Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was a beautiful day. Not a single, dark cloud hung in the sky, allowing the sun to bathe the land in its brilliant rays. A first such day after a string of rainy and overcast ones. Which made it an excellent day for working with the land. The ground would be soft and pliable after the rains but dried out enough to not be so muddy and cumbersome. Orin preferred it that way. Not that he had anything against mud. He quite enjoyed the messy nature of it, but it could be difficult to clean from his pink-hued coat. The orchards were in need of a good pruning and weeding, and days like today were better suited to those tasks.

Thus, the young stallion began his morning out in the apple orchards. He checked each and every tree, noting its health and yield, and clearing it of any debris or detritus. Along the way, he discovered a small grouping of younger trees which were starting to overrun one another. Nothing too difficult to handle though. If he removed two of them, relocated them elsewhere, then the remaining two should have plenty of room to grow into. All four would be able to thrive. Orin spent the next few hours doing just that, knowing precisely where to place the two rogue trees.

A couple of their older trees had been damaged by disease and had needed to be removed from the orchard. The trees in question lay at the border where the apple trees ended and the orange trees took precedence. It was here that he planted the young trees. And it was here, while he was taking a break in the shade of a mature orange tree, that he heard the distinctive sound of another.

Orin’s ears perked up, swiveling this way and that to discern where the noise originated from. There was no mistaking it. The sound of hooves moving over packed earth came from a bit further down the row. The stallion got to his hooves. None of his family were due to be out here today. Could one of them have decided to come out and help? Not impossible or improbable. Wouldn’t they have called out to him though, announcing themselves? More than likely. Curiosity piqued, Orin quietly moved towards the noise.

The cream coat was the first thing he noticed, followed closely by the hint of gold at the shoulders and then the auburn hair. What caught his attention fully, however, was the familiar chomp-chomp of chewing. “Excuse me,” Orin stopped just behind the individual, eyes narrowed. “But what do you think you’re doing?”

WC: 439

Orin glared irritably at the mare. Who precisely did she think she was? To come onto his family’s territory, to so brazenly eat whatever fruit she desired without question, it was absolutely infuriating to see. Even as the two stood silently, taking one another’s measure, she continued to chomp loudly on the fleshy part of an orange. She did not even have the decency to stop eating the stolen fruit! As if that were not enough, instead of halting and asking forgiveness, she instead chose to spit the orange in his face. In. His. Face! The young stallion stood frozen for a time, shocked by the audacity of this…this…fiend! How dare she?! Juice and spittle trickled down his face. Little drips pooled and plopped from his chin.

Finally, he shook himself from his stupor. Annoyance at the situation and the mare reached a boiling point. She was not about to get away from him! Orin took off in the direction she had darted, weaving in and out of the trees with an ease only derived from having worked among them for years. It took him seconds to catch sight of the intruder. Her red hair showed amidst the greenery with a vividness he could not recall ever seeing before. Perfect. All the easier to keep track of her, he thought as he lengthened his stride, adding more speed.

He was less than ten yards from her. Then less than five. Orin watched her take the corner at a breathtaking pace yet resolved not to lose her. He had barely drawn within reach of the turn when she suddenly came back into view. Her demeanor had completely changed. Gone was the impish grin from before. Fear had taken its place. Fear of what though? Orin pondered the question for a mere fraction of a second before bounding forward. While he might be annoyed and irritated with her, if there was trouble to be had, he would face it and prevent any harm from coming to her. First thing’s first… He dashed forward. Her flailing caused by the slick leaves had set her off balance and made her fall. Fortunately, Orin made quick work of the distance between them, using his body to halt her descent.

“Are you okay? What is it? Is it a bandit?” Orin asked in rapid succession. His glowing eyes scanned the immediate vicinity, searching for any sign of danger. He did not notice anything out of the ordinary, however. Just one of his bonded’s relatives sitting in a nearby tree. “Umm…did you see something dangerous? Or…?” He left the second question open ended, allowing her to supply the particulars.

WC: 442