[MustangKnight]

 

Not for public stud - don't ask!

 

 Owner       >>> Rondell
 Name                >>> Efialtes
 Gender         >>> Stallion
 Adoption Price         >>> x
 Training         >>> [Fully Trained][+1]
  =====
  . playful
  . bonds fast to rider
  . loves challeges
  . goofy
  . jealous

  Nickname Nightmare

 Offspring;
 X X X Out of X
 X Out of X
 X Out of X
 X Out of X
 X Out of X
 X Out of X

 [Discipline >>>>> ]
 [Shows Entered > R: W: E:]
 [Shows Won >>>> R: W: E:]

 [Ej > ] [Ep > ]
 [Eh > ] [Ws > ]
 [Wp > ] [Wt > ]
 [Rf > ] [Rs > ]

[Silent Night]

Woot! I can't believe I just got this handsome boy! [/happydance]

Without Background
By: Sawk~The~Satanic

.:Name:.

Efialtes

.:Meaning:.

Simply put Efialtes Is the Greek word for Nightmare.

.:Nickname:.

Nightmare

.:Age:.

Unknown

.:Gender:.

Male

.:Species:.

Neravontii
(Please note that this species is owned by MustangKnight)

.:Personality:.

Efialtes can be related to a puppy, bouncy and playful. He loves me (his rider) very much, but seems to love to play even more. He can be very boisterous and lets me know what he wants when he wants it (this can make him seem slightly pushy to those who don't know him). He is very smart and loves to tease riders, including I, and other Neravontii. He also exceeds when it comes to climbing trees and he always loves a challenge.

Efialtes loves to play, he is one of the most playful creatures I have ever met in all my years on Earth (though that may not be many). Even those who don't know Efialtes can tell the he has a playful and mischievous streak in him merely by looking at him. He has a tendency to steal trainer's hats, or even nip at other Neravontii with the riders on their backs just to get the riders to chase him.

I have noticed more and more of late that he does have a calm, soothing, and seemingly meditative side, though it is very hard to coax out of him. More will be added upon this as I witness this side more often (i.e. what causes it etc.).

I can always trust him to let me know what he wants. I have had many experiences while walking through the local bazaar where he has shoved me into a cart full of pomegranates. Although I like this trait in him others see him as rude and ornery (although he definitely is the latter of the two).

He is very silly in the way he acts when I am around other Neravontii. Every time I reach out to try and pet one he shoves his face into my hand as if to tell me to stop or he stomps on the ground and whacks the other Neravontii with his head (thus scaring the Neravontii off), or even acts as though he is crazy and attempts to chase people around. I've inquired about this with some and the replies I've gotten are similar to "He's crazy", though I feel it should be more along the lines of "He's just very, very jealous".

He is an excellent climber and loves to be up in the trees. His love for climbing trees comes from the fact that his favorite fruit is the pomegranate, but not the ones on the bottom. Those pomegranates are too easy to reach and far to dry for his picky taste buds. He loves only the pomegranates at the top of the tree, juicy and moist.

In spite of these personality traits I would trust Efialtes with my life. He is very loyal and I feel would give his life for mine (though I pray that feeling is never tested). He seems to truly love me which is something I appreciate and need, and I, in return, love him as well.

.:History:.

.:First Touch:.

I still remember the day I "met" Efialtes it was quite interesting and a fun story to tell.

It was a Saturday morning in August, there were blistering heats and I had to go out to harvest pomegranates (at the time I lived in Persia/Iran which is where pomegranates are native). I lived in a small house not far from the edge of the forest. I set out at about midday with a machete in hand.

After about a half an hour of hiking I saw a large pomegranate tree (about 13 feet tall) full of ripe pomegranates. Carefully I set down my machete on the tall lush forest grass before pulling out my large sack that I kept tied around my waist. I then took my small knife out of my pocket and proceeded in picking the large pomegranates.

I crouched down to load the first bunch of about twelve pomegranates into the sack when all of a sudden I felt a firm thud on the back of head. Quickly I whipped around to see who had hit me, but all that I could see was one large pomegranate laying on the ground looking slightly bruised.

After standing in a slightly dazed manner for a few minutes I decided that the pomegranate had merely fallen out of the tree and struck me. I then turned back around to inspect my sack full of pomegranates before going to gather more when I saw that my sack with the pomegranates in it had mysteriously disappeared.

Before I had time to think another pomegranate flung out of a bamboo thicket and struck me in the stomach. I could hear a snorting sound that reminded me of someone chortling coming from the thicket of large bamboo trees so I grabbed my machete and started flailing it at the mystery creature like some sort of maniac while yelling at it to "show itself".

After a few moments of doing so I heard two thuds, one was very loud and sounded almost like a small tree had fallen over and another that was softer, more like a rock the size of my fist had hit the ground.

I could see some of my pomegranates rolling out of the bamboo thicket. Slowly I crept forward to gather them, but as I got closer to the round, red fruits I could hear the chortling sound mixed in with the sound of thuds as something flailed about in the bamboo thicket and snapped many of the bamboo plants, but only this time it was much louder.

Completely forgetting about the pomegranates, I slowly stepped into the bamboo thicket to find a red and black Neravontii with a strange mane emerging from its neck rolling around in the thicket. It had clearly been what was making all the noise, throwing the pomegranates, and snapping the bamboo. I had never seen a Neravontii with a mane before, but that was not the least of my concerns as the strange Neravontii leaped to its feet as I tripped over one of the many bamboo stubs now sticking out of the ground.

It sat there "staring" at me for about thirty seconds before collapsing in a heap on the ground as it continued to roll around in the grass while making the chortling sound and spasticly kicking its legs up in the air.

At first I thought it was sick, but after staring at it momentarily and seeing that it was not in pain it struck me. It was laughing at me. At that moment I lost all sense of self-preservation and walked up to the massive Neravontii and slapped it as hard as I could in its haunches (yup, that's my first touch... not what you'd expect eh). The Neravontii continued to roll around in the grass, completely unflustered by my slapping it. I couldn't help but to start to giggle at the thought of what it must have been like to be in the Neravontii's position, having thrown pomegranates at a strange creature that entered the Neravontii's territory and then having it preform some kind of crazy ritual in order to coax you out of a bamboo thicket. I started laughing very loudly and I ended up collapsing next to the Neravontii holding my stomach because it hurt so much from all the laughing.

After who knows how long of doing this we both stood up and stared at each other, both the Neravontii and I were grinning for no apparent reason at all, neither of us felt at all threatened by the other.

"Alright," I began, "I think you know what's coming... I want to take you home with me." I said with a grin.

In reply the Neravontii walked closer so that its giant head was nearly touching mine. It slowly raised up it front legs so that it was standing only on its hind two legs. I covered my face, expecting the hulking beast to fall, putting its full weight upon me in its attempt to crush me. I waited... and I waited... then out of nowhere I felt a soft thud on the back of my head, it felt like that of a human hand slapping me upside the head. I threw down my arms and whipped around just in time to see the Neravontii's tail as it crept around to its place behind the Neravontii. Carefully, the Neravontii returned to its former position on all fours and pulled a face that appeared as though it were trying to grin.

I pulled a face and yelled "Well now I wouldn't keep you if you wanted me too!" before storming off back towards my house, completely forgetting about the pomegranates and machete.

I could hear the rather clumsy Neravontii following me home. I ignored it except for the occasional rock which I threw in its general direction. That was a dumb idea, for every rock I threw at it, it threw multiple rocks at me.

"Fine!!" I yelled frantically after getting pelted a shower of rocks "You can stay, you little nightmare!!"

And that, my friends, is how you obtain the best Neravontii, that is with a sense of humor, in the world.

[Rondell]

.:First Saddle:.

--- picture goes here ---

This was going to be different. This was going to be fun. And this guy... well, this guy was going to be something else to work with. I knew it from the second he passed through my barn door for the first time. Not only did he have a big red and white mohawk that could be seen from half a mile away, but he had a personality to match. That is to say that Efialtes the thrice named - which is what I've taken to calling him - was, right off the bat, one of those Neravontii that you ignored at your own risk! He'd come prancing in like he owned the place, his head held so high that I'd been afraid he was going to bang it on the door-frame. Every one of his steps had been light, jaunty and self-assured. He'd also been holding a pomegranate in the pseudo-hand on the tip of his tail. I remember that quite distinctly because it had taken me a moment to figure out just what it was. Where he got that pomegranate from I'll never know. All I can figure is that he stole it from a fruit-stand his trailer passed on the road, or pinched it from the driver's lunch. But he got it from somewhere. And I know exactly where it ended up - not ten seconds after my very first stallion had been introduced to his stall, it came flying at the back of my head.

Of course thanks to this rocky start our relationship had no room to do anything but improve. He was nothing more than a big bratty child, really, once you got used to him, and was actually quite endearing in an odd sort of way. He quickly took to following me around most anywhere I went on the farm. As such, I ceased to have much time to myself. It seems as if he's always there these days, poking and prodding at me with his nose or his tail-hand, doing his absolute best to get me to pay attention to him. More than once I've ended up sprawled out on the ground as the result of a particularly exuberant shove. And, despite the fact that I've tried to break him of this lovely little habit more times than I can remember, I'm pretty sure that I've made absolutely no progress. It doesn't seem to matter if I'm scolding him or praising him - Efialtes, as long as I'm acknowledging his existence, can't get enough of it. He positively thrives in the limelight! Interestingly enough he was like this with the rest of the herd, too, and even more so whenever Pennyroyal and Curare were around to be impressed. Quite the ladies man, this one! However, while he mostly left big ol' lazy Moe alone, Efialtes quickly became the bane of Sam's existence. I think he saw him as the primary competition for both my and Pennyroyal's affections. If Same came up to me out in the paddock to say 'hi', heaven forbid I should dare to pay him any attention before fawning over Efialtes! If I did, the latter would, without fail, shove himself between us and start nipping at Sam's belly and rump until the gelding was forced to run off... which is why I had started making sure to keep them apart as much as possible.

It is this Neravontii that I was getting ready to saddle up. And, in the back of my mind, I hoped that the whole process would instill a bit of discipline in my ornery new charge. I couldn't have him bullying my Sam! Realistically though, I had my doubts. Especially as I sat on the fence of the bullpen, watching him roll around in the dust. He also happened to be rolling around on top of his saddle, which he had, only a few moments previously, knocked off of the fence and trod upon thoroughly. Were all stallions like this? Or had I just gotten lucky?

Either way, knowing Efialtes as I know Efialtes, the only way I'd be getting away with this is if I framed it as a sort of game. My little Nightmare positively loved games. Besides, if I didn't make it into a game he would. And I really didn't want to have to play by his rules. Shifting position slightly I watched the stallion get to his feet and shake himself, one foot braced on the seat of the saddle the entire time, unashamedly putting most of his weight onto it. I could see the sturdy leather flexing from my perch on the fence, and hear it and creak in protest. It made me hope that the agency had some sort of replacement policy for damaged gear... With a sigh, I slipped to the ground, raising a small puff of dust that paled in comparison to the cloud created by my stallion. Immediately Efialtes perked his ears toward me. When I called his name, he snorted loudly and came right over to me, planting his forehead firmly against my chest and pushing. It was thankfully just enough to set me off balance but not quite enough to knock me over. Shaking my head now, I gave him a light slap on the neck and stepped around him while he was distracted. I wanted to rescue the saddle before he did something else to it - right now all it needed was a good polish and it would be right as rain. As I stooped over to pick it up, though, I felt something make contact with my behind and I was sent sprawling face-first into the dust of the bullpen.

It was Efialtes' tail.

Spitting dirt as well as curses, I scooped up the saddle and, brandishing it as a shield, rounded on the stallion just as he danced away from me. It looked for all the world as if he were laughing. Though I knew he probably wasn't. Probably. Then again, the more I looked at him and the more I thought about it, the more I became convinced that he probably was. Exasperated, I took off after him. Of course I was more waddling than running since I had to deal with the wight of the saddle in my arms, so I wasn't terribly graceful. But Efialtes loved it. It was just the sort of reaction he'd been looking for! I'd taken up his game! Excitedly, he minced about in the limited space of the bullpen, looking like a foal half his age. It wasn't long before I realized that I wasn't doing anything other than tiring myself out, though. So I needed to change tactics. After a brief pause to rest, I got the bright idea of climbing back up onto the fence, the saddle still in my arms, and waiting for my Nightmare to come over to investigate. Which he did momentarily. Of course the instant he came within range I flopped the saddle down on his back, managing to overbalance myself in the process so that I ended up on the ground yet again. But it was worth it! I popped right back up as quickly as I could and was just in time grab a hold of the girth before he trotted off. I even got the buckle buckled on the second hole, ignoring the persistently playful pokes and nips from Efialtes as I worked. He thought it was all just part of the game! He, as usual, was loving the attention. At this point he kicked his back feet out excitedly and started doing laps around the bullpen, so I was unable to get the saddle anywhere near tight enough. By the time he finally tired himself out a bit and came looking for me again he was wearing the thing on his belly. But he really didn't seem to care.

Could this guy take anything - anything at all - seriously?

[Rondell]

.:First Ride:.

--- picture goes here ---

I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to ride Efialtes. No... that's not quite right. I definitely sort of wanted to ride him. In fact, he had such a powerful presence that I had often imagined how fun it would be to ride him in some sort of show - maybe something with jumps involved as he had already displayed quite an aptitude for getting out of the paddock by vaulting over the fence - and watch everyone's faces as we came out onto the track, see their reactions as they laid eyes on us for the first time. I had the whole thing worked out. It would be great. Trust me. It wasn't every day that you came across a Neravontii with a mane, after all, and certainly not a maned Neravontii that just so happened to be red, black and white from nose to tail-tip. No one else had to know that he was just big, soft-heated goofball!

Yes, I had often dreamed of riding Eff. I was even already on the hunt for the perfect set of tack, and had spent more time than I'd like to admit browsing through the Agency's catalogs. So... it wasn't entirely accurate for me to say otherwise. Instead, it would be far more honest to say that I just wasn't sure if I could ride him...

It had taken me twice the amount of time to get the little Nightmare used to wearing his saddle as it had taken me with any member of my herd, and while he now stood more or less still while I tacked him up, disregarding the occasional moment when he'd decide to do something strange like turn around and lick my face with his great, slimy tongue, I knew I couldn't hop on him right away. You see, he had a bad habit of puffing up. So, each and every time I wanted to put the saddle on him, I had to tighten the thing up as much as I could and then walk him around for a bit while I waited for him to un-puff. THEN I could tighten the girth the rest of the way if I were quick about it. If I wasn't, well, Efialtes would catch onto what I was doing and puff right back up again, making that infuriating little chortling noise that I had come to recognize as his approximation of a laugh. Somehow, being laughed at by an overgrown, carnivorous horse from another planet that had just outsmarted you didn't seem fair. But I persevered, and usually got the saddle on properly by the second go.

Luckily enough, I actually managed to get it in one shot on the day I arbitrarily chose as the day I'd take the next step.

My first goal was to lunge Eff in the bullpen - I figured that if I could burn off a bit of his excess energy, I'd have an easier time trying to ride him. That is, he wouldn't be as inclined to buck or rear or roll or spin or do something else similarly 'playful' on his part but hazardous to my health due to his size and strength. He could get pretty excitable in the mornings! The exercise would also give me a chance to make sure that his saddle being on properly was more than wishful thinking. So, with this in mind, I adjusted the stirrups so they wouldn't flap around wildly, snagged a halter from the tack room, and headed off to the bullpen with Efialtes in tow.

As usual, he followed me like a shadow - no lead rope required. All I had to do was leave the gate open behind me, walk into the pen, wait for him to come trotting after me, then close the gate behind him.

In a way I was glad that he'd taken to following me like an overgrown puppy. It certainly made things easier sometimes!

With a bit of effort, I soon had him trotting steadily around the pen. In the beginning, he'd quite frequently toss his head and jump forward a few steps, eager to to pick up speed. He wasn't really used to being in a space as confined as the bullpen, and even after such a short amount of time he was already bored of the game I had chosen. I had to correct him swiftly each time to keep him from breaking into a full-on gallop.

Round and round and round he went. Slowly, boredom started to show signs of turning into restlessness, and the occasional head movement seemed to be made with a mind toward finding a way out of the pen instead of just being a way of letting off steam. And he was still dismayingly energetic. So I decided to switch things up a bit and managed to turn him around so that he was doing laps in the opposite direction, with only a minimum of him trying to tangle me in the lunge line. After even I was starting to get tired of this game, I began to notice subtle signs that suggested Eff was finally wearing out. Coiling the rope as I approached the stallion, I un-clipped it from his halter and hung it over a near by fence post. Then I reached in my pocket and pulled out a plastic bag that instantly set Eff's velvety nose aquiver when I opened it. You see, it was full of his favorite treat - I had spent the previous evening shelling as many pomegranates as I could stand to look at and filling my bag with the juicy bits. I still had a few purplish red spots to prove it! After all, it seemed a lot easier for me to dole out a handful of seeds than tote around several whole fruit. I offered him a handful as a treat then lead him over to the mounting block and quickly clamored aboard while he was chewing.

Instantly, his head came up high in a movement that was so sudden that it set his mane to bouncing, his half-chewed mouthful of seeds forgotten for the moment. Turning to get a better look at what I was doing back there, he managed to walk a few tight circles around the mounting block before he planted his hindquarters firmly on the ground with an audible whump that sent a puff of dust into the air. I had to snatch at the saddle with both hands just to keep from sliding off. Before I could decide what to do next, though, the saddle leveled out. Efialtes had decided to flop his front half down as well, and had laid his neck neck out in front of him, full length in the dirt.

Had I over done it? Surely this former ball of energy wasn't prostrate with exhaustion!

I only had a split second to dive out of the way once I realized what he was really up to. Then I couldn't help but lay where I landed, laughing heartily while Eff rolled around on the ground not even a yard away, legs flailing in the air.

Some first ride!

[Rondell]

.:Additional Artwork:.

N/A