Young and the Restless (open)

[<3Kodi]

Little hooves didn't quite make the thunder of adult hooves but Sham didn't mind. He liked the continuous rhythm of his hooves beating on the ground as he cantered over the large meadow. His pinto-painted body flexed and moved easily as the young Quarter Horse headed for no specific destination. He was young, still a colt with the standing of a yearling. His legs still looked a little too long and he didn't quite yet have the sturdy appearance of a pureblooded Quarter Horse but Shamrock didn't mind his appearance much. Besides, he seemed to always be alone so what did it really matter? It wasn't like he was part of a big herd with lots of fillies to impress.

The thought brought a snort from Shamrock as he slowed his canter to a trot, coming to a grove of trees and the sound of a bubbling brook coming to his ears. Standing between two white oaks, Shamrock came to a stop. He kept his head up, little ears searching for any sound of breathing or hooves just in case anyone else was around. Being alone from an early age had taught Sham a lot of things and one of those lessons was to not run to someplace without making sure you were either alone or whoever else was around was peaceful. Besides, he wanted to live to be a stallion not die a colt.

For several long minutes Sham remained still until he was at last assured that he was indeed alone. Walking forward, Shamrock trotted to the brook and dropped his head down to drink. Overhead a couple of larks chattered away in the limbs of the oaks that grew along the bank. Sham raised his head and looked up at the larks, flicking his ears toward them and snorting softly. Luckies. They had company. Shamrock looked around again and heaved a sigh as he folded his legs under him and laid beside the bank letting the soft grass cushion him. He felt lonely and really bored but he couldn't make trouble if there wasn't anyone around to make trouble with! Herds didn't like orphans, at least that was the impression Sham had gotten out of the last few herds he had tried to join so now he was just wandering around until he was older and a herd would be sure to take him.

Sham sighed and laid his head on the grass and felt his eyes droop as the sun warmed his two-toned pelt. It wasn't long before the yearling was sound asleep, dead to the world.

[Halo]

Mama had assured them that Lackadaisy Brook would be perfectly safe for him and his brother Cowboy to play by themselves for awhile, and he believed her whole-heartedly and still does now though he is starting to get worried. Hide and seek seemed like such a pleasant game when his brother had mentioned it, and didn’t sound like it would require much running and skipping around (activities he has found difficult and painful) and so he had happily agreed to it. But now he wanders alone, somehow having gotten himself lost in the process of being the seeker; he had called Cowboy’s name for the longest time, until his lungs ached with the effort, but gave up and instead took to searching, fruitlessly.

Stetson limps along the bank of the shallow creek, sometimes hopping on his three good legs with his one hind lifted above the ground to give the throbbing stilt a little relief. More than once he has looked into the cool waters longingly, wanting so very much to wade into it and explore the water. Yet, even though its depths are minor and quite safe, the young colt finds himself afraid to dare such a thing. What would he do if he stumbled and fell with this stupid leg of his? Even on dry land he has fallen and not be able to get up for several minutes, but what more of a disaster would it be if he did the same thing in the water? He could drown! And Stetson is very much afraid of drowning.

His silver roan pelt glows in the sun, seeming to almost sparkle from amongst the slate gray spots on his rump and shoulders and around the slate gray paint on his face. From playing the socks on his fores are muddied, the moon-white ivory still visible in sections, but he does not seem in the least bit aware of the blemish to his color. Though he is lanky, lacking the shape of his parents, there is something still arabian-ish about his features with a hint of the quarter horse blood in his veins by the large, wide-set ears and wide dark honey hued eyes. Still, though, despite the strength of his bloodlines there is something...set back...as far as his physical stature is concerned, a weakness playing in him that is more than just his obviously hurting hind.

Something in the small crop of trees on his left startles him and he turns a frightened stare in the direction of the rustle, the whites of his eyes showing as he hops slightly to the left and closer towards the shallow creek. There it goes again, a little closer this time! A soft whimper forms in the small colt’s throat, his ears flattening back against his head and his thin, too-long-for-his-body legs rattle beneath him and threatening to toss him to the ground. The shift of a shadow makes the situation too much for Stetson and with a cry he jumps to the side again, this time losing his balance and, his worst fear, he collapses into the water.

The silver colt shrieks and thrashes, water spraying everywhere as he tries to frantically get up, unable to fight back the panic to get himself out of the situation in a rational manner. By the time he manages to ‘save himself’, his head and shoulders draped on the bank, he feels exhausted, is completely soaked, and his lungs wheezing with exertion. His bodice shakes uncontrollably with terror and cold, too paralyzed by his ‘near death experience’ to move quite yet as he tries to get some bearings. At least the cold water on his one back leg feels nice, though that is completely overshadowed by his trauma.
~Stetson

(OOC: I think it’s a good post! Hope it works for you!)

[<3Kodi]

It was nice to nap once in a while but, well, you could only nap while you were asleep and only sleep when it was quiet. Sham's head snapped up and his eyes snapped open at the sharp sound of frantic splashing. His harks flick up, head turning in search of the commotion. Whatever was going on was sure noisy! Getting up, Sham shook bits of grass off his bay and white coat, looking around. The sound was coming from farther downstream along the Lackadaisy Brook. The yearling snorted uneasily. Was it wolves? Maybe some other horse was being chased? Shamrock snorted in indecision, not sure whether to go help the other or bolt for it before whatever had gotten them got him.

The splashing stopped and Shamrock froze, harks perked. Without really thinking he starts to move, the young Quarter Horse cantering downstream toward where he'd heard the splashing. He felt like an idiot. What if it was another foal that was drowning? He glanced at the brook and instantly shooed off the thought of a drowning equine. The brook was so shallow a newborn could stand in it!

Slowing his pace, Sham ducked behind one of the trees growing along the brook. Peering out around the brown trunk, Shamrock's ears flicked up in surprise. On the bank was a soaked through foal, some sort of grey roan or something. It looked terrified and a few months younger then Sham. Cautiously Sham moved out from behind the tree, walking slowly toward the other colt. What was wrong with the colt? For a second Sham wondered if it was dead but then he saw the rise and fall in its flanks. Shamrock let out a soft snort and tossed his head a little.

"Hey, are you ok?" Sham asked, innocently curious.

Maybe this would be a friend? Sure the other colt looked young but when you're a foal the difference between newborn and yearling really isn't the vast when you think about it. Besides, if this colt was all alone and he was so young maybe Sham could help him? He wasn't a big adult stallion but he knew how to take care of himself well enough.

[Halo]

Stetson had been so wrapped up in his turmoil and trying to recuperate that he did not notice, at all, the approach of the other young foal. In fact, he thinks he just might have his breathing under control when Sham makes his appearance and he nearly jumps right out of his skin with surprise. For at least a long minute and a half he just stares at the other, completely frozen with his fores tucked against his trunk with no movement except the subtle, half blink his eyes and the chattering of his teeth. He doesn’t...seem dangerous...

“I-I fell,” he stutters, slowly lifting his head and trying to get his legs under him so that he can get out of this ridiculous position. As he feared, it takes him several anguishing, embarrassing, tries, with a few moments of rest propped up on his fronts still leaning on one side of his haunches in the water, before he can successfully complete his task. Oh how he wishes he had been born with Cowboy’s strength, that he weren’t such an embarrassment. And shamefully he lets silence stretch on between the two of them with nothing but the burble of the stream and the dripping of water off his belly and tail to fill in the gaps. “I was...afraid I’d d-dr-drown,” he confesses quietly.

He dares to look up at the other colt, who looks a mite older than himself, curiosity flickering in his gaze though a lack of gumption to take it upon himself to act on that inquisitiveness. Yet he thinks he might be looking at a possible friend...maybe. That is if the painted foal could put up with his idiosyncrasies, and not be bored to tears with his setbacks and limitations. Come to think of it, that seems nearly impossible as the only one who has stuck it out with him (besides his mother and father) is Cowboy. It’s time to face the music, he’s just lame.

“I’m Stetson,” he offers shyly, slowly stepping out of the water: limp, limp, hop, hop, limp. He lowers his head as if to shake and then changes his mind, since he would so rudely spray water all over his new acquaintance. Again he turns his head to regard the other hopefully, chewing on the side of his tongue nervously as he unconsciously battles with putting his one hoof down in a position that would not aggravate his leg again.
~Stetson

[<3Kodi]

Shamrock tossed his head lightly and took a step forward, hoping to look friendly and not scary. From the stutter he could tell he'd given the other foal a horrid fright and he felt kinda bad about it, especially since it was obvious the other one was lame. Sham tried not to stare, he really did. His parents had always told him it was rude and he hated it when people caught sight of his birthmark so he met the foal's gaze instead. "Well that's ok. Nothing wrong with being scared of drowning" Shamrock nickered, resisting the urge to move forward and help the other out of the water. It was obvious he was having a hard time about it.

The young paint trotted over to the brook and looked upstream, then downstream, half curious about what had made Stetson trip. He glanced sideways at the other and caught sight of the deformed leg and diverted his gaze. Yep, he hadn't been mistaken. He felt bad but his parents always told him pity didn't help anybody so...What was he supposed to do? Sham frowned slightly, trying to remember his dad's multiple lessons about how to treat others. Unable to remember, Sham snorted and decided to just treat the other foal like he did others.

Raising his head, Shamrock smiled. "My name is Shamrock, you can call me Sham though. Do you live around here?" he asked curiously, hopeful now. Maybe this foal knew where a herd was? If Shamrock took him back to his herd maybe Stetson would help him find the lead stallion?

Shamrock loved the idea of living with a herd again but for right now he was content to just be around another colt for once, even if that colt looked like he was going to fall over when the wind blew too hard. Besides, Stetson seemed nice so Sham was hopeful for a friend. It had been a long time since he'd had a friend and he missed having friends.

[Halo]

The colt can feel a prickle along his spine, aware that Sham had noticed his leg, but shakes it off and tries to ignore it; it isn’t the first time, and won’t be the last, that it will be noticed and Stetson reminds himself it can be kind of hard to miss. When he doesn’t sense any judgmental air, though, it causes the worry to decrease, not going away entirely but dwindling to a more comfortable level. He even finds it easier to bring a small smile to his countenance, a tiny curvature of his velvet lips, when his eyes follow the other colt.

“Sham,” he repeats, so as to make it easier for him to remember, mouthing it silently several times after that to be sure it’s put to memory. His tail swishes once behind him to ascertain to himself that he will indeed remember before he answers his new friend’s question. “Um...sort of. I live with my parents and brother at a place called...uh...” He should have done better to remember this one, but has found it strangely hard to pronounce. “Sym...phiny...Falls. No Symphony Falls. It’s our herd, I think.”

So he hasn’t paid that much attention to how things work, too busy soaking in other, probably more meaningless, information about life. (Apparently how to not get lost was completely skipped over, though it would have been very useful about an hour ago.) He takes a step forward on his fronts, avoiding moving his backs, and leans forward in order to get a little closer to his companion. His nares flare to take in Sham’s scent, finding it comforting and friendly. So he has his back legs follow with a slight hop, his smile widening on his face.

“And do you live somewheres around here?” he asks, modifying the question to make it his own. However, gaining confidence in the presence of the painted colt, his gaze doesn’t remain long locked to Sham’s. His head turns and his interest pries along Shamrock’s pretty pelt, not sure he had seen coloring like this before and quite sure that he likes it. He has a coat similar to his father’s and matches his brother’s and has some spots, but nothing like these splashes of white and brown.
~Stetson

[<3Kodi]

Shamrock perked his harks. Symphony Falls? Sham had never heard of it but then again he didn't really pay that much attention to whispered rumors and he didn't like to get too close to bigger horses. After all, you couldn't always tell who was going to kill you and who was going to help you. Sham had learned that the hard way when a dark horse had tried to kidnap him when he'd just newly been away from his family. Since then he had learned to keep his distance from unknown big horses. Stetson though, he was ok. He was still a colt and Sham liked him, bad leg or no bad leg.

When Stetson asked about where he lived though, Sham flicked his ears back and looked at the ground feeling suddenly shy. This colt had a brother and parents. Sure, Shamrock hoped his parents were still alive but he didn't know for sure. The wolves might have killed them and Sham didn't live anywhere around here. He had lived at the sea, on the cliffs with the calls of gulls to wake him up in the morning. He missed it a lot but he pushed the memories aside and shuffled his hooves.

"I don't live anywhere really. I just kinda wander around" Sham admitted a bit sheepishly, glancing at Stetson out of the corner of his eye. "I got separated from my parents by wolves, then I got lost so now here I am."

Shamrock shrugged, trying to make it look like he didn't care. He flicked his tail and looked around at the creek around them. He wanted to explore a little more then he had before he'd fallen asleep but he didn't want to leave Stetson alone because that seemed rude. Well, Sham would just have to adapt. No way was he going to leave a friend by himself when he was lost.

"Do you want to explore a little?" Sham asked. "There's a nice meadow just beyond these trees if you want to dry off in the sun. Maybe after you're dried off we can find your herd and get you home, sound good?"

[Halo]

Stetson can’t help but to feel sort of sad for Sham. Not to have a home and a family...it must be awfully lonely. Come to think of it, it’s downright dangerous too! But there he goes again, being paranoid, though he has a hard time helping it. And, as if for good measure when the thought crosses his mind, he turns his head this way and that as if to be sure that the two of them are indeed still safe. Mother may have said it was perfectly find to be here alone, but even she can’t see into the future to know for certain (which makes him feel guilty for not trusting her enough).

“That sounds good,” he answers with a short swish of his tail and a smile on his face. An idea dawns on him. “Maybe you can come live with us then, huh? You think?” Or is that the wrong thing to offer? He knows his parents wouldn’t mind, and his brother (haha) has no say, but maybe it would be considered offensive to Sham. He only figured on it because his new friend doesn’t have a home and his own is so nice he thought he’d open the way for it. “I mean, if you want to.”
~Stetson

(OOC: Sorry for the length. I have muse, but I didn’t know what to post. >..>)

[<3Kodi]

Sham's ears perked up as Stetson made his offer. Excitement flickered in the yearling's dark brown eyes and his tail swished back and forth as he moved slowly beside Stetson to make sure the other didn't trip or fall without being too overbearing. Would the herd actually take an orphan? Shamrock looked out beyond the trees to the meadow he was leading Stetson to, the possibilities flashing in his young mind. Hope was the strongest thing in the young colt at the moment, flooding through him like adrenaline in his veins. If he could be in a herd, Shamrock knew he'd be happy. He missed the companionship and love he'd felt in his old herd. Sure, he missed his parents more then anyone but Sham knew he couldn't have that back, he'd gone too far and he'd never find his herd again but still, he could try again.

If Stetson's herd would take him then...he'd have a friend and a place to live. He wouldn't have to be so weary all the time, looking around for cougars or wolves. He wouldn't have to hide at night to make sure nothing found him or be on the lookout for mean horses that meant to hurt him. Sham already considered Stetson a friend so if he was able to get into Stetson's herd he'd have a friend too.

Looking over at Stetson as they made their way toward the meadow, Shamrock smiled. "That would be great!" he said, his voice one hundred percent sincere. "But, are you sure nobody would mind? Other herds I tried didn't like having to look after an orphan." Sham grimaced at the word as if it were something disgusting. He wasn't an orphan. His parents were alive so it offended him to be called an orphan. He was just a little lost....

[Halo]

Stetson’s whole being seems to light up with a positive glow as his friend seems to be on the same track as him, sharing the same eagerness for the idea. It would be nice to have another foal around to play with besides Cowboy, not that Cowboy isn’t a hoot to have fun with, and the three of them could probably come up with a bunch of endless games. This colt knows for a certain that Sham will find acceptance there. He hasn’t met a horse in the herd yet who wasn’t friendly and kind, their leader being quite the saint when it comes to finding and taking in those who are homeless or hurt or broken-hearted. So when he answers, Stets can allow his words to be truly enthused.

“No way! Everyone there is so nice and our leader is quite a bleeding heart, that’s what my dad said though I’m not sure I know what a bleeding heart is. Sounds painful, but he said it like a good thing.” He feels eager energy surging through his whole body, his skin tingling with the urge to let it loose in a flurry of movements, but his mind telling him it’s not a good idea. Instead he lifts his bad leg and bounces several times forward before balance becomes too difficult of a thing to keep and he stops; he doesn’t want to fall again.

He wrinkles his nose and looks quite flustered when his minds comes back to what Shamrock had said about other herds and he stomps his fronts with each step to punctuate his aggravation. “Yeah, well, everyone else is a bunch of dumbyheads with not a scrap o’brains for not liking you. Bunch a nincompoops is all, Sham! They’re missing out is all.” He turns his head and smiles brightly, a sense of complete loyalty as he leans over to nudge his companion in an attempted comforting manner. His buddy isn’t going to be looked down on any longer if he has any say in it.
~Stetson

(OOC: Well…he found something to be passionate about. ROFLMAO!)

[<3Kodi]

It seemed that Stetson's moods were quite catchable because Shamrock found his disgust at the thought of being mistaken for an orphan slipping away. Around the peppy little cripple Sham found it hard to stay mad or irritated at the herds that had turned him down. He smiled and the light came back to his warm brown optics as the yearling followed his hopping little friend. Stetson's enthusiasm and sureness that he would be accepted drew a friendly laugh from the Quarter horse colt, shaking his white head as he looked over at his friend. "Thanks Stet" he nickered, walking beside the other colt. "And I think a bleeding heart means you like everyone or are really soft toward people who ask for help. My dad called my mom that once when I was little, well littler."

Coming out of the trees and into the open meadow, Shamrock turned his gaze from his friend to the openness of the land before him. He felt like he was glowing, remembering his home atop the seacliffs. Without thinking Shamrock was moving, strong legs carrying him out of the trees into the open field. Tall grasses whipped around his legs, the wind pulling his mane back from his neck as the youthful yearling cantered all around enjoying the feel of the sun and the wind. Making a wide circle, Shamrock galloped back toward Stetson, guilt sinking in as he remembered his younger friend couldn't run, at least, Sham didn't think he could run.

Coming to a stop beside his friend, Sham flicked his ears shamefully. "Sorry about that. Had to get it out of my system." The young paint offered an apologetic smile. "I get a little carried away sometimes." His eyes flickered to Stetson's leg but he forced himself to look away. He didn't want to offend his friend when he had offered to take him to his herd. Looking out at the meadow and then back at Stet, Shamrock flicked his ears curiously. "Aren't you a little young to be out here by yourself anyway? No offense but...I didn't think the herds let foals out of the lands."

[Halo]

Stetson watches longingly as his friend moves through the field with what seems like such effortless ease, not burdened or weighted to the earth. Oh, he tries not to feel sorry for himself, tries very hard to make the most of life and be grateful for the things he does have, but it can be so hard when others are so capable of doing the things he cannot. Determined to enjoy just a little bit of the open land, the young foal lowers his leg to rest his hoof on the ground and picks his limbs up into a wearily awkward trot, only for a few second but enough to make him feel better. Someday, someday he’ll run around like everyone else.

His friend comes back and he has his weight transferred to his good hind leg again, smiling and speaking an ‘it’s okay’ in between Sham’s words. His wears flick, his brush of a tail darting back and forth behind him restlessly (so much energy and no way to get it out). Stet draws in a breath and then answers his painted friend, with a smile. “Mama only let me and Cowboy here because she knows it’s safe for foals. Nothing’s happened yet,” the latter part he seems to muse over.
~Stetson

[<3Kodi]

Shamrock laughed as he ambled along beside his younger friend, simply enjoying the glow of companionship and the sunny day. He had a soft spot in his heart for the sun, always warm and welcoming even in the hottest parts of the summer. Turning his head at his friends words, Sham flicked his ears and cast his friend an inquisitive look. "'Yet?'" he asked. "Don't be such a downer Stet, I've been around here for a few days and nothing's come to eat me yet." Shamrock kept his tone light and kept an undertone of amusement. He didn't want to scare Stetson with some of the things that had chased him in the past couple of months since he'd been on his own. No need to give a friend nightmares, that wouldn't do at all.

Prancing on the spot a little, Shamrock shook out his relatively short mane and sent a shudder down his spine to shake off a few flies trying to settle on his haunches. Looking back over at his friend, Shamrock swished his tail. "If you have a brother then why aren't you with him?" Sham asked curiously. His slightly more rational mind was catching up with him in the afterglow of finding a new friend. Why would any mother let a foal with a deformed leg go off on his own when he had a brother, possibly healthy brother, to help keep him safe?

Shamrock thought of when he'd seen Stetson on the bank of the creek, soaked and fearful. If it had been him he was next to certain his own mother would have thrown a hissy fit and never let him leave her side again. Besides, Sham was sure that if he had siblings he wouldn't leave them simply because he thrived on being around others and he liked constant companionship, the feeling of not being alone or feeling loved by a brother or friend. He was a sap, Sham knew that full well but didn't care really. He just knew he liked to be with family and friends, not wandering around on his own like he had been for too long.

[Halo]

Stetson mutters a distant apology for being this said ‘downer’; he hadn’t meant to, really, but he supposes that he must have been doing so if Shamrock would call him such. He watches the other foal’s legs with a grin, finding the little prance Sham does a temporary source of amusement before his mind is drawn away after another question. He blinks for several moment and then looks around, as if expecting to see his twin jump out of hiding from behind anywhere, at anytime. Nope, no sign of any identical silver coat that he can see. Stet’s small shoulders shrug and he purses his lips slightly, mingling with a furrowed brow to give him a look of perplexion.

“I’m not sure where Cowboy is. We were both playing hide and seek, but Cowboy is a much better hider than I am a seeker.” He shakes his head in a disappointed fashion, remembering the difficulty he is always finding in...well…finding his brother. “But I guess it’s not so bad, right? I got to meet you and now neither of us is alone.” He bobs his head excitably, so much that his front end bounces with his tiny skull. Stet giggles at this and wiggles his stalks back and forth energetically.
~Stetson

[<3Kodi]

Shamrock laughed and bobbed his white head in agreement with his younger friend. It was funny though, to think of Stetson having a twin. If what he'd heard was true,twins usually acted either the same or totally different from one another. Briefly Sham entertained both scenarios, pondering the possibility of a foal looking like Stet that was bouncing off the walls with energy and then another Stet. He found it just too weird to really focus on for too long. So, Sham shook his head to chase off the strange thought and pawed at the ground with his front right hoof and tossed his head. His chestnut mane, still short with youth, and pranced in a circle around his silver roan friend.

"I have to admit, it's nice not being alone anymore" Shamrock nickered, shaking his mane again. "But..."

Sham stopped talking and his head snapped up like a stag alerted by the snap of a twig. Nostrils flared and dark brown eyes searched the meadow the pair were standing in. He tensed slightly but made no move to flee. The wind had changed and he could smell another equine nearby though he wasn't sure if it was a foal or a parent, perhaps Stet's, coming to fetch him. Swishing his tail, Shamrock studied the distant treeline across the meadow, tensed and ready to flee but weary of leaving Stetson alone if it was something dangerous. Still, everyone said the brook was perfectly safe so...surely they would make sure no wolves or mountain lions were nearby and it didn't smell like a mountain lion or anything.

Even so, Sham knew better then to just pretend there wasn't anybody coming. Besides, it could be some evil adult coming to hurt them or try and kidnap foals for some evil herd.