Just Us? (Metallic)

[<3Kodi]

Blue Moon tossed his head and snorted. The idea of this stallion even being near Metallic made his blood run hotter and not in a good way. He pawed at the ground, dagger digging into the earth even though the pain nearly made him wince. Holding in his facial expressions, Moon swished his tail and balanced most of his weight on his haunches, ready to spring away from Deacon or rear. Moon thought for a moment of telling Dream to just run, anywhere into the mist but the thought was gone as soon as it flitted into his battle-ready mind.

If Dream ran off into the mist, Deacon would follow at a gallop. Moon could see Deacon was healthy except for the split in his muzzle inflicted by Moon's earlier attack. There was no way Metallic would be able to escape him and no way in hell Blue Moon would be able to keep up on his bummed leg. Instead Moon simply prayed to whoever was out there that Metallic would be smart enough to stay out of the way.

Blue Moon braced himself as Deacon approached for a true attack, malice glinting in his dark eyes. Moon's muscles bunched under his sleek blue roan pelt. Unwilling to leave his place between the attacking stallion and the mare he sought to protect, Moon did the first thing that came to mind.

The sixteen hand stag reared back onto his hind legs, boxing the air with dangerous front hooves. His ebony mane was flung back, his onyx eyes rolling slightly as he moved. He was aiming for anything he could get, the head, neck, shoulders, anything. He was hoping to either land an attack or if nothing else get Deacon to turn, swerve away from his attack. Coming down, Moon landed hard on his wounded leg making pain flicker in his eyes.

[Arctic Fang]

>>Deacon Delano<<
~`~Metallic Dream~`~

Deacon surged to the side when Moon reared up with his boxing front legs. The male knew them to be very dangerous, having felt the blow of flailing jagged hoofs before. From wear and tear on them they at times grew sharp and of course they were very hard.

The smart stallion then did a half circle and turned back toward Moon, coming at him from the side, hoping to shove him over as he was gaining his footing. Just one good hit would be all that one of the horses needed and Deacon knew this.

Dream was now scared out of her wits! Since she already knew that Moon had a hurt leg she could see the pain that was in his eyes, though the other male horse may see it as anger or rage. Dream knew better though and this caused her mind to race. Somehow she needed to help!

[<3Kodi]

Pain radiated along Moon's leg, mainly at the joint. As he came down on all fours, Blue Moon clamped his jaw to keep from letting out any sound of pain. If he showed weakness and Deacon caught it, Blue Moon would surely loose. Yes, Deacon was mad now but if Moon made weakness apparent to the other, it would spell is death for sure. Right now, Blue Moon was just gambling with his own death and the loss of Metallic's innocence. Pressure to succeed still lingered but at least in the second scenario it was more likely he'd live if Deacon was blind to his already wounded leg. Raising his head again the roan stag, let out a challenging snort, stomping his good hoof.

Under his dusky blue coat, Moon's muscles coiled. Before he could duck away from Deacon's charge, the leg Moon had sprained chose to give. Moon began to topple to the left as Deacon collided with him, pushing him the other direction. Stumbling, Blue Moon tried to get out of Deacon's path only to succeed in going down. The young roan hit the ground, pain shooting up and down his leg and now on his shoulder as well, where Deacon had hit him. It would be bruised to say the least.

Onyx eyes glazed slightly at the intense pain running through his leg. If he hadn't torn muscles in it before, he had now. Blue Moon struggled, trying to get his hooves under him again, sensing more then seeing Deacon looming closer. His flanks heaved as pain washed through his leg with each attempt to move. Looking around wildly, Moon's eyes fell on Dream.

"Dream! Run!" Moon ordered, knowing his fight was lost.

[Arctic Fang]

>>Deacon Delano<<
~`~Metallic Dream~`~

Dream just couldn't believe her eyes when she saw that Moon had fallen. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. This just could not be happening! No! She would not allow him to die for her sake, for the sake of her innocence, but at the same time she would not give into this stallions threats. He was a pig and deserved nothing less then a wench to mate with and a wench she is certainly not!

The mare moved forward. She knew that she couldn't out run Deacon anyway due to her front leg and so she wasted not even a few seconds before she was by his side. The mare spun wildly and turned her back legs toward him as she began to kick frantically, hoping to give Moon enough time to gain his footing.

Dream grunted with determination. The free spirit that was within her emerged like a geyser shooting from a hole in the earth. Her hoofs cut deeply into Deacon's flesh. You see she still wore horse shoes and they were cleated for safe walking on the snow and ice. With each blow she caused deep wounds.

Her eyes darted toward Moon. Surely this would give him enough of a break so that he could stand, even with his bad leg. "Hurry Moon! Get up! Save yourself! Please!" The mare was willing to give herself to Deacon if that mean saving 'him', the stag that came into her life like the rising mist from the ground.

Deacon became enraged by the nerve of this female and getting his block knocked off by a mare didn't help his sense of pride either. The male turned and then charged Dream, hitting her so hard that she saw stars as she finally fell to the ground. Deac then stood over her, forgetting about Moon. Mightily he lifted his front leg as he aimed it for her temple, likely knocking her out for hours if the blow were true and hard enough, which it would likely be.

[<3Kodi]

Blue Moon's dark eyes widened. He couldn't believe it! Metallic was actually fighting Deacon! Moon wasn't sure whether he should be impressed or outraged. At the moment however, he could only feel pain from his leg and the bruise Deacon had no doubt left on his shoulder. Struggling to get up, Moon made a mental note to rant at Metallic Dream later when Deacon was long gone. His leg wouldn't hold his weight so he used Deacon's distractedness to his advantage as Metallic had intended. Struggling up to his former sixteen hands, Moon balanced on three legs, cradling his hurting fourth leg. Standing there on three legs, Moon knew he could run and knew he couldn't exactly charge with the same power as Deacon.

Black nostrils flared as Moon flung his head high, a steely glint coming back into his eyes. He wasn't going to run, not from some smarmy slimedog like Deacon and just leave Metallic to her fate. Snorting noisily, Moon reared up, boxing the air trying to kick Deacon. As he fell back to all fours, he swayed, his injured leg protesting to the abuse. He couldn't take much more of this.

Balancing his weight back on his haunches, the roan crossbreed tossed his head to banish his dark forelock from his eyes. This would be his last charge, whatever the outcome. Moon knew if he landed wrong on this charge it would be the end of him for this battle and he'd be lucky if Deacon let him get away alive. Still, Metallic was important so Moon was sure he could risk it all, go all in for this last gamble.

The roan flung himself forward, his brain barely processing Deacon's dangerous position aiming at Metallic but it fed his anger, the flash of it he saw was enough to make him see red. He let out a shrieking neigh and threw himself full-force at Deacon, aiming to shove him away from Metallic, knock him over, something to give him the advantage. Deacon would not hurt Dream. It was that simple. Moon wasn't going to let it happen.

[Arctic Fang]

>>Deacon Delano<<
~`~Metallic Dream~`~

By the time Moon charged at Deacon the evil equine knew that he had managed to get back up. For a moment his attention was thwarted from Dream but Moon's contact with him indeed sent him for a loop, likely the combination of anger and determination that Moon was feeling at seeing Dream so helpless and about to be stomped in the head.

Dream groaned as she saw Deacon going down but without hesitation she kicked out a back foot and connected with his jaw, knocking him clean out. He laid there... silent and without anything to say. It was a good silence Dream decided as she made it back to her feet.

Without looking back the mare began to flee. "Come on Moon. Let's get out of here! We'll be far away by the time he wakes up." Her pools of odd color looked at Moon and her lips smiled. He would have given his life to save hers. This of course greatly impressed the mare.

Once they were at a safe distance Dream stopped. She needed to rest and it just so happens that they were near a running stream. The mare sipped greedily. Her mind was thinking of something to say to him. They hadn't said a word since they left Deacon laying there on the ground.

Dream looked up while she was drinking, her eyebrows shifting up and down as she watched Moon. She wondered what he was thinking but she wanted him to be the first to speak. The mare was patient. Surely he needed time to formulate his thoughts.

[<3Kodi]

As Deacon went down it took nearly everything Moon had to stop himself from following. His leg was killing him and he was sure if his leg could disconnect from his body, it would and claim abuse. Honestly Moon couldn't blame it if it did as he staggered. He was seeing stars from colliding with Deacon with such force but shook his head to chase them away as Metallic climbed back to her feet. Looking over at Deacon, Blue Moon couldn't stop his stallion pride from kicking in. He felt a swell of satisfaction that Deacon was down and Metallic Dream was alright and knowing he'd kept her safe. He was glad she was ok but couldn't voice it because of the pain in his leg. If he opened his mouth he'd make some sound to indicate pain and that wasn't what Metallic needed to be worrying about right now.

Turning, Moon followed Metallic at a much slower pace. He limped heavily, his steps tired as if he carried a heavy weight. The longer they moved, the lower his head drooped and the more his hooves dragged. He needed to take a breather but wasn't about to complain. He could still sense the faint fear still clinging to Dream. At last when Metallic stopped at the stream, Moon felt his body uncoil its pent-up tension.

While the mare drank, Moon wearily sank to the ground and rolled onto his side with a soft groan of pain, his dark-stockinged legs sprawled out and his swollen leg bent. The joint was swollen and hot to the touch. Moon groaned again as he stretched out his neck and laid his head in the grass, letting his dark eyes droop. He was lulled by the sound of the stream and knowing that by the time Deacon woke up their scents would be watered out by the dense mist.

"Now I remember why I hate stallions" Moon mumbled, eyes still closed.

[Arctic Fang]

~`~Metallic Dream~`~

The mare stopped drinking and looked up at him, water still dripping from her bottom lip as she gave him a smirk. She knew that it really wasn't humorous but the way that he said that 'this is why I hate stallions' struck her funny, though she held back a full smile.

Dream approached him and knelt down on her front knees. Even though her leg throbbed a bit doing this it still wasn't as bad as Moon's. "I'm sorry. Now you're hurt more. The water is cool. You should place it in the water and let the chill of it take the heat out of your leg. It will take down the swelling." She stood and then looked back at him. "Please?" Her request was inviting.

She moved to the running water herself and stepped in. Her leg could use a good cooling down as well. From where she stood in the stream she turned and looked back at Moon who was still where she had left him. Concern glinted in her odd eyes. She hoped that his leg wasn't worse then what they thought.

Perhaps once he's in the water they could talk about what happened and where they would go from here. She thought for sure that he'd still hold his stubborn streak and want to venture out on his own. Dream wasn't asking him to join a herd. The mare still did not know what she wanted to do either. What she wanted to ask him was to stay with her for at least a little while in order to give the 'companion' thing a shot. After all it wasn't like she was asking him to want to be her mate or anything!

[<3Kodi]

Metallic's steps, though light as she approached him, thudded through the ground. He could feel her looming over him but stubbornly kept his eyes closed. If he opened his eyes now, Moon was sure he'd be struck by some puppy-pout or something as she asked him to rest his leg in the water. Blue Moon was skeptical to do as Metallic asked. Last time he had even given it a fleeting consideration he had almost had his legs snapped off by some giant lizard in the water. This time however, it was a stream so maybe the giant lizards didn't live in streams?

Peeking an eye open, Moon looked over to where Metallic was standing in the stream. He waited a full three heartbeats and found that Metallic hadn't been swallowed or snapped at. Still reluctant to move, the crossbred stag moved slowly. Getting up was hard, harder then he'd expected. Before with his leg hurt, Moon had still been able to manage movement. Now however, movement wasn't an option, at least not very much movement and the little movement he managed hurt.

Limping heavily toward the stream, Moon waded into it but didn't lower his leg into it. Instead he waded to the other side so he could lay on the bank again. As he settled himself, the stag winced as he eased his paining leg into the water, extending it into the water. The cold sent a shiver down his spine but felt good against the paining joint. He let out a soft sigh, almost visibly sagging at the relief the cold offered. The bruise on his shoulder still hurt but that was a tolerable pain now that his leg wasn't trying to stab him with pain.

Onyx orbs settled on the exotically colored femme again and Blue Moon ran a critical eye over her form. Her leg was still hurt but not any more then it had been before Deacon. She looked a little ruffled but no longer flighty and panicky which was good. Satisfied the mare was alright, Moon let himself relax a little more. "Don't do that again" he said softly, meeting her mismatched eyes. "Don't jump into a fight with stallions. He could have killed you." He remembered now with stunning clarity that Deacon had almost stomped her skull in. At the time it had been a blur, a rush of adrenaline but now he remembered it and didn't like it.

[Arctic Fang]

~`~Metallic Dream~`~

"Don't do that again," he said softly, as their eyes met with a connective gaze. "Don't jump into a fight with stallions. He could have killed you." His last words hit home with the femme and she put her head down. She knew that Deacon could have killed Moon as well if she had not stepped in but she would purposefully fail to say this since she only wished for him to regain his confidence. It was imperative for the male to be able to feel like he could protect those that he loved, or in Dream's case in someone that he wished to protect.

Dream simply nodded and then spoke softly to him as she walked up to him, clearly inspecting his leg. "I know and I'm sorry. How's your leg? It looks like the swelling is going down already. You should soak it for at least twenty more minutes. Perhaps we should stick around the stream for tonight so that you can keep immersing it in the cool water every hour or so." Dream spoke as if she knew what she was doing, which she did. She spent hours watching other horses as their owners came in to loving take care of their pride and joy. Such thoughts made Dream sad though. There was nothing more that the mare wanted then to feel loved, appreciated and valued highly by another but now was not the time to be thinking such things.

The mare lipped his leg, testing it for heat and for swelling. Once she was satisfied she allowed her head to come back up. She was close enough to Moon that when she did this her cheek grazed his shoulder. Her eyes then gazed into his as she smiled. "Your leg feels great. I don't think that there's any lasting damage. It just needs to heal." As she said this the words that Moon said echoed through her mind. It was what he had said to Deacon. He said that she was spoken for. Softly she chuckled. The whole situation seemed a bit funny now that it was all over.

Dream would allow him to respond before she said anything further. If he seemed to be still offish she would guide their conversation into another entirely different direction....

[<3Kodi]

Blue Moon blew out a noisy breath through his nostrils and flicked his tail against the ground, frowning slightly at Metallic's course of treatment. It didn't agree with him at all but then again a sprained knee didn't agree with him at all. Moon hated being in one spot, being told where to go and not being able to run. Right now all three things seemed to be tacked on top of each other and if Metallic Dream was going to hang around he was sure they'd be enforced. Snorting unhappily the neutral roan tried to ignore the tingly sensation on his shoulder where Metallic touched him. His unhappiness was rising so it wasn't too hard to ignore but it still tickled the back of his mind as something he could defiantly get used to but probably shouldn't.

"My leg is fine" Moon assured the violet mare. "I'd be better off if I could still run."

Looking over at the marshes no doubt open to the horizon beyond the thick fog bank, he let out a wistful sigh. It would feel like a long while before he could run at full speed again and the mere thought made his heart heavy. He legs felt twitchy at the thought, like he should jump up and start galloping just to relieve the restlessness. His mother had always said he was a Horizon-seeker, a stallion meant to roam and he'd always believed her but lingered in the herd for his love of her. No other mare had been able to bend his restless stubbornness better then Black Magic but now he could run until he reached the end of the world, or at least, he should have been able to.

Turning his black face, Moon glared at his swollen leg. "If it wasn't for this leg I'd be long gone, just chasing the horizon." Moon looked back out at the hidden horizon.

He looked pitifully like a landlocked sailor, which was more or less what he was. Moon felt frustrated with his leg, frustrated that he didn't want to leave Metallic and frustrated that he couldn't relieve his mixed up mind by doing what he did best and running. This time he couldn't just get up and run, leaving Metallic in the dust to just be another memory. No one ever chased him when he ran. Starnile hadn't and he was sure Dream wouldn't so if he could just get up and run it would be so much easier....But...how far would he be able to go before turning back? He'd followed Metallic once and he'd ended up fighting for her but...would that happen again?

[Arctic Fang]

~`~Metallic Dream~`~

"If it wasn't for this leg I'd be long gone, just chasing the horizon." Dream frowned when he stated this. Her head turned quickly so that the roan wouldn't see. Really she had at least 'some' pride. The humans hadn't taken it 'all' completely away from her. Dream didn't want him to see that she was disappointed that her company didn't seem to be good enough for him. All that his heart longed for was to run. To Metallic there was much more to life then simply running and being alone.

The femme walked up stream and waded into a section that was much deeper, it waved over her withers in fact. Dream liked this. It was the perfect opportunity to wash the mud off of her fur. As the water rushed over her it felt very refreshing. It massaged the muscles that were becoming very sore from her duel with the evil stallion. She refused to complain about her physical situation. If there was one thing that being abused taught her it was how to tough it out.

Once she emerged from the water she violently shook off. Indeed the mare was a beautiful one, even though at times she wished that she looked like everyone else. Her odd colors had gotten her into more trouble then it was really worth in her eyes. Dream looked back at Moon, trying to seem like she wasn't looking at him at all. Truthfully she wasn't sure how to get through to him. Even after the short time that they've known each other they've experienced enough to bond them, or so thought the female.

[<3Kodi]

Blue Moon let his head rest against the ground and closed his eyes, oblivious to Metallic's plight. He tried to will away the restlessness settling within his legs. Whether it was his thoroughbred blood urging him to run or just his wild mustang side, Moon didn't know but he knew the urge to run was a strong one and hard to resist. If he was going to let his leg heal he'd have to get good at turning down the impulse to move and race with eagles, challenging giant thunderheads and making noise before the sun even woke. The more he thought about it however, Moon realized his restlessness only grew until it was like a twisting serpent settled in his stomach. Cracking an eye open the blue roan watched as his violet companion headed into the stream to wash some mud from her unusual coat.

From the slight slowness in her motions he could see she was hurting from dueling Deacon. He wanted to ask if she was alright but he knew it was a useless question. She'd lie and say she was fine or ignore him. Besides, Moon knew from experience that no one was ever alright. Their plights might be physical or mental, emotional or sometimes imaginary but no one was alright, ever. Someone was always paining for someone or something, physically hurting or worried beyond measure. There was no such thing as alright.

Letting out a noisy sigh, Blue Moon raised his dark-faced head again. Onyx optics scanned the bank of fog that laid all around them. They were just as lost as they had been before, probably more because of Metallic's blind flight after the fight with Deacon. He wanted to stand up, he was sure the wet ground was making his side all muddy but Moon knew his leg wouldn't appreciate it so he simply sucked up the fact he'd be a muddy stallion and laid quiet for a while. Finally the stag turned his head to study his oddly-toned companion, angling his head to look up at her.

"My way of life seems weird doesn't it?" he asked lightly. "All I do is run, I don't like to be attached, don't dream about foals but instead I ream about moving. It seems weird right? Sounds like a coward's life, I know. It is really." Moon turned his head again to look at the stream as the water ran over his leg which was less swollen now and less painful. "I don't run because I'm scared like some think. There's nothing else for a horse like me Dream, nothing for a horse that lost everything once. When I lost it all I realized all I needed was the wind and the earth under my hooves because no one else gave a damn."

Shifting slowly, Moon hauled himself to a standing position, drawing his leg from the water and cradling it carefully off the ground. Deep eyes turned back to Metallic.

"You don't complain when you hurt. You tolerate it right? Just wait it out so no one will hurt you worse. That's what I do, why I live like I do all alone. I tolerate the loneliness until I don't feel it, tolerate it because having anything else just means someone is waiting to take it away."

[Arctic Fang]

~`~Metallic Dream~`~

Dream shook once again, freeing the water droplets from her pelt. When she moved she seemed like something from a dream or like an angelic creature. Now if only she could come to appreciate her unique appearance instead of looking at it as if it were a curse.

Her odd cisterns turned toward Moon as he spoke. As the words left his lips everything for the mare slowed down. Each syllable that he spoke met with her ears and of course this caused an opinion to form in her mind. She only hoped that she could say things in a way that wouldn't cause offense but then on the other hoof there were some things that a horse just needed to hear.

He was now out of the water and finished with his side of the conversation. Dream's voice was smooth and delicate. "I've been watching you carefully Moon and what I see is a sad form of a horse. If you don't change your thinking you will end up dying alone and lonely. The wind cannot give you what a companion can. To run is fine but there is a time to stop and evaluate what your running from. It's better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all." The femme looked deeply into his gaze. She was standing rather close to him now, their aura's mingling until they could both clearly feel it.

The mare took a deep breath and then tightly circled him until she came face to face with him once more. "Regardless of what you think you tried your best. Many have come to lose everything that they hold dear but you just can't give up on things. You have much to give and much to live for. Do you honestly think that your mother would want you to continue on with your life... sad and completely alone?" Dream knew that what she just said might strike a cord with him but she was an honest horse and her words came from the heart.

Dream spoke no other words but instead she simply nudged him with the soft part of her nose as her eyes never failed to stay into complete contact with his. What he saw in her gaze was a tenderness and an expression of raw concern for him which only came from Dream in the purest of forms.

[<3Kodi]

Turning his night-colored visage away from his femme companion, Moon stared at the rippling waters not far from them, accepting her touch but not returning it. Moving slowly and doggedly the blue roan edged closer to the water, lowering his head to touch the moving water with the very tip of his black nose. The touch to the water barely made any difference in its movement. In retrospect, Moon suspected that was how he was to others, like the running water. He was always moving, always restless and when he touched someone, it didn't make a difference to them or in his course. He would just keep moving, keep running and sadly he hadn't found the ocean yet, but even then it would stop. Water moved constantly and that was how Moon felt, he touched lives, moved through lives but didn't linger longer then he was needed but, he was content with that.

"You think having a herd and being with someone is what companionship is" Blue Moon said at last, raising his head to look over at his friend. "It's not. I've had it once, been part of it and even before everything went wrong it was the loneliest I've ever been in my life." The dark stag smiled softly for Metallic. "It's just not where I belong. My legs want to run, my heart wants to wander even if sometimes my brain says the things I do are stupid. Its me and that won't change. Magic knew I'd run someday, even when she tried to hold me down. She was the only thing making me hold on to that life."

Swishing his tail, Moon carefully lowered his leg and tested it gingerly with holding weight. When any weight was applied pain shot up his leg making him wince but it wasn't as bad as it had been before. The water had helped but still hadn't healed him. Sighing softly to himself, Moon looked back at Metallic. He saw concern in her eyes and felt bad for putting it there, that unnecessary worry.

"Maybe I'll stop someday or maybe I'll roam til I'm dead, who knows?" Blue Moon shrugged and smiled wistfully, looking off into the distance. The wind tugged at his mane, tempting him to come and play. "I'll take you near one of the herdlands or to the claiming land and you can choose what to do from there or go on your own, it doesn't make a difference to me. I don't want you finding horses like Deacon again so you can take a pick between the western and eastern herds. The south and north I'd be weary of."