Hi there readers! No, this not a side story to any of my fics but something completely different and I hope it goes well. I had planned for this to be a oneshot but you never know what will happen when writing, you get carried away. Hopefully, it won't go past five chapters and I can get my sequel for my other fic started. I just had to get this idea out. I was watching Spirit and the idea popped up.
As you can see it is a SasuNaru fic or, more accurately, a SasuNaruSasu fic and this is also my first attempt at yaoi. I hope you yaoi fans find it interesting and even those of you who read my fics but may not like yaoi; I ask you at least try it. This will have a few Bryan Adams songs throughout it as it was based on Spirit after all. You can listen to the songs, they are very nice and that's from someone who likes industrial, heavy metal, and the works.
Please let me know if I got anything wrong with my vocabulary on horses and their behavior and such. I got all of this from the internet and if there's someone who knows a whole lot about them would like to give me a few pointers, I would appreciate it. I'm not following every single fact about horses or the movie for the sake of the fic though so bear that in mind. Also, Sasuke and Naruto will be horses for a little while- don't worry, they won't do anything until they're human lol! I hope you stick around long enough to see when they do. I had wanted to get it all done so it would have been a oneshot but I wanted to get something to my readers.
That said, let's get this story rolling. I will update Hinata the Vamp next week instead since I'm sick and already had this written. Sorry :(
Excuse any errors and R&R!!!
Chapter 1
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Hoofs pawed the earth as the young colt roamed the fields as swiftly as the shadow of a cloud, his coat shiny black, his mane and tail raven.
The hard earth shook beneath his powerful hooves as he galloped.
He was now a rogue, roaming the area as far away from the herd as possible since his brother had taken up the role as leader; his father was too old to protect the herd now. In return, the other horses turned on him, causing the alpha stallion to defend him. He did not want that. He did not want his brother to protect his every move since he was next in line. He wanted to live for himself without looking behind him, and so he left them behind to find his own way.
His pace slowed into a canter as his nostrils flared. He breathed heavily but steadily to cool down his heated body but continued on in hope to get as far away as possible. He knew if any of the others found him alone without the alpha stallion, he would be probably be hurt so that he would not be able to take the role of next in line or possibly killed. He was a colt, not a stallion yet, and the other stallions would easily take him down if they ganged up on him whether he was strong or not.
He had been doing this for three or so days; running as fast and far as he could before stopping to rest and eat, get some water, and then be off again. There were no other herds nearby that he knew of so he just wished he would come to somewhere where he knew he could be safe.
The sun was overhead that he had been trailing all this time; running ahead of it, beside, and following it, hoping it would lead him to a place he could call home, but so far, there had been nothing but long stretches of bare land and few trees to take shelter under when the heat got unbearable or when the rain fell; they did little to block the cold.
But now, there was something different ahead.
He could see a large structure getting closer, getting bigger as he ran until he came upon a barrier of some sort. He had never seen anything like it before and walked around it a little, trying to figure out what could have put it there. Whatever it was was made out of trees, probably some of the ones nearby, and it did not seem threatening to him.
Then there was a flicker of movement that caught his onyx eyes. There was a horse in the strange circle… or was it? It looked as though a ray of sun had dropped to the earth and landed right there in the form of the horse that was peacefully eating.
Rays of sunlight peaked out from the sparse clouds on the being. Its coat was the color of the sun when it set, it's mane the color of bright sunshine. The only thing was that from the distance, he could not tell if the other horse was male or female, though he knew it were just as young as he was from the size. It was very beautiful and slightly smaller than himself from what he could see so maybe, it was female.
There was no way a colt would look like that.
All of the horses he was accustomed to were all dark in color so maybe over here all the horses were this color. All this meant to the young colt was that he would once again stand out among others—that was if he chose to stay.
He was not sure he would be though. He needed to be alone or somewhere where he could just be himself and, from the looks of it, even though the pretty filly looked as peaceful as she did, as far as he could see, she was trapped in the circle.
---
He was about to continue on his way when there was a loud sound. It was not the sound of another horse from what he could hear and when he looked, he saw an animal running towards him on the back of a horse.
The being waved an appendage in the air as another shout was made and more of them appeared, looking in his direction.
He had heard about these animals before. His brother had called them 'men' and said they could be very dangerous.
The filly looked up and they locked eyes.
Was it normal for a horse to have eyes the color of the sky? Surely, this place bred different horses altogether. The eyes stared at him and he was so caught up in staring back that the men had come up quite near to him. He pawed the ground threateningly as he glared down the horses that were being ridden.
"That is one beautiful mustang right there," said one of the men as he tucked something into his pocket. Apparently, he had caught that men's interest.
They were strange creatures. They had no hair covering them, only their head, from what he could see. They had some kind of covering on their bodies instead and something covering their heads. The one that had spoken had what looked like hair the color of rain. Part of his face was hidden behind a blue covering on his face, blocking his mouth and nose.
"It sure is," said the other. "Just be careful." This one had hair the color of dirt.
He didn't understand one thing that came from their mouths but he was not going to try to find out.
They held things in their hands that twirled in the wind and though they did not look harmful, he was sure the men were up to no good with them. Other men appeared and he neighed loudly to get them to go away, but knew that if they were anything like the dangerous animals he knew, they would not back down.
Not having enough energy to fight them off, he started of a quick gallop. He needed to get away and fast, but the other horses were right behind him. The men that rode them kept shouting, making him confused.
What they wanted with him, he had no idea. He just knew that he was not going to let them catch up to him without a good run.
Unfortunately, a good run did not last very long for the fact that he had barely been eating surfaced and he tired after a short while. He was not going to give up though. He kept running and running…
… Until there was something pulling him back by his neck.
He fell to the ground ungracefully and hard, skidding to a stop with a slight pain in his leg that had buckled under his weight. He looked up to see one of the men coming towards him; one of the first two he had seen. His hands touched his neck carefully and ran it down to his muzzle but drew back when he tried to snap at the fingers. He then felt the man lightly touching his leg.
"He seems a little hurt," the man angrily. "I told you to be careful!"
"I was careful," another man said. He took out an object and stared at it, focusing on whatever it was than looking at him for awhile.
"Do you know it will be hard for us to try to work with him if he's hurt on his first experience seeing us?"
What the men were making so much noise about, he didn't care, but he did know he wanted to get away from them. They had hurt him. He snorted, nostrils flaring as he attempted to get up and did so successfully. But as soon as he attempted to move away, there was a restraint on him and he could hardly move. He glared at the horses that were nearest him. They had strange items on them; on their backs where the men sat and faces which had something that led to the men's hands. They just stood there, unmoving and looking at him with interest.
He asked them what was going on and there answer was that he was going to live with them from now on it seemed.
He looked across at the circle that held the drop of sunshine captive and saw she was looking on in interest as well but she had not come close, instead just staring his way. What was wrong with the horses that were here? Had the men done something to them?
Not wanting the same thing to happen to him, he thrashed around, trying to rid himself of the restraints that held him but it was no use. No matter how hard he tried, he realized he could not fight off so many men. Once again, he was too weak; not strong enough to take care of himself.
"I could have sworn he was a shadow had I not seen him run with my own eyes," said the man, face still hidden. "How did you manage to pick him out so easily, Iruka?"
"Naruto seemed a little tense by something," the other said. "I looked to see if there was a threat and saw him."
"So that's his name then? Shadow?"
The man with the hair the color of dirt patted him on the back, startling him before he came face to face with him. The man's eyes were kind. He did not look dangerous. "Shadow," he said.
Was that what they called him? Was he Shadow?
"Yes… Shadow."
He supposed it was what he was to be called. It didn't sound too bad.
Still angry from being caught, Shadow gave the men as much trouble as possible, a few of them sporting black and blue marks on their hairless skin and he was very proud of that. They led him around the 'paddock' as the men had said and through an opening.
He didn't want to go in there; he wanted to be free! He didn't care how pretty the other horse in there was.
But that didn't matter as he was ushered inside by Iruka. The beautiful horse the man called cantered over, nuzzling Iruka and the man laughed. "I know just what you need." The man took something small and round from his pocket and fed it to Naruto, who ate it eagerly and then nickered. "I swear you never get tired of them," the man said with a smile. "No wonder Jiraiya had to name you after them."
"It's because you two spoiled him with the things in the first place," said the man with the rain colored hair. His head surfaced from the object he held from so close to his face.
"I know, Kakashi," Iruka said. "But he's too sweet not to give him them. Even Jiraiya agrees."
"Naruto's his horse, you know," said Kakashi. "But he likes you more because you spoiled him by coming out here eating ramen in front of him and giving him some and now he can't live without fishcakes everyday."
Iruka laughed. "I can't help that."
Iruka patted Naruto as he put the end of the same restraint on Naruto.
"Are you sure about that?" asked Kakashi. He pointed at Shadow. "That thing's wild!"
"Naruto can handle him," said Iruka. "It's just a rope."
Whatever they were saying, Shadow figured that 'Naruto' was the horse standing next to him. She blew at him curiously. Shadow was not sure if he should communicate with her or not. What he did not understand was why she was being restrained as well.
Iruka tried to fasten the rope around his already sore neck and Shadow snapped at his hands, only to be shoved and nipped at by Naruto, who now stomped her feet. Shadow growled at her softly, allowing her to know that he was not one to be toyed with but she didn't back down. She just pawed even more and squealed at him.
What did she mean by 'no?' He didn't want to be held here by the man and she should not either. Was she this man's pet? He had heard about horses like her; horses that were broken and made to help out man by slaving away while the men rode on their backs. If this were true, wouldn't Naruto take his side instead of the man?
"See? Naruto can handle him," said Iruka. He ran his hands through Naruto's mane. "Please teach Shadow some manners," he said. "Try to behave."
Naruto nodded deeply as though she could understand what the man was saying.
"I'll go get something for Shadow's leg," said the man.
---
The two men left, the others leaving with them to have Shadow alone with Naruto.
The more Shadow looked at her, the more he saw that maybe she was not a 'she' after all. She, or rather he was a colt just like him. Shadow smacked his lips in distaste at making the mistake and summed up it was not his fault Naruto was so different and pretty. The other horse should look tougher, not so soft.
One thing for sure was that he at least knew how to stand up for himself. No other horses dared react to Shadow in that way unless there were more than one involved. He knew for a fact that he was quite strong and big for his age and certainly bigger than Naruto was.
Naruto walked away, taking the rope with him that made Shadow's neck a little more sore but he didn't make a move to follow. He didn't want Naruto pulling him around. That was not his way of doing things; to be pulled around by some other colt.
Naruto caught the rope in his teeth and tugged insistently, trying to persuade Shadow to move but he resisted, planting his hooves in the ground. Naruto looked irritated and gave a short growl before walking his way, a calm aura around him. Sasuke found it was quite alluring but shook it off as the fact that he had thought the other horse was female before.
The golden colored horse proceeded to walk around him, keeping eye contact. Shadow still had to wonder how a horse's eyes could be so blue. They were deep like pools of water that reflected the sky. Shadow tried to keep eye contact, twisting his head left to right to keep up with the pace Naruto was going at to keep looking at those eyes when suddenly, Naruto leaped away, leaving him on the ground on tangled limbs.
Naruto came to him and nickered playfully but Shadow refused to reply, making the other angry. He did not want to be friends with Naruto and the other took it too mean they were enemies.
Naruto pawed the ground and Shadow got up as well, doing the same. If the other wanted a fight, he would give him regardless of the fact that he was tired, hungry and his leg hurt. Naruto had tripped him up after all; he had delivered what could count as the first hit. He couldn't get away from Naruto so he would have to do what he could. Plus, Shadow didn't exactly like the loud and playful horse and it seemed the feeling was mutual.
They both reared up on their hind legs, screaming at each other.
He did not want to be here, he did not want the men near him, and no matter how beautiful Naruto was, he did not want to be pushed and pulled around by some pet that belonged to men. He was accustomed fighting to keep his place in his herd and a mate when he so desired and he was not afraid to show Naruto he could be boss here too.
"Oi!"
The sound of the man shouting stopped Shadow and Naruto from even touching the other. Both their nostrils flared as they glared at each other. An older man appeared, jumping over what Shadow heard was the fence with a lot more ease and agility than Shadow thought he would and stood in front Naruto, shielding him from Shadow.
"Oh no you don't!" said the old man. He looked like a bigger older version to the man called Kakashi. "You won't touch Naruto, you hear me?!"
Shadow reared to his hinds legs again in a threatening manner at the harsh voice directed at him; he didn't like it, but the man did not budge.
"Jiraiya!" came the voice he recognized as Iruka's. "Get out of there!"
"No! I can't have him harming Naruto!" the man named Jiraiya yelled.
Shadow put his feet down, snorting. He could sense the man was protecting Naruto from him and it caught his curiosity enough to stop him from harming the man. It seemed these men cared a lot for the horses they had, especially Naruto.
When Jiraiya felt that Shadow was no longer going to try anything he turned his back on him, cooing to Naruto as though he were the man's offspring to which Naruto blew and nuzzled his neck and face. "It's ok, the mean mustang's not going to hurt you."
The man then turned angrily to Iruka. "What the hell were you thinking, catching that thing and putting him in here with Naruto?!"
"If we let out the other horses, he'll mislead them so I decided to catch him," said Iruka softly at being shouted at. "And Shadow is such a beautiful horse. He just needs some love since he seemed to have been out in the wild all alone."
"Shadow? You named the thing?" asked Jiraiya.
Shadow could not understand why they were using his name so often. They were communicating about him and he wondered what would happen. Naruto's owner was not pleased that they were about to fight so maybe they were thinking about letting him go free. "He needs to be returned to the wild where he belongs. He's a rogue."
"But all the herds I know about are days away," said Iruka. "We don't know if he left deliberately or if they chased him away."
Jiraiya blew out heavily through his mouth and Shadow assumed he was defeated by what the other man had said as his shoulders were not so tense.
"Fine," he said. "You can keep him although he's really mine, this place belongs to me, but if something like this happens again and Naruto is hurt, I'm firing you. I can handle you and Kakashi being together but harming Naruto is another thing altogether."
Iruka shuddered and nodded.
Jiraiya patted Naruto again and climbed over the fence to the other side. "Get them some apples," he said.
Iruka ran inside the structure they called the stables and brought out some apples. He held one of the apples out to them both and Naruto tugged on the rope to get Shadow to walk with him.
"Come on, now," said Iruka. "If you want to eat, you have to cooperate."
Shadow didn't know what the man had said but it sounded kind enough to let Sasuke knew there was no threat. He moved forward with Naruto and the other ate right from the man's hands, licking his fingers. Iruka laughed and took out another apple, this time to Shadow. He watched the man closely for any sudden movements or changes to suggest it was a trick but the man held completely still, offering him the food.
Shadow made another step forward and took the apple between his teeth, biting it in half to test out the taste. When there seemed to be nothing wrong with it, he took the rest of it, crunching the juicy fruit then snapped at Iruka's hand, making him jerk it away to show another apple. Naruto shoved him again so Sasuke kept still and Iruka was very happy with this for he fed them just before the sun went down.
Now here was the tricky part; allowing the man to touch the area that hurt. How did he know the man would not hurt his leg more than it was? Naruto was pretty calm though, and the apples had not made either of them feel sick so maybe it would not be so bad.
Shadow allowed the man to sooth the area that hurt as Naruto watched. When he was finished, he left something on him like what he had seen the other men wear that he had injured so he left it even though it felt weird. "I hope that feels better tomorrow," said Iruka. "Hopefully, I can let you both out for awhile then." The man left with a final pat to both their noses and Shadow refrained from biting at him to avoid Naruto squealing at him again.
The sun had set now, casting the whole area in hues of bright pinks and purples, gold trimming everything in sight. Shadow looked over to see Naruto and was staring at the sight. Naruto indeed was like the sunshine and he seemed to shine in whatever light there was.
The orange sun cast Naruto in the soft light, making his honey colored coat and darkened, blue eyes glitter. He looked so peaceful staring out to the sunset that Sasuke just stood alongside him watching as it disappeared.
Naruto turned to him and tugged the rope, this time a little gentler than before. It seemed he did not want trouble with him, but whether that meant he had submitted to Shadow leading was a different story for as soon as Shadow started to walk ahead of him to the trees, Naruto broke into a trot to be ahead. Even though the trees were not that far away, they both paced over, nearly going full out to reach them first but in the end, they both got there the same time.
When they got there, Shadow saw that there were two men coming their way, but they were familiar and Naruto didn't seemed bothered by them. They turned out to be Iruka and Jiraiya, their hands full. "Naruto, you forgot to wait for your blanket," said Jiraiya, holding out the thick covering.
He and Iruka jumped over the fence to get to them properly and Jiraiya threw the blanket over Naruto. The other horse did not seem bothered or threatened by it so Shadow allowed Iruka to put the warm covers over him. It felt comforting somehow and he found he liked it quite a lot.
That didn't stop him from butting Iruka away on the first try to get near him though, knocking him on his rear. If Jiraiya had not been holding Naruto, the other horse would have probably snapped at him again.
"You know," said Jiraiya, as he petted Naruto lightly while looking down at the younger man. "That mustang you caught is quite feisty. He's like a shadow because he's quiet, but he seems more like a fighter."
"I realize that," said Iruka as he looked at Shadow, dusting his behind off after he got to his feet. His face was red now with embarrassment. "I was thinking of renaming him. I was reading and found a name that just might suit him better. How does Sasuke sound?"
"Sasuke," said the older man, assumingly testing whatever word it was on his tongue and then he smiled. "It sounds great. It really suits him."
Iruka looked at him, his kind brown eyes staring at his own. "No more Shadow," he said. "You're Sasuke now."
What was this 'Sasuke' they were saying repeatedly when referring to him? Wasn't his name 'Shadow?' The men should really make up their minds.
"Sasuke," said the man again and the colt could only assume that was what they would call him from now on.
"Well have a good night, Sasuke and Naruto," said Jiraiya as he and Iruka started to climb over. Naruto helped them over, pushing them with his nose. Sasuke came up as well, shoving Naruto out of the way to butt them both to land on their faces.
Naruto wasn't happy, but he merely growled as he looked to make sure the two men were fine as they rubbed their behinds and walked away with a final wave.
Sasuke couldn't understand the kindness the men showed to them. It was different from what he had heard and Naruto was just as kind to them, treating them as one of his kind in return.
In any case, he was not going to worry about that now. He was awfully tired from the traveling he had done and the day he had had. He wanted nothing more than to get some rest to prepare for the next day.
He was glad the men had given them the blankets for it was very cold outside. When he was in his herd, they would all be together and under the shelter of the trees so it was not that bad but when he had run away, there was little to no cover and he was always left shivering terribly throughout the night and in the early hours of the morning. He was glad that he would not have to go through that tonight.
He came a little closer to the trees where Naruto was. He did not want to get too close but it felt nice to have another horse nearby after three days without any contact with one. He missed his brother and herd more than he cared to admit and needed someone close by for the night.
Sasuke slept better than he had for the days he was out on his own and figured being in this strange place would not be so bad after all.
That's the fist chapter, readers! I really hoped you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
If you have not read Hinata The Vamp, A Happy Ending (now a completed fic) or Hina hime, please do. Those are SasuHina het fics although there might be some yaoi in the other pairings later.
Until next update...
Ja!
Please review, I love it when you do!