Beauty is a beast

No longer home

The smell of black and orange smoke wafted around the area as everyone stared at the wild horses who stared at their home burn down. Spirit bowed his head down and felt silent tears run down his own as he felt his mother press against him to make him feel like he did the right thing even though their own home was gone.

Spirit looked at her with his dark eyes and sighed, and stared at the little ones. He slowly noticed one individual was not with them but instead missing.  Spirit yowled and looked frantically before turning his head to see the pale stallion and the owner he had trusted earlier in the day, come back with the body of Luna. She was leaning in an upright position with her eyes shut and her mouth hanging out agape. She looked pale as the fire across the way glowed on her pale skin. Spirit galloped over and nuzzled his head to touch her if she would move but the boy holding her was angered at that, and veered away from the terrified stallion.

"No!" He screamed as he held Luna close to him. "No..." He closed his eyes as he felt tears roll down his cheek as he dismounted Jimber and pulled down Luna's body with him as he sat down and held her close to him. Not wanting to let go. She was trapped in that fire, and he couldn't do anything. He didn't see the signs soon, and now she paid the price of protecting others. She was that mare, who he took out of the wild that day. He knew she was unhappy until the night when she turned human. Then everything changed.

Storm walked out of the crowd and bowed down his head as he looked at the ground with sadness. He knew Luna since they came into the herd. She was different from the others. She was half mare and human. But she was the one he had fallen in love with, even though she never returned his feelings.

Will held her close, thinking she would disappear in his grip. "How could I have been this stupid, not to show my real emotions to you, earlier?" He sobbed as the tears landed on Luna's face as Spirit walked up and neighed softly as if telling him to give her to the herd.

If I know something the Lakota might know if she is really gone from our grasp. Spirit looked at Rain who flicked her ear and nods. Little creek, he might even help her, she noted and walks up to Will and lays down and gestures to Will to put her on. Will hesitantly looks at Luna then back at Rain as he laid Luna on Rain's back and walks over to his group and grabs a blanket from the saddle. Sarah walked up to him as to comfort him but he pushes her hand away.

Grabbing the small blanket, he walked back to the standing Rain as she looked at Luna who was still lifeless. Will wrapped a blanket around her form and kissed her forehead. "Please wake up, I don't want to think your gone from my arms and life" he says as Rain looks at Spirit who nods.

Stay here and watch the herd he looks at Storm who nods and starts to lead the herd through the trees while Spirit and Rain run off in a different direction. The sounds of their distant gallops slowly became more and more distant from the humans.

Will sat down on the edge of the river as he brought up his knees to his chest as heard whispers behind him. "I wonder if he's ok?" Molly says as Alma hissed at her. "He just saw Luna, who didn't look so good. She been missing since a few weeks ago. And all the sudden she shows up, but now on the verge of probably leaving this world. She was so pale and looked like not enough oxygen got to her" Alma explains as Will just grips onto his knees and shut his eyes tightly. He didn't want to think about the truth of losing her. She was his light, his new muse. Horses were close to her and she was going to be taken away from that.

His back arched and cried silently. Jimber walked over and laid his head on his partner's shoulder and made a small noise as Will ignored the reassurance of his horse. He just want to be left alone. He just wanted Luna to be ok.

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I groaned by the sound of hooves hitting the ground as I slightly fluttered my eyes to a peek as I see Spirit's black mane and tail fly through the wind. I slowly picked up my head and saw the dust get pick up as I looked down to who I was on. "Rain?" I questioned as she kept running but turned her head to the side to look at me with sad eyes. "Luna we're close to home," she neighs as I blinked at her and shook my head.

"No....Home is back there" I held a shaking hand to the way where it was behind us. "No to me home is my home. Where Little creek is," she says as I blinked at her. Why were we going to the Lakota preserve? There wasn't anything there. I mean the Lakota tribe was there. No doubt about that. But why?

The run was pretty quick because when I woke up we were close to the Lakota village, as we got closer the teepees were like pointers that were coming out of the ground. Pyramids close to that look but they were clothed. There people walking around their daily routine of taking care of the village, horses were in the fenced area as they walked around slept or just played with the humans on the other side.

Rain stopped as she kicked up on her forelegs as I grabbed a hold of her and held on as the people looked up and smiled at the familiar horses that stood in front of them. They spoke in their native tongue as I look at Rain who smiled.

Speak in my native tongue, i will say a phrase when someone ask a question, so just please just ask for Little Creek  She says as I nod and slid down but fell to my knees and groaned. I was still getting used to being so weak. The people gather around us as I was about to speak, a woman spoke. She had long black hair and a pale clothing of leather as she smiled.

"You are from far, are you not?" she says as I nod. She spoke English, a good thing. "Rain and Spirit are friends with someone named Little Creek. Do you know where we can find him?" I asked as  she smiled brightly and nods as she leads up deeper into the village. There were children running around and staring in awe at the horses who came to visit them. 

We got closer to a teepee where a older man stood outside as he aided a elderly woman out to the other women that were smiling at the man. He was handsome, but to old for me to say I would fall for him. Will was the one I wanted, but still he's cute. The man turned and smiled. "This girl was looking for you," the woman says as she leaves me with the man as I shuffled close to Spirit and Rain.  "Rain?" he looks at the Mare as she bows her head and nibbles onto his hair indicating she was who he thought she was.

Tell him what you are, tell him that you can change into a human and a horse. He must know, he can maybe help what you are, Spirit neighed as I nodded and cleared my throat.

"Little creek? I was cursed in my lifetime of being born a hybrid of a human and a horse. I have the power and energy to switch between the two. But i must know, what am i? Why am I like this?" I ask as he stared at me and narrowed his eyes but then a elderly woman who he was helping out looked up at me and narrowed her eyes.

"Hanwi?"

*Hanwi - The moon goddess who accompanies Wi. Also known as Hanhepi Wi (Nighttime Wi) to differentiate her from Wi. She is also the goddess of mother hood, constancy, kinship, and feminine things.