Shine Once More

The day, ittedly, wasn't too different than any other. The sun rose, casting its warm rays through the window. Gray-blue eyes open to see a pale face, and Nicolette lets out a soft, warm laugh at the slight drool coming from her sleeping fiancée's mouth. Sitting up, the brunette yawned, stretching, before giving Kelmrei's forehead a soft kiss. Then, Nikki got out of bed, preparing for the day.

It went smoothly, too – breakfast was simple, and managed to rouse the Kelpie from her sleep.

"Hey," the violet-haired woman mumbled through a mouthful of pancake.

Nikki shook her head, but only giggled in response. The rest of the morning ed by in a blur. The dogs were all fine, and the horses, too. Well, except when Flame, one of Kelmrei's GSDs, got loose and ran amok in the pastures. By the time they caught up to him, it was noon.

Through laughs and wheezes, Nikki watched her fiancée scold the young dog, though she still gave his head some scritches to show she meant no aggression. Once he was back in the kennel's area, the women went back to the house. Still, nothing too out-of-order – well, nothing that was terribly rare.

And then, Nicolette's phone dinged. At the brunette's request, Kell checked… And her eyes widened.

"Hey, love? You, uh… Might want to see this."

"Hmm? What's up?" Nikki asked, closing her sketchbook and walking over.

As she took a seat beside Kelmrei, the Kelpie turned the screen to show her. As she read over, mumbling, she felt her confusion turn to elation.

"Village… Twins, rare coats… Vasts… Unruly stallion… There's a Vast for sale?"

Kel nodded eagerly, a rare, wide grin on her face. Grabbing Nikki's face gently, she touched her forehead to the woman's.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I know you've always wanted a Vast, and with how rare and expensive they are… But look! Isn't he beautiful?"

The Kelpie's excitement seemed to bleed into her own, because soon, Nikki was laughing and hugging Kelmrei tightly.

"This is it! At last!"

The stall was musty, the scent of molding straw permeating the area. An area too small, at that. The large stallion huffed, his blue eyes subdued and dulled. He hated this, hated the smell of straw, hated the loss of sunlight, hated that he couldn’t *run*. He missed his brother, his mom, his freedom. Why did they have to be taken? Why couldn’t he have stayed in the peaceful life?

Sunshine was always his favorite thing. The way it warmed him, how it made his coat gleam, he loved it. He thinks, distantly, that his mother loved it, too. Why else would he be named after it?

From the day he was born, Sunshine and his brother were doted on. Their mother loved them with all her heart, protecting them from dangers. For a year, they stayed with her, growing from small, fluffy colts, to lanky yearlings. It was a peaceful life, blissful.

And then the humans came. One moment, the three had been grazing, and the next, the thundering of hooves were approaching. The mare cried, her worst fear having come true.

The humans had found them. The humans wanted her babies. And she’d be damned if she let them be taken without a fight. Commanding the twins to run, she wheeled on the wranglers. There were five in total -two upon her brethren, even- all of which ready to steal her babies. As she reared up, she let out a fierce, challenging cry.

That cry reached the twins’ ears, and it caused Sunshine to falter. Beside him, his brother stopped, pale coat glistening with sweat.

“We- we have to go back! We can’t just abandon Mama like that!”

“Moonlight, you heard her just as clearly as I did. She wants us to run, so we’ll run. And once it’s safe, she’ll meet us at the hidden cave! So come *on*, we have to keep moving.”

His brother relented, and the two moved on. Having never been far from their mother before, they were skittish, startling at any sudden noises or movements. Moonlight nearly had a heart attack when a fox bolted under him, but Sunshine was quick to settle him down. After what seemed like ages, the two found themselves at the cave, where they settled down, exhausted.

“Sunny, when can we leave? It’s getting dark, and Mama’s not back yet.” Moonlight’s voice was soft, quite.

It had been several hours – the noon had faded into evening, the sun gave way to the moon, and stars glittered in the sky. Sunshine felt a level of fear he'd never known before, and it made it impossible for him to calm down. He paced the cave, ears swiveling and hooves stomping as he tried desperately to come up with a plan. Those humans were still probably out there, somewhere, looking for them.

But why? What had they ever done to deserve this!?

"I'm gonna go back."

It wasn't a question, or an unsure statement. It was a declaration, and Moonlight knew his brother wouldn't be talked out of it. The only thing the smaller yearling could do was nod. Nod, and touch noses with his brother. There was a heavy feeling of unease in the air.

"I'll be back with Mama," Sunshine promised.

And then he was gone. And that was the last time they saw eachother.

Sunshine shifted in his stall. Three years had ed in this hellish place. The owner had clearly not realized the commitment required for a Vasteuro, as he had long outgrown his box. It was cramped, his muscles ached. Seldom was he outside, in the sunlight. His coat had grown dull, lost some of its shine. His mane and tail were ragged, tangled. He looked atrocious.

The man who fed him stepped into Sun's line of sight, causing the stallion to huff in anxiousness. However, the man didn't seem to care, placing a rope around Sun's neck; he'd never bothered to find a halter in Vast size. The stallion didn't raise any complaints, though – he'd rather not suffer the sharp end of a whip. Something he'd been subject to on more than one occasion.

The man's harsh tug drew Sun from his thoughts, with the golden Vast bowing his head in submission. Dark gave way to light, and suddenly, he was standing before two more humans. Well… Not quite; something was off about the one, but he didn't question it. Not of it meant he'd be free of his too-small stall, if the halter the brunette held was any indication.

As the man, Robert, lead out the horse, Nicolette was floored. His coat was matted and tangled, grungy, dull. His steps were listless. It broke her heart.

"This here is the d stallion. He's still intact, though he is lame. He's too big for my stable, and I'm clearin' out the useless, so he's cheaper than what I got 'im for."

"Yeah, yeah… Mind if I take him home now, since I've already paid?"

"Go for it, and good riddance. Titan here is useless to me now."

The first thing she did, upon exiting the truck, was stretch. The hours-long drive from a far-off state was tiring, not to mention the frequent stops made to interact with the stallion. But now, they were finally home! Once she'd stretched to her content, Nikki hummed, grabbing the halter. It was rough, made in short notice, but it was leagues better than the rope tied about his neck.

"Hey there, big guy! Welcome to your new home!" Nikki's voice was light, sing-songy.

The stallion merely turned away. Her heart broke all over. Slowly, so as not to startle him, the brunette stepped into the trailer.

"Hey, let's get you out of here… You look like you haven't seen the sun in ages. We've got some other horses, too, if you'd like to hang out in their pasture?"

She was met with a huff, though Titan did move forward, allowing her to place the halter over his head. Softly, she stood on her tippy-toes, scratching behind his ear.

"There you go… We'll get you fixed up in no time, I promise. Kelmrei, the woman who was with me, will meet us in a bit. She can understand you better than I can," Nikki giggled quietly, stroking his shoulders.

He seemed to relax ever-so-slightly, which made the woman let out a sigh of relief. Leading him out of the trailer, her gray-blue eyes squinted, adjusting to the sudden brightness. Once she could see, she turned to Titan.

"This is your new home! I'm sure you'll love it here. Well, I hope you will, at least."

Titan only snorted softly, flickering his gaze out to the rolling fields. Distantly, he could see the shapes of a few other horses, all with varying shapes and traits. After a few minutes of this, a familiar hum caught both human and horse attention, turning their heads towards the sound.

There, standing just below his shoulders, stood a starry mare. No, not quite mare. There was something almost ominous about her, though she exuded nothing but friendliness. For a moment, the golden stallion startled, his eyes wild. Whatever was before him, though she looked equine, was a predator. Even if she didn't make any moves or gestures against him, the faint glow to her eyes scared him.

Nikki watched silently, holding onto the makeshift halter for dear life, but doing nothing to move him closer or further away. The violet-colored not-horse blinked slowly, keeping her eyes locked on his.

"It's just Kelmrei, Titan," Nikki finally spoke, after a few minutes of him settling down.

Titan.

He hated that name with a ion.

"That is not my name," he hissed silently, momentarily distracted from the Kelpie.

"Then what is it?"

Her voice took him by surprise, and his blue eyes returned to hers.

"I… What?"

To say he was a bit dumbfounded would be an understatement.

"Your name," she repeated, voice even gentler, "what is it? I can tell Nikki what it is."

For a moment, he regarded her with skepticism. It'd been years since he last met a horse even remotely concerned for him, let alone whatever she was. The female merely waited. Finally, he sighed.

"Sunshine. My name is Sunshine. That's the name my mother gave me."

She hummed in response, tilting her head.

"Well, Sunshine, it's nice to meet you. My name is Kelmrei, and this woman is my fiancée, Nicolette," she motioned towards the woman still holding his 'halter', "and this is your new home."

Briefly, his ears pinned at that notion, but he was quick to huff. Shaking his head, he mulled over her words.

"Fiancée?"

"Mate, in human . Or, mate-to-be. Think of it as courting," a soft, gentle laugh came from Kel's throat, eyes soft with fondness.

This confused Sunshine even further. Mate? How? Stepping closer, he circled her, eyes scrutinizing. Kel rolled her eyes, keeping her gaze on him.

"What even are you? You look like me, sort of, but you also… Don't. Like a predator."

"Well, that would be because I am a predator, of sorts," the nonchalant tone made him take a step back, "I'm what's called a Kelpie, though I mean no harm to anyone."

Sun tilted his head, waiting for her to explain. She sighed.

"This is one of my forms. that violet-haired woman earlier? That's me. I only use this one for certain occasions, such as greeting newcomers. It's a bit… Easier, when I appear more familiar, as opposed to a human."

"Ah… Okay then."

She shrugged, before humming.

"Anyways, this place is called Spirit River Acres. There's plenty of area to roam, other horses to interact with, fresh grass… You won't want for anything here. I can even introduce you to some of the others, if you'd like. Or, we could also show you your stall."

The golden stallion stared, weighing his options. Eventually, he nodded.

"So long as this… Whatever, comes off, I'm fine with exploring my new home."

Kel laughed, shaking her head.

"It was the best we could do on such short notice. We'll get you fitted with a better halter when we can," the Kelpie turned to Nikki, exchanging a few words.

To his shock, the halter was removed and he stood free.

I could run away.

The thought ed through his mind, and he almost went through with it… Until he caught sight of the two women (as Kelmrei had returned to her human form). They'd started towards a building -the barn, he guessed- fingers locked together. A sense of… Not quite longing, but familiarity, filled his heart. When Nikki looked back over her shoulder and flashed him a smile, he knew.

This was home.

And that concludes my entry for Twin 1 of the Make-a-Story Vast adopts! I am absolutely in love with this boy, and the perfect first Vast!!

This story took,,, way too long, and contains a total of 2240 words, and a whopping 12290 characters. Not to mention the images (which I, a genius, did in one file) nearly tanked Ibis. What was I thinking hhhhhh

Honestly, though, any opportunity to write this couple makes me so happy. They're just so,,,, so wholesome??? They're so soft and loving and I love them.

Anyways, this has been my entry for the #VastA contest! Good luck to everyone, and I can't wait to see where these beauts go! ^^

Refs used:

Ref One | Ref Two | Ref Three | Ref Four | Ref Five

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