STAR

Star followed his mother over the hill and stopped, shocked. The pair were returning to the herd after his dam had left it for a few days to give birth. Now she was going back- this time with a foal on the ground.

Star knew there were other horses, and Sugar had told him that there would be a whole group of them where they would belong, but he hadn’t actually seen another horse in his short three days of life. Down there, there were lots of them- foals playing, mares grazing, and a big pinto stallion who was staring at them from faraway. He whinnied, and Sugar whinnied back.

Name: Paint

Age: 5

Breed: Wild

Gender: Stallion

Coat: Bay Frame

Markings: Bald Face, spots on face

Mate: Sugar

Offspring: Puzzle, Star

Sire: N/A

Dam: N/A

Siblings: N/A

Personality: Brave and wise

Location: Wild Herd

Rank: (The) Stallion

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PAINT
Paint left the herd and galloped towards his mare and new foal. When he reached them, he nickered to Sugar, who nickered back at him. Then he stretched out his head gently to sniff his new foal. Star clacked her teeth, and he nickered at her too, “Welcome, Star.”

She whickered at him gently as the trio made their way towards the herd.

Name: Sugar

Age: 4

Breed: Wild

Gender: Mare

Coat: Buckskin Roan

Markings: Stripe, Coronet band, sock

Mate: Paint

Offspring: Puzzle, Star

Sire: N/A

Dam: N/A

Sibling: N/A

Personality: Calm and gentle

Location: Wild Herd

Rank: Lead Mare

SUGAR

Sugar led her new colt carefully down the hill and rejoined the herd. She stood protectively nearby as the other members crowded around and sniffed the foal. Her yearling, Puzzle, stepped forward and nuzzled his mother, and Sugar nuzzled him back.

“Star,” She said as she turned to the younger colt, “This is your brother Puzzle,” The colt reached out his nose and sniffed at Puzzle, and Puzzle sniffed back in greeting.

After the herd’s excitement about its new member died, and many of it’s members went back to grazing, she dipped her head as well to eat.

Name: Dolly

Species: Donkey

Age: 4

Breed: Donkey

Gender: Jenny

Coat: Brown

Markings: None

Mate: Brighty

Offspring: Eeyore

Sire: N/A

Dam: N/A

Siblings: N/A

Personality: Grumpy, protective, secretly very kind

Location: Ranch

Rank: Highest ranking female

DOLLY

Dolly called her foal closer to her and turned, looking over at the other horses. She didn’t find it fair that she was stuck in the maternity pen when everyone else got to be happy, grazing the day away on the lush pasture. She was bored and grumpy. Watching the others, she saw that Pepsi raised his head and began sniffing the air. He smells something, she thought, and then thought about her mate, Brighty. Brighty was a grey (white) wild burro who often came close to the ranch. He hadn’t been back after she had gotten out of her pen and ran off with him. Now the humans kept a closer eye on the place and she didn’t ever get to see him. He didn’t even know about their foal. She heehawed to Pepsi, “Do you smell any wildies?”

STAR

Star had been with the herd about a week now. He had learned a lot- how to stay out of the older horse’s way, which foals were friendly, and which would launch at him with flying teeth if he ventured too near. Still, he didn’t feel quite at home yet. His mother was kind and gentle, and Paint protected them from any danger.

One morning he saw a new mare trot over the hill, followed by a tiny filly. Intrigued, he watched as they made their way down and the hill and towards the group. As it’s members surged forwards, he watched the new filly. She seemed a little nervous about the other horses, but he caught her eye and she nickered at him.

After the crowd dissipated, he walked over to her and nickered again. He and the new filly began to chat a little bit. She seemed kind, and very curious about herd life. He didn’t know very much, but he was glad to make a real friend, instead of the colts and fillies who simply tolerated him, and those who ignored him or drove him away altogether.

As they talked, he took in her features. She was a buttermilk buckskin with light dapples, and her brown eyes were large and soft.

Name: Raela (Rye-yay-la (I made it up because it sounded nice but I have no clue if it’s a real name or not)

Age: 3 days (one week younger than Star; they’re foals so this’ll change)

Breed: Wild

Gender: Filly

Coat: Buttermilk Buckskin

Markings:

Mate: N/A

Offspring: N/A

Sire: Paint (it’s a wild herd, after all)

Dam: Blaize

Siblings: None

Personality: Curious, a tad shy, very gentle

Location: Wild Herd (currently)

Rank: Foal

RAELA
Raela looked back at the colt and answered all of his questions, asking some of her own as well. Most of the other horses hadn’t been this welcoming, and something about him seemed different to her. She hoped they’d become good friends.

The colt sprang off, stopping and looking back at her. She sprang after him and the pair darted around, playing with each other. The sun felt warm on her back, and the breeze was blew the grass softly as they darted through it, kicking up dandelion seeds. They soon got to be good friends.

Pepsi turned to Dolly, calling across the fence, “They’re about four miles away, and I don’t think they will come any closer. It’s the herd I smell, not your jack”. He felt bad, knowing how miserable Dolly was right now, but for him, humans were always right. The humans had thought it wise to give silly names to him and the others like Eeyore and Pepsi and even Bucephalus to the old riding horse, and, though Dolly and most of the others complained, he didn’t. He had no need for anything the humans didn’t need, and he didn’t see the point of rebelling. The humans always won. To him, humans were always good.

Dolly glared at Pepsi with her long ears pinned, swinging her hind quarters away from him and pacing around the pen. She had wanted Brighty to come back. But the humans had been so mad she’d gotten out and so mad that Brighty had stolen her away that she knew if he was seen around here again, he’d be shot at. To Dolly, humans were good for giving grain, but that was about it.

Her colt nudged her, and she turned and nuzzled him before inspecting the fence for weaknesses.

Paint stood on the hill watching his herd. The mares were content, grazing, and the sucklings stayed close by. They were timid little things, only Star and Raela ever seemed to play much. The yearlings games were much rougher as they fought their mock battles. He could see that the two-year-olds were starting to get rougher with each other. Two young colts battled as the fillies stood on watching. Paint sighed. Every year came time to cull the oldest colts away from the herd, and it was an event that