A Falling Ember

Meeting The Herd

Over the next few hours I sniff everything and ask mother so many what's thats that she stops talking to me. We trot though a small opening in the mountains and are now in a huge plain filled with brushy plants and a few trees.
"How much longer?" I ask mother hopefully.
"We're here." I jerk my head up from smelling a crawly thing and run over to her. We are on a sloping hill and in the valley below... There are more horses! I whinny in delight and start to race down the hill. I skid and slide most of the way down. Mother follows much more carefully. I stop to observe the herd. They are all sorts of colors; brown, grey, white, black, and mixes of those colors too. The valley is filled with lush green grass.
"Ember, wait. Keep behind me until we get closer." Mother warns. I slink behind her. She neighs at the herd. A few horses answer back and she begins to trot closer. Soon we are in the middle of the group. Suddenly the horses part. A big black horse steps proudly toward us.
"Your sire." Mother whispers. She walks over to him and they nuzzle noses. He then bends his head to look in my eyes. I blow warm breath on his face and he blows some on mine.
"What's her name?" He asks mother. "Ember." She replies. He nods his approval, then trots back to where he was standing. I am sort of glad, because he is so big and majestic that it makes me nervous. The mares of the herd crowd around again. Some have shy foals peeking out from behind their legs.
"Such a lovely black coat!" A spotted tan and white horse exclaims.
"Strong legs too!" A tall brown mare says. I feel abashed by all their praise and duck behind mother. I feel a nudge on my rump and I whirl around. A small black and white filly stands there shyly and she glances back toward her mother, who nods encouragingly.
"Um, I'm Birch, and do you want to play?" She blurts out. 
"Sure!" I say. She looks relieved. Soon we are chasing each other through the valley, best friends. More colts and fillies  join us and I learn their names: the small brown colt is named River, the dapple grey filly is Mystic, the bay colt is Dune, and the brown and white filly is Luna. I am now part of the herd.