Willow

There was a horse in a forest, she didn't know where she came from or how she came to be. She started to wander from the place she awoke and found a small village. As she walked around the tribe was astonished at her, not because she was walking around their village, but because her hair was water! They were amazed and terrified at this sight. They concluded that the gods sent this horse to them as a reward for the sacrifices they made in exchange for rain as they were experiencing a drought. So they caught her and put her in a cage so they could take her water. She was trapped there starved and weak for months, then one day the village was attacked by a rival clan. They took her and everything else worth value and killed off everyone.

When they arrived back at their camp they tasked a young boy(15 yrs) to guard her. He looked at her pitiful state and decided, he was going to help her escape. The next day he packed his things and went to her pen. He made sure to feed her something so that she could make a small journey until they could get more food. By the time they were done, it was sunset. They rode until she couldn't run anymore, they were far enough away to rest until night. She woke to the sound of hooves coming in their direction, she woke the boy. The boy, clearly startled, hurriedly got onto her back. One of the scouts saw him and got the other's attention. They shot arrows at them and one hit the boy! The horse kept running, the boy still hanging on. She ran as far away as she could.

When she stopped the boy fell off, she walked over to him worried. She didn't know what was wrong with him. He told her that he had to leave and not to be afraid. He told her to keep running from the bad men and stay away from other humans as they would take advantage of her gift. She didn't want him to leave her, he was the only thing she cared about, the only one who helped her! She wouldn't let him leave! She knelt down and gave him a big 'ole kiss, he wasn't too happy for all the slobber he had on his face now but he just wiped it off and laughed, which he instantly regretted. She wondered why he would wipe away the kiss she gave him but waved it off. He realized that he was no longer in pain. He looked down at his chest where the arrow was and saw the arrow on the ground and his wound healed! He didn't know what happened, then he realized that it was the horse that saved him. He looked up at her in wonder. She stared back at him.... he blinked then she sneakily gave him a good lick. He looked at her angrily and scolded her for a second then laughed it off when she gave him her puppy dog eyes. They settled down and laid down to sleep for the rest of the night, which wasn't very long.

The boy dreamt of a tale of paradise he was told of as a child. His tribe called it Eden, it was a luxurious meadow filled with various flowers. It had a spring with a small waterfall and creek running through. The land was blessed by the gods, it would never die out and was protected from anyone with ill will seeking it out to sell or steal the plants. The tale says that no blood would be shed there and no creature shall die on the blessed land. The boy knew this is where they had to go, it would be the only place that the horse would be free and safe from the bad men. So when they woke they set out to find it.

Its been a week, the two haven't given up hope. They were riding when the horse hit something. The boy wondered what happened, they were out in the open there's nothing for her to run into! Then something weird happened. Something fell from the sky! The horse and boy jumped, then slowly walked over to what fell. The boy got off her to get a closer look. "Hello it seems you've reached the end," someone said from the dust and smoke coming from where the piece of sky fell. The boy and horse were startled at hearing another human. "Fear not child, we mean you no harm." the person says, the dust clears away to show a man who is softly glowing. The boy has heard of this man, he is the messenger of the gods, Hermes. The boy bows, the horse looks at him confused then decides to join. Hermes chuckles "No need to be so formal. I'm glad that you've found our gift" he gestures to the horse. "You mean she was meant to be mine?" the boy asks. "Yes, we knew that you are pure of heart and wouldn't take advantage of her as her past homes did." The horse was saddened by the mention of them. "Don't be sad, you will have a new home with him and you can find even more like you where you are going." "What do you mean?" the boy asked. "You my friend have found Eden." As Hermes gestured to where the horse was, the sky parted and revealed the meadow that was just as the tale described. "Go on. Welcome home!" The two walked through the veil and looked back to Hermes, he gave a smile and wave before he flew off. The two looked at each other then a second later they were cheering and he hopped on her back and they rode until nightfall.

They stopped at a spring to drink and make camp and realized this spot is where they wanted to live. Then suddenly a small cabin and a barn were built. They walked to the cabin door to see a note. 'Here's a gift! Hope this fits your needs and is to your liking. ~ Best wishes Hermes'. The boy went into the cabin leaving the door open for the horse to look in and explored. The horse neighed wanting to go look at the barn. The two explored their new homes and when they were done they both were exhausted and went to sleep. The horse falling asleep realized she didn't need to know where she came from or how she came to be, all she needed was to be with the boy, the boy who saved her, the boy she saved, they saved each other.