I recently hosted an email newsletter-only short story contest for my subscribers, with the prizes of getting custom illustrations and publishing on my website. For the next three weeks I will be posting the third, second, and first place entries. If you would also like to be able to join awesome contests, get book reviews, and access subscriber-only content, sign up for my email list at the bottom of the page. You’ll also get my novella, The Wild Side of the Mountain.
***
His sire wouldn’t approve of this.
But he didn’t have his sire’s advice anymore.
Rex ducked behind a grove of trees; he stomped his hoof in the snow.
He flapped his forelock from his face as he peered towards the herd, Twilight was nowhere to be seen.
Probably hunting me.
He thought as he looked around switching his tail back and forth, he couldn’t believe Twilight would kick him out just because his father was a rebel.
Valerian was a strange world indeed.
He backed up and turned around towards his new home, his Feather on his forelock rubbing his skin. He had just got his Feather a week before his sire died.
He had received Blue, the color of a Leader.
That’s why this trouble had started.
The snow clutched under his hooves and he winced pinning his ears, he hated snow, it left tracks and there was no stopping it.
Hoofbeats were coming from behind, and he halted, his senses searching for the source, it wasn’t a Firo, his breed, he would have never heard the hoofbeats if it was.
He continued walking, not wanting to give anything away, but why was another horse breed here in Zeeria?
“For being the second month in the new year, you would think it would had more snow than this.”
A voice said from behind him, Rex kept walking but his ears flicked back, “Who are you? You have no voice of a Firo gent?”
The horse snorted, “So I’m told, I’m glad I don’t have the deep accent, to intimidating.”
Rex snorted and rolled his eyes, “I’m glad I don’t have punie voices like gent horses in the other lands.”
He glanced around searching for ambushes, he didn’t know Twilight had a foreign gent here, it could be a detraction.
The horse followed behind him as he followed, he heard the switch of the gent’s tail.
“Well will you even look at me Carlous-Rex?”
Rex halted and his ears pinned, he slowly turned to stare right into the most stunning blue eyes, he had ever seen in his life.
He backed up on his hindquarters and snorted, he studied the foreign horse, he was all black no white was on him, making his blue eyes crystal clear.
He narrowed his eyes.
“How did you know my name?”
The blue-eyed horse tossed his forelock, “I am Indigo, and I was sent to find a bay horse with a white scar around his nostrils and a sore attitude, goes by the name of Carlous Rex, and is a Cast-out of the Firos.”
He snorted not sure what to say, he grunted, “Well looks like you found him.”
He turned and started off, but then the faint sound of a twig snapping echoed in the woods.
He barely caught it and his eyes quickly darted around the trees looking for the source, it was only for a short second but he saw the flash of a large black body.
A Firo.
“And this is when we run.” He said as he dug his hoofs into the ground ready for the take-off.
Indigo snorted, “There is two Firos on your right behind the slope.”
Rex glanced over there and saw nothing but snow and a small hill, how did he know?
He shook his mane and launched forward, throwing his whole body forward, and towards the Ice-Flats.
The only safe place here for him.
The land passed in a blur, but he saw two large horses break from the tree line and raced towards them.
He heard Indigo galloping up behind him, the wind howled in his ears and he flicked them back.
The horses were gaining on them, he saw the faint orange of their Feathers.
They were Runners, it would be almost impossible to out run them.
He hesitated and glanced around, then he felt Indigo as he came galloping up beside him, “quick to your right!”
He turned and they both galloped towards a snow bank, he bended his head fully intending to plow right throw it.
But Indigo at the last second swung to his left and charged into the snow around the bank.
Rex twisted an ear, but trotted after Indigo the snow falling all around him, they had walked into and tunnel area, small but large even for a horse.
He followed Indigo as the black horse hoofbeats echoed off the stone.
“Why are you helping me?”
He hissed keeping his senses tuned back, knowing it was only moments before the Runner’s found the tunnel.
Indigo snorted, “My team and I were assigned to help you set up your Revolution and help protect you, so here I am.”
He flicked his ears in interest, sure that Indigo wasn’t from Twilight, Firos didn’t work with foreigners.
That’s why he would.
He was a record breaker after all.
They both broke out of the tunnel, and Rex shook the snow from off his back with a sigh of pleasure, he noticed Indigo was looking ahead, frowning he followed the gent’s gaze.
Right in front of them was none other than Twilight himself.
Twilight tossed his black forelock out of his eyes, his blue Feather falling nicely back on his forehead, he glared at Rex, “If you run now Firo, it will be a war.”
Rex arched his neck, “You started it.”
Twilight smirked, “You are fully welcome to become a warrior of my army, if you’ll destroy your Feather.”
Rex swished his tail angerly backing up, fixing his best glare at the black horse, “I will never.”
“So, it’s war then?”
Rex turned tail and glanced backwards, his ears slowly flicking forward, “I’ll be back for my homeland.”, he said gathering his strength and leaped into a fast gallop, Indigo on his heels.
Only ten minutes passed before Rex had to slow down for Indigo, foreign horses couldn’t run as fast and long as they the Firo’s could.
Indigo walked in a fast pace grabbing a mouth full of snow as they went, he shook his mane, “So what now?”
“We go to your team, and then find my Firos.”, he said as he glanced forward and spotted a small hill covered in snow. he trotted forward and climbed to the top.
Indigo rolled his eyes, “Oh please, not the epic last part in a story.”
Rex smiled and stood tall, the wind blew in his face sending his mane and forelock flying, he snorted.
“But we are in a story, Indigo, and an epic one at that.”
He breathed in the fresh air and pawed the snow sending it flying, he stopped and stared at the scenery below.
Mountains and forests were together covered in fresh snow and horses were grazing in the meadows below.
This was his homeland.
And this was his herd.
He would win this war.
Or die trying.
***
Hannah comes from a large family of 9 siblings. She enjoys reading, riding horses at a local stable, and loves to write. She writes fantasy/fiction mostly about horses.
I would totally read more of this!!