Pounding Hooves, and Thunderstorms {Sanders Sides Horse AU}

Poisonous Berry

Trigger Waring(s): self deprecating thoughts, manipulation?, toxic relationship, hurtful name calling, Virgil being a cute bean, Remus?

The three horses marched over the mountain through a semi dense pine forest. They traveled in silence excluding the sounds of their hooves crunching the ground and fallen leaves along with the surrounding sounds of nature. However the silence was broken by none other than Remus.

"So Virgie, can I call you Virgie?" Remus started while glancing back at the colt. Virgil nodded.

"So Virgie, since you're not a wild horse, what's your breed?"

"My mom says that I'm a pure bred friesian colt with 'Absolutely amazing bloodlines and genetics, one fit for a horse of our stature'. What ever that means," Virgil answered, making a high, over exaggerating voice when quoting his dam.

Both Remus and Janus chuckled at this, both enjoying the young colt's innocence and personality.

"What're you Remus? My mom always says that wild horses are inbred and dirty blooded versions of quarter horses. Are you a quarter horse?" Virgil asked while tilting his head in the cutest way.

"Your mom seems like a real piece of work. Also no, I'm not a quarter horse, I'm a pure bred Arabian stallion. I was born in captivity with my twin brother, but one day I went adventuring with my twin and while he turned back I got a bit lost and never found my way back home. I wondered for a little less than a moon before I found Janus and we began traveling together," the bay explain with a nicker.

"That sounds scary. What about you Janus?" asked the friesian who looked back at Janus with big brown eyes.

"I'm half quarter horse, half mustang. My father was a quarter horse stallion from a local cow ranch and my mother a mustang from one of the herds. My mother raised me in her herd, but when I became a yearling a was driven out of the herd by the over stallion like all yearling colts. I wandered by myself for about two moons, learning the roles of the mountains then thought about joining a bachelor herd, but chose against it once I met Remus," explained the buckskin as he met Virgil's eyes.

"You two have really cool backstories!" Virgil commented, his pace lightening the more relaxed he got.

"I guess so. It's nice having another horse to talk to. As much as I love Janus, it can get a little boring talking to the same stallion for nearly ten moons. I'm gonna miss you when you go back home," Remus said as the made it to the top of the mountain.

"Well there it is. We'll wait up here until we see you put back with your mom. Sound good?" said Janus as they all reached the top of the mountain and looked down at the massive Friesian centre.

"That sounds nice. Thank you guys for taking me home and I'll miss you both so, so, so, much. I hope to see you again in the future," the black colt said, rubbing his ever so soft muzzle against both Janus' and Remus' muzzles in turn.

"Yeah. See you around little one," Remus said.

Virgil smiled and took off galloping down the gentle slopping mountain side to the closest pasture. Once he made it there he scanned the pasture, searching for his mom amidst the other black pelts and hides (with the occasional splash of other colors) of mother's with their foals. Finally he spotted her a the far end of the pasture grazing. Virgil reared up on his hind legs and rested his front hooves over the fence.

"MAMA! MAMA!" he called.

His mother lifted her head in surprise as did a few other mares, but those went back to grazing after realizing it wasn't their foal calling. Virgil's mother spotted Virgil and quickly came trotting over, a ambiguous expression adorning her facial features.

"Blackie were the hell have you been!? You've made the master angry! You better get your pathetic tail over here so I can deliver you straight to the master! To think I taught you better than to run off like a filthy wild horse!" his mother cried.

Virgil shrank back from his mother's harsh words and hostile behavior towards him and his return.

"I... I'm sorry mama. I just didn't want the master and his stallions to take me away from you," Virgil mumbled while looking at the ground again.

"And why not?! That would've been the most amazing moment of my life, finally getting rid of you leach. But no, you had to go ruin it by running away, you good for nothing brat!" the mare screeched in her son's face.

Virgil cowered in fear of his mother and her destructive, hateful words. He felt his heart start to break at what she said. What he really a leach and pathetic brat like she told him? After all this was his mother, why would she lie to him?

"Nightshade what's with all the noise?" someone called, but not in the tongue of horses.

Virgil whipped his head around to see the master and three of his stallions stand off to his right with ropes in some's hands.

"Oh good, the master is here. Now he can deal with you," Nightshade nickered with sick happiness before trotting away, leaving Virgil frozen in his spot.

The men came closer, all having either a rope drawn or their hands out like grabbing claws. Virgil looked over to his mother for help, but she had gone back to grazing, ignoring him completely. The small colt took shaky steps backwards as the men stepped closer and before he could think it through he turned around and bolted up the mountainside.

"Remus! Janus! Help!" he screamed as he heard the master's footsteps following him.

Virgil suddenly saw a flash of bay and ran into a hard, but warm something. He looked up with wide eyes to see Janus looking down at him.

"Quickly, this way!" Janus said, whirling around and running through the forest, Virgil right at his flank.

They made it back to the small valley were Virgil was found, Remus joining them shortly after. Virgil was laying at Janus' hoofs waiting for Remus' return to them.

"Well that didn't seem to go well. What happened Virgil?" Remus asked while lowering his fine arched neck to the foal's level.

"My mon didn't want me back. I don't belong there anymore," Virgil said softly.

"Well ain't that convenient since you do belong here with us," Janus nickered as he gazed upon the fragile colt at his hooves.

Virgil looked up with wonderment and hope in his eyes.

"You really mean it?!" he asked.

"Oh course we do! You're far too precious to be left alone in this cruel world!" Remus declared.

Virgil leaped to his hooves and started galloping joyously around the pair, bucking and kicking with glee. Janus and Remus watched him, Remus soon joining the youthful fun. Indeed, this family was perfect.