Aliosa's Legend
The bonder of horse and rider.
<sup>Once upon a time there lived a beautiful young maiden called Aliosa. She was as fair-skinned, smooth, and lovely as the sun. Her hair was rich in golden color, and flowed down her back. She wore soft white silk that ended at her shoulders and had a ribbon of slightly brighter white around her midwaist. She had keen blue eyes, and the most beautiful of smiles.

Aliosa was born into a rather poor family, but despite this many men came to offer her their hearts. Aliosa's one and only love was Night, a great black horse who danced the Skypaths by day and ran the fields by night. This was far beyond the seasons of Wild Horse Mountain's beginning. The mountains were the merely the paths of the moon, on which Night dwelt.

Aliosa came every night to the place where the stars were concentrated on a small ridge, overlooking the land. Night met her there, his rich hide, black as ebony, seemingly depthless in their silver sheens. This was the night of Magic. For Night allowed Aliosa to his back, and he took her for the whole night on a dance in the skies. Aliosa met many stars, and as she reached out her hand to touch one, shimmering stardust fell upon her.

When they landed, Aliosa stepped lightly to the earth. She felt so strange to be there, as if she had not lived all her life on the grassy slopes of earth. For the longest while more men than ever offered their hands, even though her heart was always on Night. Some said Aliosa's affections were the beginning of the bond between horse and rider, since no human had ever riden a horse before herself. What Aliosa learned was the stardust had made her even more fair and beautiful than she had ever been, and for this she was ashamed.

"No mortal should share a star's beauty." She said one night, as she looked up at the stars. And this is what happened: Aliosa brought her delicate, smooth hands to her lips and breathed softly. Stardust arose and swirled about in her hands. Then Aliosa brought the stardust to her heart, closed her eyes, and then as her eyelids flew open she gracefully brought her hands upward and out, until they were facing the sky, where a shooting star shone brightly. There was a flash, and cold fire ran through Aliosa's veins. And thus the Star was born...</sup>