[shortstop]

username; shadow9119
show name; Exit Stage Left
barn name; Milo
gender; mare
halter color; Based on a garnet?
story;
It was a small sound, barely audible over the sound of the wind, that caught her attention. The mare lifted her head, ears raised, hoping it would happen again. She blinked, and the noise happened again, this time louder. Milo stood up straight, staring straight ahead. The rest of her small herd was behind her, so it couldn't be one of them. She squinted, hoping to see what it was. Footsteps behind her broke her concentration.
"You see something?"
She turned to see a young stallion standing beside her, and recognized him as Grey, one of the few males of the herd. He was strong, stoic, and slightly intimidating, but he showed a lot of respect for the lead mare. Milo shook her head, brushing away his question.
"Just a sound, I'm sure it's nothing."
She turned back to look at the spot where the noise had come from, and Grey did the same. She glanced at him, and saw that he too was squinting to see what it was. There was a movement in the trees; just something small, but Milo caught it. She frowned, talking to Grey, but her eyes never leaving the spot.
"Get the others back." she whispered, taking a step forward. She could hear Grey's retreating footsteps, then the rest of the herd moving on. One more step, and she would be able to see what it was...
The claws hit her with a sting, and she realized with great horror that she had been watching a mountain lion. She reared up, surprised, but refused to back down. She had to protect her herd, no matter what. The cat appeared suddenly in front of her, and she slammed her front hooves down onto its body. The creature hissed in pain and lashed out, scraping its claws across her hind leg. She kicked the leg out of the way and jumped backwards.
"Grey!" she cried, looking backwards. "Get them out of here!"
The sounds of pounding hooves gave her some comfort, but she kept her focus on the threat in front of her. It was obvious her first hit had caused some damage, as the cat was now limping. Horse and beast circled around each other, then the cat lunged again. Milo tried to jump back, but landed awkwardly on her already wounded hind leg. The cat landed on her back, right above her shoulders, and dug in its claws. Milo let out a shriek, then jumped into the air. She came down so that she landed on her back, crushing the cat beneath her weight. She heard the crack of bones, and then the cat managed to wriggle free. With the last of its strength, it flicked its paw. Pain flashed across Milo's face, and she flew into a panic. Shaking her head, she desperately tried to stand up. But she could feel her energy ebbing away, then suddenly there was nothing.

-----

Milo gasped as she woke, taking a huge breath to try and calm herself. Everything was black, and she wondered why there was no light in this place. Very carefully, she got to her feet. The ground felt unfamiliar under her feet; instead of the soft grass that she was used to, this ground felt like stone. She stood still for a long time, taking in the scents of her surroundings, when she heard noises coming from somewhere behind her. These sounds were unfamiliar to her, and she stiffened.
After a moment, she figured they were footsteps. They stopped in front of her, and then whatever had arrived started to speak. This was a language that she didn't really understand, much like she didn't understand what the birds were calling about on the plains she led her herd through...
The plains.
She had to get back there. Her herd needed her. Ignoring the voices, she charged forward. Something tied to her face held her back, and she panicked, rearing up on her hind legs. She still couldn't see anything, and now the voices sounded panicked too. Swamped by terror, Milo lost her balance and crashed to the ground. She felt something slide off of her face that had been covering her eyes, but realized that she still couldn't see. Thinking back on the fight she had been in with the mountain lion, she cried out in rage.
"That stupid cat!"

WIP

[cowgirlchrista]

well guys, it was really hard to choose, honestly. all of them made me cry (imma big softie) but this one really struck a nerve. congrats Zippo!

mark
username; Zip
show name; Fall of a Hero
barn name; Morana, slovic for death
gender; mare
halter color; surprise me. Maybe some different shades of purple put into some design?
story;
It was a normal night .Her herd leader needed to decide his succesor, so he held a meeting tonight. As he rambled on about his decision, she noticed a strange stallion thrashing around in the meadow across from them. She slinked off, curious to see what the other new comer was doing.

"Hello?" she called, edging closer to her downfall. He turned, mouth foaming, with a wild look in his eyes. He charged at her, rearing him and striking her face with his two front hooves. Morana let out a cry, her vision blurring as she attempted to scurry away from him.

The pursuit began, the stallion was intent on destroying his target. He nipped her back right ankle, causing her to immediately slow down. He could hear her scream the other's names, in hope someone would rescue her. He chased her through the meadow, hoping to cut her off at the high fences separating them from the drop of the hills below.

At this point Morana's vision had gone black. She was running blindly, it was clear they were to far for anyone to here. She felt legs buckle as she hit something, flying forward and rolling down the hill into the thorny bushes below. Her fur matted with her own blood mixed with the mud from the day before. She tried to get up, to run even farther, but she collapsed again with a cry of pain.

She heard the screams, the fighting, then everything stopped.

When she woke up she wasn't home anymore. She didn't know where, but it smelled different. She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't. She began to panic, to buck and rear until she heard a calming voice.

"It's alright girl, shhh. We're hear to protect you, alright?" the doctor gently brushed her, careful to avoid her still tender wounds. "You're here at the Bear Run Hospital, and you're not going back to your hold home. You we're attacked, do you remember baby?" she cooed. "We had to put you under surgery. You're blind now, but we're here to help you cope with that, okay?"

The next few months, Morana fell into a depression. She didn't eat or sleep, and she was never adopted. Who wanted a skinny, blind horse?

That was until she met Madison. A girl who had her own stabes, Safe Haven, for any and all. She had finally found a place she belonged.

[Good.Pointe]

username; Rose Rivervalley
show name; Brave New Day
barn name; Brave
gender; mare
halter color; Black
story; It was a normal day like any other, Brave and her herd were grazing on a mountain. Brave hadn't been feeling right about this day, unlike the rest of herd herd, whom thought nothing was wrong. Some mountain lions were on the prowl, looking for their next meal. Brave, being a bit shorter and younger than the rest, was the perfect target for these mountain lions. As the lions come around the other side of the mountain, the spot Brave. As the rest of the herd runs off, Brave get pounced on. They scratched her back, legs, and, unfortunately, her face, losing her eyes from the deep scratches in her face. She's recovered and is now very spooky. The herd went on to an open field where danger is easily seen, and Brave was found and taken in by a wonderful horse adoption center. She is now up for adoption and a person is looking forward and hoping to get this brave little fighter.

[heyheygirl101]

@Rose There is no need to bump this topic, the winner was already chosen. In the post before yours Christa had chosen Zippo as the winner of this tolter.