Tale Of Dynasty Chapter 8: Nothing I've Ever Known, a spirit fanfic

Nothing I've Ever Known

Over the following weeks, Dynasty's leg grew strong again as she walked around the field over and over again. The other mustangs sensed something different about her manner, a silent determination as she fought to regain her strength and health with such passion. Dynasty couldn't stop herself from pacing restlessly as she kept gazing out onto the plains. Somewhere out there Opalana ran, she could sense it, and something in her heart was telling her this. With everything, she was determined to get her freedom back so she could find her old friend.

"Looking for a way to run again?" Purity's whicker came so unexpected that Dynasty couldn't help jump at the sound. The soft pink eyes were full of sadness for lack of a better term if Dynasty was to think of one. Ever since the day Angeni had removed the cast from her leg, both mares had become closer yet couldn't be more apart at the same time. It was as if both of them were standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to attempt a jump over it but also too afraid for such a move.

"I like it here, but it's complicated," the black mare replied gently, "you don't know my full story, Purity." The white mare walked over and stood beside the younger horse, gazing out at the open expanse with her.

"You can tell me anything, you know," she responded quietly, "I won't think anything less of you." Drawing a deep breath, Dynasty told Purity everything that had happened before the two of them had crossed paths at the rodeo ranch. Her body shuddered slightly as she relived the horrors of the day she was taken from her closest friend and her family, her ears still rang with the sound of Opalana's distraught neigh. Once she was finished telling her tragic tale, the mare hung her head and closed her eyes to try and stop the flashbacks from coming.

"You sacrificed your freedom for her," Purity whickered gently, "when you knew that both of you would be caught, you drew them away so at least Opalana was spared. That has to be one of the noblest things I've ever heard a creature doing for another. But, do you really have to leave?" The hitch at the end of the sentence brought Dynasty's head up instantly. It was beginning to dawn on her that Purity really didn't want to be parted from her side in any shape, manner or form. Gulping audibly, she searched for the right words to respond with, but they didn't come before Arturo came galloping over, ears pinned back, neighing angrily. Snapping at Purity's heels, he drove her away from Dynasty's side and started manoeuvring her towards the other side of the field where the other mustangs were standing in a herd. The albino could do nothing but run as the larger stallion was relentless in his pursuit. In that instant, something very primal and wild broke forth within Dynasty's heart as she roared a squeal of challenge at the chestnut stallion. Stopping abruptly, Arturo turned and faced the mare who had issued the challenge.

"You think you can take me in a fight for the herd?" he asked tauntingly, "you're just a mare; you won't last long in a fight with me!" Ears pinned back and teeth bared, Dynasty marched forward with no fear. She would win leadership of this herd or die trying.

"Bring it on, stallion!" she neighed in response. Both horses charged at the same time, rearing up and striking out at one another with hooves and teeth. Arturo was a good bit taller and heavier than Dynasty and this gave him the initial advantage as he brought her to her knees. However, he hadn't reckoned on her wild and determined temper as she turned and bit hard into one of his forelegs. Seizing her opportunity when the stallion lifted his body weight off her in pain, Dynasty got back up and kicked Arturo in the ribs with all her might. As he staggered to the side, the mare reared and lunged in, biting and scratching his chestnut hide with her fore hooves. The stallion struggled to his feet and galloped as fast as he could away from the mare that had fought him so ferociously. It was at this point that Angeni came into the field, having watched the battle from the gate to the enclosure. She approached Arturo with a halter, put it over his head and led him from the field. As the blind rage cleared from her mind, Dynasty saw for the first time how much damage she had inflicted upon the stallion. His previously flawless and handsome hide was criss-crossed with bites and scratches inflicted with hooves and he was bleeding from every single one. The foreleg she had bitten was bleeding quite badly and he was hobbling painfully behind Angeni. Dynasty's own body coursed with pain, bruises and bites making their presence known along with her own fair share of scratches. She glanced at the herd briefly before walking back over to her favoured spot under the trees. Purity stepped from the throng of horses and took a long drink from the water trough before walking over and lying down beside Dynasty. Something unspoken had passed between the mares as they looked at one another, but they were both still too scared of what it meant.

Right now I feel - just like a leaf on a breeze
Who knows where it's blowin'
Who knows where it's goin'
I find myself somewhere I - I never thought I'd be
Going round in circles
Thinking about you and me
How do I explain it when I don't know what to say
What do I do now - so much has changed

Nothing I have ever known - has made me feel this way
Nothing I have ever seen - has made me want to stay
but here I am - ready for you
I'm turnin', I'm fallin' - I hear my home callin'
Hey - I've never felt somethin so strong - oh no
It's like nothing I've ever known

Now you're the one I'm looking for
You're the one I need
You're the one that gives me - a reason to believe
Following a star - has lead to where you are
It feels so strong now - this can't be wrong now

An indeterminable amount of time passed before the silence was broken between Dynasty and Purity. The other mustangs in the field maintained a respectable distance from Dynasty, all of them trying to get their heads around the idea of having a lead mare as opposed to a lead stallion. None of them particularly liked Arturo, but they were all terrified of Dynasty.

"I've told you my story, Purity," Dynasty whickered gently, "I'd like to hear yours of how you came to live with humans." The albino drew a deep breath before responding, amazed at how the other horse was acting as if nothing had happened.

"I wasn't even a year old when the humans came and round up my birth herd," she started, "we lived in a beautiful place not far from here, if I remember correctly. It was a place with vast fields of flowers the like of which I've never seen in any other place and there was plenty of grass there also. My mother was a brown and white horse with pink eyes and she was the most beautiful mare in the herd. The humans round up our herd to get to me and her, as we were both exceptionally beautiful in their eyes. I was taken away from her not long after we were caught and I was never to see her again. A kind girl raised me for the first few years before I reached maturity, then I was sold to the rodeo ranch. They broke my spirit there; I learned that life was simpler if I did what they asked me to. You know how that place takes its toll on your temper and health after a time." Dynasty reached over and gently nuzzled the distraught mare. Due to the age gap between them, it was obvious that Purity had suffered at the hands for longer than she. With this knowledge, she knew that she couldn't blame Purity's aggression to her when they first met.

"I can't speak for your mother, but I can say you're the most beautiful horse I've ever seen," Dynasty whickered softly, "you're also incredibly brave to go through all you have and to still be as mild-mannered and calm as you are." Unable to hold back any longer, both horses reached over and pressed their faces together. Somehow, over the past months spent together, they had grown irresistibly closer. Now they knew it was love they were feeling.