Daku of the Sand

[Yuki |Daku|]

Name: Daku
Picture: Here
Breed: Australian Brumby
Gender: Stallion
Age: 5 years
Height: 16h
Coat Color: Grulla
Mane/Tail Color: Black
Eye Color: True blue (Appearing black, blue in correct light)
Herd Position: Alpha of Eastern Clefts
Herd: Eastern Clefts - Baku
Sire: Unnamed - Australian Brumby
Dam: Unnamed - Australian Brumby
Other: Permanent Lameness in Right Hind leg

Personality:
Even though Daku seems content with being alone after living a solitary life for so long, his social skills haven't deteriorated too badly. He enjoys holding an intense conversation with others, loving the opportunity to express the many philosophical (and sometimes rather illogical) thoughts and always willing to hold a civil argument with other 'philosophical' minds. He is usually warm towards others, always willing to extend olive branches when possible though at times his tendency to fall silent and ponder issues can make him seem snobbish.

He values both his alone time when he can examine life and everything in it with his mind and his interactions with others though his silent time will always prevail over a loud event. His physical disability doesn't impair his personality at all, seeming to add to his pondering upon life and the reasons behind actions and outcomes.

Within the roughly smooth shell is a temper though. If someone he loves or vowed to look over is threatened or in danger his fighting instinct will take over and that year of being picked on by older foals and having to protect himself for years made a proficient fighter out of him.

History:
Daku was born within the rocky outcrops of Mt Kosciusko in Australia. The name Daku means sand, taken from the soft sandy soil that was the first thing the young colt touched. He lived the average life of a wild Australian Brumby. He was a very late foal, born just before the clutches of Autumn set in so he had to live with being bullied by the older foals, thus the reason he very rarely left his mothers side. Due to his dark coloration Daku became quite a night dweller. During the night when the other foals were sleeping he could wander away from his mother and not be seen, this fact also turned him into quite a loner. Nothing of grand interest happened during the autumn and winter months, the herd moving to their well concealed grazing grounds though as they moved to the higher pastures at the start of spring when the snows were melting Daku's first experience with disaster happened.

Daku's first encounter with humans wasn't pleasurable, his memories of the moments he lost his mother still vivid in his head. The echoing whip cracks and barking of dogs echoed over the mountain as herds of wild horses were driven uphill. It was a difficult task for the barely weaned colt to keep up with his frantic herd, a red film of haze covering his vision as his muscles burned and legs felt weak beneath him. He felt like he was suffocating, a horrid burning running through his body before he felt a sharp shove from beside him from another running past. The colt was sent tumbling to the side in a tangle of long legs and fearful cries before the world around him went dark.

How long it was before consciousness returned to the colt was uncertain for him though as he came too the world around him was still. The ground was upturned from hundreds of hooves stampeding over it and for a moment all the colt could hear was the deafening thudding of hooves. His head shot up and his frantic eyes searched for the source only to be let down when a small mob of lightly colored horses passed him, having escaped the round up. None of them was his mother, she was dark alike himself. He staggered to his feet, which took a few attempts due to the pain shooting through his small frame though he eventually got his hooves under him and against all natural instincts moved uphill, in the direction the hundreds of hoof prints lead him. With his exhaustion he didn't notice the lameness in his legs, determination pushing him forth for hours at his sluggish pace before he came to the high fenced corrals that held the large captured mob. A somewhat strangled and frantic sound came from Daku's throat as his eyes searched the many hides, unable to distinguish any before he was pushed to the ground once more as a weight fell upon him. The man whom had grabbed him threw him effortlessly into the truck, followed by the rush of bodies from the corral.

Everything after that was a blur. He was packed so tightly into the truck that he felt his small body was going to get crushed and the stench of sweat, blood and fear almost suffocated him once again. Sometime after he was changed onto a large metal structure that floated upon the water, the conditions he was in getting worse. His stomach growled and muscles convulsed painfully until he collapsed and was pulled out. Thinking the runt of a creature was dead the men hauled him overboard. The water was salty and burned his throat and eyes, the world fading into darkness once again.

This time when he awoke the sun was burning down upon him. He laid for hours upon the soft sand, feeling the water rush around his rump, the sound of the waves similar to the rushing of blood in his head. As his muscles warmed and a small amount of energy returned to him he managed to stand and pathetically make his way further into the land. It didn't take long before he stumbled into an oasis, fearing it being a dream he sucked cautiously at the water, feeling it sooth his throat and stomach. He resided in this small oasis until he regained his energy, aware of the pain in his body though soon it faded, all except for a stiffness in his right hind leg.

The towering mountain not far from him made him think of home, the sand further reassuring him so he decided to reside here. He found no predators apart from the circling hawks in the sky and exploring the land he could easily memorize where in this desert like land water shimmered and vegetation grew. He warded off the loneliness by exploring and thoroughly memorizing the land, trying to ignore the pain and stiffness in his right hock that never left him.

Example Post:
The sensation here wasn't strange, no, it surpassed strange. It was like that feeling you used to get when you were a foal, still so young and naive in the world where you feared not only the monsters, but the darkness which bought them as well. The spine tingling sensation that you were being watched by something or someone whom didn't seem right. A creature which stood right in front of you though you looked straight through it like it was made of air, and for all you knew, it was. Those creatures wails would come to you in the night, circle your ears and caress your cloak to create small rises in your skin. It was frightening yet oddly familiar at the same time. These odd thoughts and memories of foal-hood feelings ran through the mind of the petite young mare whom stood at the entrance to the valley. She had overheard murmurs from passing equines about this valley, heard the rumors of the lingering souls entrapped here and the horrors which had been seen by those deemed both rational and numb in the mind. It was only natural for those of a young mind to be intrigued by such things, though was it normal or sensible for one to investigate? It could be plain idiotic though one would never find out unless the deed was acted upon. A peculiarly chilly wind ran through the ebon hairs falling from the young mares nape. It could have just been her imagination but the air seemed colder here. The night outside the valley's boundaries was bright and warm but here it faded into a terrifying grip of darkness. One white stocking, from the four bright pillars which broke the shadows and exposed her being, moved forth, pulling her frame after it. One....Two....One....Two... in her curiosity and wariness her walk had slowed to a saunter and her skip was long forgotten. The darkness always portrayed demons hiding in it but when fear ran through your body everything was blown out of proportion and the imaginary demons became deadly assassins, following your every step with a thirst for blood and despite that voice of reason within your mind telling you that there was nothing to fear except for fear itself, another, louder voice screamed at you, screamed for you to turn to face these assassins but it always turned out that when you turned, a snap of your neck so fast that you felt the whiplash bite you, there was nothing behind you except darkness, but they were still there, watching from a distance or hiding behind a fortress of trees. Binding their time. Waiting to strike. You couldn't see them though you knew they were there. Oh you knew. Ah, but you know all this, you have had this feeling before but it always seems so new when it returns. The young mares dark orbs scanned the land cautiously, her heart pounding with excitement and fear as she shook with each step. Was there truly anything to see here? Or would she be let down once again? Was she looking for a good scare to knock her senses back into her skull? Or did she was to leave unscathed to bath in her own embarrassment? She wouldn't know until that something happened....or didn't.

She was already feeling that embarrassment settling in, she was only a few steps into the valley and all she wanted to do was toss her skull in the air, let her eyes roll back and scream as she ran back to the safety of another land and stand there shaking until the sun rose once more and chased off the monsters of the night. Such a grand beast she was. Maybe it was about time to boot herself and grow up but then she would miss out on all these valuable experiences. Okay, that wasn't the reason she wanted to remain young, she could possibly, maybe just a little, be afraid of growing up. With a soft shake of her skull, ebon forelock falling before her optics, she forced herself forward, walking deeper into the valley with forced yet determined strides. The bare trees, trunks sun bleached and branches stretching hopelessly for the heavens, cast shadows over the ground, making the young mare jump aside and tense before trying to regain her composure. Luckily there was no one here to witness her pathetic act of trying to look strong and brave before falling hard from her throne because of a stupid shadow. "Idiot" She mumbled softly to herself "I hate you! Go away!" She yelled angrily at the shadows, raising a little from the ground before driving her daggers into the shadows below her though they danced away, sliding over the ground and settling beside her. She growled in frustration at the shadows whom mentally mocked her, raising again and twisting her mid section to come crashing down on the shadows "HA!" Her daggers had driven into the shadow and the earth it was painted on though once again it shifted away unscathed. Another growl, a twist, a pounce. The war between the foolish young mare and the shadow raged on. Soft thuds bouncing off the towering granite walls of the valley, the only sounds echoing tonight. Her mind was preoccupied with the imprudent little game which hid her from the feeling of fear which had engulfed her. She entrapped herself in the battle, blocking out the world around her, the darkness, the beasties and the creatures which dwelled in this desolate place.