by LemonBunny » Sat May 27, 2023 9:47 am
Prompt:
Russ was born to a mare in a rather laid-back herd of mustangs, he was small and weak and often hid behind her legs from this strange new place he had found himself in, taking comfort in her presence and knowing somehow that she would keep him safe.
His sire didn't care much about him, he had much more important things to do such as lead the herd to food and water consistently, keep an eye out for predators and fend off roaming stallions looking to take his spot, so Russ didn't have much of a relationship with the leader of his herd.
When he got older, he found himself wanting to start a new life away from his herd and knew that his father wouldn't allow him to stay much longer, so Russ wandered away in search of his calling, though not everything was sunshine and daisies for this stallion.
Russ knew he was going to face hardships, he just didn't expect this many- He would be chased by predators, picked on by stallions both with and without herds, he would fall and sometimes even flat out collapse; be it from the distances he has walked or from injury, but he always got back up.
He never found his new home, he had roamed for years and years looking for it, he knew better than to try to return to his old herd as they'd likely not even recognize him anymore, but something inside of him was screaming to give up.
He approached a strange field that smelled of both horses and something else, wondering if he would be welcomed into this herd or chased off once more, though to Russ's surprise, he found himself roped and being led somewhere else.
Russ fought, he bit and stomped and tried to make himself seem as large and terrifying as he could to the strangely dressed horses and the creatures upon their backs, but truth be told, Russ tired out quickly and found himself surrendering to his fate.
He ended up mixed up with some other horses and being looked at and observed by the horse-riding creatures he has come to know as Humans, and realized soon that perhaps this wasn't so bad.
They fed him every day, he had fresh and clean water to drink and he fought off predators no longer, and eventually Russ came to realize he could honestly, genuinely live the rest of his life like this without complaint.
He eventually found himself somewhere called Polar North Ranch where he and many other animals resided, and he was utterly thrilled.
He had seemingly endless acres to roam, new friends and humans who called him a new name and stroked his soft fur and mane, he could rest here without worry and without fighting for his life daily as he did in the wild.
