Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Dreamworks' or Kathleen Duey's characters in any way, shape, or form.
Part 2: Clear Sky
Chapter 10: On Our Own
We came to rest in a meadow, our breath clouding in front of our noses. I could have sworn the sweat was freezing solid as it ran down my legs.
"We…have to go…back," Star panted.
"No, it's too dangerous. We should keep moving."
"We can't keep going! We have to find Graceful Maiden!"
"We'll only bring unwanted attention, Star! The men know which way we went, as well. They'll wait and search for us."
"She's our friend, Clear Sky. What kind of friends would we be if we did nothing?"
"Stop being so heroic, Star! She wouldn't have sent us away if she knew she would be overwhelmed!"
Star snorted and led off in a huff, her ears swiveling around. Our harnesses were still attached to us, and they made walking very uncomfortable. I hoped we'd be able to get rid of them before winter really set in. We were eventually able to take them off when we stopped for water that evening.
"Starry Night," I said. "What do we do now?"
"We have to get out of these trees. It won't take them long to find us. 'That said, let's go."
"Now?" I thought. "Oh well."
Star proved to be a good leader as we left the forest and entered the grassland. Even when we were trapped by the heavy snow mid-winter and when we had nothing to eat but old, slimy grass and tree bark, she never let a negative thought come to mind. I was technically a mustang now, but the realization didn't really hit me until we had company. That is, I didn't feel like a leader until we began to pick up other horses.
Our first companion was a blue-eyed grey filly that we've named Sturdy Oak. (She was sheltering under some oak trees when we met her, hence the name.) After that, we took in a grey paint, now named Rolling Thunder, and her sorrel half-brother, Lightning. They were all very nice, and I befriended them quickly.
Having all of these other horses with me did make me worry (which is supposed to happen, I guess). What if I had to fight a stallion that was much larger than me, more experienced than me, more ruthless than me?
I will say that there is nothing complex about fights between stallions—'just a lot of biting and kicking, roaring and posturing. The only time I was truly frightened was during a fight with a large, black stallion. We tried to pass through the valley surrounding a stream, and his band was trying to do the same. He thought I wanted to take his mares from him, and, long story short, were involved in a fight so ferocious that he was tempted to crush my skull. But one of his mares, a pretty palomino mare, stepped up against him on my behalf. She boldly told him that she would not stay with a brute like him. He begrudgingly went away with his band, minus the palomino.
And that's how Moonbeam joined us.
Star and I grew even closer as winter turned into spring, and with the changing weather came our new outlook on life. We were completely free of people, of railroads, free of everything that could take us away from the beautiful, green territory we had claimed for our own. Moonbeam gave birth to a little brown filly, whom has since been named Nava. Star's and my son, a handsome grey colt we have named Red River, came into the world the spring after that, after Sturdy Oak's and Rolling Thunder's foals came.
Whenever a foal looked at me with large, bright eyes, I thought of my parents as I remembered them before they were killed. I had seen them standing as I did when they watched me run around and play, or when we went out hunting. They'd looked so incredibly happy, and I hadn't really understood why until I saw my own offspring in front of me. Simply put, they were my foals, the result of a private encounter between the mare and I, and to see them in real life sparked my drive to protect them with my life. I wanted to be the stallion my mares trusted and supported.
No wonder Raging Fire had been so determined to go back to his herd. The feeling of being with them is so…wonderful.
I wonder if he made it back.
Hello, all! It's finally finished! After all this time, Clear Sky's story has been told!
Did you all like it?
Characters for all parts of the Lakota Life Series
* (Indicates a character who not named in the movie, and is therefore not my own; he/she does appear more than once in the stories.)
** (Indicates my original character/s; he/she does appear more than once in the stories.)
Lakota Life Part 2: Clear Sky
**Calm Waters and **Brook–Star's older sister and niece, respectively. The former is chestnut with a darker mane, tail, and legs; the latter is palomino.
*Sierra and *Rain–Mother and daughter, we meet the former at the end of Kathleen Duey's book, Bonita, and the letter at the end of Sierra (also by Kathleen Duey). Sierra is sorrel with white splotches on her face, body, and legs; (we all know what Rain looks like).
*Storm–Sierra's mate and Rain's father. We meet him in Sierra. He is a black-and-white pinto.
**Dusk and **Soaring Eagle–Mother and son, the former is the mount of **Chief Loud Fox, and the latter is the mount of one of the village's warriors. Dusk is a black-and-white paint, and Soaring Eagle is a brown-and-white pinto.
*Bright Star of the West–The sorrel mare we see when Spirit escapes from the fort. She has yellow dots on her left shoulder, two feathers in her mane, and is ridden by *Swift Deer (the man wearing a loincloth in the aforementioned scene). She is later re-named Starry Night by Clear Sky.
*Graceful Maiden–The grey mare—I'm assuming it's a mare—we see when Spirit leaves the fort. She has three black horseshoes on her left shoulder, and is ridden by *Silent Wind (the man wearing a feather in his hair and long deerskin pants in the aforementioned scene).
*Clear Sky–The grey stallion we see when Spirit and Rain tour the village. He wears blue paint around his right eye and a feather in his mane, and is ridden by **Half Moon.
**Moonbeam and **Nava–Members of Star's and Clear Sky's herd, Moonbeam left her stallion during the winter in favor of our heroes' band, and gave birth to her daughter that spring. The former is palomino, and the latter is brown.
**Sturdy Oak–A member of Star's and Clear Sky's herd, she was found sheltered under oak trees after being expelled from her herd. She is light grey.
**Rolling Thunder and **Lightning–Members of Star's and Clear Sky's herd, they left after their mother urged them to leave their overbearing stallion. The former is a grey paint, and the latter is sorrel with a white stripe and sock on his left leg.
**Kita and Dark Shadow–Clear Sky's parents. They were killed when the hunting party was attacked by soldiers from the army. Kita was a bit darker than her son; Dark Shadow, as his name suggests, was a very dark grey.
**Rona–Storm's half-sister. She was killed alongside Clear Sky's parents.
**Red River—Clear Sky's and Star's son, a little grey colt like his father.