Shadow Walkers (a story by yours truly!)

[Flying Fish <3]

First of all, hi everyone! I am new-ish to the Chicken Smoothie community but am enjoying my time spent here so far! If you have any questions or ideas for me or anything I'm not shy and would love to talk with you.

About the following story:

I've only covered a teeny tiny bit of what I have planned for this story so far in my writing, so I'll explain from a bird's eye-view what is going on. Basically, I was thinking the other day about how unique it would be to start a story about animals and their lives after a nuclear fallout. I mean, hearing about humans after nuclear warfare is fine and dandy, but I really liked this concept. So when in the story I refer to "sky-fire" or the burned ground, I'm talking about the nuclear stuff. Sky-fire being the explosion of the bomb, the charcoaled ground obviously being the dirt, grass and groundcover that was burned to ash on the surface of the planet. In the story it is a discovery process for both the reader and the characters, in the beginning neither are supposed to know exactly what has happened to them. As the story progresses the understanding of both you and the characters will progress as well. Comments and Crit are welcome and appreciated, I know my writing skills could use some work!

Here it is, enjoy!


Shadow Walkers- Thunder Valley
Prologue

Thunder Valley was once considered a sanctuary among sanctuaries. The green, rolling hills were complimented by the sparkling streams that flowed between them. A gentle blue sky with white clouds subtly completed the scene, making it an absolute paradise. Few trees grew among the hills, but there were two ancient oaks that marked the border of Thunder Valley to the east. A herd of wild horses, of course, inhabited this area. The lead stallion was a strong, spirited horse with a heart for his family. His name: Looking Glass.

The sky was dark and black clouds loomed just over the pricked ears of the stallion. His eyes no longer showed the inquisitive gaze of a colt, but they had yet to display the deep wisdom this young horse contained. Instead, if you looked into his eyes you would see an emptiness… a dark sadness as potent as the storm clouds that hovered overhead. He was standing upon the tallest hill of the valley, his distant gaze slowly tracing the contours of the hills before him. Below him, the charcoaled ground crunched under his hooves. The blackness smeared on his cream-colored hooves, but he hardly cared. His mind was elsewhere, drifting in and out of the past. A worried pair of eyes met his body and dainty hoofsteps could be heard behind him. He did not break his gaze with the horizon, he no longer feared danger.

But those eyes knew better, though he was pained and mourning the stallion was not invincible. He had yet to become the wise leader the herd is waiting for him to become. His youth shined brightly, displayed like a trophy through his arrogance. It was as though ice had pierced his very heart. The hoofsteps ceased and a ghastly hush drifted between the two bodies. The darkness made the palomino stallion’s golden coat a dull brownish-grey, and his matted tail fell lifelessly over once white hocks. The black ground was like a virus, it infected everything. The horses survived only by a miracle. Even those blue eyes that gazed at the stallion displayed how troubled this mare was. Not even she could fully understand the course of events the past couple of days beheld.

“Looking Glass,” A voice just above a whisper propelled from the lips of the mare, “Please come back to us. You’ve been out here all day, the herd is getting worried.” It had been Silver Light who spoke, the mate of this stallion. Her sleek body was a beauty to behold in the sunlight, but in this gloom she appeared almost black, her mouse-grey appaloosa coat only showing through a few patches of her body where soot had not already manifested.

The stallion shifted his weight and his coat buffeted in a gust of dusty wind, but he said nothing. His silence stung the small mare and it disturbed her deeply. She stepped closer and touched her nose to his flank. To this gesture, the stallion let out a troubled sigh.

“Silver Light, you know I hardly even have a herd to return to.” His words fell lifelessly from trembling lips, just loud enough for them to meet the mare’s ears.

To this, Silver Light raised her head and took a step back. She was beginning to feel like her ambitious leader and mate had been consumed in the sky-fire along with their precious valley. She blew a snort through her nostrils in utter disbelief. What had happened to him that changed him so? The other horses had been through as much trauma if not more, and no darkness had fallen over their hearts… at least, not yet.

[Deterior]

Very nice!

[Flying Fish <3]

Shadow Walkers- Thunder Valley
Chapter 1

To Looking Glass it had felt like no less than an eternity since the day of sky-fire. His dark eyes were often fluttering shut in an effort to not only shut out the dark images corroding his mind’s eye, but to also hold back the stinging tears that tirelessly battled against him to escape and careen in a waterfall down his sooty cheeks. The bitterness in his heart had only consumed him more as he laid eyes on his skinny, dirty, broken herd. “If you could even consider this a herd…” The thought echoed around in his head, and in reaction he shook his mane violently. When he straightened up, his ears finally stopped ringing. Then, the questions began. Little Gentle Gaze, the youngest of the group of horses approached the stallion and bowed in respect. His large eyes scanned Looking Glass’s body in wonder, obviously the colt was admiring the large muscles that rippled under the palomino horse’s coat. A look of intimidation settled over Gentle Gaze, obviously he was glad to be on the stallion’s good side. Finally, his brown eyes met with Looking Glass’s eyes and he let out a quiet sigh before parting his lips in an effort to speak.

“Looking Glass, sir… what are we going to do now?” Oh, the innocence of this young horse… it struck a chord with the stallion and his heart momentarily melted into a soggy puddle inside of him. He bent his thick neck and touched his muzzle to the little chestnut colt’s forehead. Looking Glass’s affection for the colt turned to pity as he remembered what the little one had been through. On the day of sky-fire, the foal had lost his parents. His father was a tall, leggy bay horse whose large, brown eyes had been passed on to Gentle Gaze. His mother was tall as well, a shade of chestnut so red her name Sunset more than suited her. Remembering their faces sent a tremble through his body, and the colt shifted backwards obviously still intimidated.

“I’m not sure yet, young one. We will figure it out soon enough.” He lifted his head and approached Silver Light, who was dozing off beneath a rocky ledge. Since the day of sky-fire, the horses hadn’t eaten anything. They’d drunk some water that was running down the side of a cliff, and that was it. The water was bitter and dirty but enough to keep them alive.

Silver Light let out an exasperated sigh and touched her muzzle to Looking Glass’s chest, her blue eyes meeting with his. He blew through his lips comfortingly and for once in a long time felt a sense of security, as though nothing could harm them. Just then, a gentle rain began to fall around them, washing the dark soot and charcoal from their coats.

Gentle Gaze romped in the rain, giving giddy squeals and bucks like a foal should. A few other horses huddled nearby and from here the stallion could make out his mother, Broken Star, trembling weakly among them. She was so old and wise, she had been through so much. His whole being respected her for her courage, wisdom and bravery. Looking Glass knew that soon he would have to let her go, and he dreaded that day with all his will. For now, he would treasure his time with her as much as he could. With that unsettling thought resting on his mind, he slowly drifted into a restless sleep.

Shadow Walkers- Mirror Forest

A glint of sliver above him pulled Strahlen out of his slumber. He let out a fearsome yawn, baring his teeth in a vicious snarl. The huge black wolf pulled himself to his paws on legs like tree stumps, and he shook his wet fur out before pawing his mate awake. Her bright green eyes met his with a hopeful gaze, and slowly they moved beyond him to face the sky. Strahlen could see a smile spread across her lips and he followed her glance to the heavens. The night sky was clear except for a few smoky clouds rolling over the distant hills. Stars twinkled in greeting and the giant, yellow moon was so close to the earth he could almost reach out and touch it. His mate, Farity, was now sitting at his side. She licked his muzzle affectionately and pressed her pelt against his. Having her there to comfort him meant the world to him in this time of struggle, and he returned her kindness with a muzzle lick of his own.

“It’s a sign.” Farity sighed, looking back up at the moon. “The clouds of war are clearing, my love!” The joy in her voice was not overlooked by Strahlen. His tail wagged as her infectious hope washed through him. Farity stood and approached a she-wolf who was snoring nearby. The black wolf padded up to his mate and put his paw on hers.

“We should not wake the others. Let them sleep, Farity. The moon will be out again.” The stern love in his voice was enough to melt her heart, and she nodded her head.

“Shall we go for a run then? I must enjoy this moon while it’s out.” She eagerly looked towards the thick, burned stumps that were once a forest. Her ears pricked forward as she took a deep breath through her nostrils. “Perhaps we will even find something to eat.”

Strahlen reared to his hind legs and playfully nipped at Farity before taking off into the trees. The small white she-wolf wordlessly broke into pursuit, trying to follow her black mate through the shadows. As Strahlen ran, his blood coursed loudly through his ears. His senses were alive, he felt like the moon had given him new energy.

“Maybe this isn’t too bad after all-“ He broke off mid-sentence to jump over a log, “Maybe, Farity, this is the way wolves are supposed to live!”

“We will see my dear! If food is still plentiful, we could benefit from this. But if the gods are not kind to us in this time of suffering, we may all perish and become a part of the earth.” Her words were broken and hard to understand, as they were still running. But Strahlen couldn’t disagree with her, this may be their journey to death. Maybe they were already dead, and this was their hell.

“Only time will tell.”