Phantom in the Fire

Apple Trail

 Snow put her head up and looked around flicking her ears hearing a few members of the herd already awake. She saw her mother was still asleep but she knew her dad was up and alert watching for trouble. Snow got up on her spindly legs and trotted out looking around curiously. She saw her dad on top of Pride and the rest of the herd below doing a variety of things around Everwind.

She noticed the sun glinting off of something in the corner of her eye. Snow perked her ears and tilted her head trotting over to it. She put her head down and smelled the bright red apple. To her it smelled sweet not sour. Snow took a small bite out of it and felt the sticky sweet juice trickle into her mouth. It was delicious, Snow thought. She finished it and looked around to see if there were anymore. She trotted through the Hollow Woods until she saw another and took a bite but then looked up distracted. Her eyes widened and she licked her lips when she saw the huge pile of apples just ahead of her by the river in a small clearing. Snow looked around almost cautious of the small pile. She went towards it but flicked her ears back and spun as she heard a sudden whinny and a din of hooves.

She saw her mother's pearl coat as she slowed to a stop next to Snow. "Snow, please get away from those. It isn't safe. Did you eat any of them?" Her mother stammered. Snow peered at her mother trying to figure out why it was a big deal.

"I did, is there something wrong with them? Because they tasted wonderful," Snow muttered licking her lips of the juice on them and flicking her tail nervously.

Her mother looked at her and all at once her demeanor softened. "Snow these were set here for a reason. Humans put them here so they could catch wild horses. Now that you ate one it's fine we just have to make sure they don't find us, OK? So you're not in trouble Snow and we'll be fine."

Snow dropped her head and ears and followed her mother home. She glanced up at the sky when they were halfway there and realized it was almost dark out so they picked up a quicker trot as they broke through the tree line and got onto the grass.

As they got near to Pride Mist bumped her daughter on her side and pushed her a little towards where they slept and she watched as Snow walked over their teetering slightly from the long day. Mist walked up the hill ruefully to tell Storm.

She was looking down when she felt Storm brush up against her. "Is something wrong?" She heard him mutter not wanting the few remaining horses to hear.

"It's Snow, don't worry Storm, she's fine, but it's what she found." I guess sometime while we weren't watching she wandered back to where we usually sleep and saw an apple trail that humans left. She followed it and found a nice pile in the middle of Hollow Woods. Thankfully they had gone home to wait but she did eat a few so what are we going to do if they come after us..?"

She pinned her ears and looked up at him tilting her head. She saw him smile, "I'm guessing you think that we can take them, huh?" She saw him nod and she walked off tired feeling a bit sore from the fight but that was about it. She walked towards where her daughter was now sleeping soundly and lay down next to her. Mist pinned her ears and flicked her tail over Snow and looked around once more before putting her head next to Snow's muzzle and falling asleep along with her daughter.