by Baobabel » Mon May 20, 2024 7:32 am
Username: Baobabel
Show Name: Up From the Depths
Barn Name: Leech
Gender: Stallion
Height: 13.3hh
Halter Type: Rope
Halter Color: Black and Blue
Prompt:
This trotter was not happy to see his friends captured. As one who spends most of his time in the dark depths, he avoided capture simply because the pirates didn't realize the horses could dive that deep. When he eventually resurfaced, he found his friends and family gone. After getting the story of what happened from the dolphins in the cove, he raced off after the ship fading over the horizon.
At first he felt overwhelmed. This was a large ship with many humans. How was he supposed to find his herd and break them out? He eventually decided doing something was better than nothing and so he began.
From the pirate's point of view, the raid had been a success. They had captured many valuable sea trotters and the loading had gone fairly smoothly. Now they just had to sail to the nearest port and sell off their booty. A few days at sea they began to notice some...oddities. The deck was wet after a low wave day. Piles of rope and supplies were knocked over even with the calm seas. Important knots were undone and ropes were chewed through. They checked for rats but they had a couple ship cats to take care of those. Then they started seeing scratches on the deck and the outer side of the ship. Marks that matched those of a horse but all the horses were locked in the hold. Then more serious things began to happen. A good chunk of the food was gone. The next time someone went to grab a drink from the freshwater barrel, they spit it out as it had been contaminated with sea water. As they open the barrel to inspect it, they let out a scream when they saw a pair of eels swimming around inside. Whisper began of disrespected vengeful spirits come to take their revenge. The crew started to lose sleep and fights broke out as tensions rose.
Leech had gotten a good laugh from the eel trick. But the time for games was over, he still needed to get his herd out.
The pirates were having another argument over the dwindling supplies when one spotted a trotter swimming close to the boat. The crew quickly jumped into gear and readied the capture equipment. Once the dark horse was trapped and raised onto the deck they got a good look at him. The dark colors and glowing eyes seemed ominous. The captain quickly spoke up. "Well, we've either caught our troublemaker or caught another valuable horse to sell at high price. Either way, throw him in with the rest on 'em". The lad leading him down was pretty nervous. Definitely one of the more superstitious and this horse gave him bad vibes. As they reached the hold, the horse all of a sudden bolted loose and vanished into the darkness.
During his nightly raids Leech had gotten a good feel for the ship. He had learned how to navigate the narrow hallways and where even a horse could hide. He put his final plan in place. For days now, like his namesake, he had been leeching their supplies. Food, water, and rope were all running low. They hadn't even noticed the missing lifeboats yet. Plus, with a few caught fish he had managed to bride the ship cats over to his side. Not only had they stopped catching the rats but they had gone ahead and unlocked the horses in the hold. He found where his herd had been kept and pushed open the doors. "Onward to freedom" he yelled. "And make sure to destroy as much as possible on your way out!" he added. The horses surged forward and up towards the deck and eventually over the rails and back to the sea. Once the pirates recovered from the stampede, they realized what a mess they were in. No food, no water, supplies gone or broken. Wood, railings, and doors all over the ship were smashed to pieces. They'd be lucky to make it back to port alive. One thing was for certain. They would not be returning to capture these trotters again.
