Sleepy Fox Hollow felsic

She flared her nostrils as the bird made a sound that reminded her of a snake. She blinked at it, flicked her ears, and lifted one hind foot, resting the toe of her hoof on a smooth stone beneath the river's surface, shifting her weight onto the other. 

The story begins after the creation of the Sun and the Moon. On the day the Sun was born, the God of each beast came to life, and on the day the Moon was born, their partner was created, so that they might fill the land with their children. After many seasons passed, all Gods had created many children, but they were all very much alike; so it was decided that they would each call all of their children together, and give them gifts; the traits that would make them unique so that they could survive and evolve.

For equines, it was the founding of the Herd of One Hundred and Five. Each breed of horse was created, with a Breedmaster and Breedmistress; same for all other breeds of wolves, wild cats, and birds. She explained. We come from Copperhead and Mayflower, She said, with a note of pride. It always made her soul feel empowered when she spoke their names, and shared their existence with those who had not heard of their lore. 

And like I say, all breeds were given gifts, that make them look alike, and able to survive in different environments, live different lifestyles so that no one species is obliterated by another. Owls were given dark vision and silent feathers so that they would only hunt at night. Wolves were given endurance and strong jaws, but not claws, like cougars. Wild asses are the most stubborn creatures on the planet, and can kick the daylights out of a grizzly bear. She snickered. Can't sing to save their life, though. Anyway, She continued. 

Most animals were satisfied with their gifts, but not all of them. Ravens, for example- they're gifted with intelligence, and an extraordinarily long life- but they'd give their tailfeathers to have the plumage of a pheasant. S'why they collect shiny things. Birds- huh. Birds are envious creatures, She said, casting a glance toward the heron as it stalked the shallows. Given the gift of flight, which most of us only get to dream about- they got that gift and still, it's not enough. And that's where we get to the herons, She said, with a smirk.