Aided by the enemy

Chapter 8

Streaking Wind tossed his head, sending his black mane into the air. Crimson watched as he approached with great speed. She raised her head and flipped her mane to the right side of her neck. Defiance filled her body. He was definitely strong, but she would defend the horses on her plateau by any means necessary. Even if that meant giving her life.

The blue roan thundered down the mountain. His eyes rolled to show the whites. His powerful muscles rippled down his body. He moved onto the landing, ignoring the mares who gawked at him and headed straight for Crimson Song.

She glanced at Night Lily and Nagissa. Neither of them would be much help in this situation. Crimson pulled in a deep breath and readied herself for another difficult battle.

Streaking Wind slid to a halt a few steps away from her. His muscles loosened and he took in a deep breath, as if he were trying to relax.

Crimson stood stiff, trying to decide what he was going to do next. The others seemed surprisingly calm after what Crimson had just told them about keeping their guard up.

"Is everyone alright?" Streaking Wind asked.

It took everything in her to keep from kicking at the blue roan stallion. Crimson could not believe he had the nerve to waltz onto their plateau and start asking questions like he owned it.

"Everyone's fine," Nagissa said as she stepped forward. She set a brave expression on her face.

Wind lowered his head with a sigh. "What do you guys think you're doing? You are mares, not fighting stallions!"

Crimson Song nearly lunged, but then she saw the gentleness in his eyes. She glared back at him. "This is the way we have been doing things for two years!"

Streaking Wind nodded his head, sending his black forelock into his eyes. "I can help you, you know," he said.

A gust of wind swept over them as if reaffirming his words. Crimson Song had to think about her reply. A rash answer would not be wise.

"Your aid has been helpful so far, and thank you for that, but we cannot accept it any further. We don't know who you are or what your motives could be," Crimson said with her ears pricked forward and head low.

The stallion merely smiled back at her. He did not appear offended in the slightest. There was a patient look in his eyes that Crimson could not figure out.

"Really, we are fine," Crimson insisted.

The stallion peered over at Nagissa and Night Lily. "I think I'll stay at least until those two get better."

Crimson Song set her ears back and slammed her front hoof into the ground. "Who do you think you are? This is our herd!"

Streaking Wind playfully pawed the ground and snorted. "I know it's your herd, and you can even tell me what to do, but when a stallion comes along, I'll take care of it!"

Crimson shook her mane and then glanced back at her friends. They seemed as shocked as she was, but they nodded their approval.

Crimson stepped forward and leaned in towards the blue roan. "Our herd has never had a stallion before, and if you do anything to stress them out or further upset them, I will personally kick you down."

The stallion bowed his head respectfully and lowered his voice. "I have no intentions of causing trouble, alright?"

Crimson Song was hardly convinced, but she could not deny the fact that the herd required an extra set of experienced eyes. She sent Wind one last glare before wheeling around to locate a good place to rest on the plateau.

She had no idea what she was supposed to do anymore. Both of her best friends were injured because she could not protect them. Despair welled within her, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

Lifting her eyes to the sky, Crimson Song could tell that a storm was brewing, but there was no indication of when it would hit.

A few of the foals began to kick up their heals and play with each other. Crimson found a shady spot under an overhang of dirt and let her head droop. She kept her eyes riveted on the blue roan stallion who insisted that he was able to keep them safe. She was not so sure. She had never dared to trust a stallion to this extent before.

A gentle spring breeze swept through her mane. Crimson closed her eyes with pleasure. As a foal, she would gallop headlong down the cliff to feel the wind in her coat. Even now, it held some comfort, like the Creator was whispering His love for her.

Crimson Song dared to allow her body to relax. She was appalled with herself, but it felt good to know that someone else was watching out for her. She allowed her eyes to close as the wind rocked her to sleep.

A streak of lightning splintered through the sky. The booming echo woke Crimson with a start. She searched the dark area around her. How long had she been asleep?

Fear suddenly gripped her as she realized that her herd was nowhere to be seen. Her throat closed up. Her body began to shake. She was alone on the plateau in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Another display of lightning danced across the black sky. Crimson Song lifted her head. She knew as well as any horse that being up on a mountain in a lightning storm was suicide. She hugged the cliff side and hoped with everything in her that the rest of the herd was safe.

She knew she could not trust that stallion. No matter how many times she looked, Crimson was sure she would never find a stallion of good character. It was impossible.

A ground shaking roar split the sky. Crimson Song lifted her eyes. Rain soon began to pour down. She shook her mane to rid it of the droplets. It was becoming one of the worst storms she had ever seen.

All she wanted was to locate her herd and reassure them that everything was alright. She would, too, if the wind had not picked up and the rain began slamming her body. It was far too dangerous to be wandering around, even for her.

Nagissa and Night Lily would be with the others. Together they would keep everyone safe until the storm passed.

Lightning slammed into a tree nearby. The crack of thunder that followed reverberated through Crimson's body. She instantly began to shake. Fear gripped her heart even though she willed it to disappear. Where was her herd? Were they alright?

Crimson melted into the cliff and closed her eyes. She flattened her ears. A sudden thought entered her mind. In the spring, with all of the storms and sudden rush of water, it was not uncommon for mudslides to happen, and she was standing directly under an overhang.

The lightning struck the ground yet another time. Crimson was quivering with fear. There was no way she could go out there with the storm right above her head! She had to. The wall behind her was far too unsteady.

Her muscles seized. She couldn't move, even if she tried. Crimson decided to take her chances and remain where she was. Being crushed would be a better way to die than being struck by lightning anyways.

The wall behind her began to rumble. It became a chorus with the thunder, and Crimson Song soon realized that she had to do something or else she was a dead horse.

Crimson Song willed her legs to move. She stumbled out into the wind and rain. Her paradise plateau was no longer safe, and she had just fought for it.

A flash of lightning behind her caused the palomino to burst into a gallop. She moved headlong, wondering where to seek shelter. The fear soon overwhelmed her and she lost all capacity to make decisions.

Warm and gentle, a horse came up beside her. Crimson peered through the storm, but somehow she did not even have to look. She knew it was Streaking Wind, leading her to safety.