Dawn Rising

Danger

Dawn Rising: book one chapter 1

The danger scent was lurking closer.
the horses smelled it more than ever as they lightly neighed and threw up their hooves. It was one of the darkest night any creatures could remember.
The herd's stallion, Dusk, motioned for them to run feeling their pelts fleeing to the cedar forest.
"Im not leaving" snorted Dawn, the head mare.
"yes you are" Dusk argued back
"As the stallion, it's my duty to protect you"
there came a rustle in the brush reveling a mounatin lion. Its silhouette had see seeming mystery to it, as it stalked forward it's wieght fell into its shoulders.
Rearing up Dusk struck out at the beast. His kick missed by far leaving the creature undaunted.
Dawn pinned her ears back trying hard to stand her ground.
The creauture leapt up unto Dusk's back digging claws like ice far into the stallion's back. He neighed and tried desperately to throw his attacker, Knowing Dawn couldn't help him now. He mointed for her to find and protect the fleeing herd. If he survived, he would join them. pitifully aware of her retreating hoof beats, he turned his attention back to his enemy.
The mountain lion dug his claws in deeper, and it dug its teeth into Dusk's neck. Bold flowed from his new wounds, sending it
trickling down his shining pelt.
Dusk flailed widely, and rearing higher up then he had been before. The lion's claws briefly loosened but the creature found his claw hold once more, claiming a wail of sheer agony from Dusk. He collapesed to his side, and fell with an earth shaking drop. The beast went limp beneath Dusk. He made no attemp to get up. Closing his eyes and feeling he should die, sleep cascaded over him like a waterfall.

The stallion awoke to sharp pains and quickly staggered up to his feet. Memories of the previous night returned to him as he glared at the dead mountain lion. Luckily, his herds' scent was still fresh in the mountain air. Dusk thrust his head down in an awkward position to look at his wounds, but all he saw was dried blood. If the creauture had stayed on him any longer, he would have been the one limp on the ground. The thought made him shutter. This was not a good place to hang around for long. Dusk set off at a hasty canter, wincing in pain every time his hooves hit the ground. Soon he was galloping full speed ahead with the herd scent thick in the air.

He neighed happily when they came into view, and they galloped forward in greeting. Dawn made her way up to him first and said,
"Your wounds are deep, come and rest,"
Dusk decided not to argue and slunk down to the ground around his grazing herd and fell asleep.
When he awoke he found his son neighing happily to him and galloping toward him...