by HorseFeathers, age 16

Soft eyes. Gentle touch. Warm milk

That much I can remember of my mother.

Until they took her away.

They stole her from me and left me to die in this forsaken wasteland.

Where am I? I am here.

Alone.

I will find her, and I will seek them out.

*********

As I stand here under the stars of the heavens each night, I remember… The first breath of life streaming into my new fragile lungs. My mother gently prodding me up onto my long, spindly legs. Nourishment. A full belly and rest were the concerns of the first few moons in my life. It seems so long ago; all under these same stars.
I cannot peer into the depths of that very night she was stolen; only that I was terrified. It seemed that all at once our desert home, which I knew the name for then, was swallowed in a roaring thunder. The sands swelled up in massive currents drifting towards mother and me.

She screamed at me to run, but I could not. My legs were frozen to the steamy sand. My only working part seemed to be scent. Whatever had intruded our domain smelled like mother and me. Yet it did not. Then sound flooded my ears with screaming, kicking, and bighting to follow. Midnight eyes pierced mine as they raced towards me. Mother stood and fought for me but she would not last.  A stone hard hoof hit my tender head.

All was silent. All was dark. She was gone.

Dawn. She came with it and she left with it. She was it; clothed in an earthly body.

Let me start from the beginning.

*********

Fuzzy whiskers and then a warm breath grazed my cheek. Mother!?

No that could not have been her; I heard her distant screaming before darkness had swallowed me. Lifting my numb forehead, I gazed skyward. Staring into my own brown eyes were two big, yet calm ones. She smelled of the morning; warm, fresh, and new. My Dawn urged me swiftly and gently to my feet. Using her long, graceful neck, she pushed me towards her. I needed no explanation. I drank for all my frail body was worth.

At the time, I did not know of this; how they had also left my Dawn’s young one to die. How they had succeeded and yet had not captured Dawn herself. My Dawn. My warm, gentle, powerful Dawn. Several moons had passed as I had grown and prospered with my Dawn. I had now a new full-furnished coat. As white as the new sands; with a black strip riding from my forehead down to my muzzle. Although I was then a full-fledged yearling, I was still only a fraction of gentle Dawn’s size.
We mostly traveled by the cool of the night and slept by the heat of the day. She taught me the ways of our kind. How to find the fresh, tasty bramble bits within new shoots of desert plants. One day though.. Dawn led me to a place I dare not forget.

One evening as the sun set, I watched Dawn as she twitched her ears and nickered with excitement. She called at me to hurry and follow her. With a little confusion, I obeyed her wish and raced after her, flying over several mounds of sand. I squealed with surprise. Here before us was lush, green vegetation with a delicious looking water hole in the center. I had seen small ponds of water and green food here and there, but never such as this.

I had almost darted toward the small lush forest when Dawn gently nipped me on the backside. I squealed in protest. She was telling me to let her go first, to secure the way. For even our barren homeland is not without its dangers.

We finally made our way to the huge water hole… I drank deeply for I was now weaned of a young one’s milk. I ate some green ferns greedily until my belly was full. Then I proceeded to lie down beside Dawn as we rested peacefully. A few moments later Dawn stirred and sniffed the air. Walking towards the water hole were two others of our kind. They frightened me, for they smelled of death. Cuts and bite marks overwhelmed the two poor creatures. We left that morning. I never saw those two again. We had to find a herd, more of our kind; and quickly.

Something deadly had come and struck out upon our land with fury and power. His name was Dominance. He was the one who stole my mother and killed Dawn’s young one. I knew this now. He came with such anger that no one of our kind could withstand it. Dominance had fought stallion after stallion and crippled or killed each one. His now large herd of mares lived in fear under him. Too afraid to rebel and face the wrath of his stone cold hooves. I understand, for I have felt them myself. All this Dawn told me when I reached the age of understanding. I will avenge her, my mother, and all upon this land will live in fear no longer.

We traveled far. Without food and with little water for several days. Dawn’s ribs were sticking out and my once light coat had turned a tawny tan. That is except for the black strip on my face. When the sun peaked out over the sands dunes that evening, it reflected over a small watering hole. Nothing at all like the huge one Dawn had found. All the same, we drank deeply. When I lifted my head to watch Dawn drink, only then could I see how weak she really was. I nickered to her and she nickered back, telling me she would be fine. After we both ate what little vegetation there was, Dawn lay down on her side and rested.

Time went by and Dawn just laid there breathing slowly in and out. I was very nervous now… not one of our kind dare lie down in one place for so long. In case of the need to flee from danger. I stood over and called to her.

Nothing…

A few moments later, she told me to place my face close to hers. I did so with anticipation. She told me then that tonight she would be with the Star Herd. I at once wanted to neigh in protest but she continued on. Dawn told me I was of the wind and sky and then of earth and clay. She told me my neck had been clothed with thunder and my eyes reflected the stars. Of all this I did not understand in my grief but I did know one thing. That moment Dawn had given me name. I was to carry on our journey and find the herd who lived in fear. To put an end to it. I was Destiny.

When Dawn started to fade away, I panicked. I screamed at her that I knew not how to find them or my way. She at last nickered to me like the first time she did when I was a young one. She told me I would find them… to follow the hoofbeats. If our kind could weep that is what I did that night. Even as the moon set and the sun rose with the dawn.

Dawn…

This is how I found her and how I must leave her.

It had been several moons since Dawn joined the Star herd. I am here… alone, continuing our journey across the sand of time.

**********

My hooves feel the stillness around me. It is very dangerous for one of our kind to be completely alone. I traveled across the rocky, silty mountains that overshadow this barren land.

Again too much silence…

Even the desert lark makes not a sound. My heartbeat quickens as my ears swivel back and forth. Then suddenly, as if some unknown force had pushed me, I lept forward just as a huge desert cat sprang from a rocky dwelling in the cliffs and sank his claws into the air! His rib cage was showing and his eyes glowed with strange hunger. I would hold my ground, for if I ran he would surely leap upon my back and tear the flesh from it.

The starved cat growled as he once more pounced forward. I lashed out with my front hooves and struck center with the cat’s chest. I heard a thud against hard rock, a few short breaths and then silence. I cannot say I did not have any pity for the creature because I did. Death to any kind is sadness. However, it is perish or survive in this somewhat cruel land. I had also accomplished my first fight, which would come back to me in the future with experience.

I carried on with a few battle scars from my desert cat encounter. I paused here and there, trying to gather what strength I could from dry plants. Then I lifted my head. Something smelled different in the air.

Sky Water, I was sure of it!

I danced a little with glee. Not moments later the sky darkened with moist and opened its refreshment onto the land. I cannot tell you how revived my dry body felt as those first few drops dripped down my dusty back. My worries and doubts were washed away with the sandy tides. I would find them… and soon. My replenished heart could now follow the hoofbeats of destiny.

It would take me many sundowns to tell you every single day of my continued journey. I will say this. During that time, I faced dangers and discovered wonders. I used my knowledge and the teachings from Dawn; how to find food, to detect danger, and to not give into weakness.

It was that day I found the herd who lives in fear that I knew my journey had been worth every stumble. I had followed the hoofbeats of my mother and the herd across my heart. It was time to fulfill my destiny.

At first, I watched all of them at a distance. There were dozens of mares circled together trying to graze on some dry grass. They did not look like our kind should, with pride and strength. Each was either shivering, covered with bites, or had their ribs sticking out. Then I saw the dark one himself, with all his brutish power. He snaked his head downward and charged the mares as if they were his playthings. Herding and snapping them into circles. No one, not any creature, should have to live like this. Then I spotted my mother within the crowded group! After so many moons of being separated, I desperately wanted to race to be with her. I knew better, for if I did, Dominance would soon overtake me. Where was the brutish one — it seemed as though he had vanished? I warily came closer to the herd, circling around slowly. Then a flash of night came hurtling towards me; just as the dessert cat had a time before. I instantly lashed out with my back hooves. Hoof scraped flesh as I nicked Dominance on the ear. He squealed in surprise. The mighty one expected this lowly, little mare to submit in fear as the others. However, I had not come to surrender; I had come to fight and to take back what was stolen from me.

He tried to herd me again, this time biting me on the neck. Rage swelled my entire body and I rose on my hind legs, screaming at Dominance to challenge me. By now, the poor herds of mares had gathered not far away in amazement. Here was a mare, risking her life to fight a lead stallion, the one who had injured other stallions in deadly battles.

Dominance was not to be out done by a common mare. He accepted my challenge with a scream of insult. His eyes burned with rage like they would pierce through me. I had seen this before; the first time he had tried to injure and kill me as a young one. This time I would hold my ground until my last breath. We both charged forward at the same instant. Dominance towered over me and began trying to pelt me in a flurry of hooves and teeth. I darted sideways and sent painful bites to his rump. Then we both rose to our hind legs. At the same terrifying moment, his hoof struck my chest and mine onto his. I stumbled backwards and fell to the ground with raspy breaths. Before the world swept beneath me in darkness, I saw one last thing. The herd of mares led my mother, all advancing on the tired and deranged Dominance.

I awoke to fuzzy whiskers and a warm breath grazing my cheek.

Dawn!?

No it was not her this time; it was my mother. She had returned to me. I recalled the last few moments of the fight and nickered anxiously to my mother. She gently neighed back to me, saying the time of fear was over. Remember the battle and no more.

I had fulfilled my destiny.