The stallion meandered forward, no longer afraid of the world around him. Like any yearling, his brush with death had just left him feeling more confident. He had faced a pack of wolves and escaped without a scratch. So maybe he had some serious help, and maybe he hadn't been able to move out of fear, but he had faced them and won!

He walked with a slight skip in his step as he followed the creek. He felt like it might be better to avoid climbing in altitude. After all, that's what had gotten him in trouble in the first place. The air around him was crisp, and the sun was slowly starting to lower in the sky. He could barely feel the chill in the air. The coming season would be his second winter, and to be quite honestly, he didn't really remember the first. He was still happily nursing at his mother's side back then.

His ears perked up and his heart jumped as he heard the faint sound of words in the distance. A little more hesitantly now, he pushed forward and peeked into the clearing ahead. A mare and young filly waited in the gentle light. He watched them for a moment, a little envious of the young filly.

While she got to romp around and discover the world, he had been ready to fight for his life. Her mother was right there by her side, answering all of her questions and gently laughing a reprimand. Thinking back, his mother had been quite harsh. He never got laughter when he did something like that. He usually got a snapping retort, or on the worst days, a light kick to the side. But he thought that was normal. What was this unusual style of parenting?

Curious, he abandoned caution and headed towards the duo, making sure to make lots of noise to announce his presence.
Hello? The young stallion called out tentatively making sure to keep a respectful distance and lower his head. He didn't want a repeat of last time after all.