A prehistoric horse herd-inspection…
“It’s all right,” Meagan calmly told the wary circle of horses. She moved slowly as individual horses stepped closer to sniff suspiciously. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She stroked the gray mare’s neck to show her good intentions.
The herd’s stallion trotted fretfully around the edges of his band. A stallion may choose his group but he is not the boss. Equine society is based on friendships and roles—the stallion was waiting for the group’s leader to make a decision, and he wished she would hurry.
The actual chief was a squat sorrel mare. She paced around Meagan with tight steps, her head held stiff and high. She was not pleased. Yes, this noisy pale monkey was interesting, mildly, taking a predator’s position to do nothing but gurgle. But the mare was impatient. She had a specific destination in mind today, a sheltered area with quality grass. The clinging creature was plainly too clumsy to be a concern, so perhaps a good day’s grazing could still be had.
To Meagan’s relief the sorrel mare snorted and swung around. The stallion moved to the rear as the herd fell into a brisk trot.
“Really, I won’t be any trouble,” Meagan assured the horses as they moved off, patting her mount’s coarse neck. The little mare flattened her ears and crow-hopped.
Eclipsed by Shadow (Book #1 of the trilogy) won national awards including the Eric Hoffer Award for best Young Adult Fiction, and the Mom’s Choice Award for best family-friendly Young Adult Fantasy.
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In the growing light, Meagan could see the horse was a mare. The animal’s round belly was tucked into thin, drawn quarters and her cream-colored coat was mottled with patches of darker gray. The scrubby mane and tail were chewed off in spots, and her coat was covered in scars and puffy lumps.
“Poor thing, no one’s taking care of you.” Meagan’s voice was loud in this quiet place and many small eyes were quickly upon her. She decided to rinse off her coating of dust and grime, and knelt in the cool water to gently splash her arms. She inhaled deeply, drawing in rich scents of animals and earth.
