Hawkeye
Hooves beat the ground in a rhythmic beat. His ears were flattened, his mouth open to gain more air, and his nostrils flaring furiously. The brindled stallion sped across the plain, his heart racing with the thrill. Eventually, Hawkeye made his way into the woods. It all came back.
While he was galloping, he saw it flash before his eyes. The storm. The falling tree. The burns. He quickly pulled himself back, the whites in his eyes indicating something was wrong. He lifted up his hooves, placing them back on the ground repeatedly even though he stood still. His past came to haunt him. He had let his rider down while they were doing so well. He ruined it. Ruined his future. Now he was in the wild. Of course, Hawkeye had his natural instincts, but the horses who were raised out here had a better advantage to surviving. Luckily for him, he had Thoroughbred genes. Racing genes. Therefore, he could usually escape. He had his fair share of scars though. The burn marks on his chest and others from fights with other horses, predators, and natural disasters, like a rock that cut his withers during an extreme thunderstorm.
Hawkeye calmed himself, and longed for the company of another horse. He tucked his head into his chest and closed his eyes, trying, trying to remember those wonderful days when he was a showhorse. And he blew it. A soft whicker had escaped his throat, one of sadness and regret. He wished he could go back in time and tell himself to stop. Tell himself he had everything he could have hoped for. But he couldn't. He was stuck out here. He had been sold. Tossed away like he was trash. That had certainly put a huge dent in his self confidence.
The stallion stood by the edge of the forest. His head and neck stuck out into the open, but the rest of his body was still in the woods. That's when he saw her. A black mare. The sunlight reflected off of her coat. He looked away. No, he wasn't going to snake her like he often saw other stallions doing. He could never take someone away from who they loved. He knew that feeling too well. Instead, Hawkeye emerged from the forest and perked his ears. He took a few steps forward; and was still quite a distance from her.