Beautiful Lies

The Valley - Chapter 1

Pea walked through the misty terrain that floated atop the layer of mud in the forest. Behind her trotted along her two best friends Socks and Melody, Socks shuttered from the creepy atmosphere. Gazing back at her friends she watched the grey male horse named Socks jumping at every tiny twig and moving branch. As usual he was clumsy as well, he smacked into a branch hover above him the knotted into his black hair. Screaming he stumbled and knocked into Pea causing them both to fall over into the sticky mud below them. Melody unamused by his dorky display quickly pulled him up by the ear in her teeth.

Flicking her head up her sandy blonde hair flicked away from her eyes for just a moment, they dazzled a chocolate brown. Melody herself was not all a horse like Pea and Socks however, she was a brown and stubby mule, she often hid away from others just because of it. The skinny grey horse whinnied his thanks to her but she only rolled her eyes. Pea unlike Socks was able to lift herself from the mud in a quick spring forward, her once beautiful cream pelt was now stained in a dark brown.

"Pea where are we going?" Melody asked in a soft voice.

The cream horse replied while perking her ears high, "We're searching for the wolves!"

"What, are you crazy?" Socks screamed in terror of the thought.

The mule nodded with Socks, "I agree with Socks we can't just go looking for trouble, your mother Freya would be furious!"

"They've been terrorizing the herd lately, I'm going to find them and we're going to give them some hard kicks in the head!" Pea explained in a triumphant tone.

The grey male with black hooves complained, "I can barely kick the fruit off a tree how am I supposed to kick a vicious wolf!"

Before Pea had the chance to respond to her companion a voice was heard echoing across the forest. Lifting her head like a rabbit she stared in its direction but nothing was to be seen. A few moments passed and the voice called again, this time she was able to recognize that it was her mother. Freya must have been calling from outside the forest, giving a muffled whine Pea began to turn around to leave. Her friends followed behind her without complaint.

Stepping out of the shrouded forest with winding trees they approached the large grassy field they had come to recognize. The sun fluttered down in a drastic change from the shade in the trees, Pea enjoyed the way the warmth felt on her chilled skin. Not far off was her mother standing tall and proud as she always did, bearing resemblance to her daughter she galloped towards the three companions. Freya's face however was not one of happiness and rather appeared to be in great disappointment.

"I was looking all over for you!" The empowering horse scolded her daughter promptly.

Despite Pea being much like her mother she was also different in many ways too. Instead of the brown spots on her flank and eye that Pea had, her mother had none at all with a light cream snout. Pea also happened to bear markings of long socks on all four of her legs, while her mother had not either. However the most peculiar difference between them was the fact that her mother had dark brown eyes, and Pea had ones of brilliant blue with an outer ring of purple. Many of the other horses found this rather peculiar, as they've never seen a horse with blue eyes before.

After a long hesitant moment Pea lowered her head, "I'm sorry..."

"You should be what were you thinking going into the forest the wolves lurk there!" Freya proceeded to nag her but gently nuzzled Pea to comfort her.

Without hesitance Socks spoke up bravely, "Pea thought it would be a good idea to go after the wolves all by herself!"

"What? Pea is this true?" Her mother shouted in her ear sternly.

The young cream mare gave Socks a glare of death, "Well mama they've just been around and one of the youngest has already gone missing! We can't afford to let them walk all over us!"

"Pea that doesn't matter they are dangerous! You wouldn't handle them on your own you're just a foal!" The large female horse lectured Pea.

"Mom I'm not a foal anymore I've just entered my age of adulthood, I know you just want the best for me but I'm not a little girl anymore!" Pea recoiled at being called young when she was in fact just recently an adult now.

Freya frowned and nudged her daughters side, "Oh sweet pea, I'm sorry just please don't leave like that I was worried!"

"I know, I'm sorry too..." The young cream horse lowered her head in apology, "What about the wolves though?"

"We're moving the herd on sunrise, it has gotten much too dangerous here to raise our young" Freya confirmed with her while trotting towards the middle of the valley.

Following their leader Freya to the middle of the valley they stayed silent. More than ever had Pea noticed that she was becoming more like her mother, strong, independent, and thoughtful. She pondered on the thought with a gleeful smile, she always admired her mother as her hero. Even though Pea didn't compare in size to the other horses she had the heart of lion, and that was more than enough to give her to drive to keep moving forward.

Finally reaching the middle of the field Pea huffed in some air to lock her thoughts away safely. However she was not greeted with the herd in a bustle of joy and comfort, instead it was a bloodied field of despair with barely any horse left alive. Mortified Freya raced down to aid them and the three young horses were frozen with fear. How could it be possible, only four horses remained other than them? Could wolves be hungrier than ever this season?

All that Pea had ever known was gone as if it had never been known to her at all. Down the hillside the wind blew viciously in the searing heat, two colts, a mare, and a foal were all that was left. The eldest horse was barely alive however, that would make five if he survived but his head lifted in a shake of weakness that she had seen before with animals before they had died. A sorrow filled inside her and she raced down alongside her mother who had been looming over the elder.

"Rolland stay with us, be strong!" Freya encouraged the elder as she licked his ear thoughtfully.

The large yet frail elder colt lied his head back on the ground wheezing through dying breaths. His once vibrant black coat had been stained with shades of dark red, and his eyes were slowly rolling back into his skull. Unable to last long enough to speak he stopped breathing, his eyes staring off into an unknown space. Socks, and Melody circled around joining their friend with deep sorrow.

Pea's mother stamped her hooves with rage, "What happened here, who did this?"

A colt colored of pure white limped forward speckled in blood, "Freybugs, Freya they were not wolves they were Freybugs!"

"But that's impossible, there's no such thing as devil dogs. They're just a myth, a story told in the night!" Melody attempted to calm herself with rational thinking.

Freya lowered her head gazing at the bodies, "We leave tonight..."

"We can't leave yet they're still weak!" Pea protested with a worried tone.

"Pea, you yourself were worrying about the wolves and now the pack has gotten big enough to take almost everyone, we leave tonight" The larger mare explained to her daughter sternly.

******

Later into the day what was left of their once great herd gathered atop of a grassy slope. On the horizon the sun began to set and the line of horses stayed silent with their heads hung low in respect of the ones who had died. A chill was sent through Pea's body, just this morning everything was fine and now they were all gone. One single tear rolled down the side of her face but she bit down onto her mouth to resist the urge to cry. She needed to be strong for the herd, for her mother, and for her friends.

With the moment passing her mother raised her head high the sun now gone from the sky. Pea gazed up at her mom for reassurance, she wasn't as independent as she thought and she could feel herself caving in. Gazing down at Pea, Freya rested her snout over her neck to comfort her. Falling apart under her emotions Pea began to cry, she leaned into her mother for support.

Freya rubbed her head underneath Pea's, "It's alright to cry sweet pea, I'm here for you."

More than ever though she needed her mother, and opening her blue eyes once more she saw Socks drenched in tears. He had lost his whole family today, all he had ever known swept away from underneath him, his eyes were glassy and full of fog. Hanging his head once more his mop of black hair covered over his cream colored eyes, the colt was in all sorts of turmoil she had not experienced herself. Giving a glance to her mother she broke away and leaned in on her friend as he crashed his head into her side.

Melody trotted along slowly as well to comfort their friend, she herself had not seen her family as she was adopted by the herd from a young age. Whines and whinnies were heard from the friends, they supported each other and shared in their deepest sorrow. The sky no longer covered by the colors of the setting sun they all raised their heads to greet the sparkling stars. Pea's mother took a step forward with an empowering stance, she stared meaningfully into the stars.

"In a day of our deepest sorrow we had lost families and friends of our herd in this grave day, I raise my head to the stars in hopes that they are in care of the many who have taken their place in the stars centuries before us" Freya declared her chocolate brown hair blowing majestically, "Please take in our prayers and love to know they are honest and loyal, that they deserve to become one with all that is living, and one with this world. Now that we are parting ways we will cry out for those lost!"

Pea had remembered this ceremony from when they lost the one foal beforehand, the little one barely alive long enough to know its name. In unison the herd would now rear and whinny to the sky to send their souls into the stars. Socks had kicked up the highest with a long bellowing cry, his true love put into the entirety of his cry. The others kicked their legs up and sounded into a loud song of sadness, it lasted long in a painful mourning.

Returning to the ground the herd was now silent with loving thoughts and memories, but despite all that's mourning Freya was not to be at any expense. Leaving not a hesitant hoof, Freya lead the herd onwards into the darkness of the night. With tired eyes Pea and the herd followed in reluctance, it was not like them to leave so soon after a mourning ceremony. It felt so wrong to her, she turned her head behind to have a last look at her home in the valley that had been peaceful until now.

Hoof by hoof they trudged into the unknown, but Freya was fearless in her footsteps giving the herd the strength and confidence they needed to move on. Difficult to see what was in front of them however it was hard to feel unafraid if what lurked, noises chattered in the night and trees rustled from afar. With a group of horses on edge Pea tried to stay encouraging and brave, she attempted to ignore her fears around her with a face of pride. However things began to get darker, and the sky was soon enveloped in clouds leaving the world around them pitch black.