[DeadlyArcana]

[LivingLethal]

. .Even with most of the horses found—a better result than some who had set out on the first day could have expected—as the second day's evening drew in and night loomed, the search became more desperate. The wind picked up, bringing with it an icy chill, and the snow-laden, purplish clouds had begun to descend over the forest.

. .The blizzard was on its way.

. .With the second group of horses found and on their way back to Land of Euphoria, a new leader, Lieu, took the reins, and with him, brought a new sense of urgency. Just as the group thought they were on the right track, the trail they thought they were sure was correct became impassable, and they had to turn in another direction. Tensions were high, and any joy from finding the last group soon dwindled into a silent panic. Mounts were beginning to pick up on the tension, growing agitated and spooky with each passing mile.

. .As the sun was threatening to dip behind the horizon and turn the evening to night, someone shouts out, something about hearing a horse walking. You roll your eyes—there are how many horses on this trail?—but quickly, it becomes clear to you too. It’s distant, but it’s the definite sound of horseshoes hitting stone. The group quickly follows the sound, unsure what could be making the noise, but another member shouts about spotting a cave.

. .Sure enough, when the cave is inspected, several pairs of equine eyes gaze hopefully outwards, delighted to have finally been found.

In order to enter for this route's horses—all of the ones under this cover—you must answer the following prompt before you post on any of the lost horses. Please post this prompt on this page and not on any of the individual horses' pages.

The air holds a foreboding chill as the blizzard looms over the search effort. The last search party is deployed in a rocky, dangerous part of the forest. How does your horse face this challenging terrain in difficult weather conditions? Interpret however you'd like.

Code: Select all

[b]username[/b]:
[b]errp[/b]: (your errp you're using in this prompt; if nonowner, use prize)
[b]prompt[/b]:


Your entry may be written or drawn, but must be a minimum of 250 words or at least lined and flat-colored. Please use this form for entry, though it may be prettied up as you see fit.

This prompt and its horses open November 22 at 10am EST and end on November 28 at 10am EST.

[LivingLethal]

. .Welcome to the condensed rules for Route Three!

- Route Three is consisted of twelve horses that open for entry on November 22.

- To be able to enter for any of the horses in the route, you must first answer the route's prompt. Once you do this, you will be given entry to enter for the horses that are posted under that route's cover.

- You may only win two horses per route, so choose carefully! This does not include the "Special" horse in the route, which is marked accordingly; you may only win one of the three special horses from the whole event. You may enter for however many, but know that you will not be able to choose which ones (if any) you win out of the set that you entered for. The horses you won in Route One and Two do not affect your quota for Route Three!

- This route’s prompt AND horses open on November 22 at 10am EST and close on November 28 at 10am EST.

[LivingLethal]

reserved post

route three will open for entries when it is 10am EST on the 22nd! you may post then regardless of an opening post. please do not post incomplete forms to ensure that entries are not spammed--instead please mark the main page or use the bookmarking feature instead <3

[Queen Vivane]

username: Queen Vivane
errp: Phantom
prompt:
The chill in the air had this all-encompassing feel, biting at his body even as he moved with purpose despite the fear that the blizzard might just descend and swallow them whole at any minute. It was growing steadily darker as time went by, the approach of dusk agitating some of the horses, Phantom himself included. He'd been getting antsy for some time now ever since the first path had been ended up at a dead-end due to something he couldn't see being too far away from the front of the party. That had been the queue for them to turn and find their way back to the other path in hopes that it would lead them to the final missing horses.

right as the sun was about to dip below the horizon Phantom heard it, the faint ring of metal on stone. Far too quiet and much too far away to belong to anyone in the search party. Phantom followed the other horses as they carefully pick their way along the trail, following the noises that grow steadily louder the further they went. Before too long the greying stallion caught the scent of strangers on the wind, the other horses were close now, right as that knowledge hits he stumbles, almost going down. He could feel his rider clinging tightly to his mane and he's thankful that he caught himself before either of them were injured somehow. There was no room for error, not when they were losing the light

His relief was clear when they finally found the lost horses, noises of greeting coming from the horses hiding away from the biting chill the best they could possibly manage.

[duskze]

username: DuskzeHedgie
errp: Golden Sun Moon
prompt: The stallion's ears pinned flat against the freezing chill. The challenging rocky slopes were taxing to navigate, requiring both consistency and care. The effort of this endeavor had him working up a sweat, which only made the icy wind cut deeper. As much as he longed to return to the warmth and safety of his own barn stall, he couldn't help but think of the poor lost souls who were still out wandering the dangerous forest. The idea of what they must be feeling, the worry and fear and helplessness, spurred him onwards with renewed vigor. He wouldn't leave them to face despair. Even as twigs and thistles snagged in his golden coat he was imagining their exuberant whinnies of gratitude and relief when the search party finally discovered them, ready to spirit them away from their ordeal. Every time he slipped on a shower of pebbles or nicked his lower legs on a sharp stone he would picture a circle of happy faces, illuminated by firelight as they all got a chance to relax in the heat and rest their aching bones. It filled his chest with hope and happiness as he focused on that dream. It was a dream that he would make reality, and every surefooted step was another moment closer to his goal. The cloudy wisps of his breath grew more prominent as they traveled, the oncoming blizzard clearly driving the temperature even lower as it loomed closer. The visual only served to redouble his determination, pushing himself faster to find the missing horses. By the time this day was over he swore that he would see the others returned to safety, that he would protect them from whatever else this harrowing situation might throw at them and in the end, guide them unharmed to their own loving homes. [303/250]

[LivingLethal]

"We'll need the help."

The following users are cleared to enter in Route Three horses:
Queen Vivane
DuskzeHedgie

[Southern sweetie]

username: Southern sweetie
errp: Cryptic Code Blues
prompt:

██████████

╔════════════╗

Having finally been successful with the second group, blue and Cassie were able to breath a little more. That meant only one more group before this nightmare was over. That moment of course was short lived. As they both felt the coldest chill fall over the camp, Cassie looked at blue with worry in her eyes. “Let’s hope we find those other horses quickly tomorrow boy...”

As the morning came and the group set out, the optimism was clearly slipping away. Each horse and rider drained as much as the next. The tension was setting in when hours passed with nothing to show for it. Blue could tell Cassie was loosing all faith. Thinking quickly he gave a fake buck to catch her attention.

“Hey!” Cassie scolded. Blue gave a nicker and shook his neck. She smiled, all he was doing was trying to bring her spirits up. She was so thankful to have a horse that was so in tune with her. “Come on boy, let’s try to focus. This blizzards not letting up anytime soon. It’s only gonna get worse.” Blue grunted in agreement and continued on.

A little later the group came across some difficult terrain. The blizzard had iced over everything and covered the ice with thin layer of snow. The ice was so crystal clear it made several rocky spots look dry. Blue took a couple of precaution steps forward. His hoof caught traction so he continued on. With continuing on blue let his guard down a little while on the steep rocks. He was lucky enough to pass a spot full of black ice and not loose balance. Cassie quickly called out to the group to make them aware of the situation before someone took a tumble.

The terrain was dangerous yes but the thought of leaving the 3rd group out in the blizzard was horrible. Cassie and blue just knew that they couldn’t leave them out here. Other riders kept asking if they should turn around. Blue was snort with defiance and Cassie would sharply answer “No!” They just knew they’d eventually find some type of clue as to where the horses were. They just needed faith...

-

╚════════════╝

[DeadlyArcana]

username: Alhena
errp: Madison
prompt:

There was relief felt throughout the group as they have finally recovered the second herd of horses. Bailey was incredibly proud of how Southpaw handled himself throughout the scavenger hunt for the missing horses but now it was time to retire him away and use her last horse she brought along. Madison waited eagerly for her shot on the trails. She loved exploring and helping others, so being apart of a rescue team was the perfect opportunity for her to do both.

The mare tossed her head in excitement as she watched Bailey return Southpaw out to the paddock; She pawed at the stall door as she watched her trainer make her way up the gravel path and into the barn.

"I see youre eager to start on the trail huh Maddy." Bailey patted the dark mares neck.

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Bailey tightened the girth one last time before she was ready to mount. Doing one last check on her tack, she slid her boot into the stirrup and brought her hands to the front and back of the saddle. Getting some momentum behind her, she bounced off the ground and swung her leg over, settling into the saddle gently. She scratched Madisons neck and praised her to staying still as she got on, it was something they worked on for months since Madison has a knack for being impatient.

"Alright, we're all set to head out! What part of the forest are we heading to today?" Bailey asked as she walked up to some of the other riders who had been waiting on her. They informed her that they were heading to the base of the nearby mountains. There was reports of some caves that the horses might of found and decided to hole up in for safety. Bailey was hesitant at first; Madison had yet to experience rocky terrain and she knew the earth was going to be slick from the lowering temps. But she had confidence that Madison will overcome any obstacles that find her.

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It had been a few hours since the search group left the base camp back at the stables. The temperatures had fallen and the riders were all bundled up in their saddles. The ground underneath Madisons hooves had slowly turned from soft grass on the forest floor to rocky gravel at the base of the mountains. The tree line had thinned out significantly as they neared the mountain edge, but they still had to be weary of predators, especially bears. As she and the other horses navigated the rocky surface, Madison kept in the back of her mind that she needed to be careful of her footing. She wasn't having any problems as of yet, but some horses behind her were struggling to keep balance, especially over the larger rocks.

[465 words]

[LivingLethal]

"We'll need the help."

The following users are cleared to enter in Route Three horses:
Southern sweetie
Alhena