When He-Who-Loves-Meadows was a young foal he was shown the monstrous ways of the two-legged personally. He had been separated from his herd in the great storms, falling and stumbling till he found himself in a clearing of the two-legged's.

They were at first, inviting.

Offering food and water to him, shushing his pained whinnies for his Dam and Sire. They healed his wounds and bound his broken limbs in soft strange wrappings he had only seen from a distance that made him able to move comfortably but stifled.

It was a slow process, his healing to their travelling.

He grew and with it so did everything that made He-Who-Loves-Meadows, him.

Love was freely given to these strange beings, though he still longed for the planes of his home and his herd. He showed them secrets that only he and his herd knew and spoke with them in his own language.

It was in his tenth winter, his third with them that he learnt what they truly were. They were not kind like his herd by vicious like the monsters. He was bound by chains in a room of stone, his two-legged herd surrounding him with their strange language on their faces, and blood on their hands. He screamed that night as they cut him, and broke him.

He would never see the planes of his herd again, and would never feel the wind in his mane…they had taken all he showed them for granted and in turn… they clipped his wings for a trophy.

It was a blur after that, his power surged within, breaking the chains on him and shattering the strange coloured glass which held various parts of animals he knew. Those he had loved, become betrayers, collapsed with his screams as he ran.

He ran for days, over rivers and rocks, fields and snow… he ran till he could not and he stayed there.

The small glade was enough for him, he had shelter from the rains, running water and grass plenty. It was peaceful for a time; many seasons passed him by and soon enough He-Who-Loves-Meadows heard the familiar footfalls of Two-Legged's. He screamed in a voice that carried the forest, raising his front legs to make himself taller to scare the beasts away.

They ran off of course but they always came back, always with more and always did he succeed to scare them off.

Till one day.

One autumn day when the leaves were falling, and He-Who-Loves-Meadows was gazing at the darkening sky in sadness. He had glanced over and saw him, a two-legged beast with eyes of the sun.

It had been a long time since he had felt fear, fear the likes that had him frozen and cast back into the memory of being chained… yet the two-legged didn't come forth, he sat on the ground, hands up in a calming manner that he learnt not to trust.

"Shh, I'm not here to hurt you." He whispered, voice soft and scratchy but honest.

"Lies, you all are the same!" He screamed back but the humans never understood his language and so he did all he could to scare him.

The beast stayed in his glade for a week and in that week He-Who-Loves-Meadows saw something new. This two-legged was unlike the others, his eyes shone like the very sun in the light, it reminded him of the glade he called home so long ago but they were kind.

Over three summers the man returned to his glade and was peaceful, showed no lies like those who hurt him, and had in fact received the same treatment from the angry ones unlike him. It was then when He-Who-Loves-Meadows killed a man who had shot something at the Kind-Eyes that everything changed.

He-Who-Loves-Meadows became Scorpion, a beloved companion to a Witcher.

Many years passed, and his mistrust of the two-legged only grew as he watched how his herd-mate was treated, how the angry two-legged spat vicious slurs the likes that Scorpion had never learnt from others… Yet Kind-Eyes never did anything back, only treated them with courtesy they didn't deserve.

Dancer-of-war came to them as a Surprise and her name suited the protective goat easily. Scorpion was once again surprised by life and their little single herd became three.

Oh, there were many Herd-Mates, ones that Kind-Eyes called brothers and it was only because they were like his own Witcher that Scorpion trusted them.

He watched and helped those companions that came back every few years. Names he had forgotten to time as they never stayed long until He-Of-The-Night and She-Who-Will-Always-Wander were claimed. A Tulpar bred and a Unicorn re-born.

They became his herd; they were not his brother and sister by blood but by heart.

He taught them what it meant to be a Witcher's companion and in time they taught him to trust two-legged once more. But, still he was suspicious of the noisy-one as Roach called him, her mistrust was a lesson hard learned like his own and like Horse's… so it was concerning to say the least when her mind began to change, the noisy one became a foal.

"No, because anyone with eyes can see noisy-colourful-being-with-snacks and White-Hair are Life-Mates but those two! I know she knows! She hurts my foal!"

Once again life surprised him. Roach was young still but Scorpion knew of her kinds ways, how guarded they kept their hearts because a beloved of a Unicorn was blessed with many things, much like the beloved of a Pegasus and a Tulpar… except Unicorn did not love easily.

And Scorpion had seen just what two-legged's will do to gain power.

S

Scorpion nuzzled Roach fondly, "Be safe on the Path, don't let your guard down."

"I never do." She replied with a snort.

Huffing, Scorpion shook his head. "Tell me where your… Noisy-One winters?"

Suspicion was clear in Roach's eyes as he asked, "I am unsure… I still haven't grasped their language but it is loud and full of that which he calls music."

"Oxenfurt is what the two-legged call it," Scorpion replied, watching as Roach tested the words with a snort. "I know you trust him She-Who-Will-Always-Wander but I need to see it for myself. If he is to be trusted like our Witchers or if he is using your Heritage as a means to capture it like those that did me."

All fight left Roach as the words sunk in, she had been told the story of why Scorpion no longer had his wings, why he hated those, unlike their Witchers. Nuzzling him back as Kind-Eyes finished placing the saddle and gear on him she told him more. "He is different, can hear me sometimes… he smells unlike the angry-ones and has sugar cubes in the left part of his folds near the hip. Be safe He-Who-Loves-Meadows don't let Dancer-Of-War get eaten again."

"IT WAS ONCE!" Lil' Bleater bleated in agitation. "But tell me of your foal, I cannot smell like you."

"He is of many colours, changes skin like shifters, is young, smiles with teeth and carries a wooden thing that makes a sound like the forest and wind." She replied while bending down over her stall to nibble on the tuft of fur at her head. "If Kind-Eyes or Scorpion falls he will help, even if he gets hurt in the process."

Lil' Bleater stared up at the unicorn with understanding, the last part she knew was only said to her. It was a testament to how often that Dancer-of-War had watched her herd-mates be injured and unable to help but perhaps if they find the Noisy-Foal then perhaps that she will be able to find him again if the others are hurt.

"Lil' Bleater come on we're leaving!" Her human called, drawing lil' bleater away from the warmth of her home and into the crisp air. Determination set.

L'B

Dancer-of-War was running, her fur sticky with the blood of Kind-Eyes and the bitter taste of Scorpion's fear. Her legs burned with the exertion but she couldn't, wouldn't stop till she found the being Roach spoke of.

She knew they were close to the destination that Scorpion subtly led them to, they were only two days' worth of travel away but something within told Lil' Bleater that they were closer than they expected to find Noisy-Foal.

A frightened squeal left her lips as her front hoof hit a branch that sent her tumbling forward. She laid still, there in the dirt where she fell with a defeated cry. Her leg ached fiercely, her chest heaved with the exertion and.. and she failed.

"Woah goat! You scared me! I thought you were a beastie coming to eat me or a robber." A voice exclaimed, high and frightened that it caught her attention.

She eyed the man before her critically to see if he was a danger to her or not only to blink in shock. The man before her was young and colourful, his hands held a wooden instrument… was this? Was this the being that Roach spoke of?

"Are you Noisy-Foal!?" She bleated trying to get to her feet, jerking in surprise as the man dropped to his knees and helped her, his hands going to the pouch at his side and gathering odd cloth to wrap her leg.

A frown marred his features as he wrapped her leg but it disappeared quickly as his hand went to her collar, eyes lightening with joy and scanned the forest behind her in hope. "You carry a wolf medallion, now Geralt said his brother had a goat as a beloved pet but I didn't think to…"

The words died off as Bleater tugged on his colourful skin. "Help! Hurt!"

"Eskel isn't with you? Are you lost? Is he hurt… of course he's hurt or he'd be with you!" Noisy-Foal exclaimed and began to make his way in the direction she came from.

Relief flooded her as she lead him back, fast as she could towards her wounded herd-mates. Scorpion will heal find, he had only sprained his leg as he told but would not leave Kind-Eyes – Eskel as the noisy-foal called him – to die alone.

Dancer-of-War would never allow her Witcher to die.

And apparently neither would the Noisy-Foal.

"Eskel!" Noisy-foal yelled as he broke out into a sprint past her once the clearing came into view.

Scorpion reared back in anger and stomped down hard in the space between Kind-Eyes and Noisy-Foal with a snort. Noisy-Foal stumbled backwards, hands up in a placating way that Lil' Bleater knew wouldn't help. This time she surged forward, shoving her little body between Roach's foal and Scorpion.

"I FOUND HIM! NOISY-FOAL!" She screamed over his own angry sounds, pulling him short.

"How can you be sure it is not a trick?" Scorpion replied glaring at the human. "We are not near the place Roach said he would be!"

"Shh easy, I won't hurt him… he's important to you I know… please let me help him," Noisy-Foal whispered, pleaded more like.

Scorpion waited for a beat but moved out of the two-legged's way, never taking his eyes off of him as he took off Kind-Eye's armour with deft – albeit shaky – hands and cleaned the wounds. He was never further than a foot, nearly breathing down this two-legged's neck but still, the young one didn't make a fuss, tolerated it.

A small chuckle escaped the two-legged as he stood once all was done and Kind-Eyes was resting more comfortably and no longer near death's embrace. His hand went into the pocket and pulled out a small sugar cube, offering it to Scorpion.

"Roach was the same way in the beginning." The two-legged explained with a smile but something twitched within Scorpion at the name they called his herd-sister. So this was indeed noisy-colourful-being-with-snacks.

He took the treat slowly, eyes still locked on the two-legged with suspicion, tensing as his fee hand moved to rest on his neck. Teeth bit down on the hand that was still before him in warning, earning a curse but not a strike like he would from others.

"Ouch! It's always the fingers, I need these to play you know!" Noisy-colourful-being-with-snacks exclaimed while shoving his hand under his arm. "I should have known better, Roach taught me to be wary of horses."

Foal indeed then.

Scorpion nickered in apology as Dancer-of-War shot him an unimpressed look near Kind-Eyes.

"Will you let me look at the wound? Take off your saddle? It can't be comfortable for you boy, let me unburden you of all that heavy gear. Yes, let me." Noisy-colourful-being-with-snacks exclaimed as if it was a usual thing to speak to their kind like two-legged.

Scorpion then came to the conclusion that Roach was right, the young one was indeed a foal and an idiot but was kind. Kind in the same way his Witcher was, that nothing about the foal was fake and that he truly did care about Scorpion's comfort.

"Yes, you may Young-Foal." He replied, dipping his head and allowing the young foal to do as he asked.

"Thank you, truly, I know that Witcher's horses are smarter than the average ones and that you're very protective of your charges… Melitele above we all know that without you they would be sore-footed and sitting in goddess knows where covered in sinew and unspeakable things alone." Young-Foal rambled and Scorpion for the first time struggled to keep up with the two-legged language but he understood.

"You're different, not like the others." He chuffed once the saddle was removed from his back. "You understand our Purpose."

Young-Foal laughed again, to Scorpion it sounded like the wind in his home meadow, "oh they may think they're the caregiver but we all know you all are in charge of them. Alright, let me set up a fire so I can see better and then I'll give you a brush down."

Warmth bloomed in Scorpion the longer he watched the Young-Foal patter about the field, keeping himself between Scorpion and the dead beast in a sign that Scorpion would protect him from the creature if it so much as twitched. It was unlikely as the creature was indeed dead but… that trust was new.

Not often did Two-legged trust Scorpion to protect them, not like this, not so blindly.

It humbled him.

It also showed him why, after a while, Roach thought of him as hers.

The Young-Foal was kind and loving, tended to Kind-Eyes with tender care that is never shown, not even by their own herd-mates or himself. Hummed silly ditties as he began to cook rations over the fire and checked to see if Lil' Bleater was indeed okay from her stumble.

"Do you see it?" She asked once the young one went to sleep. "He's different… he understands us to some degree."

"I do," Scorpion replied, quietly clopping over to lip at the young foal's hair, scenting him. "He's ours, he smells like Herd… he smells like the Glades of my home."

Lil' Bleater limped over, plopping herself next to the Noisy-Foal and snuggled down, her eyes on Kind-Eyes though and thought. Yes, he did feel like home. "I knew he was close, I could feel the pull to him."

"Then we must make sure he stays ours," Scorpion replied after a moment more. "Rest herd-sister, I'll keep watch. No beasts will get you all while I am here."

"I know…"

Scorpion huffed as he watched his herd-sister sleep, his gaze flickering to the Young-Foal once more in thought. Yes, he was unlike any he had seen in his long life. Kind, honest and true. Loyal to the Herd though he knew that he and Kind-Eyes had never met, had followed Dancer-of-War after a glance at her medallion.

He was one of theirs.

Roach chose well.