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Lightning forked from darkened clouds, thunder rolling through valleys and forests, as the constant pitter-patter of falling rain crashed all around. The storm was seemingly unrelenting, the rain unyielding against the grass and stone of the highlands below; uncaring, almost seething with malice for the earth as the downpour continued, with no apparent end in sight.

Amongst the crashing of forked light above, accompanied rapidly by rolling deep-bass following each crescendo, was the telltale rapid quadruplet of horse hooves at full canter. The usually proud thunder of an equine at full tilt would be deafened this day by heavens theater in full swing, the rider and mount but a whisper on the wind.

"We CANNOT stay out in this storm any longer, Wispa. Come on now, find us a place to lay low for the night. For the love of god Wispa; a cave, a barn, ANYTHING. Yah!!" Exclaimed the rider, the sound of urgency within his ragged and exhausted voice.

The duo had ridden for days by this point, setting out at first on an exploratory and cartographic venture, wanting to get the lay of the land for themselves rather than rely on some silly map. Though, at this point in time, Cobalt began to wish he'd at least brought his weather-proof mobile with him. He cursed himself over and over as the hours went by, Wispa enduring both the weather and the depletion of her own energy like a true champion. Just as Wispa had begun to slow down, Cobalt spied the telltale glow of brilliant white LED light in the not-too-far distance.

"Wispa.... I... I think I see something over the next ridge! Come on now, five more minutes, that's all we need!" The stallion said, rapping the drenched leather reigns against the mares muscled neck.

With hope in their hearts and her vigor rejuvenated, Wispa sprang back into a canter, her breathing labored and unmasked.

Within minutes, the pair had found a stone and dirt track,. They began following it up until they came to a set of painted-brown picket fences. The gate was closed to them, but the fence was merely chest high, and without hesitation or need for direction, Wispa continued on with her canter before she placed her hooves just shy of the gate, rearing up as her back legs then pushed off the murky and sodden ground. The power she created easily carried the two over the low gate, Wispa landing heavily, skidding to a halt as Cobalt frantically began to look left and right for any signs of life. Again, he whipped his reigns against the mares neck before tugging right. Just past the entrance, there were sheds,stores and out-houses - which cobalt chose to ignore - instead, electing to follow the road around a large central building towards a pair of large barns. The property itself was dimly lit in comparison to the lights that lit up the barns, and as Wispa halted before just one of them, Cobalt jumped off and immediately took the lead.

With a loud wooden SLAM, Cobalt forced his way into the barn, pulling on the set of reigns, guiding his mare inside before closing the doors behind them, his breath heavy and labored, but not without an accent of relief.

"We... we made it..." He said hesitantly, not believing that they were destined to make it out of that cataclysm alive.

"So it would seem that you have, and yet, I have no idea who you are." Spoke the soft voice of an unknown.

Cobalt slowly turned around: His brown leather jacket, checked-pattern shirt, blue jeans, and hiking boots were all irrevocably soaked through, and as his emerald eyes met the sapphire ones of the stallion responsible for the unknown voice, he let out a long sigh. Cobalt collected himself before responding in kind:

"I'm sorry mister, but we've been riding for several days now, and my horse and I just needed to find a place to stay. I'm sorry for trespassing onto your property, and for busting your barn lock. Is there any way I can make up for the damages?" Cobalt asked, pleading with the man of the house, his hands clasped together out of pity for himself.

"Please, calm yourself, and moreover, your horse." Apollo said as he stepped closer, walking up to the mare firstly. "She needs plenty of rest, food, and water. You can stay, and work off the damages you caused, until you're both ready to leave again." Apollo said, offering Cobalt a rug and a sleeping mat as he led the beautiful Percheron to a vacant stall inside the barn. As Apollo led Wispa to the stall, he regarded her grey coat highly, noting her white socks, dirty blonde mane, and charcoal grey nose as well. On top of her light grey midriff adorned a band of soft white clouds that seemed to surround her barrel, the clouds fading out either side as her light grey coat faded to more darker tones to her fore and hind quarters, before lightening back up down the travel of her legs and the rise of her neck. But what caught Apollo's eye the most was the seemly out of place splash of white upon her face; it seemed unplanned, yet fit her perfectly, giving her the look of one meant for mother-hood.

"Well, aren't you the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on... He's worked you so damn hard, hasn't he, and without so much as a thank you before bed? I simply wont allow it." Apollo said as he put Wispa to bed, filling her feed and water buckets up with ample amounts as thoughts ran through his mind with ways to take her from him.

Over the next few days, Cobalt would work away at the farm - a farm that he would later find to be a stud farm - working away his debt to Apollo. The days were long and arduous, but as the days went by, and the weather cleared, Cobalt found new comfort in the company of a black and grey stud that Apollo had introduced him to. Apollo had shown that Cobalt would need a strong, reliable stallion to carry him through the hills of the District, and there was no more dependable mount than this one that the owner had picked out.

"With your approval, Apollo, I'd like to propose a trade: Wispa, for the stud. Have we got a deal?" Cobalt said shrewdly, smirking as he held onto the reigns of the stud which he'd already saddled himself.

"By the looks of things, I don't really have a choice." Apollo said with a chuckle.

The two shook hands, before Cobalt rode out at first light, the day ahead promising to be the start of the spring he had hoped for.