Chapter 2

He stood and watched the sun go down behind the mountains, painting the sky in different shades of red.

He loved times like this. This was just one of the many beauties of the wild, and he loved it. The fact that he belonged to this world further delighted him. He lived for times like these, and he had been doing it ever since he was just a tiny little colt. Especially on a nice autumn evening like this. He took a deep breath, letting the cool pre-winter breeze waft through his dark mane.

As the sun set and the night came up, he felt the chill start to creep into his skin. Grinning softly, he slowly decided that winter was much closer than it had been last year. Shaking his head, he followed a streak of red that ran across the sky. Following its path, he saw it go down behind the mountains beyond the range of the canyons.

Now, he had never been beyond the river that separated the two places. He had never wanted to go there, or even if he did, his parents never allowed it. Besides, it had never been an overwhelming desire for him to see what was over there, and he was a horse who followed that overwhelming desire in him. It had been what drove his race with the eagle and winning it, and it was the main reason he was heir to his father's post in the herd.

But now, as he stared beyond the darkening sky into the unknown, one thread of want crawled into his heart, the simple want of wanting to know what was out there. He narrowed his eyes with the vain intention of it helping him, but it didn't.

For the second time, he heard the sound of familiar hooves, but he had been so focused on his sight that he didn't hear it until it was too late. A deeper snort next to his ear spooked him, making him scramble back a bit, shaking himself back to reality.

The dun stallion looked at him inquisitively, trying to decipher what it is that had his son so drawn in that he was startled by his arrival. Following his son's gaze, his brown eyes widened slightly when he saw just what his son was looking at.

Turning back to his son, he gestured slightly with his head, silently asking him whether he was looking at what was beyond the horizon. The young horse sneaked a glance at it and then turned back to his father, snorting his refusal. The old leader then playfully shook his head, leading his son back to the herd, asking him to stay with them for once.

But before he lost sight, the buckskin stallion sneaked one last glance at the forbidden unknown.

As he and the other horses slowed down, they came up upon the hill near the Lakota village. They were rewarded with the beautiful view of the sun setting behind the mountains.

The brown horse felt Little Creek straighten up and adjust himself slightly on his back, so he could get a better view over the horse's head. The other Lakota tribals also relaxed when they saw the beautiful scene. One of them let out a low whistle. "That's something you don't see every day," he said appreciatively.

Little creek nodded. "But, we only get these while we're here."

"This belongs to us." Another one said. All the others looked at him. "I mean, practically only we get to see views like this, right?" he clarified awkwardly. The Lakotas laughed in unison.

In the meantime, the brown stallion Thunder fixed his blue gaze towards the canyon.

It wasn't the first time he had seen something like this, oh no. He had been witness to more than three years worth of beautiful sunsets, but still, a sunset like this? He had only seen it once. And where? When he was back with his family as a colt.

He hadn't forgotten anything about his childhood, despite the fact that he had a new family now. He loved Little Creek and was loyal to the Lakota till the end. But still, that didn't mean that he had forgotten his family. He hadn't forgotten his mother, whose presence had been with him all throughout his early days. He hadn't forgotten his father, whose wisdom stuck with him till now. He hadn't forgotten his grandmother, whose company made a significant impact on his life.

And most importantly, he hadn't forgotten his brother. His brother had been his constant companion even before he had opened his eyes, and that close bond had carried on into their colt years. In fact, the only time they had been separated was when that storm hit.

A worried neigh beside him brought him out of the past. He turned his head to look at the horses looking worriedly at him. One of them, a dark bay, neighed softly, asking him if he was okay. Even among the Lakotas, it was common knowledge that Thunder had been a wild horse before Little Creek found him and took him in.

Thunder had been given his name since according to Little Creek, he "looked like a Thunder" to him. Whatever, the name had stuck, and now that was all he would answer to.

One of the younger horses nudged him, asking if he was ready to move on. At the same time, Little Creek patted his neck, telling him to get back to the village, which Thunder was very happy to do.

But before he lost sight of the scene, he turned around to have one last glimpse of it, and let one thought sneak into his heart: what was his family doing now?

A/N: Sorry for the really short chapter, guys, but I feel like it might come out forced, and that's something I don't believe in.

If you're enjoying the story though, please let me know.