"We can't call her Whirlwind, stupid! She's a filly!"
Rain and Spirit rolled their eyes as their eldest son and daughter argued.
The family were choosing a name for the new arrival of Summer and Storm Cloud's new sister.
"Well how about Swift?" Storm Cloud suggested.
"You think of the worst names ever!" Summer groaned. "First Whirlwind, now Swift! Come on!"
Spirit chuckled to himself.
The newborn filly stared in confusion at Summer and Storm Cloud as they argued, then turned her gaze to her mother.
"I think Star is a great name!" Summer announced.
Spirit and Rain looked at each other. "Star it is!" Rain smiled…
Star grew into a strong and adventurous yearling. Her best friends were a pretty grey (white) filly named Diamond, and a palomino filly called Golddust.
One morning, Star and her two friends were wandering along the grassy hill, when Star spotted the most handsome colt she had ever seen!
Star whinnied, and the blue roan colt looked up, whinnying in reply.
"Hey, let's go down there and say hello!" Star suggested.
"Why?" Diamond asked, standing next to Star.
"I want to make friends with that colt." Star answered, breaking into a canter down the hill.
Diamond and Golddust followed her.
It was winter, and there was snow on the hill, which made it slippery, and of course, Star slipped and fell.
Star skidded at the bottom of the hill and cannoned into the colt.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" She said, shaking her head to get rid of the snow, as Diamond and Golddust appeared behind her. When the colt looked at Star, he was amazed by her beauty; A pretty grey (white!) filly with one patch of dun on her back and a dun face, with three brown legs. Her soft, cream and black mane and tail contrasted well with her pretty hazel eyes. The colt was staring at perfection!
"What?" Star grinned.
The colt couldn't help himself; "you're really pretty!" He said.
Star smiled, and lowered her head in embarrassment.
"What's your name?" The colt asked,
"Star," Star replied, "what's yours?"
"My name is Bouncer." The roan colt answered.
Star introduced Diamond and Goldust to Bouncer, who nodded politely at them.
"Want to come exploring with us, Bouncer?" Star asked.
"You bet!" Bouncer replied, following the three fillies up on to a tall rock.
"Wow! It's really high!" Golddust gasped as she looked down.
"Well come over here and don't look down!" Diamond called.
Star stayed close to Bouncer, and Bouncer did the same to Star.
"Look at them. They've known each other, what? Five minutes? Already they're acting like a couple!" Diamond giggled.
"Oh well. You were the same with Flame!" Golddust replied, grinning.
Diamond was embarrassed.
"But that's different!" She retorted.
Star came trotting over to her two friends. "Bouncer just asked me to be his mare-well, filly! I said yes, but now what do I do?" She asked.
Diamond and Golddust exchanged glances.
"You and him can…er…" Diamond began.
"Um…yeah! You-you know!" Golddust finished.
Star looked puzzled. "Go on." She said.
"Come here and we'll tell you!" Golddust whispered.
The three yearlings huddled in to a circle and began whispering.
"I WHAT?" Star cried, almost too loudly.
Bouncer looked round in astonishent.
He had no idea what was about to happen…
"Um…Bouncer…" Star began, walking towards him.
"I know we've only known each other a few minutes, but, well…how do I put this? Are we mates?" She asked.
Bouncer looked puzzled.
"Of course we're mates. We're more than friends really…" He replied.
"NO! I mean mates!" Star said, quietly.
Bouncer looked puzzled, but then he realised.
"Oh!… Um…well, it's up to you really. I…wouldn't mind…" He replied, embarrassed.
"Well, I'm fine with it but if you want to…"
"I do want to Star!" Bouncer replied, moving his head in towards Star's, they were just about to kiss, when Star heard her father, Spirit neighing frantically.
Star pulled away and looked up. The herd was galloping away from something!
"I need to go, sorry! I'll meet you here tomorrow, when the sun touches the top of the trees!"
Star said.
She and her two friends galloped away.
"Bye!" Bouncer called. He too galloped away, back to his own home.
Star, Diamond and Golddust caught up with the herd and ran beside Spirit.
"There are cougars up there. We couldn't fight them off!" Spirit explained.
"We need to find a new Homeland!"
Star and the rest of the herd galloped as fast as they could, but suddenly, Star stumbled and fell, hurting her back leg as she fell.
"MUM!" She called. It was too late, the herd had galloped on, and nobody had noticed.
Star called again, louder, this time.
She tried to get up and run after them, but her leg brought her down again.
Star's eyes filled with tears, and she began to cry.
"MUM!" Star yelled with all her might, so that it made her throat hurt.
Nobody heard.
Star began to cry harder, here she was, lost and alone.
Would she ever find her beloved herd again?
