Falling From The Light

[Dusty's Girl]

Hoofbeats ripped through the land as she galloped into the terra. She plunged into the shallow part of the river, her hooves splashing up water as she ran, her white mane and tail streaming behind her like icy flames. Who was she running from? What was she running from?

A terrified neigh parted her muzzle as she galloped headlong down the river. Her beautiful red roan and white painted coat grew dark with sweat and water as she continued her mad dash. Her hooves slipped on a rock as she continued in the water, her body crashing to the ground heavily.

A neigh once more, a cry to heaven as she raised her head above the water. Her legs thrashed about as she tried to stand, as she tried to get above the water that was trying to claim her life. The water turned to white foam as she struggled to claim a purchase on the slippery silt with her hooves. Was her life over by the running water?

Purchase was sought as she finally caught foot. With a mighty heave, she pulled herself upright and standing. Blood and water poured from her now ruined coat. Her head hung low near the water, her sides panting with the effort. But her eyes will still ringed with white, she was still terrified. A thin whinny lifted towards the heavens once more as she slowly raised her head.

Slowly she pulled herself up the bank from the river, hooves scrambling to keep herself upright. Exhaustion was setting in as she finally felt grass under her hooves. Blood streamed from gashes on her sides and legs, her left front leg was a tangled mess of blood and hanging flesh. Her ears hung to either side as pain started to set in slowly. Where was she?

The light above her began to slowly fade out as exhaustion and pain took over. She felt herself swoon as she crashed to the ground, her body leaving a soft indention in the lush grasses. Her sides heaved as her eyes rolled backwards into her head. Unconciousness slowly crept over her.

[spirit1]

The hansome strong dun quickly dashed over to the collapsed unconcious mare. Her legs were covered in blood and ripped to pieces. The blood was not about to stain her beautiful white coat on his watch. The dun stallion dashed over to the river and saw blood running down it also, he relised she came through the water, the clean water upstream was quickly scooped up in his mouth and off he went to the bleeding mare. Opening his maw clean water sweeped over the mares badly injured leg then after one more trip her sides were clean too. Free of stains and for her injuries to become scares he laid down next to her, gently lifting her head so that it rested on his withers. He would watch over her until she awoke. Rosemont was doing what he had done with Faradera, but this time he would not mess up!

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[Dusty's Girl]

In the eye of her mind as she lay unphazed by the stallion: Two spirit horses galloped, a stallion and a mare. Performing an intricate dance, the reared and leaped, their muscles displaying their power. Two of a kind, wild mustangs. Two hearts beat as one as they reared and bowed to each other. Their heads thrown high and their tails waving like banners. A black and a white, each contrasting to one another, each in harmony with the other. It was as if music played in their minds, a music that only they could hear. Their hooves flashed over the terra, their voices calling to the symphony of the night. Their manes and their tails dashing like flames in the open fields. Their dance led them far away from the sight of her mind.

Feeling that her head was lifted, Solstice let her eyes flutter open. Where was she? Where were those perfect lovers in her mind? Who was this stallion? A small neigh fluttered from her muzzle, frightened and scared. Her eyes flew open, ringed with white. But she had no strength to move from this position and this stallion. Her muscles tensed, her body shaking as her mind reeled. The black...he was behind her...But now...he was gone and this dun was here. Was he like the Brught? The horrid stallion that wanted nothing more than breeding slaves?

She shook her head slightly, trying to calm and clear her mind. Maybe this stallion was here to help her in some way...She was injured no doubt from that fall on the jagged rocks of the river. She let her eyes fall from the stallion for a moment to take stock of her injuries. At least there were no broken bones. Just rips and tears of her skin. She would heal with time and with plenty of scars to show the young foals to scare them into behaving.

But who was this stallion and where was she? Those were the two questions that she had to answer, that she needed to know. She sent out a questioning neigh, her words rarely used and she was almost unable to form a question in those words. Horse language would have to do until at least the dun spoke so she could copy slightly. She was unused to speaking to anyone, just herself and her mind. But that stopped long ago when the Brught began chasing her. She had little use for her words until now. And she was scared to speak once more.

[spirit1]

A neigh flew from the mares maw that moved slightly from his withers. She was scared and he knew that, he knew that she needed to hear words of comfort, "Its okay. Your safe!" he spoke lightly as a whisper in her hearing pipes. As he watched her enquire about her injuries and then when her questioning confused neigh ran out of her muzzle he thought best to think in her hooves then answer; As he looked up and the surrounding area around them both he knew what she was trying to ask. "Your in Sunshine river, my dear. Under my care and my name is Rosemont by the way." he said simply before continuing, "if you wish for me to help you sit up, I shall. If your hungry I can also get you some food but i'm not a mind reader so you'll have to tell me." he said with a soft chuckle. Slowly he minipulated his current position, no longer laying but sitting up with now the mare's head lying on his cannon bones, then he began to eat the surrounding grass... though thirst was quickly getting to him.

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[Dusty's Girl]

Words were hard in coming to her muzzle, but she tried anyways, "I am...Solstice." The short sentence seemed to confuse her as she looked at Rosemont. Her ears spun forward and back as she stretched out her forelegs slowly. The left one raged with pain as she looked down at it and snorted loudly, her eyes flashing at the pain.

Her eyes turned back to Rosemont, "I am fine now, you should eat." Another snort raced through her muzzle, this talking thing was harder than she thought. Her skin rippled slightly as insects landed on her, her tail lifting slightly from its position on the ground.

This place, it was so different than her birth place. There was water here, grasses and such, unlike her birthplace of the desert. A soft snort rippled her nostrils as she let herself think, her mind wandering slightly.

[spirit1]

Rosemont quickly snapped his head up from the lush grass surrounding him and spoke swiftly to the damaged mare, "Well, Solstice ... I think it is you that needs to eat!" then pointing his head to the grass while looking still at Solstice. She seemed to be looking around her and asking many questions in her mind ... right too .... she seemed smart and inquizative qualitities he liked to see in any mare, especially one he wished to be a member in his own herd. "how did you come to be here my dear ??" he asked the quiet Solstice. Looking around himself the grass was golden brown, the skies a clear crystal blue with hardly a cloud on the horizon, the sun beamed down hard on everyone's backs more his then the mares lying before him. Trees were still green and blooming but some however were losing their leaves and flowers were falling everywhere a Spring blossom tree is spotted.

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[Dusty's Girl]

Solstice raised her head and looked at him with a curious look across her eyes, "I ran here. Away from the Brught. Away from my past and my history." She spoke quietly, timid even when she spoke of the Brught. Her tail swished behind her as she snorted softly, her ears alert for any sound and any movement other than the stallion near her.

She snorted softly at her legs, willing herself to stand up, but the effort was almost too much for the exhausted mare. She was not about to rise now...sleep was more important. But she would not rest until she felt that she was safe, pure and simple. If that took an army, then so be it. Her ears wiggled slightly as she lowered her head and rested her muzzle on the ground. "Do you have a herd around here?"

[spirit1]

Rosemont watched over the mare and around them ... it wasnt brimming with action which was strange for the summer. The heat was almost unbareable but it would be night soon and then it would be far cooler. "Well thats all I need to know." he said as he became more alert and jumped to his hooves. He ran a little distance away from her and shooed away some fellow equines then came running back to her and doing the same in every direction till he was sure she was, and himself, were safe. As he returned the mare had attempted to rise, but failed, at her question he arose to the answer with post haste. "Well, my herd live in the mountains and its quiet and blissful once reached ... the bad thing about it is the trek up the mountain but its a beautiful mountain valley with plenty of water and food. With the protection on offer from three other stallions too, mere lone horses whom are my companions. The other herd members are a mish up of mares, foals and yearlings." he spoke highly of his herd members, they was his family and this family would not break for nothing ! "You my dear one, are you looking for a new family ?? Often one is looking for a herd but I offer a family ... much more precious and dear to any equine." he spoke as he nuzzled the broken mare, and by that he ment torn, twisted, beaten & bruised beauty of a mare.

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[Dusty's Girl]

"Family?" She was miffed by this word. Never in her life has she ever heard it. A herd was what she knew. The ranking of mares and stallion, the foals and the yearlings. Lone horses were hardly accepted unless they proved that they could protect the herd without taking the lead's favorite mares. And the mares were the ones that truly chose everything. She shook her head slightly, "I confused...only know herd...." She spoke slowly, her words still tangled from unuse.

Her eyes raised slowly as the stallion had ran around, clearing the place. Yes, it was somewhat safe now. Brught would not find her here, as of right now. But she was sure that he would be on his way soon. And with an army to get her. She snorted softly and rested her muzzle against the ground once more, her mind racing back to the black stallion that had brutally tried to force her into his herd. He was a massive thing, black and full of fury. He was a Friesian cross...perhaps with a mustang...He was so dark hearted, it was hard to learn his story.

[Dusty's Girl]

She snorted softly, feeling the heat creeping up her leg and into her chest. A fever was forming. Its very presence was the bane of all horses. She had to get up and had to get moving. She slowly and carefully pulled herself to her hooves, painfully standing upright. Her body shook with the effort and trembled from the fever. Her body grew hot, sweat flowing from her hide.

Maggots were wriggling in the flesh of her wound, eating away at the tissue there. She snorted weakly and limped painfully to the water, laying down in it and suffocating the maggots. Standing back up slowly, she let a thin whinny flow from her muzzle as she strode past Rosemont. She needed to get away, from what she was still not sure. The fever was starting to cause her to hallucinate. Her eyes became unfocused and her body trembled more. The mare was deathly ill and she knew that the end might be near if her fever did not abate soon.

[spirit1]

Rosemont just left for a mere moment to gather energy, through eating, and to cool himself down. Now the mare was bathing in the river also to rid her wound of maggots and trembling terribly. He grew worried for her health, seriously worried !! "Solstice !!!!" he galloped after her with no second thoughtand slid to a halt infront of her. "You need to rest, let me care for you!" he said sternly with a snort rippling from his muzzle then reaching his maw out to hers he felt the heat radiate from her. Now he was really worried. She would either die or faint soon, he hoped she would merely faint and if she died then he vowed to himself that 'if any mare dies in my care; if she is not in my herd then I shall hunt down the stallion that turned her to the ill state they were in!!' he reared up and galloped back over to the river scooping up plenty of water to spray over Solstice. And thats exactly what he done. He stood by her side with his eyes full of worry for her life and slight anger, no not at her but at the past brught. He somehow grew cold, so he pressed his sides against hers in hope it would cool her body temperature down...

Now all that was left to do was wait and keep her safe.

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[Dusty's Girl]

Her legs grew too heavy to carry her and she collapsed in a heap at Rosemont's hooves, unable to hardly move at all. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, her heart rate climbing with each inward breath. The fever was still there, the water helping to lower it somewhat. Her eyes grew heavy as well, closing them for the time being.

This stallion, he was helpful. But he was not a god, nor was he a doctor. If the fever would leave, it would be because time and the environment told it to leave. Exhausted, she let the blackness take over, hoping that she would live to see another day.

[Dusty's Girl]

Once more, she stood. Taking off at a slow walk, she left the River and the stallion behind. She truly did not know where she was going, nor what she was doing. The infection was still traveling in her veins and a fever was still running rampant in her body. She had to get moving and hallucinations were driving her towards unknown lands, at least in her mind.

Her body movements were jerky and hardly controlled, her tail trembling as her hooves planted against the ground with each movement. She just had to move, just had to travel.

[spirit1]

Rosemont followed in tow at a working walk to catch up and due to his long legged strides he did, then slowed to a more casual walk. "Solstice, your still ill and what if you run into that black stallion how are you to protect yourself in this state!" he said with immense concern for her safety but if he had to follow her then he would! He galloped off in front of the mare and brushed the floors dusty dirt up her injured leg. It would stop the bleeding, coat it from insects and help it heal over. He also picked up some hawthorn root and pressed it firmly onto her torn leg, it would help blood circulation but she would still go a little lame later in life. He had seen it done to a racehorse friend who was then later retired to breed and was used as a company horse and riding horse! She would walk again and see another day if he had something to say about it, which he surely did!!

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[Dusty's Girl]

She shifted to a stop and sighed heavily. Yes, she could not protect herself like this. Not with this injury and not with Brught around. She could not do much right now other than let Rosemont take care of her. Something clicked in her head that she should stand still and let this stallion take care of her. Her body trembled, the fever starting to break as she let her head nearly drop to the ground. He had placed dirt on the wound to staunch the bleeding and it was working for now. The infection was starting to subside slowly, but the healing process would take time.

Now only if she could learn to speak...at least speak better. She snorted softly, her ears still swayed to either side as she stood there. Her body looked as if it was ready to collapse once more, this time with exhaustion and the efforts of standing on a wounded leg.

[spirit1]

Rosemont looked at Solstice and a whimper left his maw, "That black stallion is in this terra ... we must move you out of sight." he said softly to her brushing his sides against her to support her and take off some weight from that torn leg. As they both slowly walked he took her into a grove, it was covered and had many exists in emergancies. It was rather intrancing ... gold everywhere! As he knelt down with Solstice he kept alert, flicking his ears back and forth, swaying his tail and shaking his mane. His head was always held high but his chest was puffed out like an vipper snake and his bite was like one too! Rosemont got to his hooves, "Stay here, One of my sons will be here to protect you also." with that he left the grove and called for either one of his knights or sons maybe even one of his fillies. "Light your needed to play nurse!" he called for his eldest daughter.

A flash of golden dun struck into the terra a female shorter version of Rosemont, it was Galloping Light doing as her told! "Father ... that mare with the torn leg is the one I must attend I take it." she said as she nuzzled her father lovingly and swiftly went on guard to the mare. "My name is Galloping Light. Rosemont is my father, I'll be guarding and caring for you also." she said as she began to lie down with the mare. Like her father she was strong but was very mischevious although she loved tending ill horses she enjoyed spending time with her family! "If I was in your position I would trust my Father, he's just one of the general good guys ya' know?! How did you get yourself into this state anywho??" she asked as she sniffed the wounded leg and blew a coat of dirt dust off.[/center][/color]