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Description

48 Diamonds [ Quest +10 | Fully Body +20 | Colored +2 | Detailed Shaded +5 | Detailed BG +5 | Story +6 ]

◄ PREVIOUS: A Sound In The Distance    |   NEXT: Temporary Roommates ►

MAIN QUEST
Opting to stay calm and silent, you noiselessly head for the bushes, head held low as you hide. The bushes were quite dense, managing to cover you well, the dogs' barks and howls fading into the distance. Now that the initial threat was over, it was dire time you look for shelter. You cross the river, belly deep in water. After exiting the river and shaking off you leave the area, lifting your head up you;

A] Decide to spend the night by the river bank
B] Decide to spend the night in a nearby cave
C] Decide to spend the night among the bushes

          Dusk was quickly approaching as the mahogany stallion trotted away from the dogs. Their barking grew fainter and fainter, as did his pounding heartbeat. He didn’t really have any sense of direction, and so he headed the opposite way to the dogs, just to be sure he wouldn’t cross their path again. That was one bridge he didn’t want to have to cross. However, as Jasper trotted through the snow it seemed he would have to cross a different sort of bridge; ahead of him, an icy river flowed. It wasn’t all that calm, but it wasn’t raging rapids. The young stallion frowned. It was probably cold, really cold.

Across the river laid a forest, and beyond that, a mountain. His eyes trailed up to the peak. It probably held quite a few spots that were warm and dry, tucked away from predators and other mischievous things. The thought of a warm place to sleep had Jasper moving again. His eyes dropped back to the icy waters and he pinned his ears back, dreading the cold. If there was one thing he hated, it was being cold. He shuddered as he gingerly stepped one hoof at a time into the water, beginning to shiver almost immediately. ”This better be worth it.” He quietly mumbled to himself.

Although it was cold, Jasper took it slow across the river. The last thing he wanted was to slip and fall and get completely soaked. Finally, he stepped back onto dry land and gave a tiny shake. He shuddered again, realizing the cold air hitting his wet limbs made him that much colder. He needed shelter right away. Bad things happened to animals that were cold and wet. Quickly, the young stallion trotted away from the river and into the forest.

The only sounds were Jasper’s quick, shivering breaths and the quite squinch as his hooves broke through the snow. The sun had nearly set, and all the other creatures were bedding down for the night. An owl hooted right above Jasper, causing him to flinch and jerk his head up. He let out a small breathy laugh, feeling quite embarrassed for being spooked by a bird.

Finally, Jasper spotted a promising shelter in the distance. A cave formed in the side of a large pile of rocks sat, seemingly empty. He almost ran for it the minute he saw it, but knew that that probably wasn’t the smartest idea. Not all caves were vacant. Cautiously, the mahogany stallion approached, head low and ears forward. His muscles tensed, readying himself to flee if anything emerged from the cave. Jasper stretched out his neck and, with flaring nostrils, sniffed for any signs of life. The only thing he smelled were a few mice that quickly scurried into a crack in between a couple rocks. Thank goodness.

Jasper glanced behind him, making sure there wasn’t anything else around lurking in the shadows, before he entered the cave. It felt nice to be out of the cold breeze. He padded in a circle for a moment, smooshing down the snow to form a bed, and then promptly laid down. His legs were frigid and tired, and he couldn’t stand on them a minute longer. As he lay there in the snow, his body began to relax. However, his mind wouldn’t let him rest just yet. Thoughts of his birth herd began to trickle in; thoughts of his mother and of Alistair. In that moment, Jasper felt resentful to the older stallion. If he had allowed him to stay, Jasper would be safe and warm with his family. But instead he was here, freezing and alone.

Jasper squeezed his eyes shut, holding back tears. He didn’t want to be alone. He hated it. Slowly, he relaxed his face. No matter how much he hated being alone, Jasper knew he couldn’t blame Alistair. He had only done what he thought would be best to protect his herd, including jasper’s mother. Even so, it didn’t quell his feelings of longing and hurt. With a heavy sigh, Jasper wondered as he began to drift to sleep; would it be this way forever?

          word count: 691

All art & character © MatrixPotato

Description

48 Diamonds [ Quest +10 | Fully Body +20 | Colored +2 | Detailed Shaded +5 | Detailed BG +5 | Story +6 ]

◄ PREVIOUS: A Sound In The Distance    |   NEXT: Temporary Roommates ►

MAIN QUEST
Opting to stay calm and silent, you noiselessly head for the bushes, head held low as you hide. The bushes were quite dense, managing to cover you well, the dogs' barks and howls fading into the distance. Now that the initial threat was over, it was dire time you look for shelter. You cross the river, belly deep in water. After exiting the river and shaking off you leave the area, lifting your head up you;

A] Decide to spend the night by the river bank
B] Decide to spend the night in a nearby cave
C] Decide to spend the night among the bushes

          Dusk was quickly approaching as the mahogany stallion trotted away from the dogs. Their barking grew fainter and fainter, as did his pounding heartbeat. He didn’t really have any sense of direction, and so he headed the opposite way to the dogs, just to be sure he wouldn’t cross their path again. That was one bridge he didn’t want to have to cross. However, as Jasper trotted through the snow it seemed he would have to cross a different sort of bridge; ahead of him, an icy river flowed. It wasn’t all that calm, but it wasn’t raging rapids. The young stallion frowned. It was probably cold, really cold.

Across the river laid a forest, and beyond that, a mountain. His eyes trailed up to the peak. It probably held quite a few spots that were warm and dry, tucked away from predators and other mischievous things. The thought of a warm place to sleep had Jasper moving again. His eyes dropped back to the icy waters and he pinned his ears back, dreading the cold. If there was one thing he hated, it was being cold. He shuddered as he gingerly stepped one hoof at a time into the water, beginning to shiver almost immediately. ”This better be worth it.” He quietly mumbled to himself.

Although it was cold, Jasper took it slow across the river. The last thing he wanted was to slip and fall and get completely soaked. Finally, he stepped back onto dry land and gave a tiny shake. He shuddered again, realizing the cold air hitting his wet limbs made him that much colder. He needed shelter right away. Bad things happened to animals that were cold and wet. Quickly, the young stallion trotted away from the river and into the forest.

The only sounds were Jasper’s quick, shivering breaths and the quite squinch as his hooves broke through the snow. The sun had nearly set, and all the other creatures were bedding down for the night. An owl hooted right above Jasper, causing him to flinch and jerk his head up. He let out a small breathy laugh, feeling quite embarrassed for being spooked by a bird.

Finally, Jasper spotted a promising shelter in the distance. A cave formed in the side of a large pile of rocks sat, seemingly empty. He almost ran for it the minute he saw it, but knew that that probably wasn’t the smartest idea. Not all caves were vacant. Cautiously, the mahogany stallion approached, head low and ears forward. His muscles tensed, readying himself to flee if anything emerged from the cave. Jasper stretched out his neck and, with flaring nostrils, sniffed for any signs of life. The only thing he smelled were a few mice that quickly scurried into a crack in between a couple rocks. Thank goodness.

Jasper glanced behind him, making sure there wasn’t anything else around lurking in the shadows, before he entered the cave. It felt nice to be out of the cold breeze. He padded in a circle for a moment, smooshing down the snow to form a bed, and then promptly laid down. His legs were frigid and tired, and he couldn’t stand on them a minute longer. As he lay there in the snow, his body began to relax. However, his mind wouldn’t let him rest just yet. Thoughts of his birth herd began to trickle in; thoughts of his mother and of Alistair. In that moment, Jasper felt resentful to the older stallion. If he had allowed him to stay, Jasper would be safe and warm with his family. But instead he was here, freezing and alone.

Jasper squeezed his eyes shut, holding back tears. He didn’t want to be alone. He hated it. Slowly, he relaxed his face. No matter how much he hated being alone, Jasper knew he couldn’t blame Alistair. He had only done what he thought would be best to protect his herd, including jasper’s mother. Even so, it didn’t quell his feelings of longing and hurt. With a heavy sigh, Jasper wondered as he began to drift to sleep; would it be this way forever?

          word count: 691

All art & character © MatrixPotato