She held her breath, waiting for the creature to emerge from the shadows. What would it be? A bear as enormous as the towering pines? Or a wolf with its fierce, snapping jaws? Her heart raced in her chest. Or perhaps both, joining forces to devour the spotted filly. She longed to turn and run back toward the Cove, but her legs refused to move and her hooves betrayed her. So she remained rooted to the spot, as still as the mountain pools in winter.

Are you lost? a soft voice broke the silence as a figure stepped from the shadows. A sigh escaped her whiskered lips as she realized that it wasn't a bear or a wolf lurking in the underbrush, but another horse. "I’m looking for my mother," she whispered, her voice heavy with conflicting emotions—relief that she wasn't facing a predatory monster, and sorrow that this stranger was not her mother.

But before she could say more, there was a flash of movement, the pounding of hooves, and a stallion lunged toward them, mouth wide open. A startled squeal slipped from her lips as she jumped to the mare's side, her eyes widening as she looked up at the painted stallion. His words came out as a hiss, urging them toward the sea. "I don't want to go! Thalia screamed, tears spilling down her cheeks. All she wanted was her mother.

The brute force of the stallion shoved her closer to the water when from the underbrush, another stallion charged in—this one dark and menacing, aiming to separate them from the painted horse. She felt a sharp scuff against her fetlock, followed by a jarring flash of pain that shot up her leg. A cry tore from her lips as she stumbled to the side, holding her injured leg up and unable to put weight on it. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched the chaos unfold, praying to remain unnoticed in the turmoil.