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TheForeverKnight — Elafi Aeropeios Round Up - Chapter 1

Published: 2016-12-13 11:52:59 +0000 UTC; Views: 504; Favourites: 20; Downloads: 6
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Description Chapter 0: Trek to Mt Olympus
Chapter 1: You Are Here
Chapter 1.5: Leading Down the Mountain
Chapter 2: The First Face Up
Chapter 2.5: Electric Touch
Chapter 3: Welcome Aboard

Elafi Aeropeios being captured: Export 0391

Rider: Calanthe Ellick
Aeropeios Mount: N066 Scirocco

Note: the Elafi in the process of being captured is 19.2hh/198.5cm (since they don't have an import height and I really want a Big horse), Sci is 15hh/152.4cm, Cala is only 5'4"/157cm and has made a serious miscalculation about the size of the horse she sought out.

Story: word count - 1,132 words

The ride up to the Anemoi Valley of Mount Olympus had been a tough trek. Thankfully for them Calanthe and the black and white roan mare Scirocco had made the climb without too many problems; despite being limited to on-ground exploration due to Sci’s lack of wings.

As they walked through the high valley Cala watched the Wranglers point out the herd; twenty six beautiful winged wild Elafi Aeropeios horses scattered peacefully across the valley floor and the high cliffs around them.

A large golden horse caught Cala’s eyes. He sailed through the air settling amongst a few others at the edge of the herd. With high ringing cries, a swish of his long tail and baring of teeth he made his way through the herd and off towards a little green nook in the stone cliffs.

Looking around at the other riders Cala saw that most had already made their choice of which Elafi they wanted to catch.

Signalling to one of the Wranglers Cala let them know that she was going after the golden stallion. The Wangler agreed but didn’t seem all that confident about her chances of actually catching him.

She tried to ignore his infectious doubt, but it was with a knot of worry in her gut that Cala turned Sci and began cautiously making her way down towards the valley floor. They were careful to stay beneath the cover of trees so they wouldn’t be spotted by the herd below. The last thing she wanted was to muck up the round up for anyone.

When they reached the valley floor Cala untied the heavy coiled lasso from the front of Sci’s stock saddle and made sure it was free of tangles. Setting herself in the saddle Cala took up Sci’s leather reins in one hand and directed the tobiano mare with her legs towards the green nook.

Squeezing past a small rock scree Cala half halted Sci as the stallion came into view. Sci stopped in surprise looking at the stallion who had stopped grazing when he heard them. His horned head rocketed into the air and he snorted at them muscles bunching as he tensed. Behind Cala a horse screamed angrily and people began to shout as the rest of the herd was startled by the beginning of the round up.

The stallion pawed at the ground wings flaring in warning as he turned to face them head on. He was at the far end of what was a very short narrow sheer sided glen and they were standing in the only entrance. The stallion rose into a rear flapping his wings and pawing at them threatening them to move or be trampled.

As Calanthe was battered by the dust raised by his giant wings she realised why he hadn’t just flown off. He didn’t have the space to run and take off. It was so narrow that he couldn’t even fully extend his wings, as it was his wingtips were brushing against sheer rock with each stroke. He was trapped in the glen!

Quickly Cala looped out her lasso and began to swing it while urging Sci to side pass so that the little mare was fully blocking the glen’s entrance.

The stallion caught the mare’s movement and saw the rope swing. Forgetting the lack of space he screamed, pulled his wings back against his body and burst towards them. Head low and neck stretched out he snaked himself forwards, teeth bared at them.

Sci reeled wanting to flee from the large angry stallion. Cala held her steady with firmly supportive legs as she gave the lasso a final spin and threw it at the stallion’s quickly approaching head.

A stride away from them the golden horse lept. Tucking his legs up he briefly flared his wings and lept straight over Cala and Sci. With that bit of momentum he made it clear of the scree masking them from the rest of the valley. Finally with space to manoeuvre he began pumping his wings frantically he rose into the sky trying to gain height to escape from the humans.

He was almost fifteen meters into the air when he was suddenly yanked backwards. Wings faltering their beat, he dropped a meter before recovering and twisting his head to look back at the ground.

Below him struggling against the downdraft was Calanthe and Scirocco. The little mare was braced back on her haunches fighting against the stallion while her tiny rider had tied the end of the lasso around the saddle horn and was fighting to jerk or pull the stallion off balance and back to the ground.

Outraged the stallion fought lifting Sci out of her brace. With a squeal of surprise Sci rose onto two feet then pinned her ears back and squealed again, this time in anger. The little mare lept forwards, slackening the rope, and then turned and galloped past the stallion.

As the rope snapped taunt again the stallion was jerked after the stubborn mare and dragged further into the center of the valley. The other riders had started to gather with their own roped and fighting Elafi’s. People were trying to keep their winged horse with all four hooves on the ground; an endeavour that was only somewhat successful.

Calanthe began to pull on the rope, using the chaos of the others to distract her stallion who was still flapping his wings and struggling against the pressure of the rope.

The stallion barely noticed it when his rose gold hooves touched back down to solid earth, his wings kept beating keeping Cala and Sci back as he danced and reared and pulled against the feel of the rope on his neck. Cala stayed quiet focused on keeping him grounded. She really didn’t like this, the fighting, the anger, the outrage, but she also wasn’t going to let him go. He would realise that he was safe with her. Eventually.

After several minutes of battling the stallion began to tire his wings drooping. The long golden tips of his primary feathers dragged limply as he stood panting steam rising from his golden body. The foamy lather of sweat he had worked up beginning to dry and crack as he finally submitted, head dropping the anger in his pale green eyes dulled to an indignant disbelief and sense of defeat.

Calanthe’s heart broke to see him like that. Broken, beaten, and exhausted to the point of total submission but there was no other way to get him back to the Grecian Stables without him hurting himself or hurting her and Scirocco.

He’ll come around, she told herself as she and Sci began the trek back to the Grecian Stables with the stallion in tow, surrounded by other riders and their captured Elafi. 

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Scirocco
Detailed BG; +2
Lined; +1
Coloured; +1
Shading detailed; +2
Full body; +3
Humanoid; +5
Litereature; +5.5
X2 Double Drachma bonus for Round Up event.
=39

Weiryn
Detailed BG; +2
Lined; +1
Coloured; +1
Shading detailed; +2
Full body; +3
Literature; +5.5
X2 Double Drachma bonus for Round Up event.
=29


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Comments: 6

KelpieMomma [2016-12-14 06:43:43 +0000 UTC]

Ahhh I love this! The pose is beautiful and the background is beautiful AND CALA IS BEAUTIFUL

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

TheForeverKnight In reply to KelpieMomma [2016-12-14 06:56:49 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!
I loved doing this so much (the cliffs nearly killed me but it was worth it)! I've already got the other 2 images sketched out and an extra 2 planned because more Aeropeios pics   
CALA SAYS THANK YOU AND SHE LOVES YOU... and she's blushing, and running... come back Cala!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

KelpieMomma In reply to TheForeverKnight [2016-12-15 03:47:46 +0000 UTC]

i dont even try to do backgrounds anymore im so bad at them IT LOOKS FANTABULUS. V GOOD And yus! More Aeros!! <3  CALA COME BACK YOU CAN BLAME IT ALL ON ME OR BEAT OR OLIVER TAKE YOUR PICK

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

kaiuhh [2016-12-13 13:27:41 +0000 UTC]

This looks great! I love the story it tells!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

TheForeverKnight In reply to kaiuhh [2016-12-14 00:20:27 +0000 UTC]

I loved drawing this
I've got the story of the capture and training all laid out now just to write it up and colour all the sketches

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

kaiuhh In reply to TheForeverKnight [2016-12-14 00:37:38 +0000 UTC]

eee, I can't wait to see!!!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0