Name: Crystal

Nicknames: Crys, Cryssy

Age: 4 years old

Breed: Mustang

Gender: Mare

Height: 15 hh

Colour

Pelt: Grey tovero

Eyes: Sky blue

Markings: White tovero patches

Mane/tail: Mainly white, with a dark grey forelock and strand in her mane

Relatives

Sire: Rocky

Dam: Jewel

Twin brother: Jasper © White Knight

Relation to Spirit: Her mother is this grey mare from the Cimarron Herd.

Family & Friends

Mate: None yet

Foals: None yet

Herd: -

Rank: -

Friends: Open

Enemies: None yet

Personality:

Crystal is a shy, quiet mare who’s grown up knowing only the support and company of her twin brother, Jasper. She’s much more flighty and nervous than ordinary horses, even mustangs, and due to her foalhood she tends to be very much on the quiet side, only speaking when needed, and even then usually in a whisper. She adores her big brother, however, and would do anything to keep him safe.

Likes:

Her brother, peace and quiet, woods, playing in the undergrowth

Dislikes:

Being alone, thinking about her parents, loud noises, predators

Fears:

Loosing Jasper, other stallions

History:

Crystal was the second of two twin foals born to a lone pair of mustangs. Her brother, Jasper, was born moments before her into the cold night air. Without a herd for protection their grey mother had not left their pinto father’s side throughout the long and difficult birth. And it had been a hard birth for the poor mare. Carrying twin foals to term was a gruelling task for any horse, but somehow Jewel had managed to bring both babies into the world alive and healthy, if rather small.

A few years before, Jewel had been a member of the Cimarron Herd. She had thought the lead stallion, a young dun named Spirit, was handsome and strong, but he wasn’t interested in making her his mate. Before long he was caught by wranglers and taken far away. Now the herd was without a stallion, and numerous bachelor stallions tried to claim the mares for themselves. But the lead mare, a strong palomino, chased them all off. However, one of the bachelors caught Jewel’s eye.

He was a striking tovero stallion named Rocky and, unlike Spirit, he returned her attention and affections. Happy to have finally found a stallion who was attracted to her and wanted her for his mate, Jewel crept away from the Cimarron Herd one night and joined Rocky on the open plains. Together the two mustangs eloped, leaving the Cimarron Herd far behind them.

Rocky was by his nature a lone horse, and Jewel disliked the idea of having other mares around to distract his attention away from her, so the two of them agreed to live together, separate to a herd and other horses. Before long Jewel was pregnant, and the two mustangs began to look for a safe, quiet place where she could eventually birth in security. Soon they found a little copse. It was perfect, and they decided to establish their home in the territory around it.

However, their happiness was not to last. Jewel went into labour early, and produced twin foals, one of which was already dead and the other too weak to survive the night. The couple were devastated, and when Jewel again fell pregnant they began to worry. This time her offspring, again twins, were born late. But both their son and daughter were strong and healthy, and survived to the morning. At daylight Rocky realised the twins were toveros, like him, and named them Crystal and Jasper, after their mother.

Jewel was permanently weakened by the birth, and she only seemed to grow weaker as each day passed. Even so, it was a shock to the twins and their father when, shortly after her babies were weaned she died quietly in the night. Rocky was heartbroken, but he vowed to raise his children as best he could.

But their troubles were not over. Despite his grief over his lost mate, Rocky decided that his foals really needed a mother to help him raise them. After a long search he eventually found a mare that he decided was suitable. Although he didn’t love her, he knew she would be a good step-mother to Crystal and Jasper, so he approached her to invite her to join him. But Rocky had gravely misjudged the situation. The mare already had a stallion, and out of the bushes burst the enraged male, ready to fight for his wife. Rocky had no time to back out, and found himself drawn into a gruesome battle, which he lost badly. Finally the other stallion let him go, and he dragged his broken body back to the copse where his foals waited for him.

Rocky’s wounds were so bad that he died two days later.

Now Jasper and Crystal, barely 9 months old, were orphaned and alone in the world, without a herd to protect them. Under normal circumstances they would have fallen victim to predators, but somehow the twins managed to survive by looking out for each other and hiding in the copse when they sensed danger. By protecting each other and keeping hidden from all others, especially grown stallions, the twins made it to adulthood. Now, no longer small enough to hide in the undergrowth, they’ve started to venture away from their copse and the terrible memories that surround it.

Theme Song: Keep Holding On ~ Avril Lavigne

Head image render (c) Sofi

Body image render and character design © White Knight

Background © Serpentine