As the sun began to descend across the sky, the two equid’s voices rose against Ody, his own still low and threatening… but a compromise couldn’t be reached. All it took was a glance to Lucky, and their punishment was enacted. With a swift movement, the dark equid set one of the orchard trees on fire, the flames swallowing branches instantaneously. With the land still recovering from drought, it didn’t take long for the fire to begin to spread, consuming everything in its path.
“How dare you!!” the grey stallion squealed, launching himself at Ody with fury. The two stallions traded blows as smoke billowed into the air, but with the experience Ody had as a wanted outlaw, it wasn’t a fair fight. He pushed back his challenger with ease, unaware of what loomed behind the two. The mare stood nearby, her own hoof raised as she begged her mate to stop fighting.
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It wasn’t his intention, he didn’t realize how close they were to the edge.
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He had spun around, lashing out with his hind hooves, making direct contact with the chest of his opponent. That’s all it took for the grey stallion to stumble backwards, towards the ledge. A shrill neigh followed, along with the scuttle of hooves. A shudder passed through him as the mare shrilly called after her mate, “NOOO!!!”.
Ody turned, horror curling in his chest as he watched the stallion clinging to the edge of the cliff, hind hooves dangling, scrambling to find purchase on the cliff face. The mare skittered forwards, desperately grasping at his mane to pull him upwards, but the land was too weak. Dried out and full of cracks, the ledge gave way, crumbling under the weight of the two. One moment they were there and the next... only their shrill neighs echoed.
Nothing happened at first, then there was arguing, then yelling in the distance, this is what startled Asty back awake. Hed never heard an argument before or raised voices, and it scared the foal deeper into his bush, what was happening? As the arguments and angry voices in the distance began to intensify, Asty also became aware of something new. The scent of smoke, it clogged his nostrils and made it hard to breathe, but as a good foal he refused to leave his bush, just like he and mom had practiced.
Then he heard the word “Fire!!” yelled loudly by his father and the thunder of hooves racing by his bush. Asty had never seen fire, but he assumed that was what was causing the smoke that made him want to cough. As the fires grew so did the desperate sounds of his parents and other WME’s outside his safety bush. Hooves clashing, cries of pain, cursing, then silence.
