on March 29, 2020 at 05:54:40 PM by CAIN



He might have thought the roan mare was homeless and being courted by the older stallion with her if she didn't look so concerned about his wellfare while he leaned back on three legs as if to show her he was harmless. Then when he got closer, it was easy enough to pick up on Warsaw's scent on the mare. She might have just been bred from the other stallion for how strong the scent was. Cain wasn't sure how Warsaw was able to gain such loyalty from his own mares while trying to put down more independent ones elsewhere but who knows what he was telling them? Maybe they believed what he believed. Cain wasn't here to force anyone anywhere or to convert so the mare was of little consequence. The stallion didn't smell of the islands so he was the one who might need a home and Cain could offer that. Maybe having another stallion on Salem wouldn't be so bad.

It might be nice to have another set of eyes to watch the borders. Cain could feel the older stallion's gaze sweeping over him, probably taking note of his scars, both old and fresh. He had a brand on his flanks that most of the stallions on the islands wouldn't understand at all because they knew nothing of humans and the evil they could produce. Cain appreciated the way the stallion tried to protect the mare by asking her to keep their meeting secret from her lead stallion. It might not look good for her, especially during the breeding season to be out around strange stallions not of her herd. When she reached out to nip him, Cain could see some confusion and shock in the stallion's expression, as if he didn't expect her to touch him at all, let alone tease with a nip. The dunalino simply stared at the spot for a moment before Cain cleared his throat and made a comment about her taking a shine to him.

It got the proper response out of the other stallion, making him chuckle before he said it seemed that way and giving his name as Scarecrow or just Crow for short. Cain nodded in acknowledgement. "Crow it is, then." He said with a small smirk before leading the way into the water and toward Salem. The tobiano was careful to watch his pace, not sure how strong a swimmer Crow would be. He might not have had enough time to rest before traveling again so Cain would go at whatever pace he set. When Crow didn't answer him right away, he figured it was because he was putting everything he could into the swim so Cain waited patiently until they got up on the shores of Salem, shaking out his coat and waiting while the other stallion caught his breath.

His ears pricked when Crow spoke of the war. Good, so he had been paying attention to the talk. Meant there was less Cain might have to tell him to keep him informed and better able to keep the herd safe. He snorted when Crow spoke of stallions who were intimidated. "The stallion means nothing to me personally. I've never met him directly. One day I had a mare try to raid my herd and steal a member. I ran her off, but not before she said that Warsaw gave his regards. Then I heard about the war from a mare on a neighboring island, Persephone. She told me Warsaw was going to war against her because she wouldn't take a lead stallion and chose to lead her herd alone. That seemed like a petty reason to me, though maybe I only got half the story. Either way, no one else ever approached me so I decided to keep myself and my herd out it. I hear that a lot of other herds tresspassed onto Luthien and tore through Persephone's herd. I haven't heard heads or tails of a victory on either side yet so I guess it's still going on.

"My herd is my main priority. Though it's not the largest, each of my mares are important to me and I would do anything for them." Cain let that much sink in before Crow spoke again, this time to tell him that he'd seen Warsaw's sort before and didn't want Neon to pay for her kindness. Cain smiled and nodded. He could respect that. He smirked a little when Crow added in that he was an old fool, watching the other's lips pull into a lopsided grin before he inclined his head for Cain to walk with him. Cain obliged, keeping his pace slow as Crow needed as they moved into the sand. When Crow asked about himself and the herd, Cain smiled and looked around, a small sigh falling from his lips before he began. "First let me start by telling you I wasn't the same stallion when I first came to these islands. Most of my mares will confirm that for you and I don't want you to think I put on a mask for your sake. I was taken from my home herd as a yearling and held captive for years in a dirt pen owned by humans. I don't know how much you know about them or if you've even heard of such creatures. I know I didn't before I was forced into contact with them."

He looked down at the sand while they walked, not wanting to think back on those days but pushing his voice forward anyway. "I was tortured for years. Burned, branded, cut with knives, held down with ropes. They starved me, made me go days without water, everything they could to try to break me down and make me compliant. All I dreamed of was escape and getting back to the wild. One day I attacked one of the humans and they went for a weapon I knew would kill me. I got loose and jumped through a fence, finally getting the escape I'd always wanted. I found my way here, but I knew next to nothing about being a wild stallion. Most of my memories from before my captivity are blurry at best so I knew only violence to get my way. I got my first mare, Primrose, when she washed up on Salem by accident and I forced her to stay here. I also forced myself on her that breeding season, definitely not my finest moment."

He looked back at the stallion, gauging his reaction to everything so he'd get a better understanding of how Crow felt about mares and how you treat them. "My second mare, Geneva, was a diamond in the rocks. She actually approached me that breeding season and then followed me back to the Desert, like she knew she belonged here or something. She must have seen something in me then even though I certainly wasn't deserving." He gave a bitter smile, obviously still feeling guilty about what he did in his past. But he was moving past it now. He shook his head then and went on. "My third mare, Vihaan, definitely made her mark on me and who I am now as a stallion. I found a blind mare in the free lands and tried to force her to come to Salem but she rebuffed me. Vihaan came upon us and joined in to defend the other mare, placing herself between us and eventually she came up with a deal so that I wouldn't harm Everglow, the blind mare. She said that she would come with me to Salem and carry my foals if I just let Everglow go.

He looked back at Crow, again trying to read his expression before he spoke again. "I knew even then in my ignorance that I would be a fool to let Vihaan go so I accepted the deal. Vihaan held up her end of the bargain and came back to live here, even giving me a son that same season, though it wasn't fully by choice." Again he sighed in his own guilt, his gaze on the sand once more. "It was right around then when I met her that I started to see things a little more clearly. I met my fourth mare, Harlequin, in the Common and her defiant proud nature drew me in. Eventually I ended up coaxing her to join my herd and she did so. Then I met Zubeia, the pony mare who had to run from her herd while they were getting massacred. I asked if she wanted to go back to see what happened but she wanted to move on so I offered her a home here. I've been slowly changing as I spent more time interacting with mares, both my own and strangers in the free lands."

He met the stallion's gaze then, his own sincere. "I'm still trying to be the stallion they deserve, building a relationship with each of them so that they know I have their best interests at heart. Vihaan and I have grown quite close and Geneva never lost faith in me. Harlequin is the spitfire that continues to challenge me and Primrose..." His voice softened when he said her name, sadness entering his gaze as he looked down. "I started getting through to her when she gave birth to our daughter, Paisley. I was finally starting to gain her trust and show her I was changing. Then a mare from a neighboring herd challenged for her and won. I challenged the stallion of the herd to get her back after peace talks got me nowhere but I lost. I can't leave her there as a prisoner. Even if she doesn't come back here, I have to keep trying. She deserves so much better." Realizing that he just let a stallion he knew almost nothing about know about his doubts, he clenched his jaw and looked down at the sand again.

Finally composing himself, he looked back at Crow. "So I'm sure that's exactly the history lesson you wanted to hear." He said with a smirk. "It's a small herd but I'm working on growth. I decided having another stallion or two might help keep my herd better protected and that's when I came across you and Neon. What about you? Any dark past you want to reveal?" His eyes twinkled with amusement, hoping to lighten the situation since he'd just told Crow so much about himself. And here he was thinking he was being careful. Now Crow could choose to use the knowledge against him some day but that was one of the risks Cain was taking by allowing another stallion here to begin with.

OOC: Sorry so long! Just kinda got away from me xD


Cain_stallion_6yo_Gypsy Vanner Mutt_16.3hh_black and white tobiano coat_white mane & tail_dark brown eyes_bound to none_Salem Desert

Father to: Akello(xVihaan), Legolas(xGeneva), Paisley(xPrimrose), Carbon(xGeneva), Zena(xZubeia), Twinge(xHarlequin)

photo by JNix@Shutterstock



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