~A [*Dream*] that should be [*Caught*]~

[xxwandererxx]

Dream Catcher smiled as Singing Moon untangled her light brown mane. She watched as his fingers disappeared in her mane and then reappeared. She bobbed her head and did a small buck, which caused him to laugh. He gave her a pat and let her stand, alone, at her favorite spot near the apple tree. She lowered her head to graze and kept an eye open for anyone who wished to join her. She let out a whinny, hoping one of her friends would join. She swished her tail and looked up at the apple tree. She was too small to reach the bright red one. She sighed and fell back to grazing.

Birds were singing and the sun shined in the sky. Everything was perfect and it made her happy. It was just like a dream...

[[esperanza]]

If only spring could last forever.

This was Aditsan's favorite time of the year. Not only was there plenty of good grass to munch on, but everything was just so green, beautiful, and alive. You could smell it in the air: the moisture after a morning shower, the trees warming up to the sun's light, the fresh sharp scent of thawed dirt. Birds sang their love songs, and young animals of all kinds could be seen wandering about, yet staying close to their mothers. It was amazing. But if you asked Aditsan, he would probably say that his favorite thing about spring was the paint.

The strange pale-skinned folk didn't paint their horses, and the wild horses had no one to paint them. The blue paint was the mark of this tribe; it set the horses apart, marked them as special. Aditsan sported a blue circle around his right eye, but it had begun to fade. This morning, as he grazed, he had caught the scent of paint being mixed, and could hardly contain his excitement.

Behind him, Silver Bear was trying to sneak up on the mousy brown stallion, but Aditsan was well aware of the Lakota Brave. He lifted his head, glanced over his shoulder, and nickered as if to say, I knew you were there all along. Silver Bear only laughed, walked up to the stallion, dipped the frayed willow brush in the clay bowl, and began to freshen up the circle marking. Aditsan closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of the cold paint against his face. Sometimes it itched, but not today. After the paint was applied, Silver Bear stepped back to admire his handiwork. The horse tossed his head and nickered in surprise as he always did, and then the boy walked off, to tend to more horses.

Now Aditsan was distracted by the sweet scent of apples, and the sound of a whinny coming from the same direction. He trotted over to where an appaloosa mare was grazing, just beneath the tree's shade. The stallion's ears pricked foreward. He'd seen this mare before, right? He tilted his head, trying to remember her name. "It's...Dreamer, right?" he nickered out loud, yet at the same time something in the back of his mind said, no, that's not quite right. Almost.

[xxwandererxx]

Dream Catcher smiled at the smell of a stallionn. She rose her unique head and looked around. She heard his nicker and her blue eyes reached him. She chuckled slightly and swished her tail.

"Not exactly. But almost got it," she stated with a kind smile as she moved forward and approached him. She had seen this mousy brown stallion around. His human was Silver Bear she believed. "It's Dream Catcher. And your name is Adistan...?" she asked, a little unsure of her guess. She tossed her speckled face. He was taller then she was and she stamped the ground with her light brown hoof. She smiled at his blue painted circle. She never did have paint but she always smiled at the horses with paint.

She didn't have paint. Singing Moon had somehow managed to make mane look like a real dream catcher. Every once in awhile he'd have to re-do it but it always seemed to look pretty. Her ears swiveled to the sound of foals and the small children. She had always loved foals and Singing Moon, for some reason, tried to get his buddies stags to breed with her. Of course she wouldn't allow it. She wanted someone who would treat her like an equal.

[[esperanza]]

"Not exactly. But almost got it. It's Dream Catcher. And your name is Adistan...?"

He returned her smile, nodding his head. "Aditsan. Right," he answered. "How are you on this fine afternoon?" He asked, glancing up at the sky. It was a clear, pale blue, with fluffy clouds lingering only on the horizon--perfect weather, but there was no telling when a sudden storm would sweep over the mountains. Not that Aditsan minded storms; it was just that today, he was in a lazy, warm mood, ready to just soak in the sun's warmth and relax.