Disclaimer: I Don't Own Anything
Loosing Moonlight
It was like the world stopped. She couldn't bear it. Why? Why was this a hard thing to cure? Why was it that no matter what anyone did she still lost Moonlight? Seven hours of walking, and soothing her mare and still the battle trained, warhorse was gone. Gone just like that. Another heartbeat lost, another set of eyes closed, and another life taken. Moonlight wasn't just your normal life being lost. She was, more then that at least to Alanna. How could she not be? They'd been together for so long and loosing her to something so small compared to what they'd done was scary. The little things, but in this case the little big things can take so much from you.
For hours on hours they'd realized she was colicing. It was different though. When Alanna asked what colic for a horse was, they'd answered it was just like a stomach ache and that she should be fine. So she'd left for an hour, and come back to a different situation. It was one far worse then before she'd left her mare. Moonlight was being walked down the aisle, and Alanna took that over but the stable lads were hopeless. Even Stefan who knew almost all there was to horses was at lost. Not a single person could save that beautiful mare.
Memories of all the battles they'd gone through, all the rough patches of stubbornness and the laughing times of joyous gallops flooded through her mind. The rearing, and striking hooves, to the fast speed like the wind through fields. Moonlight was like a friend, a comrade, a companion more then a horse. She'd saved Alanna more times then she could count. And still, as they walked she looked her normal beauty. Palomino coat gleaming, kind brown eyes shined with intelligence but pain was outshining it this time. Alanna knew what she needed to do. She should let it go, she should let Moonlight go but she wasn't giving up. Not yet. Not ever. This was like a battle, Alanna decided, And I've never lost a battle that badly before. It was no use, and Alanna knew it. Within hours Moonlight would pass.
When it happened Alanna felt her breath catch. The mare lay down and nickered softly. Alanna sat her head in her lap and watched the mare's breathing slowly down. She kicked the stall wall, while lying because it hurt. She watched as the mare finally let go and fell apart. Alanna knew because her eyes stopped shining. Because the soft breaths that tickled the sawdust were gone, and because most of all she could almost see a piece of spirit go from her beloved mare's body. It was over. The battle was lost. Her mare was gone. And the worst part was, all Alanna could do was sit there, and sob holding her mares head. She knew what she had to do. Bury the mare, and start training on of her offspring's. But she needed time to grieve.
George found her there in dawns early light. She was asleep, with the mare's body. Picking his wife up, he instructed them to send Moonlight's carcass to Pirate Swoop. It was to be buried there and Alanna would be able to visit her grave sight. That's when he noticed a buckskin foal in its stall. He smiled one of Moonlight's last foals and decided this one was for Alanna. He would be a tall horse. With that, he carried his wife to their rooms, and when she woke, well he'd hold her while she cried...and then they would see. Oh yes, then they would see.
A/N: This is just in memory of a horse named Secret I lost this summer to colic. It just kind of came to me while riding one afternoon. Different way of getting a story but I like it.