The ominously dark and cloudy skies overhead threatened to open up and begin pouring down rain on the wide expanse of the country side below it. The animals that resided in this expanse of forest and field and farmland all knew a serious storm was upon them. The winds had picked up, carrying the sweet cleansing smell of the rains toward them, and the air overhead crackled and rumbled with lightening and thunder.
Rabbits huddled deep into their burrows with their baby bunnies, birds hunkered down where ever they could find a bit of shelter to lessen their exposure to imminent winds and rains, foxes darted here and there to escape into their dens, and the deer grouped up to whether out the worst of the storm together.
Suddenly, from the fields beyond the deep forest most of the animals called home came a lone horse, a Haflinger mare. She had clearly been panicked by something and was running full tilt toward the forest. Her flanks were caked with dirt and mud and sweat all mixed together, and patches of her coat were missing. Her main and tail were a snarled mess, and her body was rail thin with one exception, her distended abdomen. She was very pregnant and due to foal at any time now. This poor mare had obviously been neglected and mistreated and now she was giving what little life and energy she had left to keeping her unborn foal alive.
"Leave her" Came a voice from the fields, "that ratty nag is of no use to me in that condition".
Several men had gathered near the far end of the field, where farmland and eventually the village began. All but one, the one who had spoken, were wearing thick glasses and long heavy coats. The man who had spoken had white hair and was dressed in a neat black suit. He was clearly in charge.
Soon, they had all departed to take shelter from the coming storm, but this offered little comfort to the mare, who kept running at full speed deeper into the forest. She finally slowed down as the first fat drops of rain came pelting down and saw before what she had sought out. A sprawling village nestled deep in the forest, where the forest ended and the great mountains began.
Eventually she saw that which she had sought for so long, a woman who could she could communicate with, and who communicated with the great Druids, the guardians of the forest, mountains and fields beyond. She slowed to a trot and neighed at the woman, who had been running back from the cows, milk pail in hand, and eventually she took notice of this bedraggled, emaciated mare. Clearly the mare knew her, but there was no look of recognition on the woman's face. She just looked puzzled, shocked and saddened.
The mare then knew she had done all she could to secure her unborn foal's life. She had come to the fabled village of hope. Suddenly, exhaustion took hold of her and she found she could no longer stand. Weakened by so much hunger and neglect and the long run to get to this village, she collapsed on the spot as the woman shouted over the raging storm for help from her druid friends.