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[Editorial] [Words from the Staff] [Featured
Breed]
[Featured
Rider]
[Featured
Equine]
[Featured
Equine Hazard]
[Book
Review]
[Winter
Riding]
[Summer
Camp Preparations]
[Glossary]
["Ask
The Trainer"]
["The
Help Desk"]
[Poetry]
[Contests]
[Writing
for the E-Zine]
[Submission Tips & Guidelines] © Artwork by Alison Friedman Please
Visit:
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She extended her nose toward him, giving him a silent greeting. He returned this gesture, but then he withdrew as if an electrical current had given him an awful shock. He had just noticed the horses' wings! Instead of a beautiful covering of white feathers, these creatures had wings very much resembling those of a bat. Puzzled by his negative response, the filly turned to look at her dam. The old mare just tossed her head and leisurely walked back to the other mares. It seemed like she was being nonchalant about the whole encounter, but soon a young, vibrant mare trotted over to Windy, while the filly and the last three mares withdrew back into the herd. The young mare pricked her ears, and stretched her wings to their full, impressive height, which spanned a full three feet longer than Windy's. She folded them again, and began to speak in a low tone of nickers to Windy. "We are the last of our kind, are we not? You of the feather wings, and we, of the flesh wings." Windy nodded in affirmation. He was still stunned, but was warming up to these creatures as magnificent as himself. "We have no males left. The filly you saw there is the last progeny of our great stallion, Cyclone, who died this winter. Would you consider joining our group? Please, for the preservation of our species? Our offspring would be hybrids, but our genes would carry on." Windy told the mare he had to think on the proposal, and that he would decide before the group left in the morning for their homelands. In the sun-sprinkled mist that so often accompanies dawn, Windy awoke, and knew his decision. He went to the lead mare, the young one with a broad blaze on her forehead. His split hooves clicked on the stones alongside the stream as she noticed and approached him as well, her whole hooves clopping exactly as a horse's would. "Have you come to a decision?" she asked politely as the pair walked onward. "I have," Windy nodded. "I will join you. Equine creatures like us are not meant to be alone. I don't want to live that way." If it were possible for a
horse to smile, the young mare would have been grinning from ear to ear.
"I am pleased with your decision. Welcome to our herd."
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The
filly cautiously edged toward Windy. He noticed that she was quite young,
and unlike his full golden horn, her silver one was just beginning to grow
forth from her perfect face.