Heart and Soul

A regular day

He was beautiful. A true wild stallion. His dark mane tumbled past his shoulders and his silky forelock fell perfectly down his white star. He was light on his hooves but his muscles would stand out handsomely if he galloped.
The herd was his life. His pride. As they travelled he would circle round them and whinny at the mares to keep them going. If there was danger however, he would be right at the front, teeth bared. Occasionally it would be a human that had strayed from its pack, but a quick snap would scare it off. Snakes would delt with in a simple stomp of a hoof. But on rare occasions, if they were unlucky, he would be there. A grey stallion with snow white hair covering his pristine body and his thick forelock completely hiding his left eye. His visible eye was beautiful. It was rimmed with darkness and was a cloudy grey. But he wasn't friend. He was foe to the young bay. He would stand ferociously with his legs apart as he watched the gray trot around him, picking up his hooves graciously as he did so. Once he'd had enough of irritating the stallion, he'd turn around and flick his tail in his rivals face. He'd then gallop off and his herd would follow him obediently.

*****

It was a regular day. The herd were relaxing at their favourite reservoir. The foals frolicked in the water, and the mares lazed around on the sand. Their leader watched them from a small ledge that overlooked them. A firey chestnut mare cantered up the ledge. The stallion jolted up at hearing the sound, as if waking up from a daydream. He nuzzled his beautiful sister gently. But looked back over the ledge. He wasn't watching the herd. He was watching a tiny, distant glow that sparkled in the evening light. He stood up and reared, getting the herds attention. They all looked up at him expectantly, waiting for a signal to leave. But he did something none of them expected. He jumped down from the ledge and started to gallop towards the glow. Unsure of whether or not to follow, the herd looked at his chestnut sibling, but she had already gone. She raced up to her brother and grabbed his mane with her teeth to get  him to stop. He stopped. He looked her square in the face with a hard glare, and she cowered away. She knew he had to do this. She walked back to the herd. He galloped toward the glow. She only looked back once, and already all that was left of him, her dear brother and noble leader, was his faint hoof prints in the sand.