His chest ached, each breath burning his trachea.  His walk away from the Capitol became more frantic as a feeling of unease took hold of him.  A feeling of being watched, stalked, pulled at his mind until he was at a dead run away from the place where he was born.  Why would they be looking for him?  He is not the only one born male in his generation.  However, he knew that each horse born into the herd was an asset, a tool that the leaders use to strengthen the herd.  The stallion will admit that the way that the leaders ran things did produce strong, adapt foals.  He knew that with each generation of foals, the herd will become a force that will be hard to overcome.  He wanted nothing to do with it.

He let himself slow, his gallop becoming a lope, then a trot.  He picked up his feet high, unsure of the area surrounding him.  The open field had grown dark and woody.  After a while, relief washed over him.  He doubted that anyone who thought of following him could find him in such a maze of trees and brush.  He lazily slid to a stop, letting the shade cool his dark hide.  His breath was shallow, his abdomen heaving with each exhale.  Even though his body is athletic, anybody would be gasping for breath after running for so long.  Now that he has stopped, he could feel the strain of the workout.  He needed to rest for a minute.  Shaking his wind-tangled mane, he started forward, walking slowly.  A drink of cool water would be a gift from the gods. There had to be something here.  The trees were tall, and the grass around was living, so there had to be water somewhere.

It took almost an hour, but the stallion finally stumbled upon a small creek, trickling it's way through the dirt and rocks.  It was only about knee deep the deepest spot he could find, but it flowed icy cold. He bent his knees, letting himself fall into the water.  A couple of rolls sufficiently wet his sweaty pelt.  The man stretched his neck, dipping his muzzle into the water and took long swallows.

He could feel in core temperature returning to normal.  Though the rocks dug into his side, he stretched out on his side, laying as much in the water as he could.  His steel blue eyes closed, and he let himself relax for the first time since his decision to leave.


He walks. | "He talks." | He thinks.