A/N: I swear, this idea just came to me today on a whim. I had briefly considered writing a sequel to Wolfsbane, but I had no sensational ideas for it, so I discarded it. But this is something I knew I could write, being an enthusiastic horseperson. While I was playing Twilight Princess, i had always wondered where Epona was during that part in the beginning, from where the Bulbins first raided Ordon Village to where Epona appears again in Kakariko Village. Similar to Wolfsbane, this won't be a particularly long story, but I do hope you enjoy it.
The life I led as a ranch horse was one I grew to love and cherish in my later years. I lived in a wonderfully spacious pasture that seemed to stretch on for miles, and rolled with gentle hills. The grass was deep and lush in parts of it, though the majority was flat and sparse from the fierce pounding it received from the little cloven hooves of Ordon's goats. The delightful creatures were my friends, since I was the only horse living in the village at the time. Though from this sheltered type of existence I learned nothing of my own kind, I never was lonely. Along with the Ordon goats, the village people provided me with constant companionship. I enjoyed it when the children would pet and stroke me, and when they brought me nice things to eat.
My most precious friend was my master, Link. It was he who would approach me in the pasture every single day with a fresh bale of hay in his arms, whistling a friendly melody. While I ate, he would rest in the grass with his head tilted upward, still humming the tune. That single, repeated melody became a song that I could recognize from a mile away. I loved it and never tired of listening to it. Link would smile and laugh when I would come trotting toward him whenever I heard that song. Eventually, he learned how to whistle that song through a plant called a horse reed, for the shape of it was like that of a horseshoe.
He and I thrived on routine. We began every morning together in the big pasture, and we spent long minutes cantering up and over the mild terrain. Having ridden me for most of my life, Link had trained me well. A squeeze from his legs was all I needed to trot, lope, or gallop as he wished. In my early days of training, Link held the reins snugly and used an extra notch to guide me in the right direction. But soon after, I grew to be a trustworthy and reliable mount, and Link decided to neck rein from then on. The loosened rein was a joy to my soft mouth, and I was eager to begin work every day after that.
The hour of dusk was the busiest time for my master and me. The goats needed to rest in the barn every night, and since many of them were stubbornly resistant, it was our job to herd them safely inside each night. The goats clustered tightly together and protested loudly when they saw me walking with Link astride my back. At his signal, I would canter in a wide circle surrounding the herd and send them down the pasture in a flurry of flying hooves. A fair few went quietly through the barn's open doors with little argument, though many made the task difficult. Sometimes, they even turned against their herding instincts and separated, kicking up their heels and blowing air through their nostrils. It was at this stage when Link would release the pressure on the reins and sit deeply in the saddle; it was time for me to take over.
By my own volition, I would turn to the direction of a rogue goat and quicken my stride. The goat would see me coming from the corner of his eye and scamper away, bleating. I would come to gallop alongside of him and cut him off abruptly. As he would kick out again and turn around, I would slide to a stop and turn on my heels, and gallop after him, squealing.
It was simply a matter of cutting off the goat's means of escape. Since being a horse and sharing similar instincts as he, I could anticipate his movements easily. As the sun would set lazily over the hilltops, the goats had all been herded into the barn and were beginning to settle for the night. With a firm whoa, Link coaxed me to a stop, and praised me with a pat to my sweaty withers.
"Easy, mare. Good work, Epona," he would say, pleased with my efforts. His words, spoken in the human language and foreign to me, still conveyed his satisfaction and his pride in me. Having a leader as kind and fair as he was the greatest reward I received for all of my hard work. As any great leader would, he always made me feel happy, safe, and well loved.
I would never forget that, especially on that day when Ordon, and my life, was changed forever.
A/N: Just so you know, this was meant to be a short prologue. Next chapter and beyond will be normal length. Please remember to review; those really help. Enjoy your day,
Twilight Stallion