Mountains

Sanity walked along the foothills of the mountains, working her way up to higher grounds. She felt the grass tickle her belly. She stopped and looked around searching the horizons.

Artimisia looks closer at a shape in the distance. Could it be? It's another horse!! At long last she has found another horse, but will this horse be friendly? And can she catch up with it? She starts down the mountain and carefuly picks out a shady spot beneath the willows to stay the night, as the sun dips below the horizon.

Spell continued her climb up the mountain side until she became tired. She stopped by a small stream that carried melted snow down to a rive. She took a long drink from it before gazing up at the next day's travel. She locates her next resting spot, a cluster of trees further up the mountain. She rests for the night.


When morning comes she continues on her journey. As the mountain gets steeper her walking slows so that she does not trip. As she gets closer to the trees she sees another horse. She slowly makes her way to meet the stranger.

Artimisia gallops across the space between her and the other horse. Suddenly she slips and rolls head over heels, she gets up and shakes the snow from her pelt and carefully picks her way down the mountain edge. "Calm down girl," she tells herself. She took a deep breath and walked over until she was a foal length away from the other horse. "Hello, my name is Artimisia. I am a lone mare who is looking for other horses. My former herd seperated when our stallion was killed by a mountain lion, and I have not been lucky enough to find other horses before now," Artemisia looked the other horse in the eye and, standing tall, like the princess of the Willow creek herd she was, as her father was the stallion of her herd, and she waited for the other horse's response.

Sanity breathed in Artmisia's sent, "Hello, my name is Sanity. I am happy to meet another horse. Would you mind my accompening you?" She looked over Artimisia, taking in her prideful appearance.

"No, not at all. I have been very lonly for the past oh... I think six months. Another horse would be welcome,"Artimisa answers. She looks over her shoulder as a sence of unease creeps into her mind. She holds her breath as she sees the slinking shape of a lion.
"Quick, run, run for your life, I' stall it, you just get out with your life!!" Artimisia looks back at the lion slinking closer.

Where am I? thinks jimmy wandering down a steep edge.
Wait! He could hear someone!
Galloping towards the sound he lets out a loud whinny

Sanity looks at the lion, then at Artimisia. She is unsure if she should leave the mare or to run. She turns to leave when she cathces a glipse of another moving figure charging at them....it's another horse. "Are you sure you'll be okay," Sanity asks Artimisia, still watching the other horse.

"No, I can't be sure, but I can't let you die because of me. If it gets me, it won't go after you, because it'll have food. I want you to escape," Artimisia says. "Or if you want, we could let the other horse deal with it, and try to get away with our lives." Artimisia liked that idea, because the instinct to survive was very strong, especially because of the life in side her that would become a foal was depending on her. She looked at the lion one last time. "We have to go, come on."

Sanity turned away from the mountain lion and the started away moving from it. She looked at the other horse hoping it would make it out alive. "Okay let's go," she said to Artimisia.

Artimisia woke up and saw frost on the grass. That's strange, it's too early for frost, she thought.
She looked at Sanity, still asleep, and then felt a kick in her belly. She looked around as she relised, with fright that the foal was coming, surely it couldn't survive, when it was this late in the year. She pushed that thought away and went and woke Sanity.
"Sanity, i'll be back, but I have to go, I'll be in that grove of trees over there if you need me," and with thatArtimisia left for the trees.
Artimisia pushed for a last time, and a little filly was born. She rested and got up. Soon the foal was up, and it was hungry. Once it nursed, Artimisia took the little foal, that she had named Roze, and went to join Sanity once more.
"Sanity this is Roze," Artimisia said.
"It's vert nice to meet you," Roze said, as she stubled forward beside Artimisia.

"It's very nice to meet you too," Sanity said to Roze. She looked at the little filly and her heart became heavy and lighter at the same time. It was heavy because she longed to be a mother, but it was light because if Artimia and Roze continued to be with her then she had a herd.
Sanity looked over the grassy area around them. The frosted grass was short and thin. This isn't a good home for a new baby, Sanity thought. "Shall we find a better place to stay for a while," she asked Artimisia.

"Yes, or I fear Roze would die..." she answered. They looked around for a place to go.

Sanity looked across the mountains searching for a place in them to move to. She saw another grassy area that was probably a days walk away. She looked back Artimisia, "Do you see a good place to stay? Or, at least a place to stay for a couple of days until we could find another place to live?"

"No, but, wait, I see a grove of willows over there, maybe an hours gallop away" Artimisia said.

Sanity looked in the direction Artimisia had seen the willows in,"Ok, shall we start our way there?" She looked back at Artimisia and Roze.

"Yes, we should start as soon as possible." They set off at a brisk gallop. Artimisia felt as though she was being watched, and no matter how har she tried, she could not shake the feeling.

Sanity galloped carelessly behind Artimisia. But she grew wary as she saw the bit of an edginess of Artimisia.

Artimisia looked around, but could not find the source of her unease. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and looked to see another horse galloping beside her. It nuzzled her, and then vanished. Artimisia gasped. She slowed her pace. "Um, let's stop for the night,ok?" she asked Sanity.

Sanity matches Artimisia's pace, "Okay." She slows to a stop and surveys the location. "Why are we stopping here," she asks Artmisia, a little out of breath.

Akasha watched the horses from where she stood higher up the mountains. They seemed like they wanted to get somewhere... but where? Most horses loved the meadows here - she did anyways. Then again she wouldn't mind if they left, she had always been wary around horses after she had been attacked by an unpredictable gelding as a filly.
Akasha snorted and turned to go, but something with the horses caught her eye. What was it? She arched her neck in an attempt to catch a glmipse at what seemed to be travelling with the two mares...it was a foal! Akasha's heart tightened as she thought of her colt, taken away from her before he had been weaned - "champion horse quality" they had called him, but Akasha was not aware what that had meant, all she remembered of him was the pain she had felt knowing she would never see him again.
"All I have ever wanted in my life is someone I can trust" Akasha thought to herself, "No, everyone I have loved and trusted has been taken away from me, I won't let that happen again"
The mare tossed her head back and let out an angry snort before turning around and cantering up the mountain.

Sanity caught a glimpse of a moving figure on the mountain side above. She turned her head to look at the moving thing. It was a horse. She looked at Artimisia, "There is a horse up there." She nodded in the direction the running horse had been. "I think I will go and see who it is. You and Roze keep going. I will catch up." Sanity started up the mountain side towards where the horse had been.

"No, I'll go with you, we don't know who they are, they might be dangerous," nickered Artimisia. Roze followed as Sanity made her way towards the mysterious horse. Something caught her eye. Once again she saw a phantom horse. Yet she didn't know who it was. This horse was midnight black, and had an aura to match it. She had a sense of danger around her. As Artimisia watched her the horse vanished. Artimisia gasped. "Did you see her?"

Sanity glanced back at Artimisia. "See what," she asked. She hadn't seen the phantom horse and was nervous that a predator was around. She stopped and gazed out around the area. "I don't see anything at all," she said.

A golden stallion steped out from under a grove of trees oppisite from where the other horse had been. " Somting wrong ladies?" His voice was deep and comforting and calmed the mares nerves somewhat.