On the front lines

Chapter 1

It was just another normal day like any other. Zoe was brushing my midnight black coat making sure I looked spick and span for the day ahead

"I tell you Midnight you were an absolute miracle when you were born" Zoe started and I instantly knew that this was going to lead into one of her long story's but this was one of the best things about my "sister" as I liked to call her

"When you were born you almost didn't  make it out alive. If it wasn't for papa you wouldn't be here. But alas father is no longer here with us after his battle with... With... You know what lets get you get out to the fields otherwise mama will be mad for not sowing the fields" she continued I could here her voice trembling and I knew she couldn't bear those dreadful thoughts.

You see back when she was only 14 her father began a long and painful battle with cancer. Dreadful it was. She couldn't bear the pain after the news came round that he'd passed on. He was a good man but never got to live to what he hoped he'd live to. A horse lover like my partner in crime Zoe. He never would let a horse pass without holding a strong fight for them. I saw it with my own eyes.

Lucy was an old horse and developed arthritis in her front legs and soon after fell ill and the vet explained that she had no more than a week to a month left in her beautiful soul. Boy did her father put up a good fight. Fought until the last breaths to make her last times a beautiful time to live until it couldn't be held up any more.

I was lead out to the fields that were ready to be plowed and sown for the new crops for the year ahead.

I  was attached to the heavy machine that I was to pull for the next hours until the sky turns to a painted picture of an assortment of colours that painted the sky with a tiny brush that coloured the white clouds yellows orange and pinks.

A ploughed the fields and leaned my head down into the collar to pull harder like I always do to impress my Zoe but today. Today was different. She didn't praise me for pulling harder like she usually does. Her tone was harsher than her usual soft, calm and collected tone. Something was wrong and I could sense it, something was bothering her.

I waited until dusk fell over the valley of green lush fields and we both went back to the stables.

I was reunited with my horse neighbour thorn. He was named thorn due to his feisty attitude. He didn't let anyone but Zoe touch him. He was  strong as a bull and fierce as a bear. He was like a brother to me. Very overprotective he was to me. He might've hated human contact but he adored each and every horse at the farm. Under all the tough outer skin he was as soft as cotton.

The tall brown haired female walked into the stable and sat on a hay bale and said nothing. She looked at me and I perked up my blunt ears to signal I was curious and wanted to listen to what she had to say

"It's war. We are at war with the Germans. They say it's going to be a long and hard war. They're going to take you and thorn away for cavalry for the front lines. I can't let them take you.. I promised father that i would take care of all the horses especially you and thorn. You two were his pride and joy. If you go I'm coming to." She sobbed with tears rolling down her pale cheeks.

I lowered my head knowing what she meant. It's hard when humans don't think you understand but we do and we sometimes understand More than a human can ever. I plodded over to her and nuzzled my snout at the side of her face. I wanted her to come with me, with us but she'd be risking her life out there.

"No midnight I'm coming with you. I don't care if they don't except girls because they think we are weak because we are female. Gender does not matter in a time of war. They need all the soldiers they can get at the moment. Some have already faced the Germans on the front lines and the Germans are putting up s great fight. Lots of our soldiers are already injured or even... Dead" she exclaimed. She stood up and marched out of the stable before me or thorn could do anything at all.

Dusk fell to night and each and every single star shone brightly like a burning flame on the cold night. The temperatures had dropped rapidly. I knew this was not going to be good for ploughing tomorrow as the ground would be hard which would mean more work for me. It was almost Spring but not quite. The temperatures were getting warmer but it was still very cold.

I poked my head over the stable door and looked to the endless specs of white paint that had been splattered onto the night sky. In the clutter of all of them one stood out above the rest. It was bigger, brighter and above all it gave me the sense of tranquility and calmness. Everything seemed so peacefully quite. It was like it absorbed my fear into a ball and threw it into a crater. In the amidst of all of the other brightly shining stars that one little star stood out above all the rest of all like it was meant for me.

Zoe had said to me before that they named me midnight because of my silky jet black coat and that when I was just a foal I would look up at the stars at midnight when the moon reached its peak and covered the land with a soft light that emitted from it.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day and there was no doubt about it.