DOTW is a semi-realistic wild horse role-play game aiming to keep it simple. We expect a minimum of 200 words for every in-character post, and reward you with a tight-knit community who love roleplaying and are always eager to make new friends. After an 18 month hiatus, DOTW is ready to write a new history.
Hey doods, don't mind that I've been a little absent lately. I'm reading loooooots of manga <3 but I'm definitely online every day, so don't worry about having PMs or questions or joining posts go missing! I am catching them all :)
What a year and what a night What terrifying final sights
I n d i a n a
The earth was wet; weak and soft beneath the deceptive layer of grass, making it easy for one to sink into the muck if they didn't move quickly. Indiana had fallen prey to such a mistake, and was forced to trudge through the soil, legs stained heavily with thick mud. The mess didn't bother her: in a place as damp as this, there had to be some water-source nearby that she could use to clean herself, but it did slow her down. The day was slowly creeping into evening, and she was growing tired of getting sucked into the yielding ground; she was still weak from the winter months, and her compact body strained easily. The vague shape of hipbones could be seen beneath her coat, her ribs pulling against her skin with each stride. Nevertheless, she tossed her fine forelock from her eyes, gave a small shudder of exertion, and kept moving, seeing no visible end to the saturated ground, but knowing there had to be one, somewhere.
She had traveled here for her own sake - in her weakened state, her body couldn't tolerate the colder weather that the other areas still clung to. She knew it to be warm here, and it was too early in the year for the days to burn like they would in summer. She had expected that somewhere hot would have to be dry, too: arid, like the desert, but she was mistaken, and by the time she had realized, hours later, it was too late for her to turn back.
She was nothing if not determined, however, and though she was dirtied with sweat and grime, she wouldn't allow her circumstances to break her concentration. Pulling herself through the mud a few steps further, she eyed the distant trees that she had been heading toward for the duration of her journey, and used their relative closeness to spurn herself into movement. Minutes passed, and the ground began to firm, holding its shape for longer beneath her hooves before giving way, and before long, she was on solid ground, again. Panting lightly, she glanced back at the heavy footsteps she had left in the expanse of mud, and vowed to learn from her mistakes next time. The constant pull had strained her muscles, made her lungs ache with each breath, and she managed a snort of frustration before stilling; leaning her shoulder against the rough bark of the nearest tree to catch her breath. Her heart fluttered in her breast, muddied knees trembling faintly, and all she could think of doing was finding somewhere safe and going to sleep. However, she knew of no such place, but did not let it worry her yet - she was still trying to recover her breath.
______ 640 hope this is okay!
If it's been a while since I've replied to a thread, I've probably forgotten it's there.
The warm air of the South was pleasant, but the painted mare was extremely wary presently of this land, even if it was the land of her very birth. The ground was damp, close to muddy for some horses and others just really soft. The painted mare moved slowly around the land, the warm, muggy air entering her lungs as she took a breath in and then out again. It had been years since she had been around this land, she forgot what it was like. Luckily, she had found a place that was hard enough for her hooves to sit upon without sinking, but it seemed others hadn't been so luckily. Blessed Demon had seen many horses trudging through mud and many looked exhausted. It was common knowledge that their species was heavy, did they not know they could sink. With the sun setting into the western horizon, the painted mare knew she would have to bed down soon and this was not the place she expected.
Lurking within the trees, the mare turned her attention to the ground of sloppy hoof beats, one could tell that were tired and ready to stop. Looking around the thicket of trees, she finally saw another resting against a near tree. "You look like you were just put through hell." Blessed Demon said to the mare as she came closer, her white extremely bright within the darkness around them from the shade of the trees. The painted mare looked out into the swamp and then back at the mare before her. The spring was merely just starting, the heat of the land was radiating through everything, including the air.
●● WORD COUNT ●● 277 ●● COMMENTS ●● my post is terrible ●● TAGS ●●✿rosey ●● SONGS ●● none ●● COLORS ●● SPEECH ●● CHARACTER USED ●● blessed demon
What a year and what a night What terrifying final sights
I n d i a n a
Recovery was slow, and it was a number of minutes before Indiana's flitting heart slowed to a regular thud. She trembled, still; gentle twitches of of muscle as her body worked through the last of the adrenaline in her system, and she dropped her head low, eyes closed, waiting for them to subside. Her eyes felt hot and heavy, the result of such humid air, she supposed, and she brought in lungfuls of it in an attempt to steady herself. She wasn't used to being unwell - her herd had been large enough to ensure the well-being of all of its members, and as she was of relatively high status, her care had come before some of the less fortunate mares. Her hasty retreat from her family and carers left her somewhat worse for wear. Swallowing to loosen her dry throat, and opened her eyes again. She took in the sight of her legs; coated in flaking mud up to her knee, and curled her lip in distaste; she could hardly find somewhere to bathe in her weakened state. She would have to spend the night with mud soaking her limbs.
As she prepared to move her body weight away from the tree that supported her, Indiana heard a sound behind her. It could have been anything - she was sure she wasn't the only creature to favour these warmer lands, but her fatigue made her panic: if it were a predator, or even a larger equine that took offense to her being here, she had nearly no chance of escaping, and would never be able to fight anybody. Tensing, she turned her head to look tiredly at the approaching animal. It was a horse, taller than her by some way and apparently more familiar with these lands, as the white that coated the lower half of her body was untainted by dirt. Indiana watched with a degree of curiosity as the larger mare stepped confidently on the earth without sinking down, and pressed her ears back in a moment of self-directed irritation. She didn't move, just watched the black and white mare's approach, eyes dark in the low evening light. She spoke, coming closer.
You look like you were just put through hell.
Indiana let herself smile tiredly.
"I'm weak from the winter, I'm afraid. I underestimated how much strain my legs could handle." She flexed a hind leg and dirt shelved off in flakes; she winced at the burn in her muscles. "Too stubborn to turn back once I started and now I'm suffering for it. Maybe I'll learn from my mistakes." Indiana was glad the mare was apparently friendly - she hadn't shared in conversation with a female since before winter and did miss socializing.
Blinking, she glanced up at the larger mare, noting her two-toned eyes and examining them curiously for a moment; it wasn't something she'd ever seen before. "I'm Indiana." She said, and glanced around herself. "You don't happen to know where I could find somewhere to graze and rest for the night, do you?" Her voice was slightly hopeful - if this mare did know these lands better than she did, maybe she could help. If she wanted to help at all, that was; Indiana couldn't be certain that this mare wouldn't just turn and leave once Indiana proved to be uninteresting. She flashed the larger mare a small smile and waited for her response.
______ 579 your post is great, don't worry!
If it's been a while since I've replied to a thread, I've probably forgotten it's there.
The sight of this tired mare was rather saddening, but it happened to the best horses. Sometimes, their limits were smaller then others and it took a lot of knowledge to understand where to best ways to go. Blessed Demon had traveled over many lands in the last herd she was with, including the swamp lands. This was something she had learned about... Don't go near the softer ground and if you do, don't stand still for too long. Sometimes though, it happened and once had to push through the area as hard as possible. Speed wasn't what was need though when it came to that land, but pace and strength, as well as some smarts. Blessed Demon however knew not to judge other horses when they messed up, sometimes they never saw a swamp and learning it the hard way was better then not learning at all.
When she was noticed, the painted mare noted the ears tilted back and was careful not to get too close, though she saw that the mare was weakened, fighting could easily happen depending on the other's reaction. Once she spoke, the mare seemed to just slightly relax and even smiled, even if it was a tired smile. "I'm weak from the winter, I'm afraid. I underestimated how much strain my legs could handle." Blessed Demon glanced at the mud covered legs, which was drying and would some make walking probably a bit harder unless the mud came off soon. "Sometimes, underestimating allows you to see what you can truly handle... Now you know." Blessed spoke gently to the mare as she watched some of the mud break away and noticed the wince. "Too stubborn to turn back once I started and now I'm suffering for it. Maybe I'll learn from my mistakes." The mare nodded towards her and chuckled. "Mistakes make the best lesson."
Blessed Demon carefully sized up the mare again once she was closer and noticed that she was also being looked over and her eyes had been noticed. "I'm Indiana. You don't happen to know where I could find somewhere to graze and rest for the night, do you?" The mare blinked for a moment and looked out into the thick forest and snorted. "I'm Blessed." She said, choosing not to give her last name for fear it would cause tension. "And I was born in these lands four years ago, though I did not stay long... I just arrived back this morning, but I believe there is a small clearing north of here... I passed it earlier." She said, motioning with her cranium towards the north of them and took a few steps forward.
●● WORD COUNT ●● 446 ●● COMMENTS ●● Matter of opinion, but Thank You! I just have to knock to rust off her bones. ●● TAGS ●●✿rosey ●● SONGS ●● none ●● COLORS ●● SPEECH ●● CHARACTER USED ●● blessed demon
What a year and what a night What terrifying final sights
I n d i a n a
Sometimes, underestimating allows you to see what you can truly handle... Now you know.
Indiana considered the mare's words for a moment; they held truth, but the thought had never occurred to Indiana before - it was a surprisingly bright way of looking at her failure, and she decided to adopt the viewpoint for herself. Mistakes make the best lesson, she added, and Indiana nodded in agreement. She hadn't intended to get caught in the mud, after-all, and she would certainly not make the same mistake next time. Despite her tiredness and aching limbs, Indiana's mood was growing less sour in the company of this stranger. She was so used to being surrounded by other females that it was a comfort to have one nearby, even if the pair didn't know each-other. The black and white mare introduced herself as Blessed, and continued, I was born in these lands four years ago, though I did not stay long... I just arrived back this morning, but I believe there is a small clearing north of here... I passed it earlier. The news was a great relief to the young mare, and the emotion showed on her face. However, she was unsure to exactly where north was, or if she could make the journey alone...however, Blessed nodded in the direction she was referring to, before taking a few steps forward, and Indiana wasn't sure if Blessed was offering to walk her there, but decided it was polite to ask, anyway.
"Would you mind guiding me there? I may not be able to find it alone." She braced herself for a negative response, but heaved herself away from the tree's support, swaying where she stood for a moment before stabilizing, drawing a long, steadying breath. "I came here because I thought the heat would be good for my health," She said, voice tinged with humour. "It didn't really work out that way." She took a step in the direction that Blessed had indicated, and when she didn't collapse or falter, she took another. The mud on her legs was rapidly drying - growing stiff and uncomfortable on her fur, but that paled in comparison to the way her limbs and lungs burned, so she tried to ignore it. Swallowing her discomfort, she glanced back at the larger mare with an uncertain smile, and continued walking North.
______ 391 sorry for the shortness!
If it's been a while since I've replied to a thread, I've probably forgotten it's there.
Blessed Demon had always been taught to look at the brighter things in life, even when she was constantly put down by others for one thing or another... Or when she was forced away from her mother. The bright side wasn't always clear but one day it would be clear. At least the other seemed to take her words to heart, where as some would merely throw them away and forget what was said. It was good to know that the lessons her mother gave her made an impact on others in her life. Upon the news of a clearing, the other seemed extremely relieved by that fact and Blessed Demon could understand why. The mare needed a safe place to bed down for the night, just like she did.
"Would you mind guiding me there? I may not be able to find it alone." The painted mare looked at the other and then smiled at her before nodding. "Sure. I was gonna go there myself." The mare said, waiting for her to join her before they began to walk again. It took a moment for the mare to stabilize herself, but the painted mare had time to wait. It wasn't like she was in a hurry for anything important. "I came here because I thought the heat would be good for my health. It didn't really work out that way." Blessed chuckled lightly and looked ahead. "If you aren't use to it, you have to integrate yourself slowly... You possible should have stopped in the middle ground before coming here for a few days." Blessed said as they moved north towards the clearing, though the forest was thick and it was a slow trek.
●● WORD COUNT ●● 285 ●● COMMENTS ●● It's fine. Shortness helps the speed of post. I range from 200 to 600 most days anyway. If you get lucky, you might get a 1000 word post out of me. ●● TAGS ●●✿rosey ●● SONGS ●● none ●● COLORS ●● SPEECH ●● CHARACTER USED ●● blessed demon
