The Chosen

Moon was born on a stormy night, where floods had devistated a herd of horses. They had escpaped to a hill, but one mare almost didn't make it. This was Moon's mother. She had struggled that night moving alone with the herd as her foal was to be born any day now. But she just couldn't hold it much longer. Moon was born.

Moon lived happily with the herd. She had stayed close to her mother but had made friends with a larger colt named Star. They had played in the fields of clover together rolling and tumbling. But at night they would return to their herd and rest. And this was what is was for 2 years.

Moon and Star grazed in the fields with the other horses, as the new foals played around in the fields of clover like they had done seasons before. But then Moon sensed something. Her head shot up and her ears stood straight.
"What is it?" Star asked, raising his head. But then he realised it too.
Humans.
"We should go back and tell the others." Star nickered.
Moon's black mane and coat nodded in agreement.

The herd was terrified. Cloud, the herd's leader, was silent. Moon wondered why.
That night Cloud came to talk to Moon.
"Moon!" he whispered loudly.
"Wha, what?" mumbled Moon.
"I have to tell you something. Once, long ago there was a legendary horse named Oak. He was in this very herd. He was the first Chosen. And you must follow in his hoofprints!"
"Mmmm" Moon mumbled.
"You are the Chosen." Cloud whispered. "Take this VERY seriously."
And with that he slipped away into the night.

The next morning Star and Moon went out to search for humans. They stepped carefully through the thick grass, ears pricked.
Moon stopped, hesitating.
"Have you found humans?" Star asked cautiously.
She sniffed the air again. It was stale.
"No." she said, shaking her head.
"False alarm." he mumbled, munching at the grass.
But then she thought she heard something. And she could smell something.
Fresh human.
"Run!" Moon whinnied, running as fast as her hooves could.

They galloped quickly back to the herd.
"Human! Human!" whinnied Star.
"Human!" Cloud shrieked. "We have to move quickly!"
"I can't!" whinnied Moon's mother, Clover. Her foal was due again any day now.
"You'll have too. I can't do anything else to ensure our safety." He muzzled her neck.
Cloud was the father of Clover's foal. Moon's father had left the herd even before her mother knew she would have Moon. And Star's mother had wondered off one day and got shot.
It was pouring with rain.
Moon and Star supported Clover as they treked through the thick forest. They were soaked and cold. But then lightning crackled and the forest was alight with flames. Clover fell and struggled. She was foaling. Cloud came quickly.
"Moon!" he called. "Go find some soft fern for your mother!"
And with that she galloped away into the distance. She could feel the flames licking at her hooves. But she didn't care. She found a patch of clover and ripped as much as she could away from the strong fern. She galloped back through the inferno. But there was only a small foal lying on the ground when she returned. It was cold. Her mother must of thought that it was dead. She nosed the foal onto her back and cantered through the forest.

When she got to the end, Star was waiting with the rest of the herd. But Clover and Cloud were nowhere to be seen.
"Moon." Star whispered, muzzling her neck. "You're safe."
She shrugged away urgently. "Where's Clover?!" she whinnied.
He paused, looking downwards. "They died trying to save themselves. But odviously you found the foal.
Moon lay the foal on the ground. "It's dead. No use of it." she mumbled. But she was not sad of the foal, but of her mother. She lay down on the grass next to the foal.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!" she whinnied, crying. "This can't be!"
Another mare, Sunshine, came and lay next to her. Sunshine was Clover's sister. She huddled up closer to Moon.
"Moon, we'll all be there for you." she whispered into her ear, like when she was a foal. "We will replace your mo..."
"NO!" she screeched. "Don't replace her." She stood up.
"Let's move on before the flames reach us." she said, picking up the foal.
Star nodded. "Let's go."
They walked up a hill. It was steep and slippery, but everyone managed.
Suddenly Moon felt something coming from the foal. A boom-boom feeling. The foal was alive! She suddenly felt a burst of excitment. But then she was sad again. Who would feed the foal? All the mares had finished milk for the season.

After a couple of days, they returned. The forest was black with ashes. They walked over it gently. Moon felt somthing beneath her hooves. She looked down.
Horses' bones.
They were Clover and Cloud's. Then Moon realised Star was going through her pain. She continued, catching up with the herd. That was the day she believed Cloud's philosophy.

She took the herd away from the fields and into the meadow for summer. Clover's foal, that was named Storm, recovered from smoke inhulation and now fed from the mares. Moon cared for Storm and taught him right from wrong, what to eat and what not to eat, when to eat this and that and other things.

One day, when it was Autumn and Moon had took the herd back to the fields, Moon sensed a human. It was fresh scent.
"Star, care for the herd while I search around." Star nodded and continued eating.
Moon galloped into unknown territory, just following her instincts. She stopped, taking a drink at a small stream. Her ears pricked. Something was in the grass.
She walked over to it and sniffed.
Then she was caught.