Another dream, another place another time or so it seemed to her. Pleay as he called her was adrift in her memories as she stared down into the cool water of the small pond she recalled as a young foal. Here they used to run, laugh and talk about their futures and what their future mates would be like. He always assured her that her mate would find her as if she would settle for anything else.
As the memories flowed so did her tears. The pain of not knowing where he was unbearable at times. She knew he did not leave her on his own accord, he was forced to leave.
That day would forever be burned into her mind. The memory she tried to keep hidden suddenly appeared into her mind's eye in a bright flash and she had no choice but to relive it.
That fateful day they were at their favorite place resting after a long hard run which she loved since it made her mane fly in the wind and it felt wonderous to her. They were quietly talking about how they hoped Mother and Father would return soon from their "quest" which they did not understand what that was but only it was very important to their parents. Trusting them into the care of a family friend they left a for a fortnight, and it seemed like an eternity since they have been gone. The days grew longer and the nights even more so. As times passes by slowly the feeling of unease grew between the siblings. Her brother sensed a change in her although she denied it and tried to hide it.
The memory continued to spiral from her mind although she fought it. Her brother lay near her softly speaking to her about the family friend and what he had overheard the night before. It sent a shiver down her back as he told her.
"Are you sure brother?" she asked him in a very soft voice since she was shocked at his statement.
"Yes, my sister. I know what I heard. If what was said is correct our parents are in immense danger and walking into a trap!" he seethed. "I have thought on this all night as I could not sleep trying to understand why a friend would turn on our parents" he sighed. "I thought back to all the interactions between them and Dee but nothing I can recall was sinister or was apparent that it was dangerous to them. Although the night before they left. I remember seeing Dee speaking to a male I had not seen before speaking in hushed tones and glancing around to see if anyone was nearby. I simply thought nothing of it until last night when I overheard Dee speaking to the same male and it put my senses on high alert"
He looked up and over at her and said in a very serious tone. "Listen to me little sister, I need you to act as if everything is fine. You are oblivious to their plans, you know nothing. It is imperative they believe no one but the two of them know the truth about the "quest" our parents went on. In all honesty I never felt comfortable when Father discussed this with me before the left and some of his words he said then are making me think he knew something was amiss"
Tears pooling in her eyes she looked back at him and said "Big brother I do not know if I can do that. I am not as strong as you, My thoughts and feelings are written all over my face as Mother used to say all the time. I do not want to be the cause of an issue or make them think we know something we don't. I think it may be better if you told me nothing else. I am unsure if I can be comfortable near Dee at all now due to what you have told me"
He shook his head in frustration then agreed she was doing the right thing. He kept the rest of the story to himself although he did say he would tell her more as the days progress and he figured out what was going on.
Turning back to the water as they needed something to distract their conversation and thoughts the wind began to swirl and it felt lovely to her. She decided to take a run knowing he would chase her until one of them fell down in exhaustion. Laughing to herself she ran and ran until her legs could no longer support her and she skidded to a stop. Snorting heavily, she controlled her breathing to slow down and as she was getting that under control she looked about for her brother. Scanning the area around her there was no sign of him. Curious as to if he was playing a game with her, she called his name but no response. She tried again. Nothing but silence met her and it began to terrify her. She started running back towards the pond as fast as her legs could take her. Crying and calling for him but he did not respond. Suddenly she was at the pond and he was not there. Looking around she saw prints and followed them. She knew instinctively one set was hers as it took off in the direction she ran, but there was more than two sets of prints. Startled she picked out the trail that had three sets of distinctive prints and followed it. Carefully avoiding stepping on any but following close enough to keep them in sight. The feeling of dread was becoming unbearable with each step she took. She know something was wrong, very very wrong. Her brother would never leave her on her own.
Thoughts began to swirl in her mind as to where he was, why he left and some thoughts took a severely dark turn and she cried hopelessly. She feared he was hurt and couldn't alert anyone nearby.
The tracks went west towards the forest she was told never venture in without him or their Father. Quite frankly this particular forest made her uncomfortable and she felt like she couldn't breathe when she was near it.
Taking one slow step at a time she followed the prints and they did indeed lead into the forest. Taking a deep breath, she followed. Hesitant and scared she forced herself to take the next step as her brother needed her and she wouldn't abandon him. Sounds were just outside of the forest but as soon as she cleared the perimeter of the forest it was silent. The darkness grew, it smelled rotten and the ground beneath her feet felt squishy, wet and slimy. She forced herself onward following the prints until suddenly she was in front of a giant cave that was blocked off by a boulder. "Odd why would a boulder be here?" she said outloud to herself. She shook her head she was being silly talking to herself but she was scared and it comforted her in some small way.
Taking a step back she examined the boulder and no matter where she looked there was no way to remove it by herself. She focused on the trail of prints and saw the disappeared in front of this cave. She knew it was one of two things, he and whoever he is with went into the cave and the boulder fell into the opening or it was pushed. The other option is they continued on past the cave and their steps took them onto the smaller rocks which is why there is no trail.
Her mind seized on the second possible answer and walked off to investigate this scenario. Time seemed to stand still in this forest, it had a weird feeling to it. The fact there was no sounds made it feel unbearable like she was truly alone. The air became thinner the farther she walked and the smell of it changed as she progressed deeper into the forest. Her mind began to go into overdrive with all the possibilities of what could happen to her in here and she panicked and ran without looking where she was going.
A small blue green light appeared ahead of her, and her eyes fixated on it, and she turned towards it and ran full speed. She felt like she was not in control of her own body, and it felt wrong to her. She tried to pull herself away from running towards that light, but it was too late. It seemed to beckon her, and she was helpless in obeying it.
As she approached the light she saw a blur come out of nowhere and kick at the light and she swore she heard her brother yell "Pleay run sister! Run til your safe and do not go back to Dee at any cost. He is evil and will hurt you, do as I say now!" with that she cried and ran back towards where she came in and thought her brother was right behind her. She ran so hard the sounds of her hooves hitting that squishy ground made her stomach turn but she refused to stop. Her brother asked something of her and she would do it.
With tears in her eyes she finally saw the permitter of the forest where she entered, and she jumped clearing it. She ran for a little longer before collapsing on the ground in exhaustion. She looked to the forest and waited for her brother but he never came out. Listening she thought she heard him say "I love you my little sister til we are together again stay safe" with that she passed out and awoke to the sounds of animals chittering away. She slowly made her way to find a new home as she trusted no one but her family.
The memory faded as it had forced itself to be relived and Pleay struggled to find something in her memory to explain what happened to her beloved big brother. Praying as she did everytime she came here she finished and turned to return to the home she made for herself. Knowing her son was waiting for her.