The word lost was playing on repeat in the young moose’s head - a constant loop that tormented him with each syllable.

Lost, lost, lost, lost, lost, lost, lost, LOST!

And then, quite suddenly, he was no longer alone though he was still very much lost lost lost. His mama had warned him about horses - about the strange creatures that populated these lands and were dressed in funny colours or had frightening magic. ‘Always stay away from them’ she had said. But what was he supposed to do when a whole group of them appeared and were offering him help? This didn’t seem to be the situation that she had prepared him for. They were strangers, sure, and they could be dangerous but they were also being nice so it seemed like it would be okay.

First was someone young. The kind voice was enough to keep the moose from jumping right out of his skin at the sight of the colt. At his encouragement the calf tried to follow his example and took some shaky breaths, but the sobs interrupted him and the exhales always ended in a whimper. The young moose nodded feebly to answer the question asked, unable to unstick his throat in order to actually speak in response just yet. Another young one came after - this one reminding the moose more of the smaller deer he sometimes glimpsed in the forests of his home than a horse. This one asked him where he had come from and in between his sobs, he managed to croak out: “The… the forest.”

Next came a mare brighter than all the purple berries this calf had ever seen before and then a small silver and black colt. More join soon after. There was a black mare who offered to share a secret and for a moment, the moose calf sniffed back his tears enough to perk his ears curiously at this proposition. “What is it?”

He shied away from the bay stallion that came in then, offering no help of his own, and the odd creature that came boisterously bounding in a moment later - the calf’s eyes wide. The strange words that tumbled out of the kangaroo hybrid’s voice inspired a fresh bout of tears as the moose simply did not understand what he was asking. He missed the arrival of the two mares who came after that - one antlered and one winged - because he was trying to get through his tears and hear what they were saying over the echo in his head.

Lost.

To be lost meant to be dead and he didn’t want to die.

Shaking his head quickly at the question about whether he was hurt, he looked around at all the faces gathered. Such strange faces they were! He felt no bigger than an ant surrounded by all of them and wished that he was that small so that he might scurry off without anyone noticing! He thought about wolves, how they hunted in packs, and he wondered if horses did the same…

Maybe if he started talking, they wouldn't eat him.

“My… my… mama.” He could barely squeak out her name now, so devastated as he was that he had lost her. That the was surrounded by these weirdos instead! It didn’t seem fair at all and all because of a stupid flower! Sniffing back harshly - to clear his nose so he could speak, the calf tried to remember what he was supposed to do when he was lost. “I think… she said somethin’ about… if I got lost I needed to look for a big ol' rock that, uh, looked like… I think it’s kinda like a goose? But with its neck bent all funny like it's laughin'.” For a moment, his face cleared and he giggled slightly at the memory of the rock but then it creased in concentration as he tried to remember what she had said. There was something else they needed to find after that rock, but that seemed like a good place to start. Maybe one of the faces around him would be able to help! “Do any of you know where I could find it?”