Sun Leap looked back upon his meadow. The sight was gorgeous from where he stood in hesitance upon a hill overlooking the massive crowd of flowers. Nimble Rain was watching him from the edge of the meadow, a wish of good luck brightly present in her eyes.
Sun Leap nodded to her in farewell and turned away to follow after Lightning Cloud. The stallion wasn't too far ahead of him, the blaze on his face was brighter than usual. Sun Leap didn't know if he felt excitement or fear grow bigger within him as the distance between him and the meadow became bigger as well.
"Why did your herd enter the valley?" Sun Leap asked Lightning Cloud, the stallion was a yard ahead of him.
"My herd wanders far and wide. We normally travel through the valley as apart of the summer, but the storm is what drove us apart. We've traveled through rain like that before but it never thundered so furiously before. We scattered in fear when one of the others was stricken by lightning. We were in fear for our lives." Lightning Cloud explained. Sun Leap nodded as he listened. He was certain he too would be frightened by the sight of something such as another horse being struck by lightning. It must have been traumatizing.
"You're certain they wouldn't leave without you?" Sun Leap asked softly, trying to be careful in not arousing anger or doubt from the stallion. Lightning Cloud was quiet for a long time as they walked, the longest he had ever gone without replying since Sun Leap knew him.
"I didn't mean any harm in it, I just want you to be aware of it as a possibility..." Sun Leap explained after he felt guilt roll around in his stomach for bringing up the idea to the other golden stallion.
"I understand you may believe that because you have never been apart of a herd.. But my herd would never leave me. They're my family..." Lightning Cloud said, saying something at last helped the tension in Sun Leap's shoulders ease down.
"You're right that I have never been apart of a herd, but I do understand the value in family. It is a good reason to venture out alone into the unknown, the mere chance of reuniting with family is the greatest risk you can take." Sun Leap offered as encouragment to the other stallion. Lightning Cloud said nothing as he returned a nod of his head. Sunleap could tell he still wasn't consoled, his spirit about as mellow as his shoulders.
He was suspended in a limbo of hope and doubt, but Sun Leap knew he would pick a side, and from the looks of their predicament so far, he was already reaching for hope. The golden stallions stayed silent a while longer, the only words shared between them were calm comments about the weather or environment.
After hours of wandering the open plains did they find evidence of other horses. Lightning Cloud had been the first to spot it, his legs kicking him forward with a little more vigor than before.
"Sun Leap, I see tracks!" The male called back. Sun Leap's head rose from a patch of bushes that seemed to have been picked clean of their nutrients. His ears swiveled to the stallion as he trotted over.
"How many tracks, enough for your herd?" He asked, pausing once he spotted the hoof marks among a large smeared patch of mud. There were many presses into the wet dirt, leaves and a few broken twigs scattered over it. This mud was violated a day or so ago, it was still moist but not liquidy like fresh mud patches.
Sun Leap, however, felt even if this was the tracks of a herd, they weren't going to be as close as they hoped. Lightning Cloud on the other hand was already searching for more tracks, shoving his nose to the ground as he looked and scanned for more evidence of other horses. Sun Leap followed after him, also keeping an eye out for more evidence.
"Do you still believe in your theory they've been staying in the valley to find you?" Sun Leap asked as he followed Lightning Cloud as he took a right through the forest. The other golden stallion raised his head to glance around before returning to his in-depth search.
"That is really my best bet. If these are there tracks then it proves I was right." Lightning Cloud said. Sun Leap let out a small sigh. Atleast he wouldn't have to worry about having to bring Lightning Cloud to the realistic thought that these may be another herd's tracks.