I: Invading in the Wind 

             A tale told by a chestnut                                horse named Rose 

  The first thing I remember is waking up under a cluster of shady trees, breathing in the breeze. The first time I ran in the wind, it was like the wind had carried me up, up, and beyond. I loved it most when I was galloping through flower beds and brushing the soft petals with my coat. I loved pretending the wind had carried me all the way to the soft clouds in the sky. And that's how I got my name: Rose.

    One day, I woke up to the sound of loud, but faraway galloping. "Rose!" I heard my sisters Violet and Daisy neigh. I instantly woke up and joined my family's galloping herd. There was a herd of bedraggled tan horses starting to take over our field.  I felt so angry inside. WHY, why are they doing this? This is OUR home, and they have NO RIGHT to take it. 

  Why did they have to take OUR field? Why not any other field? There are plenty of fields much larger than ours; like those Andalusian horses' field! It was like, ten times the size of ours! But ours is very nice, full of crunchy, tender grass. I thought about why the tan horses would want our home as my family and I galloped for our lives. Suddenly, I turned on my heels. 

  My family quickly recognized this motion and gathered in a menacing herd behind me. My friends called my "the fighter and protecter" of my herd because I always stepped in to help when something went wrong and led my family through the obstacles. They respected me, and I appreciated it. "WHAT are you INVADING horses DOING?" I whinnied. "Can't you see that this field is already a HOME for ANOTHER HERD??" 

  The tan horses shifted uneasily on their hooves. "I'm sorry," the leader of the herd apologized. "It's just that our ponies haven't been grazing well. Our field's grass is sick, and we can't just wait for it to recover. We don't know if it could heal quickly, and our ponies are getting so skinny that we can see their ribs." 

  The horses cautiously moved aside so we could see 18 small, bedraggled ponies. "But how about YOU?" I challenged. 

"YOU look hungry, too. Why aren't you caring about YOURSELF?" "We are older than they are, so we can stand it a little longer. Three of them are newborn, and they look as if they might collapse any second now." 

  I looked at the skinny ponies and their parents that cared more about their ponies than about themselves. "Come in," I sighed, dipping my head. I had underestimated them.

 "Graze as much as you like, because tomorrow, we will take over a larger home to live together in. We cannot survive another week in this small field."

   The leader of the tan herd smiled at me. "My name is Lily, by the way." "Rose," I replied. "The Andalusians' field is biggest---let's try that first. There will be more than enough room for all of us."

  The next day, we were going to attack. The next day, we were going to have a better home. Lily and I planned all night. We were ready to lead our small army of horses through all the obstacles. 

  Unlike the Andalusians, our coat is a common color, and plain, too, but under our protective coat, we are brave and beautiful, everything a perfect horse should be.

             II: Riding in the Wind

      A tale told by a rare Andalusian                       horse named Crystal

  My name is Crystal. I feel like the wind is my home. It carries me, it cools me off on a hot summer day, it even makes me feel like I can fly.  I loved it most when it was snowy and I could pretend the snow were clouds, as if the wind had taken me to the clouds in the sky. That's how I got my name: Crystal.

  I felt like a member of a royal family, standing in the breeze while grazing in a cool patch under some leafy trees. 

  I thought I would always enjoy life in my family's peaceful meadow. Until...

  My mother and two sisters, Andalusia and Chrysanthemum, were standing with me under our favorite shady tree. We called her Angel because she always is a safe place to rest under. But this time, Angel lost her magic. We could see a herd of brown and tan horses invading our field.

   Angel didn't feel safe anymore. She didn't feel like what she used to be. Now, she felt like a young tree about to collapse in a tornado. Those horses' stampede caused quite a racket--they sent up billows of dust and swayed the smaller trees. I knew my family was trying to stay calm, but as they drew closer, we bolted.

   Compared to my sisters, I was slow and unable to escape fast, but when I really needed it, my favorite tool would come to my aid. That tool is the wind. It came immediately this time. I rode the wind and caught up to fierce Andalusia and kind-hearted Chrysanthemum and encouraging Mother. We galloped and galloped, and outran the invading herd.

  By nightfall, we found a small field to settle in. Everyone but me was completely exhausted. They settled down and slept. As I laid in a patch of grass, I thought. I was going to fix my family's problem.

  So I galloped back to my old home, using the unsung wind to power my body. I was going to make things right, or try to, even if no one listens to me.

  When I arrived, all of the horses were asleep. So I wrote them a note and a map of where to find my family...

You chased my family out of our home. What did we ever do to you? How would you feel if you lost all you have ever known? I hope you will accept us if we decide to return. The following map is to show you our location in case you would like us to come live with you, and be friends.

   -Crystal