// BASIC INFORMATION //

name The Stranger

nickname Stranger (most commonly known as)

age 38 years

gender Stallion

// HERD INFORMATION //

herd affiliation Olde

location Island of Olde

rank Guard

// APPEARANCE //

breed Section D Cob

height 17 hands

body type Tall, but still heavy-set, with decent amounts of hard muscle with which to protect the herd
written appearance Stranger is a large, dark sort of presence, with a coat of black and a matching mane, save for a streak of reddish brown that more often than not drips in front of his face. His eyes are a dusty dark brown, and the darkened hollow around them tell of hard times in his past. In his rank, he holds his head lowered, and his ears seem to always be laid back, only pricked if he senses dangers abound. He has large hooves that make a powerful thunder when he walks, often used for striking out at unwary attackers.

disabilities/scars a scar at the corner of his mouth, punishment dealt for a mistake

accessories N/A

// COUPLE INFORMATION //

orientation He's not entirely sure

preferences
- weaker horses that need his protection
- he enjoys mane upkeep - if you've got a mane like Ba'Yagu, chances are he won't want to romance you
-

activity Not a virgin

looking for Nothing. Relationships are the least of his concerns

// PERSONALITY //

Stranger is a guard horse to the end. He takes a very protective stance over his herd, and is usually of the first to put his life on the line for the good of others, almost as if it's part of his genetic code. Though he is patient and able to suffer, he is known to be a little grumpy or stand offish at times, and prefers to do his job in silence rather than allowing another horse to stand and chat his ear off. As he is a bit more brawn than most, he's a bit less brain than most as well, and while he is able to put together solutions or figure things out, he doesn't make it a point to make himself sound smarter than he is: if he doesn't understand something, he'll tell you, regardless of how simple it is. When it comes to his superiours, nothing is too drastic; he submits entirely to those he knows are above him in ranking, and will jump a cliff if he's told to. However, he is kind of old-fashioned in that he doesn't believe that females can harbour more respect than males: not to say that he's rude or snobbish to mares, but he thinks that they should be protected as the weaker sex as a stand on manners. As his name permits, he tends to be pretty secretive, and often he does things without consulting others first when he doesn't think they need to know. Stranger is also very hostile towards the other herds, and has alarmingly little patience when it comes to them; he's even been known to deny them help when it is necessary, a trait that has gotten him in trouble more than once. All in all, while he can be a bit of a brute at times, he really is a gentle soul at heart, unless you put the integrity or safety of his herd at jeopardy: then he'll stomp your bones into the dust without blinking an eye.

// HISTORY //

Born to a cob and his unknown fair companion, from day one Stranger clearly wasn't meant to be. He and his younger sister were more or less an accident, after his father and mother had a quick, careless fling when the herds crossed the land bridge: after all had been said and done, his father left them in the care of their mother, before either of them really got to meet him. His mother, a young and frilly mare, obviously had more to care about than her young foals, and would often come to them just to feed them before trotting off with another handsome stallion to enjoy her youth. This left the nameless foals to their own devices; of course they were cared for a bit by the herd as a whole, but their mother's abandonment had affected Stranger in a way that he couldn't ignore...he decided when he was young that he'd never abandon anybody in the herd, and with an avid conviction he began to apprentice himself to the herd guards, admiring their strength and courage when the same couldn't be said of the other herd members. He practiced this protection intensely on his younger sister, and would even go so far as to protect her from the other foals, pinning his ears back and biting at them even when they were playing. When the herd would partake in social, friendly activities, he would stand at the outer ring, idly nibbling on weeds and focusing his attention on the buildings outlying for any danger...when it was called for that he was social, he would act nervous and restless, as if he didn't belong, even though he was accepted. This behaviour soon set him slightly apart from the rest of the herd, and while his sister earned the name "Lily", he earned simply "the Stranger".

When he was approaching the age of four, his mother vanished, said to have abandoned the Olde herd to join the Bachelors to the West and be with their unknown father: this only served to make him more disgusted about her nature, and sought out his pursuits with even more veracity to succeed. Slowly but surely he accomplished his task of becoming a stallion guard for the herd, and just after his 20th name-day, he was enlisted into the rankings. However, as time went with little interruption of danger, he grew soft of his tasks, and he began attending the job as an inconvenience instead of an honour...unfortunately, this would mean severe consequences for the herd.

The winter was a hard one. The ground was barren and the air was likened to breathing solid ice, and food was scarce for all the creatures of the city, including those that feasted on the meat of others. Stranger was picking yellow weeds from beneath the snow when he heard the panicked screaming of his fellow herdmates: he returned as fast as he could, only to find that a yowling cougar was in the midst of the herd, swiping at a terrified group of mares with an ill-tempered roar. Had he been of his younger mind, he would've gladly run into the battle to defend his herd; but unfortunately, instinct won over morality, and the young stallion turned-tail and ran before the bear could attack him as well. He finally stopped in the city's outer ring, well-away from the attack and safe, but not from his own mind: in his head he could still hear the screaming of his acquaintances and herdmates as they were ripped apart by the cat, and his fleeing hooves pounded painfully into the sounds of a heartbeat as he struggled to swallow his massive guilt. He remained in his self-induced exile for several days, haunted by the fate of his herd upon his return, and if there was even anything to return to.

About three days later, Stranger finally returned to the herd to face what he'd done. Among the dead were several mares and stallions, old cobs, day-old foals, and even his sister, Lily. He was greeted with cold eyes and shoulders, and he felt even more like a stranger than ever before as he approached the leader and his mare. At once he was given the verbal lashing of a lifetime, and as punishment, the leader struck out with his hooves at the cob, glancing a hit off of Stranger's jaw and ripping away the skin at the corner of his mouth, a scar which still lasts today. Guilt crushed his heart, and right then he swore again his undying loyalty to the Olde herd, pledging his life to the leader and the herd with a seriousness that couldn't possibly be forged. The leader accepted him back into the ranks, and for every year since Stranger served his pledge with intense and fearless servitude.