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[Xenan]

//Renzo

For no other reason than he was bored and felt like getting lost, a stallion of unique patterns found his way to the forests of Raban. A lot had been crossing his mind lately, and for once he just wanted to be free of all of it. Having been a wanderer in the land of Equorum for most of his young life, Renzo had heard of the sands and the forest that he now trotted into. It’s heavy foliage and the way that every group of trees appeared the same from where one stood, was not for someone directionally challenged. Fortunately for this white-striped and splashed grullo colt, though he was only two years old, was gifted with a wanderer’s compass. It was as though he was made for it. So with the added comfort of knowing that he could find his way out when he wanted to leave, Ren entered the thick copse of trees with the desire to clear his head. Though not fully a stallion yet, he was filling out his frame nicely with muscles. That was thanks to the fact that he never wanted to seem vulnerable again, and had been conditioning himself ever since that tragic day that left a curved scar around his jugular. Never again would he be taken down so easily when someone close to him needed his protection.

Several months ago, Renzo lived a fairly happy life with his parents and his adorable little sister, Sicarian, in a small family band that had resided the marshlands known widely as Wailns. Several months ago, the colt hadn’t had a care in the world except to be the happy, fun-loving jokester that he was. But it all came to an end when a strange stallion had come to the land and challenged his sire. Ren really hadn’t understood why his father had become a target, but even to this day didn’t dwell on the subject. What did it really matter anymore? That stallion had killed his father right before his family’s eyes. The scariest thing, however, was when the big brute had turned to his mother and sister who stood with misery and fear plain on their faces. With no one else to protect them, Renzo boldly leapt between the bastard and his targets with every intention of distracting the only two remaining loved ones in his life. The fear of death was in him, but it hadn’t mattered. And the colt still didn’t even know if he’d been victorious. As he faced the demon that had wrecked his life, he’d heard his mother and sister galloping away. This, of course, made the larger male furious, and he’d made quick work of the yearling colt. Wrapping his jaws around the colt’s neck, effectively cutting off his air ways and slowing the pulse of blood through his jugular veins, it had only taken moments for Ren’s panic to overwhelm him and he passed out. There was no telling how long he’d lain there, vulnerable, but alive all the same. When he awoke, his world was eerily silent. No other stood anywhere near him, and there had been no sign of his dam or little sister.

He’d searched, but never could he find them. Presuming them dead, Renzo had had no choice but to go on without them. The guilt had plagued him for much of the time since that day. If only he’d been able to do more to protect them. If only he’d been strong enough. It hurt terribly, but he was young and full of life. His neck wound had healed over long ago since then and was in such a great position that Ren himself could not see it himself most of the time. He knew it was there, but at least he didn’t bear the constant reminder. He was lucky to be alive; that asshole, for whatever reason hadn’t killed him, but it was rare for a colt as young as he to live his life with no one to protect him. Fortunately, the brindled grullo colt, splashed with a bit of extra white on his legs and underside of his growing body, was an intelligent one. He’d been smart enough to stay where food, water, and hiding places were abundant. He’d avoided most other equines as best he could, not wanting to draw attention to himself. What little danger he’d happened upon, he outsmarted it to the best of his ability: running and hiding away, or standing his ground and fighting anything he knew he could take. And so here he was, almost a stallion at two years and some-odd months, growing up and becoming strong and handsome. Renzo still carried hope that his mother or sister, or both, still were alive and well somewhere, but knew he couldn’t expect that or depend on it. The chances were slim in this world, he’d discovered, that could be so cruel and unforgiving. But he could hope that one day, they’d find each other. If not in this life, then he’d see them in the next. Of that, he had to believe.

Shaking his broadening skull of a blue-grey and black face, splashed with white on the corners of both cheeks and the interrupted stripe centered between his eyes and down his nose, the young steed forced the thoughts away. What happened, happened, and couldn’t have happened any other way. Well, that was debatable in his mind, but the fact was that he couldn’t go back in time and change it, so he could only move forward, not dwell on the past where it would eventually break him. Renzo was determined never to be broken; never again. So with a snort, his dark brown eyes took in all the sights around him. There were no other horses nearby currently, and while part of him was a little disappointed, the colt knew he was still too young to never be too careful, and thus was okay with the solitude. The days were growing colder, he noticed, a chilled wind whispering through trees and playing with his mane and tail as well as detaching dry leaves from where they were changing color and dying with the change of season. It made quite the beautiful sight, Ren thought as he walked between the trees, dark brown eyes bright as he watched leaves falling like a colorful and less wet kind of rain. The sunlight peeked in through the thinning cover overhead and streamed down to make dazzling patterns on the forest floor, and he was finally able to forget everything else.

{meh.... sorry for crapness }

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[Toaster]

You would think that after a vicious attack to the face by an animal with sharp teeth and claws, one would learn their lesson. You would think that after enduring weeks of pain and confusion, one would learn not to go sticking their nose where it didn’t belong. Yes, you would think. Unfortunately, not everyone was so good at learning lessons. They went back for more after what they already got, even if it wasn’t usually a good idea. Zow was the perfect example of this. As a foal, the bay colt had foolishly stuck his head in a badger’s den and gotten a nasty clawing and bite to the right side of his face. In the process, his eye had been completely ripped from it’s socket with the tissue around it left scarred and mangled once healed. The whole ordeal had been an excruciating experience, and Zow credited his mother and her knowledge of herbs (and her love, of course), to be the thing that saved him from giving into the whole thing. Perhaps he had learned not to deal with badgers (anything similar for that matter) but the young stallion still often got himself into trouble three years later. Fortunately, right now he was seemingly on his best behavior. Which might have been odd, considering he was hopelessly lost in this mess of trees. Shouldn’t one be panicking in such a situation? Zow wasn’t.

The snap of a twig and he started slightly. “What was that?” he asked to nobody in particular, his one remaining optical searching for the source of the sound as his head shot up from the relaxed state it had been in. His overly sensitive ears swerved in every direction, until they found the soft sounds of footfall coming off to his right. With only one good eye, his hearing had grown a little more acute than most horses would have. Not so much as a horse who was completely blind, but more so than one that had two good eyes. And as his ears locked on to the footfall coming through the trees, he couldn’t help but feel curious. Maybe he should of ran in the other direction, or at least called out to the other to make sure it wasn’t danger. He doubted a wolf would call back, which would have been a good sign to get the hell out of there. Instead, though, the stallion cantered right towards the sound. It sounded much to heavy, despite it’s softness, to be a wolf.

It took him about thirty quick seconds to come ramming into the side of something hard yet soft. The undergrowth had been so thick, and he’d come charging through a mass of vines and thick shrubbery without any time to stop. The other had just been suddenly there.

His one eye widened in surprise at the sight of the other as they went stumbling a little from the force of the accidental blow. The scent of the other horse confirmed it was another stallion, which overjoyed Zow for reasons he couldn’t fully explain. The other’s coat appeared to be very exotic, especially compaired to his own which was, well, bland. Sure, Zow’s conformation was on the better side, but his light bay coat decorated with a star, a sock and a fetlock wasn’t anything special. In fact, it looked much like the drying out vegination around them. Though he didnt really spend much time comparing himself to others. “Wow, sorry!” he exclaimed, looking far to elated for his own good.

NOTE: n/a
VOICE: jake gyllenhaal...-need to find suitable vid- XD

[Xenan]

//Renzo

Colt of odd patterns was visibly relaxed as he continued to walk through the thick forest, head and neck held level to the rest of his body. Ears swiveled to and fro with every sound nature had to offer around him, dark brown eyes capturing every sight ahead and to the sides of himself. The cool breeze that whistled through branches and leaves seemed to wind through to run its chilly fingers through his mostly black mane and tail and over his striped back. Frankly, it was an odd sensation that had him shuddering with delight. Then suddenly a gust of twirling wind swept dried leaves up off the forest floor and up they blew into his face. Renzo gave a soft snort and hopped a little, all with a smile curving his lips upward. He’d come to love nature with a passion since wandering on his own these passed few months, finding her his only true companion. And now, she’d decided to initiate play with him. With a whicker he trotted forward, purposely stepping on most of the dancing leaves skittering over their other, more stationary kin. Before too long, he was dancing right along with it all, lengthy mane and tail flowing with his motions, black muzzle tucked in toward a blue-grey breastplate. But then he stopped suddenly, when an interesting scent entered his nares. Blinking, he turned round back to face north, in the direction the wind had blown from, and saw a small, strange creature. It had a cute little face with pointed ears and a black little nose, its eyes big and bright. Its coat was red and white, fluffy and soft-looking in texture, with a white-tipped bushy tail. Fox. He thought, not sure where the word had really come from. He’d never seen one up close before, but instinct told the colt that’s what it was called. Ears pricked forward in alertness, Ren lowered his head and crept forward to get a closer look from where it stood there staring at him from upwards of five feet or so away from him. The fuzzy little creature started to growl at him, but the sound only came across as endearing to the young steed. He grinned, his lids lowering to give brown eyes a softer expression.

Just as the fox started to step forward, however, there was a sudden heavy fall of hoof beats sounding somewhere behind him, and then the little creature was scampering off, back into its little hiding place wherever it may be. Ren barely had a chance to frown before he was suddenly shoved forward by a force colliding with his right hindquarter. ”Oomph!” He grunted as he staggered forward to collect his balance. Shaking his thick skull, Ren flicked his tail and whipped around to face whatever had randomly bumped into him. ”Wow, sorry!” Exclaimed the other a bit enthusiastically. A grin found its way back to his face as Ren realized it was a stallion that had hit him. So random, but oddly the colt wasn’t bothered in the least by the sudden appearance of the other male. Tossing his head to get heavy, black forelock clear of his vision, he set his dark brown optics upon the other. First thing he noticed was the way his colors seemed to be brightened and complimented by the red, orange, and yellow of the forest around them. Only a tad bit of white interrupted a bay pelt, and plain as it may have been, Renzo liked it for reasons unknown to him. Gaze lifting to the stallion’s face he became all too aware of his missing right eye and the scarring all around it. Brows drew forward instantly in spontaneous concern, and he wanted to ask about it, though even if he was a bit lacking in social skills, Ren knew it would have been rude. So, instead he decided to ignore it, face relaxing back into that blissful smile of his. He was in high spirits today since entering these woods, and now he had company! His tone conciliatory, and already having reached its mature timbre, he said. ”Don’t worry ‘bout it. No harm done.” With a smile, Ren held his head high and thickened neck arched. This position, though he didn’t realize, partially showed off the pinkened scar tissue on his jugular, but hid it at the same time. After a moment, the colt peeked curiously over to the right where he’d seen the furry little fox go, but no longer seeing it anymore, returned his gaze to his new acquaintance. ”Do you live ’round here?” He asked, all curious now, his words lilting just a bit as he spoke before waiting patiently.

Voice: Jensen Ackles
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A flash of blue roan, white, and a mess of black tail was all Zow saw as the other went stumbling forward. The force of the blow wasn’t enough to knock the other completely off their feet, but it was enough to make Zow’s chest throb a little bit in pain. Luckily, that pain faded into a dull thud and was forgotten about by the bay as the other whipped around to face him. For a moment, Zow feared the other male might attack and yap at him to watch where he was going. It had happened before. His muscles tensed a tiny bit, not wanting any trouble. Instead of retaliating, however, he smiled. The bay couldn’t help but smile back.

”Don’t worry ‘bout it. No harm done.”
”Do you live ’round here?”

“Live around here? No way. I’m lost” he said with a light laugh, as if he didn’t care that he had no idea where the fuck he was or how to get out. And he didn’t. He didn’t exactly have anywhere to be and so he didn’t mind not knowing where he was one bit. It was just another one of his many adventures. All he could hope for was that he didn’t lose a limb, or an ear… or another eye. He needed the last one he had. He had noticed the way the other focused in on the right side of his face for just a moment, and it bothered him a little. But he had to remind himself that it was scarred pretty horrendously. How could anyone not notice? With that thought in mind, he brushed the thought away, only mildly hoping the other didn’t find him ugly because of it. Though, he really didn’t take that much notice on his own self conscious thoughts while in the blue roan’s presence.

After a moments silence, he spoke again. “Do you live around here?” he asked, curious as he turned his head a little to the right so he could get a better look at the other stallion with his left eye. It had at first been difficult being half blind. But after three years with only the one eye, he’d gotten used to having to use it and it alone to see. And what he saw pleased him. While before Zow had only gotten a flash of coat color and brindling, what he could see now intrigued him… even if he wasn’t entirely sure why. There was a part of him that got a little overexcited and frenzied at the presence of the other male, but he didn’t pay any mind to the fact it was odd.

Perhaps any other horse would of noticed that the other male had some his own scarring going on, though as good as he was with seeing through one optic, it was still a little difficult to focus in on small details for him. And not to mention the fact he was to focused in on that handsome face of the other. That focus was broken however, when the sound of faint rustling caught his attention, his over sensitive ears zeroing in. It was the smallest of sounds, but his head turned off a little to the left. It looked as if he were staring at the shoulder of the other horse, but his good eye was looking a little bit off from that. There was a flash of something fuzzy, which caused him to startle just the slightest. But then he realized just what it was: a fox. A little, innocent and harmless fox. Zow couldn’t help but laugh at himself a little bit, secretly fearing what the other thought of him. "Hahahaha ...just a fox" he said, mentally kicking himself.

NOTE: got a little sucky at the end there : P
VOICE: jake gyllenhaal...-need to find suitable vid- XD

[Xenan]

//Renzo

Grullo painted colt watched the stallion standing before him with all sorts of curiosity. Mindful not to stare at all at the angry scars on the other’s face, Ren focused instead on his remaining eye, switching from that to the star on his forehead. He liked the interesting way that it pointed downward toward his nose as though it would become a stripe but didn’t. Come to think of it, really, Renzo liked the other male’s face as a whole. Ignoring all imperfections, he actually had very handsome features. As a chilled wind passed through the forest once more, Ren watched intrigued as the tips of the male’s shortish mane danced along with it. The black locks seemed to stand mostly straight up from his crest, like a soft Mohawk, and the young steed had the sudden urge to play with it. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he focused on the other as he began to speak in reply to his inquiry. The aloof manner he spoke of being lost brought another grin to the colt’s black lips. A deep chuckle rose and bubbled over, escaping before he could stop it. ”Not hard to get lost here, I suppose.” He said with a blissful smile as he looked all around the lovely scenery that nature offered currently with the passing of the autumn season. Sighing wistfully, he could have easily dazed off in it all again, before the stallion before him spoke again asking if he lived here. Skimming the trees more briefly this time as his soft brown eyes came back to focus on his new friend, he continued smiling as he spoke.

”Oh, no. I don’t really have a home anymore. Grew up in the Marshes though.” Pausing a moment, he added. ”Would definitely be nice to live here.. Lots of privacy.” Tones deep and accented with some southern brawl, Ren watched as the stallion turned his head a bit to get a better view of him. As his gaze traveled over the younger male’s body, the grullo colt shifted a bit anxiously under his scrutiny. The motion was barely noticeable, merely leaning from one foreleg to the other, muscles contracting and relaxing in his shoulders, though if that wasn't obvious to his acquaintance, his dark grey ears flicking back just a bit would be. He wasn’t sure why he was suddenly shy that the other was looking him over, but he was nevertheless nervous. Unsure of the why, he wondered somewhere deep inside of him if the bay stud liked what he saw. Was that strange? If it was, Renzo didn’t realize it as such. But then those reddish brown ears flicked to alertness at the rustling of bushes off to Ren’s right and the other instantly turned a brown eye in that direction. It was so quiet, the colt may have not even noticed it but for the other male’s reactions. His friend, though, no doubt had superb hearing to make up for his lost eye. He noticed instantly when the other became just a tad startled, and Ren suddenly began to feel something leaning toward protectiveness. Curiosity piquing for him as well, the grullo paint’s own brown gaze sought out the noise-maker. And was pleased when he saw the adorable little face peeking out from under the thicket, watching them both with its own inquisitiveness. Wide grin found its way back to his face and he nodded his head when his friend laughed at himself for jumping over something so small and harmless as his little fox friend. ”Yeah, it was here not a moment before you bumped me.” He said jovially, his tone light and soft so as to not frighten the little snooper. He glanced at the other male with a playful glint to his brown eyes, just in case the other thought he’d been accusing him of scaring off the fox. Ren couldn’t blame him for not knowing, after all.

With a smile and a soft nicker at the furry little creature, Renzo turned from his friend to slowly approach the thicket, stopping the very moment it appeared to want to scurry away. ”Not gonna hurt you, lil Vixie.” He spoke gently to it, deducing somehow that the fox was female and coming up with a name for her. Perhaps he shouldn’t, and perhaps the fox would have no idea what he’d said to her, but it didn’t stop him from trying. Efforts paying off just a bit, the fuzzy little black paws stepped out just a little from her hiding spot and eyed him cautiously with bright, yellowish, almond-shaped eyes that he found both captivating and darling. Vixie came out just enough that her head and dainty little paws showed before she lay down, content only to watch them. Butterfly wings of excitement grazing against the walls of his chest cavity, he grinned and turned back to the bay stallion, eyes bright and his whole demeanor supremely happy. As though he’d just conquered some great feat and couldn’t be more proud. Laughing lightly at himself, he shook his head before sobering a bit more. ”You must think I’m crazy, huh?” He asked, speaking his mind. Renzo ducked his head a bit, ears back in bashfulness, and he now watched the other from under dark lashes.

VOICE: Jensen Ackles
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[Toaster]

There had been many that had stared at the scarring on the bay. Many looked horrified by the mess that made up half his face. Some teased him, telling him it was ugly. Others ran away before they even got to know him, figuring him to be the type to get into fights and that his scarring was due to that. While all those reactions he had gotten used to and didn’t entirely let effect him these days, he was always grateful whenever someone came along that didn’t make any nasty comments or run in the other direction because of it. This other brute standing before him seemed to be going in the right direction. He didn’t stare or make remarks about it. This filled Zow with happiness. Not that he wasn’t already happy, for the brute didn’t often have a bad day… but still.

At the mention of the other growing up in the marsh, Zow’s one eye widened. They hadn’t grown up that far from each other. Just a hop and a skip across some grassland from the marsh was the forest in which Zow had once called home. He’d left there nearly a year ago, though. The thought of his old home brought on little positive emotion, however. Besides his mother that he’d clung to for a couple of years, there wasn’t much about the forest that had been pleasant to the young stallion. Not to mention the badgers there were quite nasty. He didn't say anything about it, though. The stallion liked to focus on a bright future, not the past. So, he shoved all thought if it from his mind for the time being and instead took to doing a slow and thorough quick once over of the other male. Just the sight of the other brought excitement to the bay, though he didn’t exactly know why and figured it was all completely normal. His examination was cut short, however, when that fox had appeared.

He still felt silly for jumping at it’s appearance. Zow was always one to go get himself into dangerous situations, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be skittish at the same time. If someone overwhelming did come his way, it would pay to be a little nervous. He figured most horses who were blind or half blind had reason to be. Though the presence of the fox that appeared was hardly threatening, so he had nothing to run from this time.

As the other approached the little, fury animal, Zow suddenly had a nice view of the other brute’s rump. Such nice, well rounded features with that flashy black tail that contrasted nicely with his blue roan color. There was a bit of white at the base of the tail, and cute brindling on his hindquarters that he finally got a better view of. He couldn’t help but stare for just a moment, before shaking his head and getting a hold of himself. He was just acknowledging another’s unique features, right? That must have been all it was…

Zow rolled his eyes at himself, taking a step closer and peeking around the other as the blue roan started to coo at the little fox. He wondered if the creature had any idea what the hell the male was saying, though didn’t have much time to mull over it as the other turned to look at him, just as Zow stepped a little away and off to the side from him. “A little crazy and interesting is better than normal and boring” he said, his eye drifting away from admiring the other and looking at the fox, whom was busy now staring at him like it knew something he didn’t. His ears dropped back a little, bottom lip jutting out a bit as he sized the creature up, wondering what it was thinking.

NOTE: <3
VOICE: jake gyllenhaal...-need to find suitable vid- XD

[Xenan]

//Renzo

Striped and splashed blue roan colt had noticed when the stallion’s eye had widened when he spoke of his homeland. He began to wonder, then, if he’d been through there, or perhaps lived nearby. But astute as the young male was, Ren had also noticed that the other didn’t seem to want to talk about it. He didn’t offer anything about his past, and the colt was not one to pry. Hell, he’d had his own rough start, and well knew the pain that could be caused by reliving things. As that crossed his mind, he felt the all-too-familiar ache deep within that throbbed at the memory of his family and how much he missed them. Would he ever see them again? Another gust of wind rattled the limbs overhead and blew his white-streaked black mane up to tap his cheek where a small patch of white interrupted the otherwise bluish tinted, grey fur. He had to shake his head to clear his forelock from his visuals, and smiled, silently thanking mother nature for the distraction. Better to focus on the here and now, than dwell in the past. Looking at the handsome bay steed before him as he’d turned to watch the fox, he smiled again, thinking that the present moment definitely was better than the pain of his past.

Then, Renzo had turned to the fox, speaking to it and very much appeased when the fuzzy thing settled down to watch them instead of turning and running off again. He didn’t blame it for being cautious, just as he couldn’t belittle his equine friend for being skittish at first at the unexpected sound. Such was second nature, and probably good in case something dangerous were to happen, heavens forbid. At least they were ready. The most Ren had been cautious since tragedy struck him was that he’d been careful not to draw much attention to him. It had been a lonely number of months, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. Especially for a colt who’d just turned two earlier this fall. But suddenly, as the grullo and white male stood murmering to the furry little thing, he felt the most curious sensation tickling up his spine. It was as though his skin began to burn, and yet he shivered. Like he was being.. ogled. Curious sensation, indeed, for he knew the only two currently looking at him were the fox and the bay stag behind him. Oblivious to the stallion’s admiration of his rump, Ren instantly forgot the odd tingly feeling when he turned back to his friend and grinned happily, laughed, and then had spoken abashed by his behavior. When the bay stud responded, however, his words had the colt’s head bouncing right back up to its prior position- upright and a bit proud- and his wide grin slipped back across his black lips.

”You think I’m interesting?” His tone was surprised and far too chipper, even to his own ears, so he chortled lightly and spoke again. ”I mean.. I couldn’t agree with you more.” Ren could have blushed then, if it were possible for a horse, as he tried to bounce back from his outburst by concurring with the stallion’s statement. He did, after all, think that normal was a huge bore, albeit there were always exceptions to the rule. For instance, as Renzo’s soft, dark brown eyes glanced rapidly over his new friend’s frame, he knew that anyone else would have seen his bay pelt as such a regular occurrence among their species. And while the colt could definitely agree with that, he found that this stallion was far from regular. Inexplicably, the bay’s irregularness only could have passed as a good thing in Ren’s perspective. He certainly didn’t think he would be so happy if anyone else had rammed into his haunches, not only scaring off his foxy friend, but discovering the colt himself! Renzo had done so well to keep himself hidden from the world, but he couldn’t say he minded being found by this male. Smile softening, uniquely patterned steed watched as the other as he turned his attention to the ever-watching vulpine still perched under her bush. Ren tilted his head some then, watching the very interesting way the male’s lower lip poked out and his ears went back. He couldn’t help but to laugh lightly at the pouty expression his friend was showing. All the while, Vixie just watched, her lids even drooping lazily over her beady brown eyes. An impulse suddenly sprang up within the colt, too difficult to ignore, and he lunged forward to finally lip at the stallion’s upright-standing mane just before he leapt back again. So pleased with himself was he that he began to dance in a small circle around the spot where he’d been standing previously, his dominantly black mane and tail waving with his motions. With his neck arched and muscles filling out as nicely as they had, he was showing off a bit without even realizing it, too happy with himself and his newly-made friend to be paying attention to much else. Coming to a stop again, facing at an angle away from the bay, but with his neck curled around so that he could look at the stallion, he laughed as he’d made himself a bit dizzy. Ren glanced over to the thicket then, surprised to see Vixie sitting up with her cute little furriness looking regal in front of her bush, ears perked up and alert as her eyes had been following his movements. When his vision settled back to normal, the grullo looked to the bay with a smile as he said. ”She doesn’t bother you, does she?” Long, dark lashes fluttered over his brown eyes with a look of clearly feigned innocence as he jested the other male. Flirting? Nahh..

VOICE: Jensen Ackles
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”You think I’m interesting?”

His eye widened in shock, probably not realizing what he’d said to the other until the blue roan mentioned it. Typical Zow. He probably looked a little silly, with the expression upon his flawed face. He wondered why he was embarrassed by his own statement, though. Was it weird to find another stallion so interesting? Probably, though Zow liked to think that it was perfectly normal. Yet by the fact that the blue roan mentioned it, it must have been. But, Zow just pinned it on the fact he tended to say weird things to just about anyone that crossed his path. He laughed a little, looking sheepish and lowering his eye to the ground “Yeah…” he simply agreed with the other.

There was a large flash of blue roan coming his way all of a sudden as the other launched himself at Zow. His head shot up quickly as he wondered what was going on. There was the sound of teeth quietly snapping by his neck, as well as a light tug on his erect mane. The hum of laughter filled the air, and with his sides heaving from the panic that had momentarily washed over him, he stared at the other male. Was he… playing with him? He turned his head as much as he could, as if he were trying to get a glimpse of his mane to find out what had been so fascinating about it. Was it because it wasn’t like most had? While others manes grew out and eventually spilled off to one side or the other, Zow's had stayed mostly like it had been when he was a little foal. Looking back at the blue roan as he pranced in a little circle, the bay tilted his head to the right, an amused smile appearing as he watched. He couldn’t help but marvel over how handsome the other was, though hardly even notice his own staring or strange feelings that arose. It was only the sound of the other’s voice that seemed to bring him out of his trance.

“Huh?” he shook his head to bring himself out of the stupor he was in, forelock (which grew slightly longer than the rest of the mane) tossed about. He blinked at the male, before his eye slipped back to the fox that he’d been distracted from for a minute. It had finally stopped giving him a funny look. “Pfft, no” he scoffed, ears dropping back once again. He wasn’t a very good liar. The truth? The little creature did bother him. He’d not had very fun interactions with small animals up to this point. The badger that had attacked him years earlier not only scarred his face, but his mind.

Zow turned away from the fox, walking off behind the other stallion as if he were about to pass by him. Instead, he reached out his neck and took a playful tug at some of the strands of the other’s tail, before quickly bounding away at least thirty feet, nearly running into a couple of smaller trees in his sudden excitement. When he halted, looking unfazed by near misses, he turned back to look at the male with a smug look upon his face.

NOTE: meh i dont like this post that much -.- sotired
VOICE: jake gyllenhaal...-need to find suitable vid- XD

[Xenan]

//Renzo

Renzo watched the other as he seemed surprised by his response. The one-eyed shocked expression did look a little silly, but that wasn’t what had his smile widening enough to reach up to his eyes, brightening the dark brown pools with his happiness. The stallion had responded with a light laugh and a simple “yeah” but that and the way he looked down after saying it was more than enough to placate the brindled blue roan sabino colt. ”Well good! Hah, I know. I‘m an oddball.” He said, tone again chipper as before, even a bit playful. He chuckled once more, happy to know that the other seemed to like him. Ren certainly found him interesting, in many ways. Not knowing any different, he never would have thought something was truly strange about their behavior and the way they were getting along. Just two males making friends, right? Yeah! But then the stallion’s alluring mane had caught his eye, and he wondered if it was as soft as it looked. Or was it its coarseness that left it standing as it did? Ren didn’t know, but was dying to figure it out. So the playful behavior that followed was a mere excuse to touch him, yes, but the colt wouldn’t admit it. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t wanted to play with the bay either. As he danced, it was somewhat of a display of victory, glad that he hadn’t been able to fight off his impulses. Meanwhile he hadn’t even registered that the other had been startled by his rapid advance. He did notice, however, when he’d stopped to peer over his shoulder at the bay, the curious smile on his face and the softness in his bright brown eye.

Interesting, though, the way he seemed to be in a trance just staring at him after Ren had asked his question. He couldn’t help but laugh as he shook his head, his black mane waving but otherwise remaining in place and his longer forelock tossed lightly as he seemed to snap out of whatever thoughts had been crossing that mind of his. Still grinning, he watched as his friend peeked over at Vixie again as he’d mentioned her and then scoffed a response, ears laying back once more. Catching the hedge, his eyes glinted with playfulness as he said. ”Uh huh. Suure.” A soft chuckle followed, and he would have asked more about it, but was suddenly distracted from his thoughts as the bay walked toward him. Growing more and more excited with every inch the other moved closer to him, he almost shivered for reasons again unknown. Then, just as he thought his friend would pass him on by, he was immensely surprised when instead the stallion reached over to nip at his long tail before running off. It took him only a moment to recover before he laughed, leaning back into a half-rear before shoving off powerful hindquarters to dash off after the other male. He wove in and around the trees, focusing more on playing than actually catching the bay, so that when the stallion halted to grin smugly, Ren nearly smacked right into his back end. Turnabout was fair play, he thought with a laugh as he managed to skid to a stop just in time. Beginning to dance in a bit of a passaging fashion, Renzo feigned nonchalance before he rounded up shoulder-to-shoulder with the steed, forgetting completely his inability to see him, and then quickly nipped his mane at his withers before he turned a rapid ninety-degrees and bolted off to the right. His laugh rang out from his chest, resounding through the trees and off the dry surfaces of the colorful leaves littering the ground. A yard or so away, Ren looked back over his shoulder to see where his friend was and then unceremoniously tripped over a log hiding beneath the cover of leaves. With a grunt, the grullo and white colt went spiraling forward and tumbled ass-over-head before sliding sideways. When he came to a stop, he was laying on his back with legs in the air. Only a moment passed before he was laughing again, rolling back up to his feet. ”Sooo graceful..” He mocked himself in an amiable tone, laughing still just before he shook himself off. The leaves had provided a nice cushion, though were now caught in his hair in several places.

OOC: could be better, but.. meh.. xD
VOICE: Jensen Ackles
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[Toaster]

Zow didn’t mind that the other was an “oddball”, as he’d put it. It just fascinated him more. If he’d of been a mean or simply boring horse, Zow probably wouldn’t of taken much interest in him despite his killer looks. He only wished he could have such unique features as the other stallion had. But, he rarely made up his time with bringing himself down. Sure, the bay longed for something that would make him stick out from the crowd (besides his scars) but he didn’t let such jealous, ridiculous thoughts consume him. There was no point. And so, with just a glimmer of such things flashing through his mind, he swept them right out of his head and went to focus on playing. Play fixed everything, he learned… unless the horse you were trying to play with was the serious kind. Luckily, the roan wasn’t anything of the sort.

He’d chuckled a little when the roan didn’t seem to believe what he said. Made sense though, Zow had never been one to be good at lying. In fact, he remembered his mother teasing him about it on several occasions. It had all been good fun, though. But he wasn’t about to tell the other male why he was lying about it. Zow felt the need to keep the reasons for his scars to himself. It was both an embarrassing story and one he didn’t like to relive, for even if at times it appeared funny to others, he remembered how frightened he had been when the attack happened and the pain that struck through him back then. Except… some part of him felt the need to spill it all to this male, against better judgment. Yet he held it in, and instead took his actions of grabbing at his tail and bounding away.

As he came to a halt, happiness spread through him as he saw the other following, getting into the mischievous behavior. Though, he wasn’t expecting him to nearly ram into his haunches. It would have been like a replay of earlier, except the one doing the ramming would of switched. His eye widened a little, hip swinging away from the other horse as he just nearly avoided crashing into him. Shifting upon his hooves a little, Zow was momentarily confused and worried when he couldn’t see his new friend anymore. But the sound of them coming up beside him, on his blind side, was easy to catch. Yet it frustrated the bay male at the same time, wishing he could see him so close instead of just hearing and feeling his presence. Their proximity didn’t last long, though, and with another tug upon his mane, the other dashed off away from him. Zow spun towards where he’d been, snorting at the other, amused with his antics and how fascinated he seemed with his mane.

And then he tripped.

Laughter erupted from the bay stallion as the other stumbled to the ground. Not worried about his safety for the log hadn’t been that big, he shook with amusement for a few minutes. And Zow had always seen himself as the clumsy kind, not this male. He’d seemed so graceful before. With the shake of his head, the bay approached the roan just as he was getting to his feet and shaking himself off. “Very graceful” he smirked, stopping when he was close enough to pick out a couple of leaves that had failed to fall from the other’s dark mane. He played with a leaf between his lips for a moment, prancing around the brute before dropping it to the ground and kicking up some more at him.

NOTE: -dies from the exhaustion-
VOICE: jake gyllenhaal...-need to find suitable vid- XD

[Xenan]

//Renzo

He was really beginning to like this bay stud, in ways that really made no sense to him. He would have completely understood if his friend was female, because then this ever-growing urge to flirt and touch the other would have been perfectly normal. But what was normal exactly, and just what was he doing wrong? He didn’t see any harm in having a little fun with his male comrade in the middle of a thick forest where no one was likely to see them. And surely there could be nothing wrong with playing around like this. Happy with his reasoning, he again dropped the subject from his mind. He liked the bay stallion, and the other seemed to like him too, and that was all that mattered in his mind. Playing with him was fun, even talking with him was fun. Renzo liked the sound of his light laugh when the colt had voiced his disbelief at the other’s statement about Vixie not bothering him. But one thing he found he didn’t like, very oddly, was the feeling that the other male was holding something back from him. He was oh so curious about the bay steed, and he wanted him to feel comfortable sharing things with him. Why? He really didn’t know, it was simply how he felt. However, Ren knew that perhaps in time his friend would come to be relaxed enough with him to do so; it was completely understandable that he wouldn’t want to share such private things with him when they’d just barely gotten acquainted. The grullo painted colt wasn’t sure how he’d feel himself if the other had asked him about the wide, curved scar that showed on both sides of his neck. Such things were.. Well.. Private. Besides, who wanted to discuss such depressing topics when they were having so much fun?!

Fortunately, the conversation and thought of such things totally dissipated as the bay initiated their play and as Renzo engaged him, happy to have yet another excuse to touch him in anyway he could get away with smoothly. Again, he’d been marveling at how joyous of an effect the other male was having on him, and again he was admiring the look of sheer happiness on the bay’s façade just before he’d almost rammed into his back end. He’d stopped on a dime, only an inch or so away from the other and so had been in the clear especially when the stallion quickly turned his body away, that adorable surprised expression returning to widen his one eye. It had him laughing all over again, good-naturedly, and he’d wanted to comment, but settled simply for continuing the game as if it hadn’t happened. After nipping his mane again and then bolting off, he’d heard him snort and that was when he’d turned to look and see if he was being pursued only to fall flat on his back. Oh, how embarrassing it was, he thought, especially as he heard the bay stud laughing as well from where he’d left him. Resilient as always, Ren simply joined in on the laughter and got back up to his feet and shook himself off. Abashed again, he kept his head ducked, but dark blue-grey ears perked up as he heard the approach of the other male as well as the words he’d spoken. Grinning through his embarrassment, dark brown eyes lifted once more to peek at the brute just in time to see him closing the distance.

The tingly sensation from earlier returned as he stopped plenty close enough to help rid his mane of the debris from the forest floor, added to that a certain tightening in his gut and the flutter of butterfly wings brushing against the inside of his chest. Thoughts momentarily ceased, he quickly blurted out his words in a bit of a ramble. ”I-I haven’t.. I mean I don’t..” He sighed to collect his thoughts before starting again. ”I can’t remember the last time I fell like that.” But then the stallion surprised him by yanking loose a leaf from his locks, dancing around with it before letting it glide back to the ground. All thoughts of his humiliation was quickly overcome by his laughter ringing clear from his vocals again as he ducked his head out of the way of the onslaught of more leaves that the other was kicking up at him. Giving a little hop that led rapidly into a playful little buck, Renzo couldn’t help but to continue his laughter a bit more as he reached down and scooped up a mouthful of leaves. He danced around as well, quickly removing himself from the line of fire and rounding himself back around to the male’s left before blowing his collection straight toward the other’s face. Whinnying with sharp laughter, Renzo pranced off again, tail flicking to and fro with his amusement as he moved back through the thicker parts of the forest. All the while willing the other to continue after him. But then a thought struck him and had him halting to turn back around. He wanted to know at least one thing about this male, if he asked no more questions at all. ”What’s your name?”

OOC: mehhh... tired xD you asked for it =P
VOICE: Jensen Ackles
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[Toaster]

He smiled at the roan, thinking the stuttering he emitted was just adorable and not entirely catching how odd that probably was to think. He just wondered what exactly made the seemingly confident young stallion stammer in such a way. The bay settled on pure embarrassment. “It happens to everyone” he said with a laugh as soon as he’d spat out the leaf, remembering how often he’d gone stumbling to the ground on countless occasions. Though, that probably was due to the fact he just couldn’t see as well as others. Sometimes Zow wondered how well others would take to being half blind. Would they take it all in stride like he? Or end up falling and never getting back up? The thoughts normally occurred to him quite often.

Deciding to put it all aside, he kicked up the colorful leaves at the other, his aim surprisingly good. Though he couldn’t seem to get them to hit above the neck of the other horse, whom had taken to laughing and bucking. As he halted and looked back over his shoulder at him, at the place most of the leaves had hit, Zow noticed something just above that. Were those… scars? He was surprised. It wasn’t that the other had scars, it was that they were in a peculiar place. How could he not have noticed before? He wanted to stare at them, to get a closer look, but averted his eye to not be rude. Curiosity abound, however, and he wanted to ask questions. Before he got the chance, however, the other had danced around him and blew a mass of leaves into his face. Squeezing his eye shut, he snorted as a small one nearly went up his nose. “Hey!” he exclaimed, amused and shaking his head to make sure nothing had stuck to him. His mane shook from side to side for a moment, but most of it popped right back into place. And with the flick of his long tail, he was after the other.

The thick forest was hard to navigate for the horse with one eye, but he managed, bounding through the trees after the roan. The colorful woods around him went by in a blur for a minute or so, but suddenly the other stopped. Zow found himself skidding to a stop, not expecting the other male to halt so abruptly. Once again he was nearly on a collision course with the other stallion, though veered off to the right before anything happened. It took him a few paces to slow, but once he had he was prancing back to the roan, just in time to hear his question. How silly of him! Zow had never even stopped to think about names. “Zow” he answered simply, dancing around the other a few times before halting by his side. “What is your name?”

It felt good to stand next to him. It felt right. But Zow found himself looking at those scars on that gorgeously muscled neck. He just couldn’t contain the curiosity that swarmed through him. It looked as if someone had taken their teeth to the other, which shocked Zow. Who would ever want to do such a thing to a kind soul as the roan? He brought his velvety muzzle to the healed scars, gently mouthing at them for a few seconds and wondering. Had these scars been as painful as they looked and felt under his lips? Zow knew what it was like to get teeth and claws dug into his flesh. Drawing back, he gazed at him for a moment. “What happened?” he asked, voice soft. He knew very well what it was like to get such wounds, and didn’t like the thought of someone doing such a thing to this new friend of his.

NOTE: <333
VOICE: jake gyllenhaal...-need to find suitable vid- XD

[Xenan]

//Renzo

”It happens to everyone.” Well, of course it did! Falling simply.. happened sometimes. And never could one really do anything to stop it once it began its course. There was a difference between only stumbling or tripping, and actually falling. The churn in one’s stomach as their body plummets downward while gravity takes over, only moments before hitting the ground. There was something crazy about that feeling, amplified greatly when there’s a certain face to look up to afterward. The face of someone special smiling down at you. And suddenly that feeling becomes another and helps you leap back up to your feet. No longer are you falling but you’re floating, and you can’t help but to smile at the warmth that spreads throughout. One may have brought themselves back up to stand on four feet again, but it was that feeling that overwhelms and lifts the spirits. Renzo was gazing at his new friend as he danced around him, almost in slow-motion as the strange thoughts swam through his mind with no real direction, eyes soft and bright as he watched the muscles play over the bay’s body and the motions of his legs. Perhaps he was too young to make the connection between whatever he’d been thinking to the way this male was making him feel. However, it was impossible to dwell on it much before his friend was kicking leaves up at him and his thoughts dissipated as Ren engaged him once more in their play.

As the grullo colt danced himself around the other steed with his own wheels spinning, not once had he really taken notice to his studying of the hairless patch of dark skin on his neck where the fur hadn’t grown back. Ren was much too focused on coming round the bay to turn his mouthful of leaves into playful projectiles as he blew them into his face. And then he was laughing as the other exclaimed moments before he was pursuing him again through the trees surrounding them. Renzo heard the rustle of brush and leaves in the branches disturbed by the male behind him, but the colt was almost proud that his friend could navigate so well despite his handicap. It certainly didn’t seem to keep him down, and of that, Ren was pleased. But then curiosity got the better of him only a moment before he’d halted again and turned his head back to seek the bay, voicing his question and then laughing in surprise to see he’d been closer than the colt had thought. His grin broadened as he watched the sleek muscles of his companion working double-time to dart off to the right to further avoid another near-collision. It would seem that was something they’d both just have to get used to! But, Ren thought, that didn’t seem like such a bad thing. The colt dipped his head and flicked his tail as the bay quickly turned back to speak his name before he was dancing around him again. Zow.. Such a simple sounding name with an odd touch of a certain flare that the colt instantly decided he liked. And now with the other circling him in such a graceful way, it was difficult not to become mesmerized again, his brown gaze only broken from the male’s frame when he had to quickly turn his head to follow his movements around behind him. And as the stallion halted to stand beside him, he smiled at the now-familiar fluttering in his chest whenever the other drew near. Black tail flicked up to playfully tap at the other’s hocks just as Zow asked for his name in return. He tossed his head with a smile at once to state his reply. ”Renzo. Glad to meet you, officially.” And he was. It somehow made this whole experience better now that he had something to call this handsome bay steed beside him.

Then the oddest sensation had his heart beating a mile a minute as the other reached over to touch his neck. At first the warmth of the male’s soft muzzle was a shock, but welcomed. It was when the caresses trailed up to the scar curving around his jugular that his ears flicked back a bit and a muscle there flinched. None other had touched him at all since that dreadful day, much less at that spot, and while it had healed over a few months ago, the memory of what happened left it tender. Still, he could not bring himself to move away from the other’s touch. As uncomfortable a spot as that was, Ren inexplicably enjoyed the feel of Zow’s lips on his hide. But when the stallion pulled away, he turned his head a bit to look at him, blue-tinged ears flicking forward again to catch the question that left his companion’s maw. Sadness, along with another darker emotion, inevitably creeped in through the young colt’s expression and had his brown gaze shifting momentarily away from the other as he revisited that hated memory. He didn’t want to talk about this, but for some reason or another he wanted to share things with this male beside him. Couldn’t ask him to be open with him if he didn’t return the favor, after all. Taking a deep breath, he looked to the trees and then down to the leaves on the ground, gaze settling there as he began to voice what happened to the best of his ability. ”Half a year ago.. He came out of nowhere.. Challenged my dad for.. something..” Renzo paused, his tones soft. He didn’t remember much of the why, only the what, and that was the most painful. When he spoke again his words were stark and clear. ”He.. He killed him. Right in front of us.” Sorrow washed over him in waves at what he was about to uncover in words he had never spoken since it’d happened, and this time they flowed from him like a river as he confessed to his friend how much he’d failed his family.

”He turned to us then.. I didn’t know what to do.. I couldn’t let him get to my mother and little sister. I-I couldn’t. So I stood up and blocked his path from them. They ran, but I don’t know how far they got. He got mad; attacked me. There wasn’t much I could do. He was so strong! So big! And I.. He grabbed me by the throat with his teeth, and.. I remember trying to fight back, but I couldn’t get loose! And..” His tones had grown louder in increments as he spoke before trailing off. The colt’s head began to sink low along with his heart and he clenched his eyes shut with the pain that began to overwhelm, tearing him apart from the inside out. Struggling to continue, his voice was broken, solemn with misery and shame. ”I couldn’t breathe, and he wouldn’t let go, so I.. Everything went black and I-..” Ren’s voice cracked as a tear squeezed out from behind closed lids to trail down his nose before dropping to the earth. When he spoke again, his words barely reached above a whisper, though he knew Zow would be able to hear him. ”I failed them.. Or maybe I didn’t.. When I woke up they were all gone, except.. except my dad.” His breath came shaky as he inhaled and then sighed. On top of everything, he had shown more weakness by shedding tears, and he felt awful. Surely the bay beside him would think him such a weakling, a complete and utter failure unworthy of his time. Ren sniffled sharply, slowly raising his head and opening his eyes again to peer at the sky through the branches overhead. ”I’ve been searching for them, but.. I don’t even know if they still.. I don’t even know if they’re still alive.” It had been so long now, and surely if they still lived he’d have found some sign, right? But he had failed them. Not strong enough to fight back against that bastard, he’d lost everything. Now.. Well, now he was afraid to even look at the other male beside him, for fear of what he might see on his face.

OOC: gah.. Sad and sucky lol. Poor guy needs looove xD
VOICE: Jensen Ackles
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