Born Free

Chapter 11

When I open my eyes, I look right into the blinding sun. Startled, I toss my head away and turn my tail to the sunrise. Letting out a breath of fog, I now know that fall and winter are coming.

Soon, my eyes adjust and I turn around, seeing Raven and Thunder grazing the dewy grass. Surrounding our meadow are orange, red and yellow trees, a couple falling to the ground every minute. I walk down the hill, sliding along the grass several times. Raven nickers a greeting and Thunder doesn't even notice me. She lowers her head, very low, but doesn't graze. I stop, I have seen this before. She is apologizing to me. She blows out her breath and I walk up to her, lowering my head to her's.

" I'm sorry for acting the way I did. It's just that I was frustrated." She says quietly. I nudge her nose gently and she lifts her head, starting to groom my withers. As a reply, I step up to her and start grooming her, scratching just behind her withers. She groans, wiggling her top lip against my skin. She likes it, so I proceed to itch her, as a friendly gesture.
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I graze beside Raven as the rain starts to lightly drip on our backs. After days without rain, we finally get some. I was fearing that we would have to move, due to a wildfire. Then, a wave of sadness hits me. Wildfire and Willow. I look up at Thunder and nicker deeply. Walking up to him, he looks up and nickers back, prancing over my way. He bounces up to my side and nudges my shoulder.

" Hey, is everything okay?" He says, slightly alarmed. I can sense his nervousness, making myself uneasy.

" Y-yes. Wildfire and Willow just jumped into my mind. So sad." He bows his head as he touches his nose to mine.

" Yes, but that is behind us. We must forget about our dam and sire's. We are on our own now. Now, we can have our own herd of mares and foals." I shake my mane, tossing water all over. His voice is changing, getting deeper everyday. And he is still taller than me, and still growing. And speaking of growing, the dark grey clouds are swarming above us and we are staring to hear far thunder.

And just as I turn around, lighting and thunder strike at the same time. Thunder and I jump, I loose my fitting and trip, nearly falling over. I heave myself up from my knees and watch Raven lurch to the side. She is definitely a spooky mare. As she high steps in circles, I notice her bulgy, swollen looking belly. I walk up to her and stop her, easing the fear away. I press my nose to her side and she swivels on her hind, knocking my head with her neck.

" Don't touch me there." She snaps. I lean in, not wanting Thunder to hear me.

" A-are you... in foal, Raven?" She looks around, her big sides heaving from heavy breathing.

" You can not tell Thunder. It Isn't his." I snort.

" Well obviously!" I say louder. Thunders ears prick towards us and I quiet down.

" How long since..." I let the sentence drop. I didn't know the paints name.

" A couple months, maybe five? Six?"

" Who is the sire?" I carefully ask.

" The paint stallion, his name is Hawk. Our mothers named us after birds together. And we were made fun of. So we ran away when our mothers started pushing us away from them, and when we started to graze, we left."  Hawk. Raven. I wonder what she is going to name the foal. She lets out a breath and walks away, grazing near Thunder. I walk over to him as well and graze with my thoughts. When will I have my first foal? Will it be a filly, or a colt? Thunder looks up and sniffs the air, searching for any predators.

" Anything?" Raven asks. He lowers his head, his mane tossing against his muscled neck.

" Just more herds. No wolves, coyotes  or bears yet." I look at Raven and she quivers, nervous. I touch my nose to her cheek.

" It's okay, he will fight them off." I comfort her. She relaxes her neck muscles and we go back to grazing the drying field. It is turning yellower and less green by every day. Even with the small rain storms, the grass will eventually die, and the snow will replace it. And then in the spring, foaling season, Raven might've already had her foal.
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And as the day goes on, Thunder sticks near me, trotting after me when I go to the creek, and following me back.

" Hey, so your finally treating me like a horse, and not like a piece of grass." I turn to face him. He snorts, sending his steams of breath in my face.

" I have not been treating you like grass. I would've either stomped on you, or eaten you. Plus I was just watching you adjust to the new herd member."

" Oh, okay. Well, her name is-" He cuts me off.

" Raven, and yes, I know that she isn't carrying my foal." My heart throbs, what if he does something to her foal because its not his, and its Hawk's.  No, that isn't the Thunder I know.  

" Now, lets get some excersise. Don't exactly want to fatten all the way up through winter!" He starts up into a trot, pushing me ahead. I swivel around on my hind legs and break into a lope, with Thunder trailing behind me. When I hear him break into a gallop, I toss my mane in excitement. 

" Come and get me!" I whinny back at him. Stop! What are you doing? 

" Hurry up! Or you'll never catch me!" He neighs back in thrill. We go galloping into the forest, leaving Raven behind.  

We gallop in circles, jumping logs, creeks and dead bushes. Eventually, after a while, we stop at a river. It's fast flowing waters rushing throughout the riverbank. I walk down the rocky shore and find a calmer place to drink. The nippy waters cool my legs as I wander into the rushing river.  Thunder takes a drink and I walk back up to him. He looks up at me from the stream and whickers. I stop and he turns to me, nuzzling me gently. He squeals happily, pivoting on his rear legs and galloping back into the forest, now I trail behind, and on his tail.

A/N

Heres Chapter 11! Hope you like it! My friend, Sarah, made me put up a photo, so the black horse is Raven! Thank you so much! -Acacia