Brothers of the Blood

featuring E140 SFR's Lance and 7446 SFR's Immortalis

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    Immortalis couldn't say he had many friends. Or acquaintances. Or horses he could tolerate. Really, Immortalis was a snob. He couldn't say that he felt many other creatures were worth his time or his respect. Few horses bothered to try anymore; most were new arrivals who hadn't yet heard the stories about SFR's resident king. Immortalis wasted no time showing them the error of their ways. He was the lay.
    That had all changed. The stallion had nearly died. Immortalis sighed as he shifted the weight off his right side. A faint scar traced a path from one of his ribs, down around his barrel. The skin felt tight and hot. Admitting the weakness, even to himself, caused Immortalis to shiver in disgust. It had been months since he'd been half-impaled on a fence post. Months of rest and recuperation. He knew he was lucky to be alive. The wound had closed clean (and fast). He would suffer no permanent injury. Yet how could he feel grateful when he could barely move? Immortalis was used to spending his days in a flurry of activity. From patrolling the pastures to sparing with some of the other stallions, there was never a day where he spent in lazing about. Lack of movement made him cranky.
    Thankfully, self pity was something Immortalis refused to dwell in. From the first day the humans had allowed him to leave the confines of his sickroom, he had taken the initiative to exercise himself. At first, it was nothing more than a quick stroll up and down the barn aisle. As his stamina had returned, those walks had begun to include a slow trot and a few carrot stretches. The slow pace frustrated the young stallion. He knew they were cautious of aggravating his wound, but he craved something to type of activity. Boredom led to sloth and sloth was the sin of the common horse. The second he was allowed outdoors, he had bolted towards the water trough. His handler wasted no time hauling the stallion out of his make-shift pool.
    By the third time it had happened, the humans finally caught on to what the Immortalis was up to: water therapy. They'd begun taking him down to the lake for a short swim every few days. Then every other day. Immortalis worked until his lungs burned and his legs shook. Every stroke he took was one step closer to returning to his old world. He longed for the days when he stood upon the hill and surveyed the lands that he oversaw. A time when he was in control. He would kill before he let someone take it away again.
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    Lance was a patient horse. Growing up surrounded by army-trained horses had instilled a deep need to assess all situations. He could spend hours standing completely still if asked. Noise did not distract him from his mission. Nor did other mortal things like hunger or restlessness. Lance stood tall in the face of such unworthy vice. But sometimes, times like today, Lance was tempted to bite somebody. It took true fortitude to resist.
"Looks like Goldilocks is all grown up."
This brilliant observation came from his younger brother, Thor. Lance resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 
Instead, he replied, "His name is Immortalis. You know it as well as I do. Behave."
A snort sounded from Lance's other side. Their older brother, Landry, snarled, "Why? Goldilocks made it his mission to make our lives hell. It's time to return the favor."
"No, it's not. We are here for a reason. Antagonizing him will not help our cause."
Another snort. "Your cause, not mine. Come on Blondie, lets go see how long it takes to pull those hair extensions out."
    Lance sighed as he watched his brothers canter down the hill. Immortalis had definitely seen them by now. He stood in the center of the meadow, one leg cocked in a display of nonchalance. His hair draped across the grass around him. His golden coat was lighter than it had been when Lance had last seen him. Then, Immortalis had been a long-legged yearling with a chip in his shoulder. SFR's golden boy had frequently clashed with the other foals. More than once, Thor had come in sporting a nasty bite from the Drake's fangs. How much more vicious could Immortalis have gotten?
    If the reports were to be believed, much. Immortalis had nearly full control over the entire herd of SFR's horses. His influence spread across multiple properties. Even eight months since his supposed "death", most horses still submitted to the authority figures Immortalis had left in place. The angel-faced stallion had a devil of a temper. Lance watched his brothers approach with little interest. They circled the lone Drake much like a wolf circles a lone doe. Despite their heafty builds, both Snjorrirs moved with the long-legged grace of a natural predator. Immortalis looked bored.
    Thor's shriek of surprise broke the silence. Immortalis' teeth sunk into the sensitive flesh of the tawny stallion's neck. Landry charged forward to defend his brother, only to be met with a flurry of hooves. Lance laughed as he watched his older brother's feet become entangled in his opponents long tail. The strands tangled around the brown stud's feet and seemed disinclined to release them anytime soon.
    It was a short fight. Both Thor and Landry beat a hasty retreat once they got outside of striking distance. Still yelling taunts, they sauntered (and limped) from the clearing. Only then did Lance allow himself to descend from his perch. Immortalis once again stood in the center of the meadow. Nothing about his posture conveyed the weakness Lance knew he suffered. Lance stopped a few yards away from the other horse.
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    Another reminder of his youth. The blue stallion before him was a face he hadn't seen in over a decade. The Snjorrirs, all of them, had left the main SFR property back when Immortalis was a yearling. He'd heard rumors that the younger ones had been sent to a special training camp for the breed. Immortalis had paid the rumors little attention then. Now, bright green eyes regarded Immortalis with nary a flicker of anger. They were the eyes of a veteran war horse. Immortalis could not remember this horse's name, but he did remember the fact the two horses he'd just fought were the blue's siblings. And ol' Blue was protective as hell. Immortalis braced himself for another fight. The action caused a bolt of pain to twist through his side. Another fight would only aggravate his wound, yet there was nothing he could do if another horse picked a fight. 
"I am not here to fight."
The stopped him cold. Immortalis resisted the urge to cock his head to the side. "What?"
"I am not here to fight you. I -no, we-, are here to help you."
"How could you help me?"
The blue smiled. "I'm glad you asked..."
(1162 words)

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Well this hot mess manged to get this finished in time. I started this a few weeks ago, got all the backgrounds done, and then couldn't think of good poses for the actual horses. I went through at least 6 each for both horses because none made me happy (and I couldn't figure out what horses to use).

I wrote most of the story at 4 AM this morning because I couldn't go to sleep and felt ~inspired~. I doubt most people know wtf is going on here, since the incident where Immortalis got stabbed in the side was written in a story that never made it up on dA. To sum up what happened prior to this:
    After arriving at SFR, Apollo got loose and started terrorizing people. He almost trampled lil' Merc. Immortalis was having none of this and the two stallions started fighting. Apollo is a dirty rotten cheater so he body slammed Immortalis into one of the old perimeter fences. Immortalis' fat butt took down some of it, but he took landed on a fence post. He got himself off and SFR staff had to rush him into surgery. Immortalis spent most of the next year at one of SFR's small other properties while he recovered (so he wouldn't try to fight with everyone and rip open his side again).
    So how does Lance fit in? Without Immortalis as dictator King of SFR TM, the different factions of SFR aren't cooperating and Apollo is running wild again. The Snjorrirs were brought back because they were the original alpha-herd. Lance just wants to get Immortalis back up to speed.

The image itself shows the bond these two wind up developing. The two strike are surprisingly united in their hatred for Apollo, so they work together even though they couldn't stand each other as kids. They're not in the same place either. Lance is staying out at Dragon Acres as that is where the main herd currently is. Immortalis is still at the Itallian villa while he continues his physical therapy (the lake shown here is the lake he trains in).

THE END


Detail shots:
 

References Used
- www.pinterest.com/pin/11610849… (for Lance's Background)

Art and Horses (c) me