The sight before me was breathtaking in its own way, but it wasn’t anything like home. Home, it was lush like this, yes, but the fields were full of flowers, clovers, wildflowers. Very colorful, very full of life. The herd was more than one family unit, it was many herds, who all lived together. More men to protect the females, more caregivers for the foals, more friends to go around. Until I came along, I caused a rift between the herds, mainly because my mother belonged to a black as sin stallion, while Momma was a buckskin. I came out as a flashy palomino splash. The only one like me was the stallion who led one of the other herds. It had been an unspoken rule, within the large conglomerate, you don’t fraternize with the other male’s girls. Well, that was clearly broken.

But momma taught me how to make the best of it. How to look those naysayers in the faces and show them that their words did not hurt me. It made my flashy skin tougher, growing up listening to the other herds bicker about me and momma under their breath, but we were better off. So we left the conglomerate of a herd, striking out just the two of us, off on our own adventure. If she could see me now, she’d be proud as a peach. But momma died, close to my second year. But I continued on, holding my head high and not letting anyone take me down. I’d keep doing it as long as I could.

My thoughts were broken when I spotted another approaching me. She was so similar in color to me, it was striking. Almost as if they were sisters—half at that though. But that was a far fetched idea. I shook my head of the thoughts as she came towards me, speaking. “That we do!” the words roll off my tongue, smooth and twisted with a slight twang to my words. “I’m Charlotte. Of course I wouldn’t mind you keeping me company.” My words were cut short by the arrival of another. I watched, my head tilted as he nipped Chalice’s hip. My ear twist backwards as I push myself off the tree. “Hey!” I start, only to find his focus is one hundred percent on the shimmery mare instead of myself.

Figures, right? If I could raise an eyebrow, you betcha one would be raised as he finally turns his attention towards me. “Had to make an entrance, did you?” the words rolled easily, a little thicker in my natural twang. I watched, bright blue eyes narrowed on this stallion, unknowingly side stepping a little closer to Chalice.