A/N: Hey everyone, Diamond Collie here back again with "Stallion of the Rockies".. Before we start this chapter, I just wanted to say that I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE for the over-3-month wait between chapters..
Basically, I had really personal stuff going on for the past three months which I wasn't able to work on chapter 3 until now. I promised that I would post it in February but I never got to work on it until this month, I finally got myself a chance to start on the third chapter..
And here we are, chapter 3!
Enough talk, let's get into the chapter.. Hope ya'll enjoy.. ;)
-Forest, somewhere in Colorado-
Three months had passed, and Steed's wolf bite had healed completely. Somewhere in the forest in Colorado, two bronco-like Rusherz were seen running onto the grassy area.
Steed, the seeker of the game they're playing, "Hide and Seek", skitters his feet onto the grass to look for Darkflare, hiding behind the spruce trees. The game they were playing is remembered by when his Grandfather played the same game with his former mate.
"Ready or not, here I come!" Steed shouted at the top of his lungs with glee, running towards the trees, continuing to look for his mate.
Leaves continue to fall in front of the Rusher, leaving the figure with happiness, the bronco then continues on with the search for his mate, Darkflare, hiding behind the pine trees.
"Now where is Darkflare? She might be here somewhere..!" Steed thought in his mind, a confused look on his face whilst trying to look for the mate of the bronco.
Steed begins to slow down before looking for Darkflare, towards, in front, and behind the same pine trees she was hiding behind them. His face suddenly falls in worry, thinking his mate might be taken.
Steed was about to give up before hearing a sudden noise just a few feet away from him, the bronco's head quickly turned before his face now grew with happiness.
The Rusher proceeds to follow the noise before arriving in front of the tree his mate was hiding behind it, he then starts to speak after successfully finding his mate.
"I found you!" Steed cheered, with a very big smile on his muzzle.
But that left Steed very confused as Darkflare began to walk slowly towards him, she started to speak as her mate's face fell with worry.
"Hey, Steed.." Darkflare sighed, with a very tired look on her face.
"Darkflare? A-Are you okay?" Steed muttered with worry, Darkflare replied back with a special announcement that left the figure in shock.
"There's something I need to tell you.." Darkflare spoke before Steed could let his mate finish her sentence.
"You're going to be a father.."
One last word of Darkflare left her mate in complete shock, then in excitement, he began to breathe in before shouting on top of his lungs.
"THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" Steed roared as his voice left the bird flying off the trees in fear, due to how loud his voice was.
Darkflare flinched before she chuckled, telling Steed to not yell in the forest like the same thing he did earlier again.
"Heh- Next time, just don't yell like that again, alright?" Darkflare chuckled, speaking to Steed to not yell again.
Steed nods after understanding what Darkflare had spoken to him. The figure then takes his mate back home in order to help her walk.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Steed asked Darkflare in worry.
"Oh- It's going to be fine, Steed. I promise.." Darkflare responded.
Steed was worried that Darkflare was going to go through a painful birth at first, but then decides to inhale, before exhaling, thinking that everything is going to be alright.
-9 months later, back at the house-
Wolfe was seen, meditating on the red carpet. Storm, the stallion Rusher, walks in front of him to begin speaking.
"Hey, Wolfe.. How's Steed doing so far?" Storm asked Wolfe, speaking about Steed's daily life.
"Oh, he's doing fine.. He's just taking care of his mate.." Wolfe responded, the last word that was spoken out of the wolf's mouth left Storm in shock.
"W-What happened to Darkflare!? Is she alright!? Is she sick!? I'll call-" Storm starts to panic before Wolfe proceeds to calm him down.
"STORM! CALM DOWN! She's not sick or anything! She's just-" Wolfe's sentence gets interrupted by the sound of screaming, heard a few feet away from Steed's room.
"I-I think we need to check on her.. We better not see a wolf bite on her, if so, we're going to teach that wolf a-" Storm snarled before Wolfe begins to calm the Rusher down.
"STORM! That didn't happen! I'll get everything together, so please.. CALM DOWN.." Wolfe shook, calming Storm down before proceeding to arrive at Steed's room.
Storm begins to panic as Wolfe heads to Steed's room to check on Darkflare, Storm was worried that his cousin-in-law might be bitten by the same wolf Steed had fought, yet it never happened at all.
"Now what is going on down ther-" Wolfe starts to freeze after heading inside Steed's room, opening the door to reveal what shocked him completely.
His eyes shrank as he sees a very small helmetless Rushling, in Darkflare's arms.
"Is..that a.." Wolfe shook before Steed responded.
"Yes, that's our son, Wolfe.. Come inside and meet him.." Steed responded, sighing with happiness.
"If you excuse me, I'll go get your father first.." Wolfe murmured, running towards Storm to take him inside the room.
Wolfe takes Storm inside Steed's room, his face full of horror and worry, the wolf continues to calm the Rusher down before Storm's face finally falls with awe.
The Rushling was a black horse, with a white marking on the front of his face, alongside the top of his muzzle.
"H-He's..beautiful.." Storm cooed as he proceeded to walk in front of the baby Rushling.
The foal begins to make noise before sneezing, revealing his fluffy mane Steed used to get when he was a baby.
"And that's how he got the same fluffy mane like I have.." Steed laughed as the Rushling continued to giggle.
"What are you going to name him, Darkflare?" Wolfe asked Darkflare with a joyful smile on his face.
"...Rai.." Darkflare responded, revealing the new name of the Rushling.
The foal cheers with joy after Darkflare reveals the new name, this leaves the residents inside the house with shock and in awe.
"T-That's..a..very great name.." Wolfe sighed with joy.
Darkflare smiles with glee before Steed and the foal begin to hug her.
"Congratulations, Darkflare.." Steed responded to Darkflare with joy, he began to hug his mate.
The foal giggled at the two to join in the celebration of the birth of Rai. Storm and Wolfe both clapped their hands before Steed's hug broke free.
-4 years later-
Four years have passed, and Rai has grown into a tweenage Rusher. He begins to run around outside the house the Rusherz reside in, before Steed comes out to catch him.
"Dad! Let me go!" Rai spat, he chuckles before Steed could tell where he thinks he was going.
"Now where do you think you're going?" Steed laughed, gently dropping his son onto the ground.
Rai falls onto the grassy area before he proceeds to reply. "I'm trying to be like you!"
"Well, that's good to see you becoming like me.. But there's one thing you should know about before going through that forest I went through before you were born.." Steed explained before Rai stops, turning to his father.
Rai lets his father speak to Steed, he begins to explain about the forest he had gone to before the birth of his own son.
"This is called the "Shadow Forest".. You should NEVER, EVER go there.. We only go there for training.. You must be in your teenage years in order to get to this forest for training.." Steed explained before Rai could ask his father a question.
"I have a question.. How old does a Rusher enter the forest?" Rai asked before Steed began to reply.
"You must be an adult in order to go there alone, however, you must come along with a supervisor in order to go to this forest." Steed responded before Rai nods his head, understanding what he had said.
"Before you go anywhere, your sister is still here with you, so when you come to this forest, always have an adult to take you there.."
"I would like to help out on that.." A voice was heard, the two equines turned to a sudden figure which revealed to be a Border Collie, mixed in with a Greyhound, standing behind them.
"Laufer! Good to see you again.." Steed cheered with joy, hugging the dog.
The hug breaks free before Steed greets his son to Laufer.. "Rai, this is Laufer.."
"Nice to see you, Rai.. Laufer is my name.." Laufer spoke with a slightly deep feminime voice.
"Name's Rai.." Rai responded, the hybrid dog proceeded to speak to the figure.
"Good to see you, my child.. If you want to ask me where to go, let me know.." Laufer spoke before she walked away from the two figures.
"If you want to ask her where to go, let her know.." Steed spoke before Rai could finish his sentence, making sure to not go to the forest.
"As long as we don't go to the Shadow Forest.." Rai spoke, explaining to Steed.
"That's good.. If you need something to eat, let us or Laufer know.." Steed responded before Rai shook, his last sentence left the Rusher in shock.
"Laufer has food there, and you didn't tell me when!?" Rai shook, his father turned to him, with a nervous look on his face.
"Well, I did forget to tell you that and I deeply apologize-"
"That's alright.. I'm not that hungry.." Rai spoke before running inside the house to get his sister. Rai runs towards his sister, Audra to speak with her.
"Hey, Rai.. What's up?" Audra, who's name was now revealed, asked Rai about what they are going to do on this day.
"How about we can go to the snow mountains today?" Rai responded, demanding Audra to head to the mountains, covered with nothing but snow.
Audra places her finger on her chin, her eyes above the sky, thinking about whatRai is demanding her to where they are raring to find, she nods her head before the two equines run over to their mother, Darkflare.
"Hey, Mom? Can we go to the snowy mountains today?" Rai demanded as Darkflare began to think.
The palomino equine points her finger below her chin before she nodded, announcing to her children to take Laufer with them.
"Sure thing.. But make sure Laufer is with you two.." Darkflare responded, Laufer walking towards the two to lead the foals to their destination.
The foal groaned before Rai could say a sentence out of his mouth "Aww, not Laufer!", luckily, the sentence was quiet, yet not noticeable for Laufer.
"Come along, you two.. Let's head to the mountains.." Laufer purred, leading the two young foals to their required destination.
The hybrid dog begins to walk before Steed runs to try and catch Laufer, speaking a single sentence to tell he had marked a path for the foals.
"WAIT! I NEED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING!" Steed shouted, attempting to get Laufer's attention.
No answer from Laufer, Darkflare then speaks to Steed that she had already marked a path for their young Rusherz.
"She already marked a path for them, you know?" Darkflare demanded, Steed shook his head, understanding what she said to him.
"I didn't know she marked a path for them.." Steed sighed, Darkflare understood what he had said.
"I wonder where they are going next? Maybe on a journey to become the next rulers I suppose.." Darkflare spoke to Steed.
"As long as they don't get into any danger.. Unless they're grown up.." Steed responded to Darkflare.
-Meanwhile-
Laufer continues to lead the foals to the destination, a few miles away from the path they are walking on. The hybrid falls to the legs, her head slamming into the ground, she begins to close her eyes, leaving the two foals in shock and worry.
"Laufer!" The two foals exclaimed as they ran over to the hybrid, resting on the tan grass.
"I'm taking a rest.. All that walking is making me very tired.." Laufer responded, the incident had nearly gave the foals a heart attack.
"You nearly gave us a heart attack!" Audra shouted, Laufer proceeds to apologize to the two Rusherz.
"I know, and I deeply apologize for what I did.." Laufer sighed, apologizing to the two young Rusherz.
"It's alright.. Just don't scare us like that again.." Rai sighed, wiping the sweat from his fore-helmet.
The two young Rusherz headed towards the boulder, a few feet away from Laufer resting on the grass.
"Do you know about the Shadow Forest?" Audra asked Rai, telling him about the forest Steed had fought the wolf in.
"I don't think this is a good idea, our parents might kill us if they find us here.." Rai spoke with worry.
"Don't be such a baby!" Audra laughed, hitting Rai in the arm.
"I'm not a baby!" Rai cried, rubbing his arm.
"Just get in! I'll keep an eye on Laufer.." Audra chuckled, pushing Rai a few feet away towards the forest.
"Quit pushing me! I can't go in this forest alone!" Rai shouted, Audra continues to giggle before he sighs angrily, obeying his sister's order.
"Alright, fine.. I'm going in.."
Audra runs off before Rai quickly turns his head to her, running back to Laufer.
"Where are you going!? You're supposed to take me back to Laufer!" Rai yelled at the top of his lungs, attempting to get Audra's attention.
No answer, Rai sighs with annoyance before he slowly walks towards the entrance of the shadow forest.
"17..18..19..20.. Ready or not, here I come..!" Laufer spoke, running towards the bush to find Audra.
Audra is playing a quick game of hide-and-seek with Laufer, the hybrid dog continues to look through each inanimate plant around the area, until sudden giggles are heard throughout the bush.
The hybrid dog gently places her paw, pulling the hole of the bush to find Audra, she groans in defeat, "Aww, you got me..!"
Laufer chuckles before speaking.. "Now all we need to do is to find Rai.."
"Audra, do me a little favor.. Count to 20 while I'll go find Rai.."
"But, that's not how the game works, Aunt Laufer! I'm supposed to be the seeker, another is supposed to be the hider!" Audra spoke to Laufer, telling about why the game she and Laufer were playing is not supposed to work that way.
"Just pretend I'm the coach.. You'll count to 20 while I find Rai.." Laufer responds before walking away from Audra, she begins to look around the area to find her brother, Rai.
Audra sighs before she pounces on the ground, counting from 1 to 20, while Laufer searches around the area, looking for Audra's brother, Rai.
"Now where are you, my child?" Laufer chuckled, looking through the bushes.
Laufer's face went from glee to worry, she begins to panic before running to Audra, she was seen finishing counting to 20.
"Audra, stop the game for a moment.." Laufer shook, Audra quickly turned her head towards her.
"I wasn't finished counting yet.." Audra scoffed, Laufer begins to tell Rai is missing.
"Your brother is gone.. We need to find him!" Laufer panicked, Audra's face went from excitement to utter shock.
She pretended to become shocked, making her brother go inside the forest was one of her ideas she made in order to let Rai go somewhere alone, the idea was NOT a good idea for Rai AND the rest of his family.
"Come along, Audra! You're brother's in danger!" Laufer shook, taking Audra to the Shadow Forest.
"But what about my-"
"No time to explain, Shadow Forest, now.." Laufer spoke, Audra hops onto Laufer's back, riding her to the Shadow Forest to save Rai.
-Shadow Forest-
"Hello? I-Is anyone there?" Rai muttered with fear, his legs begin to tremble.
Sudden sounds were heard throughout the forest, the exit was just a few miles away from him, and there's no way of any escape from the Rusher.
Rai's face fell with horror as he continued to shake in fear, the shadowy figure turning its head towards the young Rusher. Rai gulps in fear as the figure howls, running towards the Rusher.
He gasps before the wolf could pounce on him, a Rusher later then catches the wolf from trying to kill the youngling from being killed.
"Bad wolf.. Back to your den you go.." The Rusher growled, ordering the wolf to head back to it's den.
The Rusher was revealed to be an Albino Arabian Horse, with a mohawk-like mane, she has multiple scars all over her face and her body.
"W-Who are you?" Rai asked the unknown figure before she grabbed her dagger from her bag, threatening him.
"You better back off, or else you grab the taste of steel.." The Rusher threatens Rai as he begins to back away.
"I-I just wanted to know who you are! I-I'll do anything for you, just don't lay a single blade on me, please!" Rai begged the rusher to not stab him with her dagger, yet she was playing a joke on him.
"I was just messin' with you.. The name's Akria.. Yours?" Akira, who revealed her name, responded to Rai.
"R-Rai.." Rai responded, revealing his name in front of Akira.
"I'm going to give ya' a few words.. Before I become a friend of you's, show me yer battle cry.." Akira spoke, her old-fashioned european accent left Rai in shock.
Rai hesitated to yell in front of Akira, because that would make him feel very humiliated in front of females.
"Well, if ya' can't do yer battle cry, I'll show ya' mine.." Akira said to Rai after hesitating to do his "battlecry".
Akira takes a deep breath before yelling in front of Rai, her battlecry has revealed to be shown and given by one of her parents before the passing.
"And that's my battlecry.. Show me yours.." Akira spoke to Rai before he sighed, taking a deep breath.
He thinks he could do a battlecry from Akira first, because he wasn't trained to do so, his breath continues to hold before he begins to scream on top of lungs, the leaves begin to fall, the birds began to fly out of the trees, the scream left not only Laufer or Audra, but Steed and Darkflare, the shout that was more than a few miles away from their house!
"What was that!?" Audra shook, hiding behind Laufer.
"I think Rai's in danger! We must find him before it's too late!" Laufer shouted before an orange blur nearly took the hybrid away.
"I-Is that.." Audra shook, realizing the orange blur was her father, Steed.
Another orange blur appears towards the two figures, Laufer shouted. "Come along now, Audra! We haven't got much time left!"
The four figures run to find Rai, only for them to find an Albino equine standing in front of them. Rai was standing a few feet right next to Akira.
"Now where do you think you're living in this dangerous forest, stranger!?" Steed shouted, confronting Akira.
Akira hesitated to reply, she continued to glare at Steed before the equine yelled to order Akira answer him.
"ANSWER ME!" Steed yelled before Akira finally replies.
"There's one reason why I live in this-" Akira's sentence gets cut off by Rai, attempting to speak to Steed.
"Dad, she-"
"SILENCE, FOOL!" Akira shouted before Darkflare proceeded to pounce on the Rusher, she slams her body onto the ground before Darkflare threatened the figure.
"If you ever go near our son again.." Darkflare spat, threatening Akira.
Akira snorts in anger before Darkflare gets off of the Rusher, she then proceeds to run off as Rai slowly walks towards his family.
"Laufer, Darkflare, take Audra home.." Steed spoke to the two figures, ordering to take their daughter home.
Both Laufer and Darkflare nodded, obeying what Steed had ordered, before Audra hops onto the dog's back riding her home.
Rai then turns his head to his father.. "Well, Dad.. I-"
"Home.. Now.." Steed spat in disappointment, Rai nods before obeying his father's order.
-Back at home-
"Now what were you thinking, Rai!? You could've gotten hurt, or killed!" Steed shouted, glaring at his son.
"But, it wasn't the Rusher's fault, it was Audra's!" Rai responded, his father continues to finish his sentence.
"I'm not upset about the strange Rusher, Rai.. I was very upset that you have chosen to run off from Laufer earlier.." Steed spoke to Rai.
Rai hangs his head down, "Oh..Laufer.. Well, I guess I might have to apologize to her then.."
"You'll have to apologize to her after supper.." Steed sighed, laying his hand on his forehead.
"But, Audra made me trick Laufer into going to the mountains earlier..!" Rai spoke, telling the truth.
"Audra did this..?" Steed cocked his head in confusion, Audra then runs over to his father to tell the truth.
"But I didn't REALLY trick him! I made him go to the forest to see if he was brave enough to go there!" Audra spoke, telling the truth to Steed, leaving him shocked.
"Y-You made him go into the forest!? Y-You have chosen to put my son in danger, and nearly got him in trouble for what you've done!" Steed cried, shaking in fear.
"Do you two know how dangerous this forest is? You could get seriously hurt, or even worse, killed!" Darkflare demands the young foals.
"But..How did you get in the forest, my child?" Laufer asked Rai.
"Audra made me go there.." Rai spat, his eyes rolled to Audra, glaring at her brother.
"You could've gotten your brother in serious trouble for what you've experienced earlier, and that's not alright.." Storm sighed, glaring at Audra a bit, disappointed at what she had done earlier that day.
"But.. Who is this Rusher anyway?" Darkflare requested Rai, confused about the rusher he had met at the forest.
"...Akira..befriended me.. She's a..rebel Rusher.." Rai responded, leaving his family in shock.
"AKIRA!?" His family all fell in shock after what Rai had said to them.
"Why would you let a rebel Rusher touch them, Rai?" Darkflare cooed in fear, petting her son.
"What does she look like, son?" Steed asked Rai, confused by her looks.
"She's white, she has a mohawk, she has scars all over her.." Rai explained before Storm begins to smile.
"I've met a rebel Rusher once, and she befriended me too.. But if you see a rebel that has a nice personality, just find her in the-" Storm's sentence gets cut off by Steed.
"Dad..!" Steed growled, glaring at his father.
"I-I'm sorry.. I was just messin' with him.." Storm sighed, his face fell with worry.
"But, she's nice! She showed me her battlecry before I did mine!" Rai spoke to his parents.
"Yet you had screamed for me, we have never been this scared in our entire lives!" Steed shook in fear, hugging his son, Rai.
"But I thought you're not scared of anything.." Rai said to Steed before his father replied.
"We were today, I thought we might lose you or your sister.." Steed sighed, breaking the hug free.
"Storm, take Laufer outside, we need to have a serious word with our foals.." Darkflare spoke before Storm obeyed what she said to him.
Storm takes Laufer outside the house before Steed speaks out the words he is required to say to the young Rusherz.
"As if for you, Audra, you're in trouble for getting our son in danger.. And as if for you, Rai.." Steed spoke before Rai shakes in fear, after realizing what he was going to say to him.
"You're safe to go now.."
Rai sighs with relief before Steed finishes speaking to his younglings, yet lets himself speak to Rai first.
"But I will not let you go somewhere far away like that until you grow up, understand?" Steed demanded Rai, his son nodded.
"Do you two understand your actions?"
"Yes, Dad.." The two foals obeyed their father before Steed let the two in the kitchen..
"Off to the kitchen you go.." Darkflare spoke before the two foals headed to the kitchen to grab their supper plates off the table.
Rai then attempts to head outside to see Laufer and Storm, with the supper plate in his hand.
"We better not see you go off to that forest again.." Steed spoke to Rai.
"I'm not! I'm going to see Grandpa.." Rai responded, closing the door shut.
Audra was still in the kitchen, eating the plate of dinner in annoyance.
"Rai's right.. I'll never eat with that rat of a brother again.." Audra though in her head, eating the food from the plate.
"Do you think Audra's alright? She seems really mad.." Darkflare asked Steed, noticing Audra's angry face.
"Her punishment will go away tomorrow morning.. She's punished until sunrise.." Steed replied quietly, making his reply as un-noticeable as he could to not make his and Darkflare daughter angrier..
Audra after putting the plate into the sink, stomps her way into her room in anger.
"I don't think she's in a good mood today.. Do we have something to cheer her up?" Darkflare demanded Steed.
"I don't think there's anything we could do.. If we try to cheer her up, she might reject what we try to do right now.." Steed sighed sadly.
"Maybe when she wakes up during sunrise, she'll feel better.." Darkflare responded to Steed..
"Yeah, My Dad told me if I wake up, I feel better after I get all moody.." Steed said to Darkflare.
"I think it's best to leave her rest until sunrise.. She'll feel better in the morning.." Darkflare responds, heading to Steed's room.
"You know, all that running just made me tired, so I'll come to bed.." Steed yawned, he heads to his room to rest.
Darkflare chuckled before letting Steed inside his room, before closing the door, she then heads to her room to rest.
-End of Chapter 3-
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter so far, hopefully the fourth and final chapter will be out soon, IDK when will it come out, hopefully either sometime in June..
This is Diamond Collie, signing off..