The Wind In The Trees
The sun rose above the open prairies that day, bathing all the creatures that called this place home in a soothing warm glow. After a good night's hunting, a pack of grey wolves were slinking back to their lairs while a disgruntled grizzly bear roared his discontent at being foiled in his attempt to bring down an elk cow. Her entire herd had rounded and drove the carnivore away and, as such, the new day signalled a fruitless night for the largest hunter of the plains. His mood wasn't helped any when the still air of the morning was abruptly shattered by the loud neighs and thundering gallops which heralded the arrival of a herd of wild horses. This particular herd wasn't very large with only around five mares and their young being led by an older stallion. He was nearing the end of the prime of his life, with azure blue eyes and a sandy coloured mane and tail. His body was a light brown colour and he was a magnificent specimen among wild horses. His thick neck and body coupled with a handsome head had meant this stallion had been hunted by men for much of his life, all of them wanting to capture him. They had all cursed his name among each other, bestowing him with the name he now ran with and all creatures referred to him by; Wild Wind. His hide was covered in small scars where different predators had tried to bring him down and the whips of man had hit in an attempt to round him up. This particular morning, as he led his herd to a fresh area to graze upon, his keen eyes spied another herd already present. Stopping abruptly, Wild Wind whipped around on his hind quarters and galloped back towards the oldest mare in the herd. She had been the first member of his herd, joined with him when they were both young and not long left their birth herds to find freedom. She was significantly shorter than Wild Wind with her head reaching just above his shoulder. She was a sleek black colour with a mane and tail which were both greying heavily with age. Her eyes were a deep dark brown with a spark of ferocity in them.
"Keep the herd here for now, I shall give the way forward when I feel it is safe to go to graze," his voice was firm and solid, so the mare knew to do as she was told. As Wild Wind galloped over to face the stallion of the other herd, a foal trotted up to stand alongside its mother. This particular foal was a young filly that had seen but just over two summers in her life. Her eyes were an uncommon colour between dark brown and flecks of green, her mane and tail were such a dark brown that in some shades of light they appeared to be as black as her body was. She had inherited the thick neck and body from Wild Wind with the soundness and stubborn air of her mother. By nature, the filly was a lot more sensitive in nature than either of her parents was but she had the inner fire which drove both of them.
"Mother, when are we going to graze?" she asked the black mare impatiently. Already showing signs of her strong sire, the filly stood a head above her dam. In the middle of her face she bore a white blaze and three of her legs had white pasterns. The only leg which did not have this was her rear left one and it was always Wild Wind's priority that his daughter be defended from the greedy eyes of man. Although he had sired many colts and fillies in his life, Wild Wind felt even more strongly protective towards this little one. Perhaps it was because he knew that he was getting on in years and she would probably be the last horse he would father. The other mares in the herd had already begun showing signs of rejecting his authority and he knew that it wouldn't be too long before a younger and stronger stallion would challenge him for his small harem. The black mare, though, was still loyal to Wild Wind and she kept the younger mares in line. She whipped around abruptly to her impatient foal, teeth bared and ears back threateningly.
"You will go when Wild Wind says so!" her whinny bore no room for negotiation. Shaking her head indignantly, the chastised filly galloped away from her mother in a direction away from the herd. For some time now, she felt that she didn't quite belong in this place with them. Ever since she was old enough to run freely, the young one had sensed she didn't quite fit in with anyone in the herd. Wild Wind was kind and protective of her on the few occasions they had spent together when he wasn't guarding the herd in general, but her mother was always short-tempered and quick with a sharp bite when she felt the filly had not done as was proper. Throwing her head up and neighing stubbornly, the black filly let herself become completely immersed in the pleasure she gained from running.
Here I am.
This is me.
I come into this world so wild and free.
Here I am.
So young and strong.
Right here in the place where I belong.
It's a new world,
It's a new start,
It's alive with the beating of a young heart.
It's a new day,
In a new land,
And it's waiting for me,
Here I am.
Oh!
It's a new world,
It's a new start,
It's alive with the beating of a young heart.
Yeah!
It's a new day,
In a new land,
And it's waiting for me,
Here I am.
It was a while before the young foal realised how far she had ran from the safety of her herd. Buff mountains loomed closer to her than she had ever seen them before; the land was no longer covered in a vast carpet of fresh grass. Looking around frantically, she realised that her herd was nowhere to be found. Her heart began beating faster as it filled with fear, which was doubled when she heard the piercing cries of coyotes that were approaching from beyond her line of sight. Looking around frantically, her whole body shaking, the filly closed her eyes in terror before feeling a warm body pressing against her side. It was taller than she was, but exuded more warmth and love than she had known in her short life. Opening her eyes, the black filly found herself gazing into the warm brown eyes of a palomino mare. She had a beautiful flowing blonde mane and tail, her entire body as golden as the afternoon sun and everything about her brought such comfort to the youngster.
"Come, young Dynasty," the mare whickered softly, "let's get you back to your herd." Wondering why this magnificent mare was calling her by such a name, the filly galloped obediently behind the mare back across the plains.