The Scared Stallion

In a rolling green pasture, there lived a young horse named Thunder. Thunder was a beautiful chestnut stallion with a flowing mane and a white star on his forehead. But despite his strong appearance, Thunder had a big secret – he was afraid of almost everything. Thunder would jump at the slightest sound. The rustle of leaves made him nervous, and the sight of his own shadow could send him galloping away in fear. The other horses in the pasture didn't understand. "Come on, Thunder!" they'd say. "Let's race to the big oak tree!" But Thunder always shook his head and stayed close to the barn. One day, Farmer Joe brought a new horse to the pasture. Her name was Luna, and she was as white as the moon. Luna noticed Thunder standing alone and trotted over to say hello. "Why don't you play with the others?" Luna asked kindly. Thunder looked at his hooves. "I'm... I'm scared," he admitted softly. Luna didn't laugh or tease. Instead, she said, "That's okay. Everyone gets scared sometimes. Want to know a secret? I used to be scared too." Thunder's ears perked up. "Really? But you seem so brave!" Luna nodded. "I learned that being brave doesn't mean never being scared. It means doing things even when you are scared." Thunder thought about this. "But how?" "We can practice together," Luna suggested. "Let's start small." So every day, Luna helped Thunder try new things. They walked a little farther from the barn each time. Thunder learned to splash in the shallow creek and even tasted an apple from the orchard. Sometimes Thunder got scared, but Luna was always there to encourage him. "You're doing great!" she'd say. "Remember, it's okay to feel scared. Just take a deep breath and keep going." Slowly, Thunder began to feel more confident. He realized that many of the things he feared weren't so bad after all. One stormy night, Thunder heard a strange sound coming from the old shed. The other horses were too afraid to check, but Thunder remembered what Luna had taught him. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the shed. Inside, he found a lost lamb, shivering and scared. "It's okay, little one," Thunder said gently. "I know how you feel. But you're safe now." Thunder let the lamb snuggle against his warm body until Farmer Joe came to help. The next morning, all the horses cheered for Thunder. "You were so brave!" they said. Thunder smiled at Luna. "I was scared," he admitted, "but I did it anyway." Luna nuzzled him proudly. "That's what being brave is all about." From that day on, Thunder still felt scared sometimes, but he didn't let his fear stop him. He learned that true courage isn't about never being afraid – it's about facing your fears and trying your best. And as Thunder galloped through the pasture with his new friends, he realized that the world was full of wonderful things to discover when you're brave enough to try.