SkunkyArt | PeculiarPanda — WotW | Dima 273 | Claiming Attempt

The afternoon sun beat down on her dark coat, making Dima seek out the nearby river. She'd stuck to roaming the Ayo forest for ... How long had it been? All she knew was it provided the most shelter and had water. Trudging closer to the forest she thought about the past two years since she'd left her birth herd. Stallions attempting to snake her, mares being lovesick or competitive snakes. No one was on her side. It had been rough, as she'd always been told, "safety in numbers" but if you asked Dima, it wasn't the predators of the savannas or jaguars in the trees one needed to keep away from. It was other young and dumb horses. She had no desire to join a herd simply to have foals and sit tight. She wouldn't be content that way, so for now, she was content alone. Even if it was dangerous and lonely, at least she could do as she pleased, not at the whim of some brute.

Snorting at the thought she sped up to a trot as she weaved her way through the trees and down to the river. As she approached she slowed back down, stopping at the treeline to make sure there were no threats. Seeing that the coast was clear she went and got a long drink from the river's edge, keeping careful watch around her. Once her thirst was satiated, Dima felt on edge and still too hot, the water only cooling her off some. It seemed today was not in favor of a dark-coated mare such as herself.

'Maybe a nice roll in some cool mud would help', She thought, backing up a bit and scanning for a good rolling spot. Nothing but some birds stirred, making her feel confident enough to move along the river's bend to find a good, hopefully shaded muddy bank. Coming around the corner she spied the perfect spot and rolled happily, covering herself in the wet mud. Hearing a snap behind her, she quickly stood up and darted around, ears pinned and snorting.

She couldn't see anything, but could hear movement in the treeline. She smelled the air, the wind blowing towards her. If it was a predator it was a young one, if it was a stallion she could handle him as she'd handled the others, with a sharp kick and a mean bite. Moving cautiously up the bank she skirted around the tree to see a large reddish stallion with a dark head and legs. Immediately angry and ready to chase him off she charged at him, teeth bared, thinking he had been ready to ambush her.

"Ahh! Wait! Wait!!" The stallion wailed loudly, his back legs scrambling but he was not moving as he struggled. She skidded to a stop, inches from his face with a menacing look. She looked him up and down and saw that his front hoof had broken open the ground, fallen in, and gotten stuck. Still angry he had planned to surprise her she sneered.

"And why shouldn't I bite the daylight out of you, even if you are stuck, seeing as you planned on chasing an unsuspecting mare?" She huffed, having not backed up since she skidded to a stop.

"What!? You ambushed me!" He looked dumbfounded, and still quite startled.

"You mean to tell me you didn't know I was right around this tree, rolling?"

"No! I was a little preoccupied trying to pry my hoof out of this little sinkhole. I'm sorry you thought that, but I just wanted a drink of water, and now I'm caught, rather painfully in this predicament." The stallion's voice lowered and calmed as he talked, he tried to reposition so that he was not pulling on the caught leg anymore and seemingly tried to shift away from her. She backed off a bit, giving the glare a rest but keeping her ears low for now. Dima wasn't sure she believed him entirely, but she'd never heard a stallion apologize either. Especially not her father. Dima looked down at his leg and saw that it looked a little swollen and cut, trapped in the hole and on some roots. It did look painful, and she had attacked him. She looked him up and down once more and sighed. She was disgruntled with the world, but not cruel. She should help him, but she wouldn't apologize, she couldn't bring herself to.

"I think if you'd like, I can help get you out." She stated, glancing from his leg to his face.

"As long as you promise not to bite me, that would be wonderful." The stallion joked, a cautious smile on his face. She turned her ears towards him, her whole body relaxing a little as she focused in on his leg and the hole.

"Alright then. As long as you promise not to chase me or any other unsuspecting mare, I think we have a deal." She gave a small smile and wondered when the last time she'd had an interaction where she smiled was.

"You got it, lead!" He joked again, his body relaxing as well. Dima nodded and furrowed her brow as she tried to dig around his leg, to see if widening the hole might help.

"I'm Athán by the way, but most that know me just call me Áni." The stallion seemed like he was trying to make conversation with her, and it was kind of nice. Maybe she'd gone too long without normal conversation.

"I'm Dima, it's nice to meet you Athán." As she said that, dirt fell away under her hoof as she dug and his leg popped free.

"You did it!" They both said at once, making them both chuckle after. Áni tried to put his weight on the leg and winced, making Dima wince too.

"Maybe it would be best if you went to the river and stood for a bit? To help with the swelling?" She suggested in her usual, almost a statement kind of way.

"That makes sense... Would you mind helping me?" He asked with a pleading look that rivaled a foal's. She weighed her options, and no one had helped her before, so maybe it would be nice to do that for someone else.

"Sure, lean on me to get down to the bank and then I can keep a lookout while you wade in the shallows." Dima moved to the tree line and river bank and gave him space to stand next to her, all while keeping an eye on him. Athán just smiled and limped over to her, trying to keep some weight off so that his leg would heal faster, and leaned part of his weight on her as they walked down the bank slowly. Dima helped him to the water and just as she said, she kept watch. They made small talk and for the first time in a while she felt at ease. Maybe traveling with another wasn't so bad, and if the stallion suddenly changed his attitude, she could outrun him with his leg like that. But she was starting to think maybe he was different than the stallions she'd met so far. Maybe they weren't all like the ones she grew up knowing.

"You know Athán, if you don't mind me making the rules, I wouldn't mind if you tagged along." She offered, looking over at the stallion as she waited for his reply patiently.

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