I'll post one chapter at a time here. Look for more chapters!
Chapter 1
Seminole's hooves echoed dully on the slippery stones. He skidded and slid on the ice, as the sleet blinded him. Wind whipped ice shards into his pelt, and his mane was a tangled mess. A couple horses whinnied in pain behind him, but he had to press on. The cold winters in the Snowy River Mountains were brutal.
The river rushed on, occasionally pieces of ice scraped along the rocks, cracking and groaning and eventually splitting. Seminole's black mane was completely soaked and he decided to find shelter. After days of traveling, he had to find somewhere to spend the winter. At least he was as far away from the village. He led his herd for a small cluster of trees.
The bodies of horses dotted the white clearing as they took their last few steps till shelter. Crashing noisily through the trees, Seminole sighed and collapsed. His black fur twitched. It's never long enough to keep me warm, he thought. A couple of other horses breathed heavily, with deep gashes from chunks of ice. It was a dangerous time of year. Seminole decided he had to tend to them before he tended to himself.
He walked over to Eclipse and nickered a greeting. Eclipse nodded his head.
“We lost over 10 horses in that blasted weather,” He gasped. Seminole nodded.
“It's a shame, but we have to keep strong. If we don't, these mountains will surely destroy us.” Eclipse let out another ragged gasp.
“I lost....Lynette.” Seminole's eyes softened. Lynette was Eclipse's foal. She was energetic, curious, and yet to see the world. She had her fathers sleek dark brown mane and lovely light blue eyes.
“She will be missed. But this weather is harsh. 'Tis better to be born in the spring than the winter.” He said philosophically. Eclipse said nothing. Seminole decided to have his wounds tended.
“Serenity!” He shouted. A small white horse's head bobbed up from the dark shapes.
“Yes?” She said while trotting over. Seminole jerked his head towards Eclipse.
“See if you can do anything for his wounds, they're the worst out of all the other horses here. I'm worried most about that deep gash in his leg.” Serenity nodded fiercely.
“Yes sir!” She bounded away. He sighed. Serenity was full of energy, and she always saw the positive side of things. But there was no positive side of things right now. A branch cracked and came crashing down, and horses whinnied in surprise.
Seminole pushed his way among the horses gathering their wits and tending to their wounds. He looked around, and swung his head the other way. Worry gripped his heart, but finally, he spotted her. Chance. The pattern of black splotches on her fur made her easily recognizable. He dipped his head in a standard greeting.
“Seminole,” She said, relieved. “You're still alive,”
“Yes,” He motioned for her to sit down. She did so, her bones popping loudly and the brush cracking underneath her.
“How will we ever make it away? Surely they'll find us all in this scrubby forest.” Chance said. Her brown eyes sparkled with worry. Seminole shook his mane.
“We have to take the chance. If we press on, more horses will die. We already lost Lynette,” He paused as Chance gasped, then continued. “However if the thaw comes early this year, we'll be able to escape for sure. Likewise, if it doesn't come early...” He trailed off. Chance dipped her head.
“Then our fates are in the forces of nature.” She said dully. Seminole nodded, grimly.
“Yes. But no use moping around. We should plan for the coming months.” Chance's depressed demeanor instantly brightened.
“You're right. There is no use moping around!” She said with a new hope. He nodded.
“That's the spirit. Now, if you excuse me, I need to go check on everyone else.” Chance nickered a farewell as Seminole shakily stood up.
Aztec casually loped over towards Seminole. He noted, that Aztec had a limp.
“The visibility beyond these trees is no further than a horselength long. I'm afraid if we had any hopes of pressing on, we'll have to abandon them. These trees are pretty strong to uphold this weather.” Aztec's voice shook along with his whole body. His fur and mane were soaked to the brim.
“Did you go out in the blizzard?!” Seminole demanded, a little too harshly. Aztec wheezed a little, and doubled over. Seminole rushed over and let Aztec lean against him.
“Y-yes... but, I was severely injured before... we... made it here.” He stammered. Seminole knew he had to do something.
“AURORA!” He shouted. Aztec cringed a little. A beautiful brown Peruvian horse looked up. She staggered to her feet.
“What do you need Seminole?” She said meekly. Her crimped brown mane was flaked with snow, and she had an elegant stride.
“Find Serenity. As soon as she's finished tending Eclipse, tell her Aztec is seriously hurt.” Aurora's mud brown eyes flickered with worry, but she turned and trotted off. Her usually shining cocoa brown fur was smudged with mud and some dried blood. Seminole's eyes darkened with sadness.
Aztec shuddered.
“Get some rest, You'll be okay soon.” Seminole gently said. Aztec swished his tail gratefully. His ribs were visible under the slender frame.
“I'll have one of the horses bring you something to eat.”
As Aztec collapsed to the frosty ground, Seminole called Achilles to get him something to eat. Achilles bounded away, his black dotted fur was like a blur against the dark background. Seminole nodded approvingly. At least this weather couldn't break the spirit of youth.
Suddenly Delos crashed through the trees, blood and ice streaked his skin.
“They're coming! They're coming!” He screeched in alarm.
