Silver Storm | FVH | Home Again

It was dark and cold. In that moment nothing existed. Just her.
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Keno walked along the edge of the clearing where it met the forest. In the afternoon light it was hard to see more than a few feet into the gloomy forest. He sighed and continued walking.

“Keno.” the stallion stopped to see the beautiful red dun filly that they had found just a few weeks ago. Her mother was also a good looker. The patched stallion turned toward her.

“What do you need Miracle?” he asked, his voice calm and loving. The filly walked up to him. She had grown into a beautiful two year old in the passed weeks. And the other foals of the herd were all growing into their adult bodys. The fillys had become mares, and keno a stallion, which meant he would have to leave when Storm came back. The filly nudged Keno.

“Do you have to leave so soon?” Keno sight and put his head around hers.

“It is the way of life, Mir. I have to, or risk turning his herd upside down.” Miracle looked at him. She had never been in a herd before so she was still learning how it worked. Who better to do that then her coltfriend. Keno chuckled.

“Maybe I can go with you when you leave.” Keno looked at her. His eyes sad.

“Miracle, I can’t go with me. A bachelor herd is no place for a mare. They would all kill each other to have you. I -I can’t let that happen. You are too precious to me, I don’t want to risk your life.” Miracle teared up and pushed Keno away.

“Mir?” Keno walked toward her. She threw a buck and ran off to the forest. Keno bolted after her but stopped at the edge.

“Miracle!!” he called after her. When she did the respond he sighed and walked away. A shadow smiled and followed after the filly. A evil dead smile plastered on the it’s face.

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Onyx, Asoka, Medley, and Sun Step all laid in the sun outside the cave. The warmth of the afternoon rays was like a blanket over their rumps. The four mares loved to spend their time together. Mostly napping, as there was not much to do in the small cave and clearing they called home. They were safe and not many horses came around, well the ones that dared to investigate the herd. They usually ran off after they saw Keno. He had been doing a great job protecting the herd, as Medley watched him she wondered if he thought about taking the herd from Storm. It would be a big change and most of the mare’s might leave cause Keno was only three. The thought crossed her mind a few time before she finally decided it made no sense. Keno would just be left with his sisters and Miracle. Then how would he build his herd? Medley shook her head and laid back down. Soaking in the warm sun.

Cloudy and Sugar grazed together near the eastern part of the clearing, They did not say much to each other, just a simple eye contact was enough for the two mares to know what the other was thinking. The two mares had become great friends. Some of the mares in the herd think they are a little more than that. Both mares deyny anything, they are just friends who know each other very well.

Sunset, Morning Star, Ginger Bread, and Snowy tended to hang together and keep to themselves, As the older mares in the herd they were set on a high pedestal among the rest of the mares. That also fed Dusks ego when she was around. They had worked out their differences, but kept their quirky  personalities.

Quantum, and Dusk were the two mares that charged into battle first with Storm leading them. They knew a lot of how stallions worked, since both had been on their own since their birth. They had learned how to fend off most preditors and chase off bachelors. They made a great team.

Castaway and Cookie had not been seen in a very long time, so everyone tended not to think much about either of the, it brought too much greiff to Storm, and the rest of the herd.

Snicker kept to herself, she did not like to be around the other mares, she felt that she would be targeted for her coat, by bachelors and predators alike. PLus the other mare did not know what to do with her yet.

Trigger and Kasmir got along fine, though no one knowing of their existence.

Sunset was well with foal and tended to stay near the cave for any day she was due to have her foal. Sun Step had fully healed from her sickness and was back on her feet and acting like a filly. The herd was somewhat whole, with a few members missing.
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Storm, Dusk, Sugar, and Onyx trotted through the lush green grass. They had been searching for months to find that scent Storm had picked up. But Onyx had bright up good points along the way that made Storm stop and rethink his approach. “What if it is all in my head.” He constantly thought. “What if it is my mind showing me the thing I want to see most.” His thoughts searched the passed for what he could be “seeing”. He came up blank again and again. With a heavy sigh he stopped, the mares following him stopped and looked to the large silver bay stallion.

“Let’s go home. I don’t think we will find anything out here.” Just as the group turned around three mares came into view. The one leading the group was a silver grulla She tensed as she saw the horses, the two behind her looked at the four strange horses with ears perked and eyes wide. Storm sniffed the air catching the scent of the three mares. Out of the other two mares one seemed to be injured. She held her back left leg up and as she moved Storm could see it hurt to even walk on it.

“What are you three doing out here?” Dusk asked, the Silver mare shot her gaze to the dusty bay mare.

“I might ask you the same question.”

“We are heading back to my herd.” he replied. The silver mare looked confused. She did not expected him to respond so openly about not being with the rest of his herd.

“We are…” the silver one looked to one of the other mares. She seemed to not know what to say.

“We are looking for a herd.” the mare replied simply. Her bay coat dull and greasy. In fact all the mares looked like that. They eyes dull and tired, their hooves cracked and dry. They manes ratted, torn and messed up till they looked they they could fall out. Their tails were half the length they should be, strung up in knots and held together painfully by sticks and leaves. Storm had pity for the mares.

“Would you like to come with me. I would love for you to join my herd.” One of the mares lit up like the sun in the morning. She started to slowly and painfully walk over when the silver mare stopped her.

“We don’t need any herd.” The hurt mare snorted.

“You may not, but I want one.” The mare walked around the silver and up to Storm. He touched her nose in a polite greeting. She walked and stood behind him. The bay mare followed and did the same leaving the silver mare by herself. The six horses waited for the silver mare to decide what she wanted. She soon gave in and joined Storm. The seven horse started their journey home. With an onlooker watching their every move till they disappeared.
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“MOM! MOM!” a little voice rang out from the bushes. Cookie raise her head to see Kasmir galloping toward her with ears up.

“You will never guess what I saw just now!” the said excitedly and out of breath. Cookie waited patiently for her son to continue.

“I saw her herd walking this way, then they turned around to see three other mares. The mares joined and they all started walking away.” Cookie sniffed the air. A familiar scent drafted in the air, it was faint, and Kas had a little bit of it coming off him as well. Cookie looked back to Kasmir.

“What did the stallion look like?” She asked. The colt fell silent for a while.

“Like the way you described dad.” He said. Cookie perked her ears up and sniffed the air again, and searched her memory for her mare scent. Yes it was it was him! Cookie let out a high shrill neigh in the direction Kasmir came.

“Kas go find Trigger and Casta. Tell them we found Storm.” Kasmir nodded. Cookie closed her eyes and pointed her nose to the sky. Letting the breeze rustle her mane and tail. She was going Home.