He-of-the-Night was a simple creature, one who loved to run. His wings shone brilliantly in the moonlight, flickering with ease. He's original herd, ancestors from long past had found themselves on this strange land with strange two-legged beings… their stories of old passed down from generation to generation and with it their warnings.
Some two-legged can be trusted, but wariness and suspicion were always needed.
He-of-the-Night always took that lesson to heart, never lingering for long in one place those strange two-legged lingered. Preferring to run with the wingless creatures that had his own shape. Horses. Cousins to his kind and the kinds of others.
Years had passed him by with blinks.
It was monotonous and He-of-the-Night was bored.
It was also because of that boredom that his own diligence on his surroundings began to fade, he grew too lax and in doing so, ended up being chased by a winged beast much larger and more powerful than he.
Running was what He-of-the-Night was good at and ran he did with a squeal of fear, his wings flying out to make the sharp turns through the rock formations with ease, dodging sharp claws and pointed teeth, though in the end, it was all for naught.
His legs crumpled on the next turn, chest heaving and heart thumping as agony and terror clawed across their skin. He watched with fear as the winged beast began to dive down for him, claws outstretched and mouth wide. He-of-the-Night didn't close his eyes, if it was his time, he'd watch it coming and for the first time in his very long life, surprise took him.
A flash of silver shone brightly in the sun followed by red the colour of a burning flame, of a meteor falling from the sky. The beast screamed as it was shoved away, pulled down by the meteor with force. He-of-the-Night watched and waited, in awe of the fire that danced around the beast, felling it with a resounding boom and crackle.
The noise of the Two-Legged reached his ears and it was then that He-of-the-Night finally realised that the meteor he saw was not that of a star falling but of a two-legged. His eyes shone like the sun in the daylight, the tuft on its head moving and looking like a quick flash of the same fire that he thought was indeed a meteor.
He was making chittering noise of his people, the language that He-of-the-Night couldn't be bothered to learn. He watched warily as this strange two-legged eased his agony, and tested his legs for breaks and hooves. His strange limbs were gentle, it was something unexpected as the two-legged had a familiar snarl on his face.
All too soon the two-legged stepped back, allowing He-of-the-Night to stand and shake away the aches of falling, sending dust everywhere and he chuffed as the two-legged began to chitter at him once more, turning his back and waving his limb to follow.
But he understood one word.
"Horse."
H
From that day forward He-of-the-Night, now named Horse. A name he was at first, irritated by but then amused by. Horse, such a simple name considering. The Two-Legged was amusing, chittering angrily to himself, his hate towards the other two-legged.
They wandered the land aimlessly, or what seemed aimless to Horse but to Swift-Meteor their route was known. Horse shook off the curiosity of their path with ease, allowing himself to enjoy the wind as he ran, the tender care his Herd-Mate was because that was what Swift-Meteor had become after many nights under the stars and runs from angry two-legged and monsters.
Horse was no longer bored, travelling with Swift-Meteor made Horse feel complete. He didn't realise he was missing something in his life till he was rescued by this two-legged.
Though within that short time, he learnt why his new herd-mate hated the other two-legged, new wounds and battle scars adorning both their bodies. It was a reminder of his ancestors' stories, one which he shouldn't have forgotten and won't again.
Some two-legged can be trusted, but wariness and suspicion were always needed.
Many days passed and the summer breeze turned bitter cold and Horse found himself being led towards another place, colder and higher up than he had ever been before. It was there in the mountains of the north that he found another unknown missing piece of the puzzle.
He-Who-Loves-Meadows was like he, not the same kind but winged or was winged.
Horse butted his head in mourning with the Pegasus as his own wings span out to furl around the black stallion.
"I mourn the loss with you Brother," he brayed softly once they were alone in the stables.
"It was a long time ago." He-Who-Loves-Meadows – Scorpion – stated calm and it made Horse admire the Pegasus more.
Horse wouldn't know what he would have done if he had lost his wings, but then again, their forms and species were different. Tulpas only lost their wings if a two-legged somehow saw them and that itself was a rare happenstance whereas Pegasus wings were visible all the time…
"Tell me all about how you came to be here?" Scorpion asked with the steady authority of being the alpha stallion and so Horse follows the order and begins his tale.
H
Years went by and Horse now had new Herd-Mates, Roach, and Lil' Bleater. A herd of four that was unlike any he had ever been in but wouldn't give up for all the sugar cubes in this world. It was unorthodox but Horse was like that, never one to fit into the boundaries set by his kind.
Their Witcher's were a herd too, the same but all different.
Sometimes they were joined by others, one with the Falcon – named Seer-of-Omens – who called their Witcher Lightning-Claw and others who come far in between with others but they barely visited enough for Horse to care for their names or those that they called their Witcher's.
Boredom began to set into Horse one season on the Path and it made him restless, made him irritable and it made him remember the last time he was bored. That made him alert, and stressed and it showed. His Swift-Meteor reacted to his alertness like a crack, gold eyes staring out into the dense trees.
"Lamb!" A voice called and Horse snorted, shaking his mane.
The Witcher that dropped down from the trees was well known to Horse. Silent-Crazy-Blade, just as fast as his Swift-Meteor but chose little blades and moved like the wind. When Horse first met the Witcher he was wary, his own instincts screaming that this one was different, dangerous… Yet Horse shook off that fear with ease of years fighting and running by Swift-Meteor's side.
The last vestiges of that vanished forever when he saw Swift-Meteor embrace the strange-one differently than his brothers, kinder, softer.
Oh… Horse thought with pleased amusement. They are Life-Mates…
It was only a few short hours later that Horse realised with dawning horror that the two-legged's were idiots… the sly teasing glances, the trotting around one another. Oh they mate sometimes, Horse tries his best to ignore that but they don't stop the awkward shy prancing of uncertainty.
Swift-Meteor and Silent-Crazy-Blade spat out vicious words but it was another kind of courting that the two-legged must do.
Every time they meet it was painful to watch, every time they separated Swift-Meteor was miserable and though he never looked back on his Life-Mate, horse could tell he wanted to by the tightening of his hands.
He complained to his Herd-Mates every time about it just like Roach complained about the angry two-legged and how her Witcher didn't care for himself. How Lil' Bleater complained about being monster food. Horse was just at the end of his ropes and one Autumn he had had enough.
Horse just bided his time till one day, one spectacular day… he tossed Swift-Meteor off his back in frustration, right into the swamp of monsters and screamed in a way that he had never done before just to hide that he did it on purpose. Silent-Crazy-Blade was vicious, tearing the monsters apart as Swift-Meteor got ambushed.
Horse didn't worry, he just watched the show until the two idiots met chest-to-chest once done. Something different in his eyes.
"Come to Kaer Morhen with me in winter," Swift-Meteor states that night causing Horse to perk his ears.
Finally…
H
When Roach starts complaining about a noisy-two-legged Horse barely gave it a second thought, to him they were all noisy. It was only when her annoyance turned into soft complaints, to that of a Dam did Horse begin paying attention.
Years had passed and Horse had to admit that the treatment that his Swift-Meteor and Silent-Crazy-Blade got in most human settlements had changed. No longer did they have to sleep in the woods as much, no longer did they get pelted by stones but coins on occasion.
It was all because of the Foal of Roaches and his love for White-Hair.
Still, he didn't really care to meet the two-legged, he could be patient and wait for the day that White-Hair would bring him to the keep, even if Roach was furious over the smells-like-flower-poison taking White-Hair's attention away from his Life-Mate and her foal.
Well, he changed his mind when Scorpion came back that winter, later than usual that set both Roach and Horse on edge as Kind-Eyes and Scorpion were the first to arrive.
"Scorpion, you're late." Roach huffed as she leant over her stall door to nibble on his mane in greeting.
Scorpion whickered as Kind-Eyes brushed him down, checking the injury that was still healing. He was still injured from the beginning of the Season, only healed as well as he did because Young-Foal had insisted that he get him to a healer. They did what they could but the tender muscle took time because Scorpion's muscles were unlike other Horses and the ones injured were the ones that were there to control his wings.
It was a long and tiring Season on the path, it would have been more so if not for Young-Foal travelling with them for the week till they split was so he could find Roach and White-Hair.
"Was hurt when we reached near Oxenfurt, the muscle didn't heal properly and it seemed every monster since then has been aiming for the same spot," Scorpion replied as he nuzzled into Kind-Eyes who was being extra attentive of said area. Scorpion knew that Kind-Eyes was worried he would have to leave Scorpion, he was old in the eyes of the Two-Legged but still young to his kind.
"Are you well now?" Horse asked as he lifted his head over his own stall.
Roach knew he was, she could see. "Did you find my Foal?"
"Yes, on both accounts," Scorpion replied with a whicker of joy. "You were right, he is unlike the other Two-Legged, could understand us to a degree. He made Kind-Eyes blush and laugh, helped heal Lil' Bleater and I… I agree, the Young-Foal is one of our."
"He was kind and funny, fed us both snacks and spoke with us… I was pulled to him." Lil' Bleater stated as she moved to her own little Stall next to Scorpions that led to the other Goats. "Young like a kid, all wobbly legs… gave me scratches when I saved him from an angry two-legged."
"What is this Foal you speak of?" Seer-of-Omens cawed from his roost above them, startling Horse as he didn't realise the other Companion was here.
Roach looked up and snorted. "He is a two-legged, different and foal like… my foal… he treats our Witcher's kindly, fights like a dam if they are attacked by the angry two-legged. He understands us to some degree." Roach replied and they spent the rest of their evening filling in Seer-of-Omens all about their Noisy-Foal.
Horse was once again curious, perhaps when it was time to leave home that he would seek out the one that garnered a Unicorn's love and the Trust of a Pegasus and see what the fuss was all about. Perhaps then he'll have someone other than the two idiots he travelled with and get all the sugar cubes and sweet apples he desired while with the noisy-foal.
H
Horse ran swiftly, his eyes locked on the prize up ahead. He could hear Swift-Meteor cursing to high heaven behind him from where Horse dumped him and Silent-Crazy-Blade cackled wildly. Horse didn't care, he just ran straight for the colourful being before him that he saw well before his Witchers.
The song was familiar, one that had the angry two-legged tossing metal instead of stone.
"OH WHOA!" The young-foal shouted as Horse skidded to a stop before him, nose instantly going towards the fold of strange skin that Roach told him kept the sugar cubes. "Uh hello, horse?"
Horse's ears perked, head snapping up in pleased surprise that their Young-Foal knew his name though that dropped as he saw the confusion as he patted his neck stiffly unsure. Nickering softly Horse nudged him again, lipping at the pocket that held the Sugar Cubes and shifted pleased as he was rewarded.
"Okay, where is your rider? Let me see… oh… fuck…" The urgency had Horse on guard, head snapping up and ears swivelling to sense the danger that made Young-Foal anxious and afraid. "Where's your Witcher? Is he hurt?"
Oh… Horse thought to himself as he shook his head, gesturing back behind him where he could hear Swift-Meteor cursing up a storm still.
"Get th' fuck away from me horse!" Swift-Meteor snarled with fury, pausing when Horse spun around and squealed at him in a warning.
"DO NOT TOUCH THE FOAL!" He squealed again as Swift-Meteor took a step forward, snorting and glaring down at him with a huff.
"It's okay Horse, he won't hurt me." Young-Foal chuckled with a pat to his neck. "Sorry, wasn't stealing him he was trying to get to Roach's sugar cubes in my pocket."
Swift-Meteor and Silent-Crazy-Blade stared back in amazement and confusion. Horse snorted and returned to lipping at the pocket for another sugar cube, earning a laugh from both Silent-Crazy-Blade and Young-Foal.
"All is well, you must be Jaskier. I'm Aiden and this angry bastard is Lambert." Aiden introduced themself with a wide grin, but Horse could see he was nervous. "Horse has met you before I assume?"
Jaskier blinked and spluttered at the name. "I'm sorry… did you just call him horse? What is with you Witcher's calling your riding companions weird names… I thought Roach was bad enough but Horse!?"
"He responded to it when I found him." Lambert shrugged, a bit more relaxed now.
Young-Foal huffed and ran his fingers through the mane and led Horse back over towards the other Witchers. Horse only responded to it because it was the only thing at the time that he knew of their language, it irritated him but that was his name now.
"He-of-the-night is what I am called." Horse snorted and lipped at the Young-Foal's hair earning a laugh.
"No, you don't look like a Horse." Young-Foal chuckled, pushing his head away gently. "You look like a Hoku… night of the full moon…"
Horse pulled up sharp, head swinging around with wide eyes. That was his Sire's name, Night-of-the-Full-Moon… how… how did this strange…
"There, he likes that name isn't that right Hoku?" Young-Foal laughed out with a soft smile and oh…
Horse would run till he could not anymore if this strange Foal ever needed to flee, he would fly him to the glades of his homes on swift wings if able to.
"I reckon he likes that," Silent-Crazy-Blade stated with a laugh of his own.
"Never seen 'im so foal-like." Swift-Meteor replied with a rare smile. "Do you prefer that name than Horse?"
He-of-the-night named Horse, now Hoku nodded. "Yes."
"Aight, come bard, let's make camp and ye can dish on all the stories of Geralt and I'll tell ya a few of my own," Swift-Meteor stated and the utter glee that those words brought forth made the Young-Foal shine like the very moon, stealing Hoku's breath away.
Yes, this two-legged was theirs.
They'll make sure of it.