Captured and Taken Prisoner... (Please Reply!)

[• Echo]

{this post takes place in early Connaught, Ireland, no cars or technology or things like that.}

After five long days of rain, we were finally here. Wherever 'here' was, that is. A fortnight ago I was taken prisoner from the high pasture where me, my best friend, Inderb, and three younger girls, Lara, Bebinn, and Gerroc had been grazing our tuath's cows and making cheese and butter. High pasture was a job that the whole tuath relied on; Without the cheese and butter made by the girls sent up there, the whole tuath (clan, like a little village, but everyone is related through each other in some way) would starve. It was there that I had found the grey mare, a mare stolen from my tuath by a group of raiders. Somehow she had managed to get away from the raiders, and I found her as she was trying to give birth. She had died. I had carried the filly back to our camp, made two halters out of my old liene and Inderb's, put one on the filly, whom I had not yet named, and the other on a placid cow who had lost her calf. If it weren't for that cow, who plodded along quietly in front of me, then my filly would have died. The foal nicked her hoof on a rock, stumbling forward. I wrapped my arm around her withers, steadying her. She was so tired she was clumsy. We had not stopped walking all day, and she was exhausted. It had been like this every day. Large houses rose up in front of us, unlike any house I had ever seen. There were no dairy byres (like a dairy barn) that I could see, no women collecting herbs or herding pigs or chickens or goats or sheep into their folds for the night. Just long houses. Did the ri (leader) live here? What a big tuath this must be! Stonework pastures extended to the side of the houses and paths, and the cattle were locked into there. "Put your horses in. Rub them down, make sure they have food and fresh water before you seek your own dinner," the leader of this group who had taken me prisoner, who the others called Conall, called out. Put them in? Where was the rath(an enclosure made of mud taken years to build used to protect and keep in stock and horses)? One by one, the men turned and led their horses in various directions. I watched as one was led into one of the buildings. What was this? "Come with me, Keira." My jaw set in a hard line as I followed Conall as he led me towards the smallest of the buildings. Once inside, I blinked, shocked. The whole place was divided in seperate rooms, the doors only as high as a horse's back, and there were ten on each side. Leading me towards the last on the left, he swung the door open on its leather hinges. "You can have this one," he said. The dirt was covered with wheat stalks and pond rushes. "Within a month this barn will be full with foaling mares. It will be all your's until then. There are oats and corn in the boxes on the wall. I will send a boy to bring you food." Barn. At least I knew this building's name, now. Without another word, Conall left, leaving me alone. It took almost half an hour to get the cow in the stall, while my filly just stood there, her head down, shivering since her coat was soaked to the skin. The dairy cow had probably never been in a byre in her whole life, the calf she lost had been her first. Finally I shut the door closed behind me, sinking into the dry rushes as my filly dropped as well, eyes closing. Before I could fall asleep, I heard the door to the barn swing open. Now what?

{Please, if you RP, be descriptive and post a lot!}

[Guest]

~Aghna~
I crept into the small, but somewhat fancy, raft to check on our horses. We had all kinds you could think of. I gently patted Barran, my huge horse on the neck. I grabbed a little pouch of grass and gave it to him. "Ah, there's a good boy." I said and grinned.
~Dacey~
I followed him, with out being noticed. I got bored very fast so I popped infront of him. "Boo!" I said with a chuckle.
~Aghna~
"Ah, you got me." I said sarcastically as I rolled my seaweed green eyes.
~Dacey~
I sighed softly and went to my petite horse named Edain. She was only about a foot smaller than Barran. Barran was 7 feet tall, but that didn't matter.
~Barran~
I snorted loudly, making sure that Edain would notice me. I pulled my head into her side of the raft.
~Edain~
I rolled my eyes and sneezed small. I saw Barran poke his head on my side. I pinned my ears and barely bit his neck as a warning. Just because I'm in heat doesn't mean that I'm easy-going now.
~Dacey~
I opened up Edain's door so she could go eat with the others.
~Edain~
I walked out slowly but started to trot soon after. I got to the greenest part of the meadow and started grazing.
~Barran~
I nibbled at Aghna to let me out.
~Aghna~
I released him from the tiny area where he was held.
~Barran~
I let out a whinny and went to Edain.

[• Echo]

{just to clarify a little more, a rath is two crescent walls forming a circle with an opening on either end just large enough for two carts to pass side-by-side, and on the outer side is a deep ditch where it is believed that faeries live and where the mud for the walls was taken. Almost every rath only has one wall, a rath with two is very very very rare to find because they are so hard to make. There is no roof and no stalls in them. Oh, and do you know much about early Ireland, or do you want me to fill you in some?}

~Keira
Lifting my head back up, I stood again. The filly lifted her head, blinking sleepily. She yawned before curling back up again, and I heard booted footsteps echoing down the barn aisle. A boy who looked no older than seventeen appeared in the aisle, and I blinked slightly. He was holding a tray of food and set it down in the rushes. "Where is this place?" I demanded, but he barely glanced at me as he began to leave. "We aren't allowed to answer your questions, but the ri should see you soon." Without another word, he left. I shivered slightly, sinking back down and wrapping my arms around my knees. My filly lifted her head, laying her head in my lap, and I ran my fingers through her midnight, corn-silk spiky mane. I knew that Conall and the ri would probably try to take my filly away from me, but somehow I would find a way to stop them. I had to make them understand. I was her mom. She had never known her horse-mother, she had died just after giving birth to her. If it hadn't been for me, the foal would have died, as well. I felt my eyes well up with tears. The grey mare had been so kind and trusting, and the raiders were fools for riding mares so close to giving birth so hard. And then, when she couldn't keep up, they left her behind to die. Wiping away my tears, I lay my head back on the side of the stall, my eyes slipping shut.

[Guest]

(yea it would be nice 2 know bout early Ireland... even though im Irish lol)
~Edain~
I kept grazing, minding my own business.
~Barran~
I grinned and gradually nipped at Edain's rump.
~Edain~
I whinnied and nearly kicked Barran in the snout. I snorted and trotted elsewhere to graze again.

[• Echo]

{haha, yeah, I'm Red Irish, and I've gone on trips to Ireland before with some others and a couple teachers from my school. It's such a beautiful country, and my grandpa taught me Irish. I now speak English, Irish, a little Polish and Spanish, and some French as well. I'm learning other languages, as well}

~Keira
When my eyes finally reopened, the barn hadn't seemed to have changed much, though it was brighter and I couldn't hear any more raindrops. Lifting my head, I saw the filly nursing from the nursemaid cow, her tail flicking back and forth contendly. The cow was cleaning her the way she would to her own calf, though her upper lip curled at the strange taste. Shaking my head slightly, I stood, looking around the barn.

[• Echo]

{Did you get the PM?}

[Guest]

(yup thx )

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