tolter event writing

[Vinson]

prompt one: meeting a wild tolter (635 words)

Voodoo was the first tolter to meet Ollie after they were brought in from Sandwash Basin. His ears pricked as he saw the trailer pull into the gravel driveway and he paused, ignoring the tugging on his lead line from the farrier. He waited, standing completely still, waiting to see who was coming home- or rather, who was going to be the new tolter he could torment in the pasture. He waited until the trailer doors opened, ears flying back and startling slightly when he heard the noises coming from it. Whatever was in there was screaming, scratching their hooves on the floor, fighting wildly against the pull of the leadline on their halter. He narrowed his eyes, backing away from the trailer and the wild horse inside of it slowly, but not turning his back. His eyes widened as the tolter was finally coaxed and pulled out of the trailer and onto the gravel, hooves flashing wildly, eyes crazy, nostrils flaring, before rearing back onto their hind legs and slashing the air in front of them with their front legs. Voodoo turned, finally listening to the insistent pull of the lead, but he would never forget just how wild that tolter looked, their deep blue eyes fierce and soul staring. Voodoo didn’t think he would be tormenting this tolter- they might be tormenting him.

The next time Voodoo saw the wild tolter was in the pasture a few days later. He turned, wanting to avoid them, but heard a gentle voice call out as he started to walk away.
“Wait, please,” he heard, and he turned back around to face them. What he saw was wide blue eyes, this time pleasing and lonely, and a meek stature on the tall, once wild horse. “I’m Oliwier- I’m new here. Do you know where we are?” They asked, and Voodoo immediately felt his heart melt. He relaxed his stance, flicking an ear forward.

“I’m Voodoo. We’re in Colorado, near the Rocky Mountains- namely Pikes Peak. Where did you come from?” He asks, daring to come a bit closer. Now that they’ve exchanged names Voodoo feels a little closer to the wild tolter - Oliwier - then he had when they came rearing out of the trailer.

“I think the humans called it Sand Wash Basin- it was in Colorado too,” Ollie says, voice gentle and tired, raspy from underuse. “I wandered for a few years, following bachelor bands, trailing established herds. Mostly alone. I’d like to get to know my new herd, I guess.” They seemed unsure of themselves, scraping the pasture ground, carving the soft earth with unshod hooves.

“Well, I’m probably not the best to talk to for that,” Voodoo said, and he could see Ollie’s head drop, huff out a breath. “But I can show you to someone who was like you once if you’d like.” He had Chance on his mind, the founder of their herd, a mare who had once lived among the wild mountain herds back in her younger days.

Ollie’s head perked, wild blue eyes widened and ears turned forward.
“Really? You have someone like me here? Someone wild?” They asked, breathy and excited, shoulders twitching.

“Well, she used to be wild- a long time ago. Her name is Chance, she was the first tolter here, the founder of Cobalt Sky,” Voodoo said proudly, thinking of her and her resilience, her strength. He wondered if Ollie would be the same way.

“That would be amazing,” Ollie remarked, beginning to walk back towards the barn, looking over their shoulder and peering at Voodoo with those deep blue eyes. “Care to come with?” They asked, smiling slightly. Voodoo smiled back, trotting to catch up with them and sticking by their side, gently nudging them in the direction of Chance’s spot in the pasture.

[Vinson]

prompt three: finding something cool (537 words)

Everybody knew Vision was a foodie- what they didn’t know, however, was just how much he loved trying new things. Nearly every day Vision would try and find a new food to try, whether it be by stealing it out of a groom’s pocket or finding it stashed away in a corner of the barn. A cracker crumb here, a bite of chocolate there, corn on the cob, cheese cubes- the list went on. He snatched sandwiches, nosed his way into a pocket for a bit of peppermint, grabbed a rider’s lunch and galloped away, crumbs falling out of his mouth. He always loved food, found it looked pretty, smelled amazing, and tasted like happiness.

One day, Vision found the most amazing thing he had ever laid eyes on. He wasn’t sure what exactly it was, but it was large, white, hummed incessantly- and held the largest amount of human food he had ever seen in one place. It kept it cold, too, and sometimes one of the humans would pull a chilled treat out of it for him. Sometimes it was crunchy cold sweet, other times it was a crispy slice of apple dipped in caramel.

A few nights after the food box had arrived, Vision’s stall was left unlocked by accident. He waited until most of the others were asleep, listening to their snores and grumbles, before he slid the door open and quietly made his way over to the box. It took him a while to figure out how to open it, nudging and pushing before finally it cracked open and he nosed the door to the side. What he saw inside was the most amazing sight he had ever set eyes upon- all of the humans’ food, lit up by a yellow orange light on the top of the box. The cold of it chilled his nose, but the scents- oh, the wonderful scents and smells- made it all worth the cold. He nibbled on everything, deciding what he wanted to eat, before taking bigger bites and nudging things out of the box. A slice of cake with delicious frosting and sprinkles, slices of assorted fruit, carrots and celery sticks, half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich left over from a rider’s lunch- so much good food it felt like his tastebuds were on fire with all of the different tastes. And then he spotted them, his favorite treat- molasses cakes. He licked his lips, salivating at just the thought of them, before gently taking one into his mouth. He closed his eyes, savored the bite, before taking another. Vision took his time eating the cakes, spent a few moments just letting the taste sink into his memory. Once he finished the last one on the test he returned to his stall, lipped the lock shut, and closed his eyes. He fell asleep quickly with his full belly, remembering the wonderful taste of all the food he had just eaten.

The next time one of the humans opened the fridge they were surprised, looking around inside and trying to find something Vision had eaten. He smiled a little, remembered the food, and turned around. No one would ever know it was him.

[Vinson]

prompt five: something funny (597 words)


Elpis was in his stall one night, trying to sleep, when he heard a rustle and a creak. He tilted his head towards where the noise had come from, nosing around and trying to touch whatever had made it. His nose and lips touched only air, though, and he huffed our a breath as everything was quiet again- until something fell onto his bedding, making a soft ‘poof’. He made a soft nicker, the sound rising quietly in his throat, but whatever it was made no noise of its own besides moving around. He thrust his nose forward, surprised when it touched something soft and furry. Whatever it was took off, again saying nothing. Elpis slouched back in the corner of his stall, rubbing his head against the wall. He wanted to know what had been in his stall, but also wanted to do it himself. So he decided to investigate.

The next night he made a small pile of bedding in the corner where the other thing had jumped into and waited, hoping it would come again. It did, walking along the wall that blocked him from his neighbor and making the wood creak. He stood quietly, waiting patiently for it to jump down again before he said or did anything. He waited a few more minutes, swishing his tail back and forth, before he heard the ‘poof’ again. Whatever it was settled in the pile, kneading it and pushing it around. Elpis quietly cleared his throat, flicking both ears toward the direction of his visitor before speaking softly to it.

“Hello? What are you?” He asked, breathing in its scent. It was sort of familiar, like he had smelled it a while ago and forgotten it. Whatever it was didn’t answer and stayed quiet, so he extended his head slowly toward the corner. Once again he touched soft fur, and he ran his nose up and down, trying to figure out the shape of it. And then the thing began to rumble, a gentle purring that sounded like thunder in the distance. A cat! He smiled triumphantly.

“Hello, cat. My name is Elpis. Thank you for visiting me tonight,” he murmured softly, continuing to pet the cat lightly. How funny, he thought, that he hadn’t known it was a cat. He had heard and smelled them before, felt them wind around his legs and even hop up on his back once. He chuckled, smiling. Maybe this one could be his friend, a companion.

The next day he asked his neighbor to wait up with him into the night so he could know what the cat looked like, what color it was, so he could know which one of the barn cats it was. He made a little bed out of his own bedding again and waited along with his neighbor. The cat came again, this time plopped lightly into the bedding without first climbing the wall. It must have come in through the door, he thought, before his neighbor’s voice brought him back.

“It’s a long haired black cat,” They said, “with big green eyes. It’s watching you.” Elpis smiled, once again going to pet it. “I think her name is Mary,” he heard again, and Elpis continued to pet her. She purred, getting up to run against his legs. He waited until she had backed away before laying down, letting Mary jump onto his back and rub against his cheek, licking his ear. He laughed at how it tickled, how her breath was warm on his face, and how she continued to purr contentedly.

[Vinson]

prompt seven: meet cute (810 words)

Missy stood alone in the pasture, swishing her tail impatiently, nervously. Some of her friends had set her up on a blind date with a tolter she had never met before- she didn’t even know the other’s name, what they looked like. Only that she was supposed to meet them here. She hung her head, nibbled a bit on the new grass that was growing in after the harsh winter had passed through, and simply waited. She wasn’t used to it, usually she was the one who was fashionably late, but she began to wonder if her date had stood her up until she saw a figure trotting towards her.

“Hello!” Missy called out, raising her head and pricking her ears. Her date was pretty, she thought with a smile, her face and legs spattered in white with the rest of her body a light chocolate. And those purple eyes- her blue did nothing for her compared to the shining lilac of her eyes.

“Hello,” the other mare said with a quick smile. “My name is Cascade- how are you called?” She asked politely.

“I’m Missy. So great to finally meet you!” She said excitedly, shifting off of her hip and onto both of her rear legs. “What would you like to do? I was thinking maybe we could go to the lake.” The lake was one of Missy’s favorite places. It was delightfully blue, full of waves and ripples from the wind that swept over it. She loved to peer into it and look at her reflection, see if a fish darted through it.

“That’s fine with me,” Cascade said, starting forward. Missy followed her lead, walked at the other mare’s shoulder. “Say, how long have you been here? I’m fairly new, I just got here a few weeks ago,” Cascade said, looking over at Missy. She couldn’t get over how purple her eyes were.

“Just about three months now I think,” Missy said. “I came in the beginning of spring, when the snow was just starting to melt.”

“Oh, okay. How do you like it? I came from a small barn with just me and two others, but this one is so big. It’s a bit overwhelming, to be honest. I’m usually a bit more talkative, I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet,” she said with a smile.

“That’s ok! It’s a first date, of course we’re both going to be a little nervous. I really love it here, though. You can pick and choose your friends, and if you don’t like any tolter you can stay away from them pretty well unless the humans want you together,” she told her. Missy truly liked Cascade. She was a little reserved but also open with her, looking into her eyes when she talked - and her eyes. She still couldn’t get over her eyes. “I’m sorry, this is a little weird, but your eyes are so pretty!“ she blurted out, a blush rising to her cheeks.

“That’s ok! I love my eyes- they make me stand out, I think. That and my white markings,” she smiled, looking away for a moment as if embarrassed, before turning back. She nudged Missy’s shoulder, her pink nose soft on Missy’s skin. “Thank you for the compliment. I haven’t met very many tolters yet and that’s the first one I’ve gotten from someone besides a human.”

“Oh of course! I still can’t believe my friends thought I was in your league,” she laughed, dropping her head. They had reached the lake, the blueness of it nearly overwhelming.

“I think we’re evenly matched,” Cascade laughed, nudging her shoulder again. Missy blushed again, then lightly touched her nose to Cascade’s.

They looked out at the lake together, watching the wind ripple the water. Missy was always awed by it and its beauty, how perfectly imperfect it was. She moved close me to the rocky shore of it, gazed at her reflection. Cascade followed her, then looked down herself.

“Don’t we look good together?” Cascade asked, looking over at Missy. She smiled, then took a sip out of the lake.

“We do. We really do,” Missy murmured, watching Cascade. She was shorter than Cascade, probably by a full hand, so that the other mare could rest her head on Missy’s shoulder. Cascade’s white legs and face contrasted almost exactly with Missy’s unmarked legs and face but white rump and sides. Although it was only a first date Missy felt a connection to Cascade, how confident in herself the other mare was.

“How would you feel about a second date?” Cascade asked, purple eyes narrowed flirtatiously. She swished her tail, watching Missy intently with those purple eyes.

“That would be amazing,” Missy laughed, reaching over to press her nose against Cascade’s. Their soft skin met, both staring into each other’s eyes, breath mingling in the newly warming summer air.

[Vinson]

prompt nine: a memory wanting to be forgotten (502 words)

Denali thought Lorelei was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen when she had birthed her little filly. Her dark coat, the splatters of white, and her beautiful bright eyes- and she had made her. Denali adored her and doted on her while she grew up, watched her perfect little girl learn to walk in a stumbling path, watched Lorelei lean on her hind, rubbing an itch on her face. Sure, she was a little loud, a little needy, but Denali loved her all the same. She had only love for Lorelei until she was a year or two old, when she began to make mistakes and grow up on her own, without her mothers help.

Lorelei grew and learned and played and made mistakes. Everyone knew that’s what foals did, but for some reason Lorelei began to get on Denali’s nerves. Every mistake she made seemed to be too much, too large. She tripped up talking to an older tolter and Denali scolded her, she snuck away to another pasture and Denali refused to let her back in. Sometimes it seemed like everything Lorelei did was to anger or annoy her, but Denali tried to reason with herself. She was simply growing up. Making mistakes. One day Lorelei spoke back to her after she had gotten herself dirty in the mud field by the pasture pond and Denali snapped.

“Lorelei! You are my daughter, and you will listen to what I have to say to you!” She snarled, and Lorelei shrunk back. “Sometimes I wonder if you really are my daughter, though. You make too many mistakes. You don’t look as pretty as I did when I was your age, before I went gray,” she spat, looking at the dead and shame in Lorelei’s eyes. The most awful thing was, she thought, was that she didn’t feel bad when she said those things about Lorelei. She only felt a rush of adrenaline.

“Mama, please stop...” Lorelei pleaded, head dropped low and eyes full of shame. But Denali felt nothing for her besides anger.

“You are a disgrace to my name, Lorelei. You’ve had your chance to prove yourself to me, to everyone else, but you’ve kept on making mistakes. You’ve kept on doing nothing to slow your standing,” Denali growled, snaking her head forward and biting at Lorelei’s ear. Lorelei squealed, whipped her head away, and Denali watched as years began to drip down her daughters face. Only then did she come to her senses.

“Oh my god, Lorelei I’m so sorry,” she began, her eyes pleading. “Please, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-“ Lorelei cut her off.

“You said I was a disgrace. You said I wasn’t worthy of being your daughter,” she said, head dropped, unwilling to look directly at Denali.

“I- I didn’t- please, Lorelei, look at me,” Denali spoke softly, beginning to cry herself. “I didn’t mean what I said, Lorelei, I got carried away, I’m so sorry,” she cried, watching Lorelei walk away from her.

[Vinson]

prompt eleven: a hobby

Mirage’s favorite hobby is swimming in the lake out by the old cabin. She’s loved to swim since she was a filly- she was born in a late spring storm, and learned to walk and run in the puddles in the pasture. The splashing of the water under her hooves is as natural to her as the feel of arena dirt under a show tolters hooves. Any chance she gets, Mirage is out in the forest, listening to the birds sing and her humans chatter while she wades chest deep in the lake.

Sometimes her trips are planned- she hears her rider talking to a barn manager, watches as her tack is pulled out the day before. Other times they’re surprises on hot summer days, when she’s hiding under the trees in the pasture, practically melting, when she hears her name called. Today was one of those days. It was close to 90 degrees, no clouds, and the sun was relentless and overwhelming. She was hiding under a tree that was wilting itself when she saw Megan at the gate, waving her halter.

“Let’s go for a swim, Mirage!” She called out, raising the green halter in her hand. Mirage came running over, watching the heat ride off of the gate and the ground and the gravel and- everything, really. She shook herself excitedly as Megan tried to put on her halter, unwilling to stand still. She was so excited! Finally, some relief from the unbearable heat.

“Come on, let’s go! I brought the clip on reins and we’re going bareback today,” she said, clipping the leather reins onto Mirage’s halter and leading her out of the pasture. She watched as Megan closed the gate, spun her around, and found a big rock to use as a mounting block. Megan hopped up quickly onto Mirage’s back, and Mirage shifted her weight around until Megan nudged her, signaling she could go forward.

Mirage instinctively knew her way to the lake by now, and she led Megan there with little direction at a slow trot. The trees were a welcome relief, the shade providing a shelter from the heat both rising off the ground and shining down from above. As soon as they reached the body of water Megan hopped off, unclipped the reins, and gave Mirage a little pat on the shoulder. She immediately kicked out a little, shook out her mane, then jumped in the lake with a big splash. Ahhh...it felt amazing! No more heat or flies, just cool water and quiet trees and birds flying overhead, Megan getting her lunch out of her little backpack. Mirage paddles around, nostrils flared and head barely above water, enjoying the serenity of it all.

The best part, though, was getting out. She pulled herself from the water and stood on the bank before shaking her entire body, watching as droplets flew from her coat and into the air, onto the ground, onto Megan- who shrieked a little and tried to hide herself behind her hands.

[Vinson]

prompt thirteen: a pair meeting a wild tolter (540 words)

It was a pleasant summer day, and Chrys and Phoenix were getting tacked up to go on a shaded forest ride. Chrys loved going on rides with her son, Phoenix - he was always so happy and excited and loved to explore.

“You shouldn’t move around so much, Phoenix. It makes it harder for them to put the saddle on,” she told him, smiling at his enthusiasm. He was always jittery in the cross ties, always so excited to get going that he delayed tacking sometimes.

“I know, momma, I just can’t wait! I wonder what we’ll see today - maybe a new pond, or a herd of deer, or some weird birds-“ he laughed a little, shifting from side to side again. Chrys smiled again, her eyes lighting up in pride.

When Phoenix finally stood still enough to put a saddle on and tighten the girth a little they were ready to go. Their riders led them out of the barn, mounted, and then they were on their way in to the forest. The pines and aspens provided a good amount of coverage, and a slight breeze made the ride very enjoyable. They saw a few birds here and there, listened to the crickets, and looked carefully for deer that night be friendly.

They heard a rustle to their left, and Chrys immediately paused. Phoenix tugged at the reins, wanting to go investigate, but his rider held him back carefully. They waited a little, heard a few more rustles, but eventually moved on down the little dirt game trail.

“Was it a deer?” Phoenix asked, ears turning every which way with every sound that came their way- so inquisitive!

“It might have been, but I didn’t smell deer. Maybe a squirrel or rabbit,” she suggested, watching her hooves carefully over a rocky portion of the trail. Then she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She stopped and swung her head around, Phoenix doing the same.

It was another tolter- not from around here, clearly, with the amount of muck and dirt on her coat. She looked to be fleabitten gray, but Chrys couldn’t tell with the mud covering her.

The wild mare pinned her ears, shrinking back into herself. She was nervous, Chrys could tell. She had just met two strange tolters while most likely separated from her herd. The mare went to turn away, but Phoenix spoke out first.

“Wait! Please. Who are you?” He asked gently, stepping forward slowly. Chrys could tell Phoenix’s rider was a little scared too, pushing her heels down and tightening her grip on the reins.

The other mare stopped, then extended her nose like he was trying to smell them a little better. She said nothing, but stepped forward to meet Phoenix. The two touched noses, the mare’s eyes wide and darting.

“I’m Chrys,” Chrys spoke softly, “and this is my colt, Phoenix.” She shuffled forward herself, extending her own nose. The other mare touched she nostrils to Chrys‘s and they shared a breath or two before she took her head back.

The wild mare turned and left without saying a word, simply walked back into the trees and disappeared. The pair didn’t see her for the rest of their ride.

[Vinson]

prompt fifteen: something new (1513 words)

Wunder was born and raised in the predominantly German city of Wishek, North Dakota. She was named German, heard mostly German spoken, and therefore spoke a German dialect herself. It was her and two other tolters- Wunder and Schwarz and Löwe- all living together in a small pasture, used for farm work or pleasure rides.

“Wunder! Ein Pferdeanhänger kommt!” Löwe shouted, running across the small grassy field. Wunder perked up, having previously been grazing, and began to walk over to where Löwe was coming from and where Schwartz was standing, watching the trailer back into a fenced area near the pasture gate. Usually when the trailers came they all went, usually to another farm to help do work for them. They liked the drive, usually, even though it was short.

“Ist jeden gehen?” Wunder asked as Löwe met up with her and they began to move back towards the now parked trailer.

“Ich weiß noch nicht. Es ist einer kleinen Pferdeangehänger,” Löwe murmured, cocking his head. “Vielleicht nur zwei?” He continued, still peering at the trailer. It wasn’t the usual four horse one, but instead maybe half the size. Who were they going to take then?

One of their owners came into the pasture quietly, petting Schwarz on the nose gently before coming over with Wunder’s halter. Wunder let the girl put her halter on, then let herself be led toward the trailer. She wondered who was coming with her, then- Schwarz was older than Löwe and not as strong, but he had more experience. It might have been a tie, but Wunder didn’t know that she was going alone. And not to another farm close by, but a stable in Colorado- she was being sold.

She began to panic when the doors closed and no one else was in the trailer with her- she turned as much as she could and called out to her herd, for the last time-

“Schwarz, Löwe! Ich liebe dich, bitte vergesse mich nicht!” She whinnied, looking out of the window at their own confused faces before looking away. She would never forget them.

The drive was long, and a new human stopped to let her out and walk her every couple of hours. She wasn’t sure what to think of him- he was strange but gentle, and she liked him for that, but she couldn’t understand a word out of his mouth. She was scared- what if her new herd couldn’t understand her? And she them? She tried not to think too hard about it because just the idea of it left her shaking.

When they finally arrived at the new place Wunder was stiff, tired, and ready to be let out to pasture. So when the new man led her out of the trailer and into a small round pen, she was a little disappointed. Why couldn’t she go into the bigger pasture? She could see it from her small circle of grass and it was bothering her. Then Wunder saw another tolter in the pasture, no, two!

“Hallo! Bitte, wo sind wir?” She called out loudly, ears perked forward and waiting for their response. What she got was more jumbled sounds, like the new man had been speaking. Wunder wanted to cry- how could she possibly learn a new language? There must be someone here who spoke hers, she tried to think. Surely, there must be.

She waited and paced in the pen before a new human, a girl like her old one, came up to the pen, grabbed her lead, and led her out of the pen and into a pasture. It was smaller than the one she used to have at home, but still much better than the small pen she had been put in on arrival. This human spoke the same jumbley language as everyone else, but Wunder was no longer surprised. She let herself be unclipped from the lead and her halter taken off before trotting around and exploring the small new pasture. She wasn’t the only one in it- there were a few other tolters as well, mingling in the back of it. She walked calmly toward them, trying to let her posture remain open and friendly.

“Hallo?” Wunder asked, pleading for someone to answer in her language, “Entschuldigung, weißen Sie wo wir sind?” She waited, listened to them murmur in that strange jumbled language, before one trotted off the the fence, where another larger pasture was. The lone tolter called out a name, and Wunder waited once more. She hoped the other tolter that was coming would be able to speak to her.

The other tolter that came was a stallion, black and gold with beautiful white flower markings. She walked over to the fence, then waited for him to speak.

“Hallo? Sprechen sie deutsch?” He asked, and Wunder was brought to tears. Never had she been more happy to hear her language than she was in that moment.

“Ja, ja! Danke schön, danke- ich heiße Wunder. Wie heißen Sie?” She asked politely after her outburst of joy. The stallion smiled back at her.

“Ich bin Dresden. Woher kommst du?” He asked, sticking his nose over the fence to touch hers. She blushed a little.

“Aus Norddakota,” she answered, flicking an ear. “Und wo sind wir jetzt?” She continued, hoping she would know.

“In Colorado,” he answered, “südlich und westlich von Norddakota.” He drew his nose back, peering at her with bright blue eyes.

“Ah, ok. Welche Sprache sprechen Sie? Ich weiß noch nicht was es ist,” she told him.

“Englisch,” he said. “Willst du es lernen? Es ist nicht so schlimm,” he joked, giving her a little smile. Wunder smiled back, eyes beginning to tear up. Here she was, new and not knowing a single word of the language spoken here, and Dresden comes to her rescue.

“Ja, bitte! Wann beginnen wir?” She asked, half joking.

“Jetzt, wenn du willst,” he spoke gently. Wunder stared blankly at him. “Hier- erst, hallo sagen. Sag, ‘hello’,” he said, and she repeated the word. It wasn’t too different from German, she thought. She could do that.

“Und dann wie gehts- ‘how are you’,” he told her, and Wunder repeated. That was different. She said it a few more times, trying to get it to roll of her tongue like how Dresden said it, so easily. “Ja, gut! Dann zusammen,”
He told her.

“Hello, how are you?” She managed after her second try, her words heavy with an accent. She shook her head, looking down at her hooves.

“Nein, nein, das war gut! Es ist ein bisschen schwer dein erstes Zeit,” Dresden told her, and she felt okay after that. They continued learning and trying and practicing and trying again for the rest of the day, until they had to be put in for bed. Dresden smiled at Wunder once more, and she smiled back.

“Danke, thank you, Dresden!” She called out, her English words still heavily accented. But she was speaking English! For the first time in her life! She felt extremely proud of herself, and so very grateful towards Dresden. Without him Wunder didn’t know what she would have done- maybe stumble around, attempting to figure out her way around and eventually learning the language.

When morning came with the rising of the sun, Wunder and Dresden managed to be put in the same pasture. They walked around together, him pointing different things out and saying the English word, Wunder repeating and learning. Her vocabulary was still very limited, but at least she could talk to and understand the other tolters now, for the most part.

Wunder and Dresden became great friends, and still to this day he introduces her to new phrases or words she’s never heard of before. They take long walks around the pastures, speak to each other in a strange mix of German and English, and reminisce about their old lives together. It’s something neither of the pair will ever tire of, and Wunder will always be grateful for Dresden’s help during her first few days.

Wunder had had a hard time adjusting to living with such a large herd, and Dresden gradually introduced her to everyone he knew. They got to know new tolters together, watched foals be born, and watched Dresden’s three foals grow up together with Wunder as an aunt. They taught the foals German together, the same way Dresden taught Wunder, and she couldn’t have wished for a better life.

Sure, learning English was tricky, but with Dresden at her side there was nothing impossible about it. And she missed Schwarz and Löwe- no tolter could ever replace the two she grew up with and worked with on the farms in her old town, but Dresden was much more than a replacement. He was a brotherly figure, always watching out for her and helping her, letting her do the same for his foals. Wunder was never at a loss for friends once she got to know her herd, and it was all thanks to her German upbringing and Dresden’s translating help.