Cheveyo looked back at Nathan and nodded. He trotted away from one of the walls then turned to face it. He started into an easy trot and waited until he was a couple of feet away from the wall before pushing off the ground, easily clearing the wall.

Nathan flowed with Cheveyo, grinning. "That was amazing." He murmured.

Cheveyo tossed his head and nickered. He looked around for something else more difficult to jump and spotted a spot where the river narrowed. He approached it and looked into the water. It was the deepest part of the river and it would easily go over his head, but it was the only place where the river narrowed. He decided to take the challenge. He trotted away from the water's edge until he was sure there was a good distance between, then he spun around and tossed his head. He lurched forward into a full on gallop, closing the distance in seconds. He pushed off the bank and soared over the water, the image of Nathan sitting on his back blurry in the rushing water below. He braced himself just in time to land on the opposite bank, splattering mud everywhere. He snorted as mud splattered his legs and belly.

He landed evenly with Cheveyo, gasping.

Cheveyo looked back over his shoulder at Nathan, making sure he hadn't slipped at all during the jump. He snorted as he looked back down at himself and felt the mud drying. He looked back at the river and noticed the only area he could cross with his hooves touching the rocky ground, would have water past his shoulders. He could still see Onyx from where he stood and he didn't want to go any farther away. He nickered to Nathan, telling him that he was crossing the river.

He nodded. "Its hot, it'll feel good." He patted Cheveyos neck.

Cheveyo nodded and walked into the water, feeling it slowly rise up his legs to his belly, then up his sides and finaly over his shoulders. The current was stronger than Cheveyo thought it would be but he continued to walk forward. He felt a few rocks shift under his hooves when they were in the middle of the river, but didn't think anything about them until one shifted over and his back right hoof was pinned between two heavy rocks. He tried to yank his leg out, but the rocks wouldn't move. He began to thrash around, trying desperetly to get loose. He let out a paniced whinny as the current nearly pushed him over. He tried kicking at the rocks that held him, but he couldn't even loosen them. He let out a terrified scream as his front hooves slipped out from under him and his head went under water, but he managed to get back up. Onyx had woken up when she heard Cheveyo's scream and raced to the edge of the river. She ran into the water and swam towards Cheveyo since she could could barely touch the rocks. The black mare grabbed the back of Nathan's shirt and pulled him off of the stallion's back before she swam back over to the river bank and let go of his shirt after making sure that the water was shallow enough for the boy. She darted back out into the water and franticaly started to try and push Cheveyo out with the little strength she had regained.

Nathan took a deep breath and dove in, holding Cheveyos pinned leg to stop drifting. Something solid impacted with his side, but whether it was hoof or stone he didn't know. He dug his fingers around the rock, and using the current to help him, began dragging it away. The gap widened, and then the rock was completely pulled away. His lungs were bursting when he broke the surface, and he quickly swam to the bank, panting, watching the horses to make sure they could get out.

Cheveyo felt his leg be freed and swam straight to the bank and stumbled out of the water, holding his back right hoof off the ground. Right above the hoof there was a cut that the rock had caused, and it was sore. He shook the water off of his body and stood there shivering from shock, his head lowered and his eyes wide. Onyx had swam out of the water right behind Cheveyo and followed him up the bank. She circled him several times until she was sure that there wasn't anything wrong and that his leg where it had been pinned was just sore. She looked over and noticed that Nathan was standing by the bank, panting. She walked over to him and circled him, trying to see if he was hurt or not. He had saved Cheveyo's life and the stallion considered Nathan part of his herd, so she did as well. The skinny black mare was behaving as if the boy was her colt.

This caused Nathan to laugh softly. That brought him to his knees in pain, and sent some of the river water he had taken in straight to the ground as he coughed, panting still as he shut his eyes and tried to even his breath, making his lungs relax.

Onyx nickered worriedly and pranced around Nathan when he fell to his knees. She nudged his back when he coughed up water, her eyes flashing in panic. She had seen a young colt from her old herd drown in a river, and she was terrified that the same thing was going to happen to Nathan. Cheveyo whinnied when he watched Nathan fall and limped towards him, but stopped when Onyx turned on him. He was surprised by the way she was acting, like an overprotective mother. He snorted and backed away, staying at a safe distance and watched as Onyx turned back to the boy.

Nathan waved his hand. "I'm fine, I'm fine." He said hoarsely. He sat up, coughing a little more. "Calm down, girl."

Onyx snorted softly, still worried. She pressed her nose against Nathan's cheek.

He gently rubbed his forehead.

Onyx nudged Nathan's shoulder trying to get him to stand up.

He reached up, gently steadying himself with Onyx's neck gently. "There girl," he said, voice a little hoarse. "Its all good."

Onyx snorted softly and relaxed slightly when Nathan was on his feet, even though she was still worried. She looked over at the barn and then back at the boy, wondering if she should get him into the barn.

He laughed. "I'm fine. Just had to catch my breath, all I've got is a sore throat and wet clothes."

Cheveyo limped towards the barn and found a blanket inside. He brought it back out and stood at a safe distance from the mare and boy. He snorted and tossed his head. Onyx turned around and trotted over to Cheveyo, grabbing the blanket before trotting back to Nathan. She lifted the blanket and laid it over the boy's shoulders.

Nathan rolled his eyes and laughed, patting Onyx's neck. He walked to Cheveyo, stroking his shoulder. "Let's look at your leg."

Onyx followed Nathan, staying close to him but stayed back when he went over to Cheveyo. The stallion whinnied and nudged Nathan's shoulder. He was standing mostly on three legs, trying to keep weight off of his sore leg.

He crouched, gently running his hands down Cheveyos ankle. He could feel the heat and obvious swelling. "Hmmm. Let's soak it and wrap it, maybe thatll work." He said softly to himself, reciting injuries and cures, relative to Cheveyos, through his head.

Cheveyo flinched when Nathan touched his ankle, but stood still. His ears flicked back, listening to the boy but not really understanding what he was saying. He waited to see what Nathan wanted him to do.

Nathan walked to a small cluster of sheds by the burnt down house. He opened one, and disappeared into it for a few minutes, coming out and pushing a wheelbarrow full of soft, fine wood shavings. He emptied the load into a stall, spreading a thick layer around the floor of the spacious stall. "Boy, youll have to rest for a while, and its supposed to get stormy overnight. Would the pair of you stay in the barn with me?"

Cheveyo looked up at the sky and noticed the clouds getting darker. He limped over to the stall and laid down in the shavings, happy to get his weight off of his sore ankle. He whinnied to Onyx and the mare looked from Nathan to the stall. She cautiously approached the door and walked inside, but stood right next to the opening. Cheveyo looked over at Nathan and nickered, wondering if the boy was going to stay in the stall with them.