Into the Rockies
Chapter 1
It was a pitch black night of the new moon, with a light rain and a cold wind blowing through the Rocky Pines trailer park. At the far end of the crowded batch of caravans, RVs, vehicles, and various small sheds, sat the biggest trailer of all. It belonged to the landlord - Big Joe McClay.
It was a doublewide trailer with a large backyard surrounded by a chain link fence that was topped with barbed wire. Inside were several cages and dog houses filled with sad, abused animals. They were mostly dogs and roosters that were used in illegal underground fighting rings, but others were fluffies bred in mills and sold for quick cash.
Our story begins behind a small wooden dog house, where two alicorn fluffies were trying to escape by digging under the chain link fence that imprisoned them. The mother had recently given birth and was carrying a batch of foals on her back. They instinctively gripped onto her back fur as they desperately tried to stay warm against the chilling elements.
The parents wanted to save their babies before McClay found them and put them through the awful process of sorting/separating them from their families, imprisoning them in cold solitary confinement, and culling the unwanted. It was a very bleak existence at McClay’s pet farm.
Lightening flashed in the distance as thunder quietly rolled on the far horizon. The fluffy parents’ muddy hooves dug relentlessly at the dirt below the fence until finally they were able to clear enough space under the fence to squeeze under.
The stallion went first so that the mare could carefully hand off each foal one by one - a risky move considering the cold rain that threatened the lives of the tiny creatures. Every second away from the warmth of their parents was critical, down to the last dripping raindrop.
Their tiny squeals broke their parents’ hearts, but they knew the importance of their mission. Tonight was the only chance they had to escape; the new moon provided the darkness they needed, and the rain covered their noises and scent. Soon they would be at the mercy of the Rocky Mountain wilderness, but anything was better than this awful breeding pen they had been forced into. Their owner, the landlord of the trailer park, was a cruel and sinister man who took pleasure in using animals for profit, no matter how much it hurt them.
Soon the mare was done handing off her babies to their father. He placed them on his back and watched as his mate squeezed herself under the fence. In a few seconds she was free on the other side and they both fled into the dark woods ahead of them. They hoped that most predators would be hidden away, avoiding the dark and stormy night.
The forest was thickest at the bottom of the mountain where they ran into. It grew sparse the higher up into the mountain they went, however there were thick patches of forest in certain areas as they climbed. It was there that they could rest and recover their strength before carrying onward. They wanted to get as far as they could before having to worry about being tailed by the landlord or his dogs. It was only a matter of time before he would start hunting them. They were a valuable investment…
The two parents and their babies were mostly alicorns. Only one of them was a normal Pegasus - the white male foal with blue mane. All of the rest were various bright, attractive colors of alicorns. This is why they were so valuable.
They had been bred for months, selectively choosing from each litter carefully to make sure that alicorns were most of what came out of the womb. The rest (browns and non alicorns) were fed to the dogs. McClay would be very upset to lose the whole batch of them, and he would surely have Bessie, his vicious Pit Bull, sniffing them out as soon as he found them missing.
But for now they were safe, enjoying the slight window of opportunity that they had to escape and flee for their lives. They ran and ran until finally exhaustion overtook them. They had no choice but to find a place to stop. The babies needed feeding as well.
The stallion stepped forward and squinted his eyes, peering out into the distance as the morning sun began to crest over the misty mountains. He saw a small farm; a tiny cabin with a shed and a few other small structures around it. They were surrounded by what appeared to be large pots full of various crops and a few small pens with chickens and other livestock.
It was risky to trespass on another human’s property, but there was sure to be somewhere to hide. The fluffy family carefully approached the cabin, treading as quietly as they could. They gathered behind a nearby shed where a small opening underneath was just large enough for the family to squeeze into. It seemed to have once been home to some rabbits or other varmints, but it was long since abandoned.
The mother quickly dug a nest to lie down in before she carefully took each foal back from their father through the small opening. Finally she was able to lay down and rest as the fuzzy little balls of fluff squirmed their way to her teats. She tried to stay awake so that she could alternate them for even feeding, but she was too worn out after running all night. Her eyelids refused to stay open and soon she was fast asleep.
The stallion father was also out of energy, but he managed to grab a few chicory stalks that were packed with leaves from a bushel behind the shed. It was enough to feed the mare for at least a day. He set them by her head and slumped down beside her. He was asleep before his head hit the dirt.
They drifted off as the sun peeked over the mountain top and began to shine down upon the land.
Meanwhile, Big Joe McClay rolled out of bed later than usual. He was hungover and ornery as he shambled to the kitchen and poured himself some stale cold coffee from yesterday’s pot. He drank in a few bitter gulps before shivering and and shaking his head in an attempt to wake himself up more.
His Pit Bull, Bessie, ran up to him while wagging her tail, excited to be let outside.
“Should we go see if that fat bitch popped yet?” He asked Bessie who licked her chops and wagged her backside excitedly.
He was, of course, referring to the mare. She had been due any day. She was lucky enough to do the birthing at night so she had a chance to clean the foals and keep them safe before their escape.
He stepped out into his backyard, with Bessie on his heels. He eyed each cage and wooden house/shelter carefully with cold, uncaring eyes. Finally he got to the last house and peered inside only to realize that his prized possessions were gone.
“What the hell?” He exclaimed, looking around the cage frantically. “How?”
He then saw the back of the dog house where they had dug under the fence. He turned to Bessie with a mean glare, she cowered in fright at the familiar terror.
“You stupid mutt!” He hollered, kicking her in the face. “Why didn’t you notice the noise and sound the alarm? Lord knows you bark at every other god damned thing around here!”
Little did he realize that the storm had passed through while he and Bessie slept, covering the fluffies escape.
“Well shit…” The tall, lanky man said as he slicked back his dark greasy hair and put on his baseball cap. He adjusted his overalls and stomped back toward the house in his black rubber boots. He grabbed his gun holster and put in on before slipping in his trusty Ruger Redhawk .45 Colt six shooter.
“Come on Bessie!” He said, slapping his hip. “Let’s go find them little shitrats!”
