Night Light

(Full) Name 
Night Light of New Life

Also Known As
The Old Hunter's Horse; Ile (Lakota for ''light'')

Name Meaning
             --

Gender
Mare

Age
Adult - (quite considerably younger than Spirit)

Breed
Unknown - thought to be Mustang cross

Rank Status
A Madre (mother) of her herd

Territory/Herd/Home Status
Is a member of the Panthera Herd

 *

Build 
Well-built, with thick, sturdy limbs neck; stands about 13.5 hh at shoulder;
has smallish eyes.

Pelt Colours
Near-black and white
 

Mane Colours 

Black and white

Eye Colour
Deep hazel brown

Markings (Natural)
Right foreleg white from hoof to elbow; left foreleg black from hoof to elbow; large white patch (surrounded by ''spatters'') covering right ear and small area around it, including part of forelock.

Markings (Painted) and Accessories
Yellow mark like a sun painted on right shoulder;
two beads on string tied to root of tail

*

Personality
Soft-spoken, with a controlled temper; she is dedicated to those she is close to.

Dislikes
Being shot at
 

Likes
Being taken out hunting; humans; family time
 

*
 

Family
Lonan (mate), Alcatraz (first son), Keme II (second son), Mikasi (father-in-law) Roam (mother-in-law)

Friends
her family; Maisy, Clovebreeze, and all other horses of the Panthera Herd; the Old Hunter

Enemies

 The El Rebaño Eltoro Herd

 *

History 

Night Light's parents were both wild horses; they were the leaders of a small herd called the Poppies, which lived very peacefully in their territory far out in the wild, wild western country.

But Spirit's father Strider discovered the herd. He took away all the members except Night Light's parents, who were later found and tamed by an elderly man known as the Old Hunter; the man named them Sangre and Tierra.

The Old Hunter lived in the wilderness, far from any other people. He rode Tierra to town, because she was fast and strong, and Sangre he used for hunting, because the stallion's tread was soft and careful and he did not start at the sound of a gun.
 

Night Light, born to her parents during their fourth year owned by the Old Hunter, was their last foal. They were both quite old, and passed away soon after Night Light's birth.
 

Night Light's had at first been called 'the Shadow' by her owner. But after her parents had died, the Old Hunter - having always been interested in Native Indian life - painted markings on her shoulder; a golden sun ('' to give the light of luck after the darkness of the death of her sire and dam '') and re-named her Night Light. When she was older Night Light proved to be have both her parents' positive traits. She never started or shied at the shot of a gun, was fast yet quiet and sure-footed. She was so devoted to her owner that she had no intentions of wandering away and so was never tied up, but followed her owner almost everywhere; a pet. Although she had left that name behind, she was still very much indeed a 'Shadow'.

One day the Old Hunter fell sick. A friend called in on him, found him ill, and went for help at the nearest town. A stagecoach came and took the Hunter away. Night Light made an attempt to follow, neighing and very distraught. But the stagecoach driver, thinking the black mare would be a hindrance on the trip, and not liking her wild demeanor, shot with his rifle to ward her off. After ten shots into thin air which did not scare her away, he fired at her hooves. A bullet hit Night Light's foot, making her halt in shock. She soon recovered, but every time she made as if to start after the coach again, the driver would fire at her feet and stop her.

Finally put off, Night Light went back to the Hunter's cabin to wait for her owner.
But he failed to return. In the end she tried to search for him, roaming the wilderness, to no avail.

Months later she met a herd known as the Little Horses. She found out that had been started by a colt called Incapaz (now adult), born of her old Poppies herd before it had been seized by Strider. Incapaz had left Strider's herd, the Cimarron Herd (now led by Strider's son, Spirit) and started his own. Night Light joined the Little Horses, and became mates with one of the stallions, Lonan. In this herd they had a foal, called Alcatraz.

When Alcatraz became a full grown stallion, history repeated itself as Strider's son, Spirit, took nearly all the members of the Little Horses (Alcatraz was the only one to make a getaway). For a while, Night Light and Lonan lived as Cimarron horses, and soon settled down peacefully . . . but without Alcatraz. Night Light pined for her first foal.

Later, Night Light and Lonan joined the herd of Spirit's son, Pantha, where Lonan became Second-in-Command.

Night Light never saw her Old Hunter again in her lifetime. She did, however, reunite with her foal Alcatraz, who had paired up with Pantha's daughter Elf and had a filly of his own, little 'Elfatraz', who Night Light completely doted one.

Night Light also had a second foal, Keme II named after his paternal grandsire.

 

Relation to the Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Universe
The herd of her sire and dam was taken over by Spirit's father; she stayed in the Cimarron Herd for a while; she currently lives in the Panthera Herd, led by Spirit's Son.