A/N: I have always loved the Silver Brumby concept. After finding the cartoon I was hooked. Unfortunately, I have yet to read the series of books. I have read The silver Brumby and The Silver Brumby's daughter, but it is impossible to find the others in braille (which is the only way I can read as I have no sight) or on an audiobook. This story is based from the cartoon, but has no particular timeline placement, other than coming after both Ebony and Golden have featured in the episodes.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters mentioned/shown in the Silver Brumby series. I do, however, own Flora, Willow and Prince. Please, please give feedback. I really do appreciate criticism or encouragement.

Freedom. A word used in definition to mean the state of being free or at liberty, rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. A rather dry meaning to a concept that means so much in the hearts of all creatures, be they beast, bird or man. Freedom to move, to run, to make your own way. To roam at will and never need to worry about who, the why or the wherefore. To feel your heart soar to the clouds as you stand atop a mountain, or dash through the trees, or even splash your way through a bubbling stream.

Freedom comes in many guises, through the kindness of others, through the achievement of ones own goals, through careless action, and sometimes, through pure chance.

This night was to prove to be an occasion of chance. The winds were fierce as they blew in whistling flurries over the countryside. Rain fell in torrents, soaking the ground underfoot and weighing down the boughs of trees with dripping waterfalls of rain water. Not a true thunderstorm, as no lightning cut the air with electric bolts of fury, nor did thunder boom heavy drum beats into the ears of those who could hear it. It was, however, a very bad storm.

Howling with all the unearthly vigour of the hounds of hell, the wind buffeted against the log cabin that sat in the open field, its timbers creaking and groaning with the effort of staying together. Well built as it was, it was a challenge for the old place to maintain its solidity.

Inside, four figures sat clustered around the old fireplace, glad for its heat and comfort in the current tumult outside. One of the four, a woman in her early thirties looked towards the rain dashed window with a pensive look on her face. "Are they alright, do you think?"

"They'll be fine Elaine, don't worry yourself so much." One of the two men present, a man who appeared the same age as the distracted Elaine commented, swirling the hot drink in the tin mug he held close to himself for extra warmth. "They're not like you and me. Horses were built to live in this sort of weather. Isn't that right?" Turning to look at the other man who sat by the fire, the speaker gave a wide grin.

The other man, obviously more familiar in his surroundings, pulled at the brim of his dark, weather-beaten hat. "That's right. But even so, I'm glad you folks managed to find your way here not long after the storm hit. The weather out here can be fierce and devastating if your not prepared for it." He took a sip from his own mug. "Still, Echo's always been fine during these storms, hopefully he'll help calm your three through it." He looked at the window, hearing torrents of rain pouring down outside. "All being well you should be able to get back to where you came from tomorrow morning." Glancing at his three guests, he quirked an eyebrow. "Where did you say you came from again, anyway?"

The other woman, who had yet to speak, smiled. "Yes, we didn't make it all that clear, did we. I suppose that the sudden onset of the storm frazzled us a bit. I'm Caroline Winters, and this is Elaine Raymonds and Michael Birch. We were undertaking a spot of riding, when the storm blew in and we lost the trail back to our rented cabin."

Michael nodded. "Yes, quite. It's just good fortune that we wandered this way instead of off into the bush."

The man with the wide hat smiled, turning back to his impromptu guests. "A good job… yes."

Outside in the crude barn, four horses, the equine counterparts to the four humans sitting inside the cabin, were lasting out the storm the best they could.

Only one of the horses was seemingly bothered by the raging storm outside, a fine looking dark golden palomino stallion. He kept shifting nervously and snorting. "Settle down friend." The only other stallion in the barn tried his best to console the agitated visitor to his home. "There is nothing to fear. It's perfectly safe in here. I have spent many such storms safe inside this barn."

"He's right, Prince. Stop panicking so much. Look at Flora and I, are we panicking?" The older mare, a sandy buckskin tried to soothe him.

"That's all very well for you to say, Willow. But you have lived through a lot more bad weather than I have, and Flora… Flora is mostly oblivious to the world around her. She's always day dreaming." Prince shuddered as another icy blast of wind rattled the boards of the barn. "Not to mention the fact that you both enjoy being out in the open more than I do."

Flora, hearing her name, turned her head to look at Prince. "What was that? I thought you said my name?" She tilted her head, her cream coloured mane falling down over her pale cremello neck.

"You see?" Prince tossed his head nervously. "Even in this uproar, she's out of it."

Just then a loud crack sounded from overhead and Prince reared slightly, his panic evident on his white blazed face. The other three looked up to the ceiling. "It's nothing." The black stallion reassured. "It does that all the time. It's just a beam shifting in the wind."

"That didn't sound like a beam shifting. It sounded like the roof was going to come down!" Prince darted his eyes from the roof to the doors. "Shouldn't we try to… do something?"

"Like what?" Flora enquired, her white masked face turned to him. "What could we do? It's not like we can get out of here." She sighed longingly. "Even if I wish we could."

"You want to go? Out there? Are you crazy?" Prince was working himself into a panic now. "Can't we be moved somewhere else? Get our men to move us?"

"Sorry." The black stallion shook his head. "There isn't anywhere else. It's here or in the corral, and considering how you don't like the idea of being out there…"

Willow scuffed one of her hooves on the hay-strewn floor. "I don't see how you can mind it, Prince. The wild brumbies have no choice but to be out there."

"But we're not wild brumbies. We're riding horses! We're supposed to be safe and warm in a nice comfy stall, not out here in a rickety old barn that has no strong walls, or nice bolted door, or no food bag of oats!" Prince stomped his left front hoof with each statement. "And no matter how much you two wish you were free to roam around in the cold and the rain, I certainly don't!"

Seemingly ignoring the tantrum of the golden stallion, the black male turned to Willow. "You want to be free, hmm? I once knew a filly who wanted to be free. Her name was Golden. She got her wish, thanks to the ghost Horse."

Flora, who had been watching Prince having a nervous breakdown and trying to decide if there was anything she could do to calm him down, turned her attention to the others. "Ghost horse? How could a ghost help free anyone?"

The black stallion chuckled. "That's just a name given to him because of his colouring and his illusive nature. His real name is Thowra."

Willow looked thoughtful. "Thowra… I've heard of him. Echo," she addressed the black horse, "does that mean he is from here?"

Echo nodded. "Yes. He is from the cascades, which is only a short journey from here."

Flora shook her mane excitedly. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to meet him? Have you ever met him, Echo?"

"No, not really. My man and I have chased him many times, but never caught him." He grinned fondly. "But we will. Someday."

Prince, seeing that his outburst was no longer gaining him any attention, stopped his stamping and snorting and huffed sullenly. "So what? It's not like you're ever going to get chance to meet him. However close he may be, he's still out there." He flicked his head towards the doors of the barn. "And you're not."

"We could be if we wanted to be." Flora snapped, her ears pinned back in an unusual show of temper. "In fact, we just might leave tonight."

Prince whinnied with laughter. "I'd like to see you try. The doors are bolted shut."

Flora hesitated at this, the wind thoroughly taken out of her sails. "Well…"

At that moment there was a blast of wind stronger than any before it and the barn gave an almighty creak, and then a loud snapping crack, as the roof shifted and began to lift with the air pressure being put on it. All four occupants looked up to see it waver in mid air for a moment, still attached on two sides to the main structure. One side being that of the bolted barn doors. Prince shied back as far as he could go without crashing into a wall. "I thought you said it was safe!"

Ignoring his accusatory shout, Flora put her now focused attention on the doors that barred them from escaping the suddenly open-topped structure. "The wall… its moving…"

She was quite correct, the wall, put under stress from all sides, and now without the anchoring support to the other walls by way of the roof, was swaying slightly. Echo started to back away, a wary eye on the unsteady barrier. "Careful, it may fall."

Willow flicked her own concerned eyes to the roof, which flapped and strained in the wind. "It's going to break off…"

At which point, it promptly did so. With a wrenching crack the roof flipped clear off,

heading towards the paddock outside. As it fell it slammed backwards into the wall that housed the doors. With a splintering snap the wall collapsed, dragging a good portion of the structure down with it. Flora stared at the opening in the wall where the windswept and rain-sodden paddock was open in front of the barn. The roof had landed on part of the fence. That too had collapsed. Freedom was but a few strides away. She turned to the other three, her usually dreamy eyes bright. "Come on, this is our chance. We won't get another one like this!"

"Are you completely insane!" Prince squealed. "We can't run off! We'll starve, or be killed, or freeze to death."

Once again ignoring his ramblings, Flora turned to the other two. "We can go, now. Our humans will come any second." She practically danced on the spot, looking from Echo, who looked stern, to Willow, who looked undecided. "Well…?"

Echo shook his head, flicking his mane out of his eyes. "No. I won't go. My place is here. I don't desire to run wild. If that's what you want, then go, but I've seen a few try it. Golden was one of them, and I have heard of another, Ebony. They both returned to men eventually. It's harsh out there. As paranoid as your friend seems," he shot a look at Prince, "he is quite right about the dangers."

Flora turned imploring eyes on Willow. "Willow… Please understand…?"

Drawing in a deep breath, aware of the sound of the door to the men's cabin being flung open and shouts from the humans coming to her ears, muffled by the wind and rain. "Alright." She turned to Echo. "I'll go. You said the Cascades…?"

"Yes. That way." He gestured with a flick of his head. "Travel in that direction and you'll find the part of the bush where Thowra can be found. But you won't find him, unless he wants to see you. Golden said that if he wanted to speak with you, he would. But be careful of the Brolga."

"Brolga… What's-"

Willow was cut off by Flora bumping her hard in the shoulder. "If we don't go now our men will catch us as soon as we leave the barn!"

Flicking one last look at Echo, the two ran for the hole in the barns structure and out into the yard. Galloping at full tilt they ran through the destroyed fence and into their future. Behind them they heard the shouts and curses of their humans, but even they soon faded. Back in the barn Echo shook his head, now sodden with rainwater. "Good travels." Shooting a glance at the stunned Prince, as his man and the other male human entered and took hold of them to prevent their escape too. "And good luck."