"I was determined to be a cross-country horse, so I began to train myself, using the resources in the woods, like logs and hedges, to jump over. It was easy! The rest of the herd supported and encouraged me. I was sure that I would be able to be a cross country horse. One day, something happened that would change my life forever!…"
Storm Cloud's hooves pounded against the ground as he galloped towards a large log in the woods. He quickened his stride, and soared over it with inches to spare. Then he turned to the fallen tree, and cleared it in one asy bound. He finished with a huge leap over a hedge, and began to trot to cool himself down. The rest of the herd neighed as if they were cheering.
Spirit cantered towards Storm Cloud and congratulated him.
"What do you think, dad?" Storm Clod asked Spirit.
"I think you're ready!" Spirit replied.
Just at that moment, Storm Cloud heard a mare whinnying to him. He looked up. It wasn't Rain, or Esperanza, or any of the other herd members either! Stormy turned round to see a pretty iron grey Arab mare blinking sweetly at him, her black mane and tail flowing in the gentle breeze, and her delicately dished face with pretty hazel eyes looking straight at him.
Storm Cloud stared dreamily at her, taking no notice of the rider on the mare's back.
Lightning trotted past, ignoring the mare, but she ignored him aswell, and raised an eyelid at him, then half-reared and cantered away.
"Wait!" Storm Cloud cried, as he began to follow her in a gallop.
The mare wasn't looking where she was going, and was heading for the river, where the current was really strong.
Storm Cloud whinnied to her, but she was too busy looking at him, that she was too late to stop, and she and her rider fell in to the river.
Storm Cloud reared up, and ran at a full gallop to rescue the mare.
"That was just what I did for you. Remember?" Spirit told Rain, as they watched their brave son racing alongside the river. Storm Cloud reached the edge and jumped straight in to save the Arab mare.
"That is exactly what I did!" Spirit said, now feeling very nervous.
Storm Cloud's legs were strong after all the times he had been practising his jumping, and he reached the mare, and with all his might, he waded pulled her on to his back and waded over to her rider. Summer had an idea, she galloped at top speed in to the woods, and returned pushing a large stick that she had found in the wood enterance. Lightning helped her to push it towards the river with their noses. They eventually reached the river, and with a final push, the large stick jammed itself across the river, stopping the water flowing.
Storm Cloud helped the mare get up on to the land, and went back for the human girl.
When everyone was on land, they all helped to remove the stick to let the water flow again.
All the horses neighed triumphantly at Storm Cloud, congratulating him for the rescue.
"Thankyou Mustang. If it weren't for you, my human and I would have drowned!" The Arab mare said softly to Stormy.
"All my cross-country training really paid off!" Storm Cloud thought to himself.