The sun was starting to set. He sighed, he didn't want to stay out in the dark. He listened quietly for the birds. He heard where they were peeping in alarm, following the noises. He jumped out, expecting to see Onyx. He backed up, face to face with a bear, who's shoulder was a foot taller than Nathan. But suddenly Nathan grinned. "Dala!" He laughed, scratching the bears ear, who leant into his hand, grunting in pleasure.

Onyx stopped dead in her tracks, skidding slightly from the sudden stop. Her ears flicked nervously as she heard the alarmed calls of birds. Her instincts told her to run as a scent drifted past. She snorted and even though she wanted to whinny and alert Nathan to the danger, she knew that she could end up telling anything in the woods where she was. She was listening quietly and when she heard Nathan's laughter she thought that maybe he didn't understand what the alarmed birds where trying to tell them. She cautiously trotted through the trees toward Nathan's voice and started to panic when the strange scent became even stronger.

Nathans laugh drifted through the bush as he spoke cheerily to the bear. "Dala, you've gotten so big!" He said as the bear licked his cheek.

Onyx's ears flicked forward when she heard Nathan speaking to someone or something. She slowly followed his voice and nickered nervously when the scent got stronger. She stepped out of the trees and snorted in fear when she saw the huge bear Nathan was talking to. Her instincts took over and she reared up, letting out a scream of fear. She spun around and took off into the trees, running in terror. She remebered the large bear that had attacked her old owners farm and killed all of his terrifying gaurd dogs. The fight between the dogs and the bear had occured right outside her small stall and she could still remember the once vicious snarls of the dogs tunring into cries of pain. She had been lucky since the bear left instead of coming into the barn, because her old owner had tied her in her stall and she couldn't have escaped even if she tried. She continued to run until she was tired, but pushed herself to run farther. She finally stopped and stood still, breathing heavily. She looked around and snorted nervously when she realized she was lost.

Nathan's eyes widened when he saw Onyx take of. "Uh oh." He murmured, as the bear nudged his elbow, grunting as if he was upset. "Dala, we should go find her. She'll get lost. But she's scared of you." He jogged back to the farm, Dala following obediently. They came out into one of the paddocks, and Nathan scanned the area for Cheveyo.

Cheveyo lifted his head from grazing and was about to whinny when he saw Nathan, but snorted when he saw the huge bear behind the boy. He stood to his full height and let out an angry whinny. He moved forward, still limping on his back leg, and stopped far enough from the bear that its claws couldn't get him. He had dealt with all kinds of threats in his old territory, because unlike most stallions when he found a place he liked, he stayed and protected his land. He had flushed out a pack of wolves from his last territory and even a mountain lion. He figured that a bear couldn't be any harder. He snorted and stomped a hoof, trying to seem as intimidating as possible, sense he knew his injured leg would slow him down.

Onyx started walking again, her instincts telling her to keep moving away from the threat. She was terrified being on her own again.

Nathan reached out to Cheveyo. "No, boy. He's not a threat. I saved him when he was a cub." He gently placed a hand on Dala's forehead. The bear leant into Nathans hand.

(Dala Is a vegetarian bear :3)

Cheveyo relaxed a little, but not much. He looked around and noticed Onyx wasn't with the boy and the bear. He let out a whinny, thinking that she might just be hiding in the trees nearby. He snorted worriedly when Onyx didn't come out and he couldn't hear anything. He looked at Nathan, asking where the mare had gone, before calling out a little louder, hoping she would come out of the trees.

"She got scared when she saw Dala. I was hoping she had ran back here, but I guess not. We have to find her." He said, worried. Dala made his way to the half-collapsed farm house, and lumbered through the space where there used to be a wall, sniffing around for his old toys. "I'm going to go find her." He said, determined. He jogged back towards the woods.

Cheveyo darted after Nathan, forcing himself to put weight on his sore leg. He caught up with Nathan and moved to stand in front of the boy. He looked from Nathan to his back, telling him to get on. He knew that even if he was injured he could move faster and longer than the boy.

He shook his head. "No way, you'll hurt yourself more." He found his bike, and pulled it out of the little shed under a couple of pines. "Come on." He pumped the pedals, shooting off along the trail to where he had met up with the bear, and following the obvious tracks Onyx had left in her escape.

Cheveyo snorted nervously when Nathan took off on the bike, not really knowing what it was, but followed closely. He ignored the pain in his leg and ran ahead of Nathan, following Onyx's hoof prints. His nostrils flared as he tried to catch Onyx's scent. After searching for a while he suddenly stopped on the trail. The dirt trail that allowed him to easily see the mare's tracks suddenly turned into a rocky path that led up along a trail that got steeper as it went up. There were several different trails that broke off and there was no way of knowing wich way the mare had gone since her scent was growing faint. Cheveyo looked up at the sky and noticed how the sun was starting to set. He whinnied to Nathan, telling him they needed to hurry.

Nathan cursed, going faster. He skidded to a stop at the fork, looking carefully. There. He picked a few black strands off from a bush. "This way!" He took off down the path, that navigated around the base of the mountain, and had many splits in it. He flicked on the lights on his bike, one that illuminated 15 feet in front of him widely. After a while of investigating, the rocky trail ended in grass and forest. Her looked for any sign of Onyx. "Onyx!"

Onyx heard Nathan's voice and lifted her head. She let out a loud whinny, calling to the boy.

Cheveyo heard the mare's whinny and sighed in relief when he noticed she didn't sound hurt. He nudged Nathan's arm before taking off in the direction he had heard Onyx. He spotted her dark figure through the trees and nickered. He was about to move forward, but a slight movement beside Onyx stopped him. He cautiously moved closer and snorted in shock when he saw a girl standing right next to the mare. The girl had silvery white hair, sky blue eyes, and a long silver dress on. She stood beside Onyx, her hand resting on the mare's neck. The stallion was shocked that Onyx would let anyone that close. It had taken Nathan awhile to earn Onyx's trust and Cheveyo couldn't remeber ever seeing the girl before. The girl stood still, her eyes watching the stallion's movements carefully.

Nathan appeared at Cheveyos side. He put a steady hand on the stallions shoulder, and watched the girl cautiously, studying her figure, slightly confused as to who she was, and how it was the black mare was letting her touch her.

Cheveyo glanced at Nathan when he placed his hand on his shoulder before returning his attention to Onyx. He snorted softly, asking the mare if she knew the girl from the time where they had been seperated. Onyx whinnied, telling Cheveyo that she had just met the girl and that she knew the girl could be trusted. Cheveyo dipped his head and looked at the girl. She was thin, but in a healthy way and she was barefoot. She also seemed shy because when Nathan arrived she moved closer to Onyx and placed a hand on the mare's back as if she would climb on and ride away if the boy got any closer.

Nathan took a step back, seeing how flighty the girl was, his hand still on Cheveyo's shoulder. "Who are you?" He asked quietly in the hush of the woods.

The girl's gaze turned to Nathan when he took a step back and spoke, but she remained silent. Her blue eyes watching every movement made by both the boy and the horses. She moved a strand of loose hair back behind her ear before turning and stroking Onyx's neck. She ran her hand down the mare's neck to her shoulder then down her leg to her ankle. She crouched down beside the black mare's front right hoof and tugged lightly on Onyx's ankle. The mare obediently lifted her hoof and rested it on the girl's knee. The girl pulled a rock out that had gotten stuck in her hoof before letting her put it back on the ground. She looked over at Nathan as she stood back up. Suddenly she reached up and grabbed a large handfull of Onyx's mane and lifted herself up onto the mustang's back. "Catori." she said in reply to the boy's earlier question. She nudged Onyx's sides and the mare lurched forward and raced right past Cheveyo, her tail hitting him on the hip in her usual sign for starting a chase. Cheveyo stood completely still. He was shocked with how the mare had reacted to the girl named Catori, and when she let the girl get on her back and ride her, he was stunned. He glanced at Nathan and shook his head. He nudged Nathan's arm then loked at his back, telling the boy to get on so that they could go after the mare and the strange girl.

Hey I have a mare named Catori! Weird how alike we think O.o

"No way. Your legs still hurt. You'll make it worse." He said, turning and resting his hand on a tree.

( lol )

Cheveyo shook his head and pranced impatiently. He wanted to go after Onyx, but he wouldn't leave Nathan in the woods at night. He swung his head around and pushed the boy. He whinnied, telling Nathan to get on his back. He'd had worse injuries than a sore ankle and it wasn't going to bother him to carry the boy. He stomped a hoof, staring in the direction where the mare and girl had dissappeared.

He shook his head, still not persuaded. "If it gets worse you'll be stuck in the barn for a few weeks. It could become permanent."

(He don wan da pony to be huwwt :3)

Cheveyo stood still as Nathan's words sunk in. He lowered his head and flicked his ears back, looking like a miserable colt. He wanted to go after Onyx. They had been seperated for so long and he didn't want to be far from her.

Onyx and Catori raced through the trees. The silent girl sitting on the mare's back, holding onto handfuls of mane. She let Onyx decide where to go and found herself at the edge of a clearing with a barn. She felt Onyx stiffen under her and followed the mare's gaze and spotted a bear. She slid off of Onyx's back and moved to stand in front of her. She lifted her hand and petted the mare's muzzle before quietly moving towards the bear, her hands held out in front of her, showing that she wasn't a threat.

Dala looked up and saw the girl. He grunted softly, flicking an ear nervously, but sat and watched her, curios and nervous all at once.

Nathan gently stroked his head. "I know boy, I want to go after them too. But I don't want you to be hurt again, since it was riding you that got you stuck in the river. I have a feeling we'll see them again, but for now we should just go back. You're ankle is probably swelling from your galloping as it is." He gently ran his hand down to the bandages, touching the coat around them and feeling the heat. He stood again, stroking Cheveyos gold neck.

Catori noticed a bush near her with berries. She picked a handful before moving closer to the bear. She held out the hand with the berries and stood completely still, waiting for the bear to approach her.

Cheveyo snorted softly and pressed his head against Nathan's arm. He sighed, turned around, and started to head back to where the boy had left his bike. He stopped beside the bike and waited for Nathan. He stood with his head down and his ears pinned back.

He picked up his bike, but didn't sit on the seat, instead just pushing it, entwineing his fingers in Cheveyos mane.