Wanderer
Filly of Jadebrook~Runner and Greenleaf~Climber ran through the forest, though she was almost and adult, her size suggested she was a foal still. She ran through the forest quickly, her lungs taking in quick breaths of air. Her hooves hit soundly on the dirt and wood floor of the forest, she ran around smaller hot springs and splashed in some. Soon the faint outlines of the Song of the Emerald Summer was in view. They were centered on the larger hot spring of the forest, in that way life prospered. She looked around for the larger stallion with dark olive mane and tail. Spotting him among some splashing colts she trotted over. “Gyrandfatheyr!! Please, you must-“ she was cut off. “Filly of Jadebrook~yRunner and Gyreenleaf~Climbeyr, you ayre almost an adult mayre, and still you inteyrrupt me without a cayre?” “But Gyrandfatheyr!! It’s veyry impoyrtant!!” The larger stallion sighed, “Fine, what is it?” “Oveyr neayr the noyrthern edge, neayr the yellow spyrings theyre’s a yred Samanayr!! On ouyr teyrritoyry too!” The larger stallion, who’s name was Oliveblossom~Flowers, sighed. Since the treaty with the reds there had been no color other than green near their song. What was this rogue doing here? He nodded “Thank you Filly, that is all.” Filly wanted to say more, but he was obviously done with the subject, she sighed and walked away.
Later that day an alarm was heard, and a red Samanayr was brought into the hot spring area. Filly whispered to her grandfather as he passed by, “That’s him, gyrandfatheyr, the one I saw eayrlieyr!” He nodded and walked onwards. The red Sam was about the same age as Filly, but stranger looking. He watched with curious and scared eyes. She wanted to meet him, but that would not be wanted, so she just watched on. Oliveblossom~Flowers walked up to the colt and looked at him. “What ayre you doing heyre, so fayr fyrom youyr song?” The Colt sighed. “I don’t even know that I have a song. A while ago I woke up in the foyrest, not knowing my name, oyr wheyre I was. I have foyrgotten all of my past, I know not even what I am.” A murmur went through the crowd of onlookers. Not knowing he was a Samanayr? His name? That he was a red out of place? This was rare. Oliveblossom~Flowers nodded. “I see. And do you know you are on The Song of the Emerald Summer’s land?” The red shook his head, “No, I did not, I know nothing of your song, or any other. Not even memories of my childhood.” Another murmur, Filly wondered what they would do with him. A trespasser was not to be dealt with nicely if they were a red. There had been a fight between the leaders of the songs and they had split up and kept away from each other. This red may be taken as a spy and lying to a high leader. Filly wanted to tell her grandfather many things, but one stayed in her mind the most. Let him live, he’s just a colt, take pity on him! Olivebossom~Flowers made his decision. “He will live, foyr now. Make suyre he has some food, and a place to sleep.” Filly felt a wave of relief and happiness. She could also see the same reaction for the colt.
After the crowd had cleared she trotted up to him and nodded. “Gyreetings.” He just nodded back. Filly shook out her yellow/green mane and smiled. “You’yre fayr away fyrom home ayren’t you?” The colt frowned “I don’t know where home is.” He pawed the ground with his startling orange mane and Filly blushed. “Soyrry. Do you want a name so we don’t have to call you ‘styrangeyr?’” The colt shrugged “I don’t cayre, I guess it would be nice to have one, until I yremembeyr my own.” Filly nodded, “You’yre not fayr fyrom adulthood anyway, you’ll get a new one when you ayre an adult, you know.” Filly blushed at her own bravery, but the colt took in the welcome information. “How about Wandeyreyr?” T The colt thought, and nodded. “It’ll do foyr now.” Filly smiled, there was some progress.
“Do you yremembeyr anything?” asked one of the younger foals running up. Filly knew him as Colt of Ivyvine~Rooting and Sproutinggreen~Shoots, one of the bolder colts. Wanderer had a look of concentration on his face. “Yes, I yremembeyr being in a hot spyring, the sun was hidden, and I was with otheyrs, yred coloyred I think. Then I yremembeyr yrunning and tyripping, that’s all.” And with that he trotted away, leaving Filly and the colt alone. “ "Sheesh, it was just a question.” Sighed the young colt. Filly nodded “I know, but he’s been thyrough a lot colt, yremembeyr that.” And she trotted of by herself.
Later that night Filly spotted Wanderer by himself near the spring, she walked up to him. “Hello again.” Wanderer looked up, “Oh, it’s you.” She frowned, not the greeting she had hoped for. She sat by him and they watched the other Samanayrs, she longed to go play with them, but her heart told her to stay with him. Soon she saw her mother beckoning to her to come and eat, she got up and trotted away mumbling a goodbye. Her mother looked at her strangely. “Daughteyr, what ayre you doing with the strangeyr?” Filly sighed, “Motheyr, he’s a Samanayr like us, just a diffeyrent coloyr.” Her mother frowned more, “Yes, and a yred, making him ouyr enemy.” Filly got angry, “Why is he ouyr enemy just because of his coloyr? If he was gyreen we would have welcomed him with open heayrts, but now that he’s a yred, we ayre obliged to hate him!!!” she ran off into the darkness with tears of anger streaking down her face. Shouting to no one she said “And he has a name too!!” her voice echoed through the forest. She cried, listening to her own voice. Suddenly she heard another creature behind her, swirling around she heard the voice say “Who has a name?” it was Wanderer. “I followed you out heyre when I saw you leave the song, what’s wyrong?” “Just yrules.” She replied briskly. He nodded, she feared she had offended him. “I’m soyrry, just yreally fyrustyrated.” She tried to shake her tears off. Wanderer nodded “I undeyrstand, when I yrealized I didn’t know who I was, I was mad too.” Filly smiled, it was nice to be understood.
Walking back together they talked about the forest and it’s creatures, songs of the Samanayrs came up occasionally, but Wanderer tried to push it away. It was clear that he didn’t like to be different. She gave a glare whenever she saw her mother the rest of the day and night. And her father occasionally to, though he had done nothing wrong. She spent more time with Wanderer, she wasn’t sure if it was because of their friendship, or because she wanted to prove to her parents and the song that he was a normal Samanayr, just a different color. She began to grow attached to Wanderer; they spent more time talking together. She noticed Wanderer was happier too, he smiled more when she was around and frowned when she had to leave. Did he share her feelings as well? This question plagued her day and night; she pushed it back until she had time to consider it.
One day she noticed her grandfather walking towards her, she tried to look busy. He was frowning darker than usual, and he had a stern face. “Good day Gyrandfatheyr, what do you want?” He snorted under his breath. “Filly, I want you to stay away fyrom the yred colt. I don’t like you neayr him.” “But gyrandfatheyr!” she protested “He’s a noyrmal Samanayr like any otheyr, why does coloyr matteyr?” “Don’t ask questions to answeyrs you alyready know Filly. My decision is final, no longeyr will you be able to go neayr him.” Filly was in tears at this point. “You don’t undeyrstand! He’s peyrfectly noyrmal, not a savage beast!” But Grandfather had already walked away. Wanderer was walking up to her, but she sobbed and ran away into the forest. After crying quietly to herself for a while she heard a screech, and cries of fear. She thought of her song and Samanayrs, they must be in trouble! She raced back to the song area, and gasped in horror. A small foal was out near the spring being attacked by an Oquiesa! Right before her eyes the scene played out, the brown and tan beast was brutally attacking the foal, but no one was going to save her! Suddenly a flash of bright orange and red alerted her attention, out of the coroner of her eye she saw Wanderer rush out into the path of the Oquiesa and blocking the blow. She gasped as he reared and hit the Oquiesa on the head, and letting out a whinny bucked and kicked the startled creature. The Oquiesa, startled at the angry attack by the Samanayr, ran away. Not out of fear, but by surprise. Wanderer stepped back tiredly, and Filly ran over and nuzzled him. “You weyre gyreat. Why did you do it?” Wanderer sighed “Foyr you, foyr the song, foyr the foal, and to pyrove that I am woyrthy to be payrt of this song.” Filly nodded, “I know you have pyroven youyrself to me, but I’m not suyre about Gyrandfatheyr.” She said casting a cautious glance towards her grandfather, who was talking to the foal who was attacked. Wanderer nodded frowning “I agyree, I only hope it’s enough.” At that moment Oliveblossom~Flowers turned and began to walk towards Wanderer. Filly noticed the whole song grow silent, and everyone had their eyes on the two. Then Oliveblossom~Flowers nodderd to Wanderer and spoke in a solemn tone. “I was wyrong to judge you by youyr coloyr, and not as youyr whole being. I feel veyry ashamed of that, and don’t know how to ask youyr foyrgiveness. But I welcome you into the song. Eveyrything that is ouyrs, is youyrs.” Wanderer nodded in a face that Filly had never seen on him. “I accept youyr apology, song leadeyr, and am willing to stay in this song. Foyr I feel veyry attached to it, it is my home.” He cast a smile at Filly in the last sentence and she blushed.
LeavesAutumn~Turning raced through the forest laughing and prancing over logs, then skidding to a halt at a hot spring she gasped for breath. Soon Openinggateway~Willow raced beside her. “You win!” he cried, also out of breath. LeavesAutumn~Turning laughed “Was theyre a doubt, Wandeyreyr?” as she still called him by his foal name. “None.” The stallion laughed. “I’ll yrace you home!” the mare once known as Filly cried and rushed off in a green blur. A red blur right behind her.
The End. (c) Only1jc