A collection of short stories that I would randomly come up with as a process of time passing when in the saddle of my horse. If you are a fan of Grimm's Fairytales, then this is right for you.
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There once was a mare who was tired and worn, to the point where her hoof tips drew lines in the sand. She would load and accompany her mother and brothers to shows all over the country for their master; yet, when a dangerous disease was in the air, the family of horses was forced to say in separate pens in order not to be infected. The mare greatly missed her friends, who she would often see at the shows, and her mother, who would often go aid their master in training others or have side jobs all over the area of land close to the village. This of course made the mare feel tired and worn, as she was forced to work in order to survive, to which she didn't mind, but she was wanting to be better than just a skinny little timid thing as others see her.
One day, while the mare was riding out with her handlers to collect wood for the winter, she heard a softened voice. This voice had a tone of kindness and captivating storytelling. Taking a sniff in the air, she recognized it as a stag. The stag told stories to a herd of does, bucks, and various animals in the area. As the mare's masters worked gathering cattle, collecting the bounties of the harvest, and push against the yoke for the harvest to bring in the hay, she would listen to the stories the stage would tell. Even though it was at the high point of rutting season, the mare would avoid those stories, and focus more on the tales of nymphs, daemons, ghosts, and lycians. There were also private tales of the sorrows of regret, heartbreak, and wanting to be heard, all the mare identified well after being abused by a previous owner and used by her sire.
As the mare laid in her stall, she would think of how she could grow as a creature to do and be better, and to seek company for others, even when friends with her kind were limited.
"My friends are all by far away from me" The mare lamented "And yet when I reach out to them, I am but lost in the crowd." She thought and she thought, as she worked and plowed. "When the seasons change, I will take a brief trip in and see what this is about." She told her dear friend the Appy, who would often see her after working in the mill, and her friend encouraged her saying she would watch out for her if behaviors were out of nature.
When it came time to do sleep rotations, the mare would trot into the forest with a small bucket of grain in her mouth, for a bunny who knew the stage told her that in order to get in for the stag and the animal's safety. When she was granted access to go into the forest growth, the stage was present but never interacted with the mare, but she never really cared. She avoided certain areas she knew weren't proper. She took the time to learn of the other animals she'd come in contact with. Most were mentors of the younglings, others were singers and storytellers of the night and day. And finally, there were many, like the stag who consult with the hardships of the cursed creation. The stag would offer a den where every creature would cry and whisper the translations of the heart without judgment of being dominated. The mare would often give her voice out, feeling liberated from the pressures of many.
The mare would watch and listen, yet she would also share her own encouragement and wisdom among the animals. She even went as far as offering wool from an exclusive sheep farm and seeds from another farm to a sparrow who only dreamed of the places the mare and her family would dance and compete at. She would even offer the stag encouragement and comfort openly with the other animals when the stag would be pressed with the shearing of his antlers with a new point on the new set, crowning another year of survival.
Being a creature of emotional reading, the mare would feel the sadness, confusion, and longing for something better than his lifestyle. She would think to herself, "Oh you lost and scared creature. If you merge from the forests and go to the sacred grounds, you would find peace like a river, and embrace the light and warmth of the sun."
Months went by, and when her family asked where she was going she would tell of the new friends and the skills she learned from various animals. and that was true, for she learned to make better cadence with her strides, find confidence when hearing the sound of a pistol firing from a nearby arena, I know when to pick her battles, and made various friends along the way. When the mare told a story that's the stag told yo one of her kin, that member saw and was frightened when seeing and reading from other sources of other animals. When the mare was confronted about the actions, she knew that the time had ended. Despite her truths giving and presented, the lead stallion bit into her neck and dominated his sister.
The mare was crushed, for she was locked in a lot with the same loneliness for both her kindred friends and her new animal friends we're out of her range. And since she worked consistently on the farm, her only friends she managed to deliver a message back to her friends were a bunny, a butterfly, and an owl. They still wanted to be their friend and promised they would visit the lonely mare. She gave a nod.
"Tell the stag," The mare said to her friends "I only wish for you to never stop singing into the air, as long as it can make those pause and think." The mare lowered her head. "I can only hear from the distance, for my kind fears creatures like him. For his and others like him hurt cause my masters friends and kind."
"But I truly believe that kindness and respect can be given when being open and to be inspired. I, therefore, apologize for my kinds actions and thank him for giving me insight. For we are beautiful, but we are also driven to war and hunt. I wish no more than peace and to give beauty, even though I'm not."
The mare's new friends did as requested, and over time other animals from bears to mythical creatures would come and visit her, seeing her beautiful performances as she danced with the wind and seeking her advice when needed. Her dear friend the Appy encouraged her to take strides from all she learned and to be better for all. She even reconnected with members of her own kind and stood up against the lead stallion for the harm he inflicted on her. She even came across a dear friend from her previous masters and told him of her own scars. But the mare would often pray to the maker above that the stage seeks a sanctuary beyond his darkened wood, as she on a rare occasion could hear him sound his bugle of stories in the night skies for all to hear. And her steps would be like the wings of an eagle, with the new perspective of knowledge she observed. For all creatures deserve the kindness of the maker from her own kind.
