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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/2cgda80.jpg] <div align="justify"> Galloping away from Balycon as fast as her legs could carry her the young painted fae ran blindly not knowing where she would end up. The steely grip of fear gripped her causing tears to run freely down her face and her gait to become unsteady and clumsy. She could still feel the warm stream of blood running down her neck as her pounding heart made her pressures soar only increasing the rate of which the blood flowed. Many times she tripped sending herself tumbling to the ground opening fresh wounds to the air. Each time she staggered to her feet and took off again running for her life. The stallion had wanted to kill her and take everything from her that he could before he watched as the light left her eyes along with the very last breath from her lungs. Not remembering how exactly she managed to escape his fierce grasps the sound of his voice still echoed in her mind causing the fear to remain without his actual presence. Running for what seemed like hours her feet caught on something yet again sending her sprawling out on the marshy land before her. Trying to heave herself up turned out to be impossible as her legs shook so badly from shock and blood loss. Collapsing to the ground she gave up fighting and surrendered to the darkness threatening to cloud her vision. Laying crumpled in a heap on the cold frozen ground she frantically gasped for air. She could only pray she had managed to get far enough away from Balycon or he would find her and put a end to her misery and pain. Laying her head down she let the darkness consume her until everything went black and finally she was free from the voice in her head. Flashing in and out of consciousness she just lay there not caring what happened to her anymore. TAGS: Cade WORD COUNT: 319 NOTES: Sorry for short post I suck at starting threads XD </div>

[atrb=background,http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/4782/cademid.png,true][atrb=width,550,true][atrb=border,0,true] Cade had finally found home. He had been residing in his new lands for a little while now and things were finally settling down. More or less, it was Cade who had finally settled down and settled in. It was still hard to believe that he had now lead over his own lands. Coming from such a horrible past which he wanted nothing to do with, he vowed to himself and to those who would eventually find their home there with him, that he would provide a safe and welcoming place where they could rest and find shelter, a home. Never again would he live the way he had been born into. Never. The golden stallion had decided to go for a little walk around the pond that sat in the middle of his lands. But to get there he would have to go through the swamp that littered the grounds. He didn't mind however as it wasn't a gross swamp. Sure, the flies would be horrible in the summer he was sure, but for now it was winter and he wouldn't have to worry about that. Cade knew he would have to pay close attention to younger lives that lived within thelands with all the water that lay along the lands and the pond which would soon freeze over. This still didn't deture him from the lands he now called him. It held beauty in its own way. He almost couldn't hold his excitement to see it covered with some snow however, snow was such an interesting thing to him. Watching it fall slowly from the heavens was one of his favorite things to do in the winter. But so far, the skys had not opened and all he was left with was a cold hard ground and a glumy cloudy day. He continued to walk, his eyes always keeping a lookout for anything and his ears alert and listening to his surroundings. So far, as he walked, he didn't hear nor see anything but he didn't let his guard down. He was walking in the thick marshes and when normally his feet would be suction cupped to the thick swampy mess, he easily walked through it, the colder temperatures serving a good thing as well. Looking out into the near distance, his warm brown eyes landed on something out of place. What seemed like smoke or fog was rising from the ground. "Well thats a little odd," Cade spoke to himself as he made his way towards the pile. As he closed in, the direction of the wind changed and blew the scent of the mare his way. A mare? Here? In his lands? This immediately sparked his interest. But then, his attention went back to the heap laying on the cold ground and started to worry. Why was she laying on the ground? He picked up his pace to a trot, as much as he could. Cade let out a friendly worried nicker as he got close. He was soon close to her, her back facing him, he reached out cautiously, his warm air coming from his nostrils kissing her hide. "Miss, are you okay?" Genuinely worried, he brought himself closer. He hoped she was okay. "Speech." "Others Speech."

OOC: sorry wasn't my greatest.

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/2cgda80.jpg] <div align="justify"> In one of the brief moments of consciousness the fae thought she could hear someone nearby slowly getting closer. The first thought was that she was a goner and would soon perish at the hooves of her pursuer. Not having enough energy to even lift her head she just closed her eyes and tensed awaiting the onslaught that was bound to come. The hooves grew louder and faster against the ground and then stopped altogether somewhere behind her. It wasn't long before instead of pain she felt a soft touch on her hide and a kind voice. Her mind couldn't comprehend the lyrics with its grogginess but they were different then the ones that had terrorized her before. In a weak attempt she tried to raise her head to see who it was that spoke to her but as soon as she tried her head spun like a whirlpool clouding her vision. Groaning softly her cranium fell back to the cold earth as a fresh stream of blood spilled from the laceration on her neck where the brutes teeth had torn a large chunk of flesh. It was certainly painful that much she knew but she didn't dare look at the extent of the injury. The flesh hadn't been completely torn loose but not a lot was left of what had remained. The rest of her body felt like she had been hit with a ton of bricks and she wouldn't be surprised if she was black and blue by tomorrow. "Who.. are you..? She managed to croak weakly amazed that she hadn't lost consciousness again. NOTES: Sorry its short xd </div>

Cade wasn't sure if someone had found their way into his land and had fallen or gotten stuck. He wasn't sure it wouldn't have been the first time for such a thing to happen there in the swamp. However, he wasn't sure this was the case with the mare ahead of him. He only knew it was a mare because of the scent. Otherwise, he had no idea what she was doing here. He was almost too worried about going up to her for he was afraid he would have been too late. However, the steam rising from the ground from her breathing was clear she was still alive. He prayed she wasn't too hurt or dying. That would be horrible and he wasn't sure how to handle that situation, especially with someone he did not know.

Cade stood there hovering over her body, his nostrils grazing her skin. She was colt. His breath could be seen as his breath kissed her skin. He saw her attempt to raise her head but to no avail. It soon fell back to the earth followed by a groan, probably of pain. "Don't move too much dear." His tones were soft and gentle and quiet. He looked around her, his warm brown eyes taking in the damage that surrounded her body. He caught a glimpse of the blood that was coming from the mare. His eyes went wide for a minute. What had happened to the poor thing? That was the first question on his mind. What did she have to go through to get like this? After a few thoughts, Cade soon became angry for he had an idea of what it could have been and it angered him greatly.

Cade wanted to move the poor mare to some sort of shelter. He didn't want to leave her out here in the elements but was afraid of asking her to move with how much pain she seemed to be in, finally collapsing in his lands. His attention went from thinking of what to do to his head falling to look at her as she attempted to speak, her voice weakly calling out to him. "Who...are you..?" Of course, she wouldn't know who he was or even probably where she was. He reached down and touched her cheeck lightly, letting a warm breath leave his nostrils before pulling back and speaking gently, "I am Cade, I rule these lands." He paused, "But do not fret. Just worry about getting better." He was unsure of what to do at that moment.

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/2cgda80.jpg] <div align="justify"> Closing her ice blue orbs momentarily the fae tried to clear her vision in order to see who it was that was there with her. She could feel his warm breath on her skin where it warmed for brief seconds before the cold seeped back to replace it. Shivering involuntarily she again tried to lift her head slowly wishing that the haze would go away. She couldn't think straight never mind see anything other then shapes and some colour. Minutes passed before she was finally able to raise her head enough to get a glimpse of who was standing behind her. Why couldn't they just come around so she could see without turning her head and neck which throbbed like there was no tomorrow. She thought silently cringing a little with the sharp pain. The figure she was able to make out seemed friendly enough and bode warm shades of colours instead of the harsh black, white and grey of the other. This was reassuring at least to her wounded mind, as she didn't have to fear her immediate death. Rolling from her side she slowly tried to ease herself to where she was at least sitting up but couldn't with her current weakened state. She should have listened to her mother and the other mares and just stayed with them. At least then she would have something familiar and comforting but no she had despised living their solitary lifestyle and ventured out alone in search of a new start. So far all she had managed to do was happen upon a beast who had beat her and taken what he had wanted from her, mainly her innocence. She dared not let her mind venture into that as she tried to remember how far he had actually gotten with her before she had escaped. A cry escaped her lips as her head fell back to its original position on the hardened frozen earth sending shooting pain through the length of her torso. When she had calmed her breathing again she picked up the sound of the other's voice as warmth touched her cheek again. This time she could understand bits of their sentence, a name and a place that was all. "C..Cade.." She mumbled weakly sighing as it took most her remaining strength. The only thing she managed to do in her previous struggle to get upright was to tuck her battered legs underneath her frame. She hated being so weak and useless but there was nothing more she could do about it. </div>

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/win9ts.jpg] Cade would never understand why others of his gender would treat females in such a harsh manner. Even with how he was brought up to be, Cade would never lower himself to such a thing. Mares to him should be treated as queens, every one of them, no matter what. They were such beautiful creatures, all in their own ways. The sunkissed brute had yet to see a mare whom he did not think was beautiful. However, he knew that this was not how many thought. Cade was one of few who actually treat the female gender with dignity and respect. He had yet to ever raise his voice to one nor lash out at one. So seeing the painted mare laying there in obvious pain, it angered him. Not only that she was hurt but that whomever had done this to her seemed to have scared her beyond belief which sent her in a wild goose chase, which had lead her here. As he stood there, it didn't even occur to him at that moment to go around so she didn't have to crane her neck around and seemingly cause more pain. Cade did not like seeing her in pain yet had no clue how to ease the pain that she was suffereing. His heart went out to the mare. What was he to do? He did know one thing however, he needed to keep her warm. Seeing the mare attempt to roll up from laying down on her side but fail, he began to think of the things he could do. His mind was quickly coming up with scenerios that he could do to help her. "Please miss, do not hurt yourself by moving too much." His voice was soft and gentle. After a moment, the mare let out a cry of pain which shocked him at first, not expecting such a sound. He finally decided he would lay by her, let his body heat transfer to the mare. It was the only thing he could think of doing. He curled up his legs and plopped his body down next to her body, along her back. Cade looked down at her, letting his own breath warm her neck as he lay there. The females voice spoke again. "C..Cade..." Her voice was weak and quiet. "Shhh my dear. Save your strength." He looked down at her face and gave her a warm smile, letting his muzzle fall to her cheek, breathing warm air, nickering to her. She then had managed to prob herself up as she had tried earlier but did not succeed. But now they lay there, next to each other. "I hope you are okay with this." His voice concerned. He didn't want to make the little mare scared or anything with him there for he meant her no harm. After several minutes, he asked, "Is the pain going away at all?" He knew it was a stupid question, but he wasn't really sure what else to say.

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/2cgda80.jpg] <div align="justify"> The cold was ever seeping through her as it chilled her right to the bone. How she wished that the sun was overhead and it was any other season other then the dreadful gloomy winter. She had never found anything about the season that she had managed to like other then maybe the beauty of the first snowfall. After the novelty wore off it was just a bunch of cold wet mush that made things ever more difficult especially finding food under its blanket. It all just made things taste awful and soggy, leaving next to no taste to any of it. Closing her eyes for a couple moments to attempt to regroup her scattered thoughts she almost succumb to the darkness pulling at the edges of her consciousness. Forcing herself to stay awake was difficult but she didn't want to die of the cold. Her temperature was low enough that her body did not even shiver anymore and all she felt was a generalized numbness. Once again the other spoke in the kind gentle tone that was keeping her hanging on. Without it she would fear she would turn to insanity before loosing her mind all together. Feeling something move in behind her frame she had a moment of panic wondering what the hell this other was trying to do to her. She slowly calmed herself as the warmth touched her cold skin and slowly began to warm her by contact. Her body instinctively drew towards the source of warmth inching as close as feasibly possible greedily absorbing the heat. Lyrics where once again spoken gently only this time she could at least make out the sentence that was being spoken. Not being able to find words she just turned her head inwards and rested it on her front legs. As her body slowly warmed itself she felt some of the grogginess leave her as goosebumps spread across her flesh igniting a fit of shivering as her body tried to generate its own heat as well as the supplemental source. Sighing contently she tried her best to relax as some of the pain started to return as her wounds unfroze."Is the pain going away at all?" was the next thing that she heard. Lifting her head slightly she was relieved to find that a little bit of her strength had began to return as well. "Mhmm thank you Cade." She managed softly grateful for the studs kindness in her time of weakness. Knowing that not all stallions where as bad as the one who put her in this situation in the first place gave her some form of comfort but still the memories of what had happened earlier that day would always stick with her. Maybe this kind hearted stallion was looking for a companion similar to what she was looking for. Maybe she could stay with him for a bit until she was able to get back to her feet. The thought pleased her but she knew nothing was certain and would have to wait to see what happened in the next few hours. The wound on her neck still ached painfully but she hoped in time it would fade and disappear all together. "My..name is..Zodiac.. She mumbled turning her head into his shoulder as she figured that she should at least give up her calling to the stud who was helping her. TAGS: Cade WORD COUNT: 566 NOTES: </div>

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/win9ts.jpg] The golden stud wasn't sure if what he was doing was right, but something told him that laying down next to the mare to share body heat was the best thing to do for the mare. Cade did not want to do nothing. He wanted to help out as much as he could. The feeling of the mare flinch with his touch at first made him worry as he didn't want to frighten her but he did not move and continued to nestle himself in closer to her. Feeling her seem to relax as she realized he was not there to hurt her, he let out a sigh. A small grin appeared on his lips as he felt the mare push herself closer to him. The stallion was okay with that though and was glad she did. Cade looked around towards her and saw the paint lower her head to rest. Laying there in silence for a few moments, Cade began to feel the mare start to shiver. A good sign as she no longer was cold enough that she couldn't feel. But now he worried that she would become too cold for him to warm her. Cade knew he needed to get her up and into a form a shelter. Into the trees was a good idea for they would block the wind that was starting to blow briskly across the terrain. The stud felt slightly stupid for asking her if the pain was going away. He would have cursed himself under his breath but held his words in his mind, feeling the shivering mare on his backside. Her voice soon found his ears as she lifted her head slightly, "Mhmm, thank you Cade." Cade could hear her voice getting a little more strength and that made him happy for she was starting to possibly feel better. "No need to thank me. I just want to help." His voice sincere, for that was exacctly what he hoped he was doing. He began to wonder if she would want to stay with him. He would provide her with a home and protection from what had happened to her. Cade didn't want her to be hurt anymore but he knew that he would probably have to gain her trust. This was okay with him for he wanted her to trust him. His thoughts inturrupted as the painted mare spoke again, "My . . name is . . Zodiac." He smiled, feeling her head turn into his own shoulder. "It is a pleasure Zodiac. I do wish we had met under better circumstances, but welcome to my home. You are more than welcome to stay here."

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/2cgda80.jpg] Laying as still as possible the painted fae tried to warm up with the help of Cade's body beside her own. It felt weird to have another so close to her especially a stallion considering what had just happened to her, but she didn't have the strength nor desire to fight it. Hearing Cade's soft voice speak once more she lifted her head slightly to hear him a little bit better. At first she wondered if this was a hallucination but knowing her mind better then that she had to accept the fact that this kind stallion was offering her a home in his land. He had barely known her for more then a few hours yet he was granting her the ability to have a safe home if she should wish to stay. Meeting him under better circumstances would have been greatly preferred on her part as well considering she probably looked like she had been run over by a train and her mind wasn't completely herself. She would like to give this stud a chance to prove that not all were like the brute Oliver who had nearly killed her by ripping her to shreds piece by piece. As her body slowly warmed exhaustion began to set in and she found herself dozing off curled up next to Cade. When she awoke sometime later it was pitch dark and she found that her eyes couldn't see anything except the blackness and the faint outline of trees. Yet something wasn't right, these trees were stripped bare and had a strange look to them. She was standing in what appeared to be a ring of these strange trees sparsely spaced out around her. It was then that she heard his voice and his laughter peel out from somewhere close by. Fear hit her like a freight train knocking the breath right out of her. She needed to run away, far away from Oliver. He would never do this to her again, never. Trying to pick up her feet she found to her horror that she couldn't move and the voice was getting closer and more intense. He was going to get her, no, no... Straining against her hooves she tried desperately to get free but nothing would allow her to move an inch. Then the voice, he was right beside her, his breath could be felt on the back of her neck and then his teeth sinking deep into her flesh..the blood..the pain.. Eye's flying open the painted fae found herself flailing around as she yanked herself from the ground where she lay staggering to her feet breathing heavily and in a panic. It was only a dream she realized a few moments later as she staggered almost falling from her weakened state. Her head whipped around as the pain seared through her neck and the warmth flowed freely down her neck and shoulder. Cade was there where she had been only moments ago... Staggering forward a few steps she almost fell but was able to catch herself splaying her legs like a young foal would do in their first attempts to stand. Sides heaving as if she had run a marathon the only few words she could manage were its him...he's...he's.. before catching herself in her moment of confusion thinking the nightmare was actually real. Taking a shaky breath she tried to calm her racing heart and throbbing bleeding neck. It was early dawn at her best guess as it was light out now but softly lit. Cade probably thought of her as a nutcase by now if he didn't already. Why did everything have to be so awkward. TAGS: Cade WORD COUNT: 610 NOTES:

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/win9ts.jpg] Cade was cold but not near as cold as the mare in which he was sharing his body heat. She was in need of it more than him and he was happy to share it with her. The golden stag had always been one to help others especially in times of need like this. He almost knew the reasoning behind it with how she reacted with him so close at first and this angered the golden stud beyond belief. He had hoped he left all that behind when he left him homeland, his dear mother, yet come to find out, it was everywhere. There would be no escaping those which main goal was to hurt those of weaker stature or of opposite gender. With his thoughts drifting to that of his past, he was slow to realize the stillness that had taken over them. The mare seemed to have relaxed or been taken over by exhaustion and finally found herself asleep. This was good and Cade was not about to wake her. He even found himself allowing a little shut eye as well. The breeze had died down and whether it was that his body was numb from the ground or it was getting slightly warmer, he wasn't sure, but he was thankful. His eyes fluttered closed as he was whisped away in a dreamless sleep. However, Cade was soon woken abruptly by the flailing of the mare he was laying next to. She was quickly trying to get to her feet as if something has spooked her, ready to run at the drop of a dime. All except, she was not ready to run at all. Even so, her breathing was heavy and labored as if she had just got done running, a sort of panic hidden underneath. Cade hadn't had time to get up before her as she stood there in an awkward state as if she had just been born and learning to use the legs underneath her again. In any other circumstance, it may have been funny, but not being such, he was worried. He could tell she was in pain as the quick movement could not have been good for the wounds which would need time to heal. Still light out, Cade could see the trickles of blood running down her pelt. What had this poor mare gone through? But moments after this thought, they were answered, "It's him . . he's . . he's. . " The painted mare seemed almost confused with what was real and what was a dream. She had been so startled by what she had dreamt, that she thought it was actually happening around her. The golden stallions heart went out to her but was immediately filled with anger. He knew now that it was indeed a stallion that had done this to the mare. Seeing as she was trying to catch her breath and relax her very frightened mind and body, Cade brought himself to his feet. The sun was creeping over the horizon now and illuminating the lands with a faint light. He was glad everything went well through the night but he was still worried about her and rather angry with the situation. Soothing her, his voice was soft and gentle, "It's okay, no one is going to get you here. You are safe now." He wanted to reach out and assure her of such thing but he knew that it was not the right moment for such a thing, not with what she was going through. "You're going to be okay. I will keep you safe." Cade had officially made it his job to keep the paint mare close and safe. She would never have to go through such a thing ever again.

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/2cgda80.jpg] Swaying slightly on her feet the painted fae slowly began to come back to her senses. It had been only a nightmare, nothing more, she was safe now, he couldn't get her here. These sentences she repeated over and over in her mind as reassurance to herself. Letting out a relieved sigh she looked over to Cade again who was now standing watching her carefully. He probably thinks i'm some crazy psychotic mare by now. She mused in her mind as she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Was this how every night was going to be from now on with her scared witless feeling like she is going to die? Sighing softly she slowly tried her best to straighten out her legs and appear at least somewhat normal. All of her muscles were stiff and sore but at least there were no broken bones out of all of this, especially with her clumsiness before. Slowly taking a calming breath she took a couple step towards Cade experimentally to make sure her legs would hold her weight. Thankfully they did or else she would have ended up sprawled at his feet completely embarrassed and humiliated. Hearing his kind words reassured her that she was safer here then she was out on her own for the time being anyway. She would have to accept the hospitality until she could regain her strength and health, hopefully before the stag got sick of her. She had left home in order to see what was out there besides her herd and had walked straight into danger. So far her brilliant idea of setting out on her own was not working so well for her, but there was no going home now. "Thank you.." She replied softly lowering her head slightly to a more comfortable level. This was the first time that she had actually gotten a good look at the kind stallion who had stayed by her side all night, or however long she had been out for. She had to admit that he was quite handsome and not at all what she was expecting. Most of the stallions she had seen before were big brutes with many scars and wounds littering their muscled bodies. Cade was a pleasant surprise, he was a dark palomino with dappling over his finely muscled fit body. Realizing she was staring awkwardly she dropped her gaze to the ground embarrassed by her new found curiosity and interest in the opposite gender. She had just been mauled by another stallion yet now she was thinking about another geeze what was wrong with her, she thought scolding herself. "I didn't umm hurt you.. or anything did I?" She asked apologizing for her freak out only minutes before. Sneaking a glance upwards through her long eyelashes she got a glimpse of his face before again dropping her gaze. Was it anger that she was reading on his face? She really hoped that he wasn't angry at her, she didn't think she could deal with another attack. Oh what was she getting herself in to... TAGS: Cade WORD COUNT: 515 NOTES: Haha I think she is developing a crush