CHAPTER TWO

After the foals had finished playing, they walked to their dams, hooves dragging and wings slack. They were very tired and hungry as they had played for about an hour chasing each other and dreaming about touching the fluffy clouds. “ Hi Mama.” Lightfrost neighed drowsily. Morningcloud nuzzled both of her foals and they began to suckle. After they had drunk their fill, they trotted over to a soft patch of ferns which were shaded by the massive Grandmother tree. Sunstorm and Crystalwave were already lying down and dozing next to each other. Lightfrost curled up next to Suntorm and she tucked her wings over her head, blocking out the sunlight. She felt a warm body next to her and she looked up to see Oaktail’s dark grey body curled up next to her. She relaxed and closed her eyes…

Lightfrost woke to the sound of voices. She opened her eyes and she saw that Oaktail had covered her back with his dandelion-yellow feathers. She slowly got to her hooves, careful not to wake her brother up. She saw that Sunstorm and Crystalwave were looking worried and muttering quietly to each other. “What’s going on?” Lightfrost asked her friends. “Clawfire’s border patrol found a mare by herself, lying in the woods!” Sunstorm explained. Lightfrost gasped. “But what was she doing all alone in our territory?” Crystalwave ruffled her perfect, dark-blue feathers. “Maybe she was banished from her herd.” Lightfrost thought for a moment “But why would the mare be in our territory? If she was banished how did she end up here so far away from the other herds?” Sunstorm pawed the ground thinking. “We should go and find out!” He neighed. At that point, Oaktail trotted up to them confused. “What’s going on?” Lightfrost sighed. “A border patrol has found a lonely mare in the woods and we were wondering where it came from.” Lightfrost could see hundreds of questions swimming around in Oaktail’s eyes. Lightfrost flexed her jet-black wings. “Lets go and ask our parents!” She whinnied. They flew over to the main grazing field to see all of the pegasi crowded around something. The foals pushed their way through the crowd and stood at the front. Oaktail gasped and Lightfrost backed away, scared and confused.