Lara and the Gray MareNine-year-old Lara is the daughter of the r?-the leader of her cattle-raising clan. While she spends her days tending to the cattle, her heart lies with her beloved gray mare. When Lara goes to the highlands to set the cattle out to graze, she finds the mare in the process of a difficult birth. Lara vows to take care of the foal as a dying promise to the gray mare, and with the help of a childless milk-cow, she cares for the spindly-legged filly. But just when she is confident that the foal can survive, a rival clan captures them both, and throws Lara's life into turmoil. When the filly is eventually given to a titled baron in the castle town of Athenry, Lara, determined to stay with the horse no matter what, goes along. Together, she and her beloved horse face seemingly insurmountable challenges, but all along Lara keeps two things in mind. One day, she will manage to flee, and will set off in search of the family that she was taken from. And she will not leave without her silver mare. |
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asked Athenry Athenry Castle barely barley water Bebinn and Gerroc Bebinn's mother began Beltaine beneath boys brat brooch calf calves cattle celeriac cheese clabbering close cloth comb Dailfind and Inderb dairy byre dark earthen wall eyes faeries Fallon shouted filly fire foal galloped girls glanced gone grass gray mare graze hair halter hands hard head hear heard heart heifer herd high pasture hill Hoofbeats horses hurt Imbolc inside KATHLEEN keep knew Lara laughed legs leine long breath looked loved Magnus manure meant milk morning muzzle night nodded Normans nurse pail plow pulled quietly raid raiders rath rennet riding Saint Brigid Samhain scared shook shoulders side silent sleep smiled sound stand stared stayed stood stopped sure talking tell thought told took tuath turned voice walked wanted warm watching woad woods