Zane the Hybrid
Alone, forgotten, left to die.
There are two species of equine, both can be any color, breed, form, but what separates them from one another is their diet.
There are the normal, grass-eaters. Then there are the less-well known cannibals, which are horses that hunt other equines out of blood-lust and hunger.
Sometimes, a hybrid is born, one with both qualities, getting nutrients from both grass and carcasses.
Hybrids are usually killed by their herd members because they are supposedly a curse. Well, one survived to his teenage years, his name is Zane, and he's very unpopular.
His father being the Great Cannibal King of the East, whereas his mother was a well-respected grasslands mare of the North. Zane never knew his mother before she passed away, and he never met his father, so he was left alone in this unfair world, despised by all.
Zane grew up out of a herd, making him more and more unfriendly and unused to herd-life. He turned into a handsome Zebra-eques stallion with two large canine teeth near the front of his jaws, and then large molars in the back for chewing grass.
Up until this morning, he had been alone all his life, no, not completely alone. He has this strange feeling, like someone was always looking after him, someone with his blood, but he had no clue who. His father had disappeared before he was born, and his mother became ill and died after giving birth.
He had like this second sense, allowing him to sense if danger was around, like someone was whispering in his tufted ears.
Anyways, back to the story!
Zane was grazing on some grass, his long tail flicked now and then to the annoyance of flies. His silver eyes watched his surroundings as he ate, his ears on a swivel.
Something stumbled near him, sending him flying around to face it, his ears perked and eyes narrowed at the grasslands equine that had stumbled down a hill after lightly tripping on a rock. Had it been watching him? He wondered as he watched it curiously, it froze like a deer in headlights.
Zane's silver eyes studied the slightly smaller grasslands equine, noting its lack of coloration, a cremello? Maybe a light dun, any who, it had just stumbled into his territory.
Zane stepped forward, his neck arched in a display of power. His ears pinned lightly, that's when he noticed how the other reacted, backing down with ears pinned and teeth barred, like it could do damage with those nubby teeth. He thought to himself before barring his own teeth in reaction, making the other equine back away even more, why did it not run? Was it hurt? He wondered more and more as he perked his ears, and stepped forward to observe its reaction.
Finally he figured out why it was so far from a herd, it was a young mare that had caused trouble, most likely.
Zane's tail flicked, and he stepped closer, the mare quickly stepped away with pinned ears. He tilted his head and straightened his neck to sniff the mare.
The mare snapped at him, Zane barely flinched, leaving a tiny mark on his chin. His eyes narrowed, but he simply turned and kicked at the air before beginning to walk away. His ears perked, like something had spoken to him, he quickly turned and raced back to the mare, his ears flattened against his neck. The mare quickly got out of the stallion's way, Zane rammed into a lioness that had been stalking through the grass, there was a loud bang as he sent the feline into a tree. The lioness hissed, and began to back away.
Zane stood in all his glory, glaring the lioness down. He then stomped a hoof before turning his attention towards the mare, he shook his head before continuing on his way.
The mare, Duchess was her name, followed after him absentmindedly.
This caught Zane by surprise, he looked back at the mare and shook his mighty head in dismay, telling her to go find another stallion, but Duchess pursued after him. His ears flattened but he kept walking.
Duchess tagged along with him, saying that she'd, "Follow you around until they spotted another herd."
Zane let out an annoyed snort, he pawed the ground before digging at a rabbit hole, seizing the escapee in his teeth. He looked at the mare, who looked shocked. He smiled lightly at her reaction before devouring the rabbit, he then spoke, "I'm a hybrid, but I doubt you know what that is?"
Duchess answered in a clear but almost hesitant voice, "So you're a mix between a grasslands and a cannibal?"
Zane let out a gruff sound, nodded his head, and then continued on his way towards the watering hole. Herds normally went here, so he was hoping he could part ways with the mare as quick as possible.
Duchess spoke up, "Oh, how rude am I? My name's Duchess."
Zane's ears swiveled to listen to her, he spoke quietly, "Name's Zane."
"That's a cool name." The mare spoke, a smile crosses her face, but Zane acted like he didn't realize this.
Not too much further. Zane thought as he saw the water up ahead, he then noticed a small harem, he sighed quietly and flicked his tail. He stopped at the edge of the water and began to drink from the murky water.
Duchess stopped next to him and drank alongside him. Zane felt uncomfortable and stepped away slightly before looking at the stallion, from the harem, that was approaching. Zane merely stepped away further, turning to leave.
Duchess watched this curiously before turning to follow Zane, the stallion stopped her and stood between the two, Duchess barred her teeth and flattened her ears.
Zane looked back, the stallion was grinning at him, and then spoke, "Giving up such a mare? So easily?" The stallion then noticed Zane's fangs, "Oh, must be your mutt genes." He snickered.
Zane stopped, his eyes closed slightly, he then turned, his teeth barred, and his neck arched lightly. "Yea, I'm a mutt, and I'm proud of it. I'm a hybrid, yes I know, but I can use these fangs my father, the Great King Cannibal, gave me for more than show." He snapped back, his tail flicked back and forth, his eyes full of hate for this stallion.
Duchess stepped away from the two, going to the sidelines as the mares from the harem were as well.
The stallion reared, its bright red pelt against the green backdrop from the grasslands gave him this outline that shown every muscle along his body.
Zane was far more impressive, he didn't rear, he didn't need to show his strength in such a way. His muscles rippled, and his arched neck gave him this certain quality, making him seem far more superior and much more intelligent.
The red stallion began to kick at Zane's face with his front hooves. Zane merely turned his head, and then lunged, his sharp fangs piercing the other's neck. He then just hung on as the other stallion struggled, finally he let go, allowing blood to flow into the stallion's neck, making it choke on its own blood.
Zane then stepped away as the red stallion fell, he then turned and began to walk away. His eyes softened as he looked at the harem, he then shook his head, washing his muzzle off in the water. He then watched the mares walk up to him, greeting him, welcoming him, some even decided to flirt, or ask him to show them his fangs. He merely nodded to a few, his eyes landed on Duchess but he stayed quiet for a few moments before speaking. "I guess this is now my harem, you all will treat others with respect and please, just call me Zane, I dislike it when others call me Leader or 'stud'."
They all nodded in response, Zane then began towards back towards his territory, leaving the corpse of the stallion to rot.