“If you tell a nightmare before breakfast, it will come true, but if you keep a dream secret, it will never come to pass”; this saying has come into being because of the actions of Night Mares－magical, winged horses that come to those with many dreams. Mares with golden, silky manes and white fur are drawn to those with nightmares, while stallions with blue-gray manes and black fur are lured to those with pleasant dreams. The horses are much smaller and thinner than domesticated breeds (3 - 4 ft tall) and have light, feathery wings on their backs: females have four wings, while males have six. Like other species of horse, Night Mares are hoofed, herbivorous mammals; they have never been tamed by human populations.

Dwellings and Development

The reproductive and developmental cycles of Night Mares are comparable to mundane horses, though they have a few unique aspects, such as wing maturation, flight training, and dream siphoning.

Night Mares live in secluded areas on top of mountain peaks or sturdy, tall-growth trees. There, they soar through the clouds, raise young, pick mates, and perish. The flying horses live in groups led by a singular stallion, foals and mares under his command; within their domains, they trample down limbs and/or foliage to make suitable bedding, sleeping during the warmest portions of the day in horse-sized nests. Active during cool nights and the mornings, the beasts graze on grass, leaves, fruits, tubers, roots, and wild grains/oats. Nearing winter, they increase their caloric intake, building up a layer of fat and growing a thicker coat of hair; while heftier, they are not able to fly as high or as long, settling in lower regions until their extra girth is lost. In the spring, the horses temporarily reside next to water, drinking and bathing more often to rid them of their winter coats.

Night Mares are preyed upon by large predators such as bears, cryptids like Devil Dogs, and, in the past, wolves. They do not often go on the offensive, preferring to run from danger－ catching flight once adequate speeds are obtained, wings flapping powerfully after a large leap. Signs of fear in the animals are: foaming at the mouth, laid-back ears, pawing at the ground, blowing, and, in extreme cases, immobility. With keen senses of smell and sight, dangers are often noticed at great distances, initiating their escape responses. Night Mares avoid places where peril was spotted or experienced for several months, adapting and responding to predators’ movements. Smaller, weaker creatures are countered with violence－stomping and kicking.

Flying horses reach maturity at three years of age; males are pushed out of a stallion’s herd once adulthood is reached. Herds and solo males congregate at large water sources immediately after the winter thaw, initiating mating rituals. Females may migrate to a lone stallion or smaller herd if her current group is too crowded; overly large herds may decrease the amount of food each horse receives and provide uncomfortable nesting grounds; females also look to strong, loud stallions, preferring their leadership over others. After a week spent at the waterside, the herds go their separate ways, some males left once again alone. Rather than travel solo, unmatched males create a group of their own; these completely male gatherings do not cooperate well and are noisy.

Stallions have sole rights to females－one foal born to each that becomes pregnant; in rare instances, twins are born. Gestation lasts 11 - 12 months, with offspring born sure-footed and mostly independent. After foals are weaned (eight months), they begin flight training; wings, featherless at birth, begin forming at three months and reach a juvenile stage at eight. Youths are born and raised in large nests located closer to the ground; when it is time for the foals to begin flying, mothers repeatedly push them out of the nest, the horses’ first several attempts unsuccessful and painful. The wings, though fully developed, are weak with small muscles and clumsy with inexperience. Training lasts well over a month, each time, the youth’s wings growing a bit stronger and fluid － sometimes catching the air, fluttering, or allowing for a downwards float. Night Mares do not become competent fliers until at least one year of age, though they do not excel or soar gracefully until after four years of practice. During their second year of life, foals are taught dream siphoning.

Dream Siphoning

Flying horses engage in a strange, magical practice called dream siphoning－the consumption of positive or negative elements of a human’s dream, leaving the opposite behind. Males are attracted to nightmares, replacing them with pleasant dreams, while females replace positive dreams with ones filled with terror. This activity occurs at least once per month for each horse and is done alone, though usually near the herd; communities near mountains or tall-growth trees and campers/backpackers are most susceptible to the animal’s meddling. Individuals who dream frequently, have longer dreams, are more likely to remember them on waking, and/or have experienced lucid dreaming are at higher risk of attracting a Night Mare. How this process evolved is unknown, though it is widely believed to be connected to fae or paranormal influence or lineage.

This strange feeding takes place only on clear nights. Using a sixth sense, the creatures detect which minds are dreaming dreams, gravitating towards those with the most detailed, engaging visions and of their positive/negative preference. The horses needn’t be close to consume the elements of a targeted dream －only as far as one mile away from the sleeping individual. When the Night Mare begins feeding, it lays on the ground, flattening its body as much as possible, with its legs folded under its body and wings spread wide; as the process takes place, it emits a soft, pale glow－blue for males, red for females. After siphoning, the horse stands and stretches, its eyes clearer and more alert than before; it then returns to its herd. If easily done, and if the herd is residing in the same location, the horses will typically return to the same target, sensing from far away when a dream is being had.

Dream siphoning can be dangerous to humans involved, as the dreams given are imbued with a strange, magical power. If the dream caused by a stallion is spoken to another out loud, part of the pleasant dream will come to pass－more specifically, something will occur in real life that triggers the same, positive emotional response. However, if a mare’s implanted nightmare is told before eating that day, the individual will experience horrible hallucinations or events that elicit equal terror to the dream. Some humans notice when their dreams are being influenced, some even reportedly spotting the creature in their dreams; all, however, recount that their dream began a certain way, before dramatically changing for the better or worse, in addition to the vision containing surreal, very detailed imagery, lasting longer than usual, and being remembered clearly once waking. Each time an individual’s dream is tampered with, the influence a Night Mare has increases gradually: the dream slightly lengthens, as does the emotional intensity, surrealism, and likelihood of a horse appearing in the vision. According to folklore, a person slips farther and farther into unconsciousness with each encounter, the call of their name growing stronger and stronger; if too many dreams are siphoned, the individual goes towards the caller in the dream, coming face to face with the Night Mare. Approaching the beast causes the dreamer to never wake－their endless dreams forever accessible by the horse from any location, their consciousness never leaving the dream state.

Night Mares feed off of dreams not for a dietary need, but a psychological one; if a siphoning is missed, the horse’s mental state begins deteriorating, endangering their offspring and/or the herd. The animal may experience hallucinations, bouts of aggression, dulled senses, and misidentification of friend/foe. Leaders of large herds participate in this activity more frequently than others of their kind.

Though not dangerous for the most part, those targeted by one or more Night Mares may lead to extreme danger. Pursuit and interactions with the flying horses should be limited and precautions taken－sleep enacted far away from the herd.