The red stallion - Nahawi, he was called - was absolutely right that they had little time to exchange pleasantries. Jasper stiffened still, at a private war inside himself as to what it would mean if he helped find an enemy of the Prairie some safety. Yet Nahawi promised he meant no harm to befall the Prairie and clearly looked as if he were simply caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Too, as unpredictable as storms could be, this one was no exception and seemed to be getting even worse than anticipated. The tornado that’d twisted and turned it’s path opposite them had now arched back and was going to be coming their way.
The way the winds whipped and howled through the trees, the younger trunks bending and arching with strange cracks and pops, sent a wave of fear down Jasper’s back. Go! Nahawi demanded, and Jasper nodded firmly, gathering his thin pale legs under him and starting off in the direction he knew safety would lie. He would run with Nahawi and allow the red dun to follow him across the island, away from the path of destruction the storm wrought.
Used to being the hero himself, it didn’t occur to Jasper that Nahawi was thinking of the same lines. As the winds picked up higher and larger chunks of frozen ice managed to cut through the leafy canopy above, a thick branch was cracked loudly from the tree it had grown from and flew through the air toward them. Nahawi lurched forward then and Jasper did not see if it landed. He only threw more of his weight forward, preparing to eat up as much of the ground as his short limbs could try to get them as far away from the danger as possible.
With any luck they’d make it clear across the Prairie grounds and the tornado would keep the westward path a little longer. Jasper could help Nahawi find the few groves tucked in small valleys among the Prairie hills that might provide a safe place to hide out the rest of the storm. The only problem was that they’d have to run across a lot of open ground to get there once they burst out of the trees they currently dodged about; they were sure to be pelted by whatever the storm raged downward on them, but they definitely couldn’t stay where they currently were.
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