The night was black, but the gliding bronze wings caught whatever starlight allowed, the distant lights in the sky peeking from behind dark clouds.

He dreamed that he was soaring.

He was a bird, a dragon, a bat; alone but for the whistling wind beneath his outstretched wings. He was free, no worries, no cares, no memories, just an unnamed entity, a body-less consciousness embodied by the deep black sky and the twinkling stars. There was a mass below him, gentle rolling hills and severe mountains with snow on their summits. If he strained his eyes, he could even see the tall grass swaying in the valley, like waves breaking upon a shore.

But when he strained his eyes more, he could see something troubling. Someone is in danger, he thought frantically, and then he was falling. Down, down, down. He tried to flap his wings, but they would not respond, would not heed his screaming or his flailing. The ground came closer at an alarming rate. He fell.

The yearling jerked awake, slate eyes wide with roiling fear. He lifted his head up gingerly, expecting to feel terrible pain, but nstead, the muscles obeyed him placidly, and he could easily see the comforting sweeping curve of the valley below him. With a sigh of relief, the colt stood up shakily from his slumber, almost hitting his head against a tree branch in the process. He grunted. It was a vast moonless night, the unfriendly vault of the sky hanging above him ominously.

Idly, he wondered where Dei was, and why he wasn't sleeping on a branch of the massive oak tree as Jackal had remembered him to be. Where are you? he asked quietly, flicking his tail with anticipation. After a tense few moments, he heard a clear voice, familiar and welcome, but agitated nevertheless. Found hurt queen - come quick, under big tree. A mental image- he was perched upon a slender trunk, eyes angled toward the mare caught beneath it. She spoke in gentle tones, although the words were troubling. "Someone please help..."

And with the words echoing in his ears, he shoved into a brisk canter, head held low and ears perked alertly.

He followed the mind-signals the bronze had been sending, to find him perched upon a rather impressive fallen tree, a mess of leaves and rotting wood splattered around the perimeter like gore in a cheap horror movie. Dei was cooing gently at the pretty pale mare trapped beneath it, and Jackal paused, nostrils flaring in thought.

"Lady," he said abruptly, mildly, arching his neck towards her. "I am here to help." And with that, he strode forward, nudging the tree uncertainly, rough bark beneath his muzzle taunting him in the voice of a striped mare. Ears pinned back with anger and sadness, he urged every muscle in his body to push and forget about the past, however taunting it may be.

[ahhh I wasn't sure if the tree was small enough for him to push it away xD]