True Friends
I’m running;
pushing my legs as hard as they can go. My long powerful strides
carry me faster and faster. My hooves pound the ground, shaking the
hard earth below me. Gently flying in the breeze is my long flowing
mane, falling gracefully from my neck. Each shiny hair composes my
brilliant coat that reflects the golden sunshine. I am a wild horse.
They call me a mustang. I am the best of the best; a playful
untamed spirit daring temptation and seeking adventure. The open
land begs for exploration that conceals dangers around every bend.
It is my home; it’s what they call the “wild”. But the wild
would be of no such name without the essence of its prized and
magnificent wild horses.
ऀI
hear the rumbling of many footsteps following close behind me. I am
the proud stallion in the lead of my pack. We are all one in the
same, bound together by the strength of a family. We run free and
fearless. The sound of our storming heard breaks the deafening
silence brought forth from the calm peacefulness of the open land.
We are hidden in the vast plains of a large valley surrounded by
towering mountains that were blanketed by a heavily wooded forest.
Eagles soar above us accompanied by the small birds chirping from the
treetops. The fresh pine sent lingered in the air as the sun’s
warm rays beamed down heating the earth. The slight calm breeze
rustled the rolling sea of tall wild grass. Blossoming flowers added
a dash of color to the lush green landscape.
ऀOur
herd stopped at the creek bed to take a drink. We then roamed around
grazing on the fresh grass. I sniffed the ground with my nose
searching for a treat to nibble on, when suddenly a sharp pain struck
me in the mussel. It sent a wave of reacting nerves shooting through
my body. I screeched in terror; my shrill sound echoed threw the
valley bouncing violently off the tree barriers. It was then when I
took off at a bolt, and it was also then when I spent my last few
seconds of freedom as a wild horse sprinting away.
ऀI
kept running for what felt like eternity. I went deeper and deeper
into the forest. I had thought I was running so long that I about to
drop off the end of the earth, until I had gone so far that I reached
a clearing. The thick trees were behind me and a meadow lay out in
front of me. I had thought the woods went on forever, touching the
end of the earth, but I had run clear past them and exceeded their
little known limits. I had not the slightest idea where I was
located but I was escaping the terrible thing that behind me that
sent me into a whirl wind of agonizing hurt and fear all in a few
short moments. I had no doubt in the world of what caused this pain
upon me; I had been bit by a rattlesnake. The vicious venom was
seeping through my blood. I had seen this happen once before to a
horse from my herd. He had not made it through the struggle for his
life, but that was not me, I was going to fight of the pain no matter
how hard it was. The pain grew stronger with each step and it seemed
to continue to consume my whole body until, finally, I was overcome.
I became extremely faint and weak, everything around me spun in
circles as if I was being suck into a vortex. The pounding in my
ears soon were matching by a horrible ringing making my body feeling
numb and paralyzed. The last thing I remember, I was consumed by
unwelcoming black darkness. Then the world slipped out from under
me.
ऀNothing
filled my brain, nothing was conscious to me. I lay, sprawled out on
the soft ground in the middle of the unknown meadow. My pain was
subsided as I remained disconnected with the world until I woke up to
a cold hand stoking my neck. The abrupt awakening startled me back
into reality. I burst open my eyes only to have the flood of sudden
light momentarily blind me. As my eyes readjusted to the daylight,
the world around me unfolded once again. I frantically glanced
around realizing that where I was, was a completely unfamiliar place
to me. I was trapped in some sort of barn, lying on a squishy mat.
The sent was potent and foreign. Walls surrounded me from every
side; it felt as though I was locked in a cage. There were ropes
around my head and mussel. I heard strange noises and voices echoing
through the building. To add to the shock of the moment I caught the
eye of a human standing above me, its gaze pierced straight through
me.
ऀNever
had I ever been in the same proximity as an actual human. I had only
heard stories of their existence and built up the fear of the
possibility of them taking me captive as they had done to so many of
my kind. My nightmare was now to come true. I was under the
possession of a human being now. At the thought of this I sprung up
to my feet finding an outburst of strength. There were several
people around me and they held me tight and continued to observe me.
They
made comments to each other. “I think he’s going to make it”
spoke one of the strange humans. “He’s a strong fighter,” said
another. I began to rise up in a furry hoping to scare off the human
and break free. I reared and kicked but they only held me tighter, I
realized my escaping was not likely at this time so I held still for
the rest of their medical pressures for it was no use wasting the
little energy I did have.
I
listened to their alarming voices. “This stallion got one nasty
rattlesnake bit. He’s lucky we found him when we did,” a deep
man’s voice spoke.
“It
was such a miracle that we happened to be roping cattle in the exact
area where this horse collapsed.” I heard a soft women’s voice
say.
“Yeah
I saw him running out from the midst of the forest. The wild thing
looked like he had just seen a ghost. That rattlesnake must had
scared him pretty bad,” answered the man.
“We
sucked a lot of venom out of that horse. It must have been one big
snake. Let’s put him in a stall for the night so he can rest a
bit. We’ll check on him in the morning. Its late lets go inside
and tell Kamya about our new mustang she should be home by now,”
the women said. The two of the led me through the barn locked me in
and even smaller cage and threw me some hay which I protested against
with a loud snort. And it was here were I was left by myself in my
strange new home.
I
soon discovered I was trapped in this enclosing stall also. My
chances of ever escaping continued to diminish. I stood still and
firm waiting for what was to come next. I wondered what these new
owners of mine were planning on doing with me. I was a mustang. I
was wild and I was tame less. But it was not before long that my
whole view of myself and the world was changed all because of one
person. One person that I never thought I could love so deeply.
It
all started from the moment after I was placed in my stall awaiting
my doom. The door to the large empty barn opened and out stepped a
human. I closely inspected this small human as it meekly walked
towards me. It was a young girl, petite in stature. I prepared to
resent her as I did all humans but in that instant that she looked
into my eyes and spoke, I stopped in my tracks. Her sweet, soft
voice soothed me. It was the first time I had felt the slightest
ounce of comfort in the entire day I had been here. I stared her
down, trying to shake off the feeling of affection. I stomped my
feet and reared up with dominancy. She remained in her position and
continued to speak smoothly to me. I tried all I could but the girl
seemed unfrightened of me and determined to stand her ground. And
for this I gained respect for the girl. She stood at my stall door
for a while longer and then left the barn to leave me in silence for
the rest of the night.
The
days went on and I got accustomed to the daily routine. In the
morning I was given oats that tasted like sweet treats, in the
afternoon I was turned out to the paddock to run and play as I
pleased, and at night I was given more oats and hay, and then locked
in my stall until morning came again. All this was done in
persistent rebellion. I grabbed every chance I could get to return
back to the wild for the pride within had not disappeared, but was
merely covered up by something much stronger and it grew day after
day. The only reason why I stayed content in my new home was because
of the girl. The girl came to see me every day. She took care of me
and fed me. Her name was Kamya. I had met her the night of my
arrival and she had changed my life. Every day she worked with me,
and made me calmer and calmer. She brushed my bright orange coat
until it shone like a copper penny. She soothed me and respected me
as I respected her. She did not let me get away with anything wrong
and she protected me. She gave me a name, Blaze, in which I could go
by. I went from a spirit of the wild to Blaze, a horse of a girl’s.
Although I was stubborn to realize it, this human was taming me.
She
soon became my best friend. She looked deep past my eyes and spoke to
my soul. She knew how to speak to me without using words. And my
sense of pride now was in her. She was my owner and I would do
anything for her. Our bondage grew so strong that we almost became as
one, and what I thought would never possibly happen to me, did. I
had found love for a human, Kamya. All of my past drifted away from
me. I no longer had the urge to return to the wild, for there was
nothing for me there. The empty longing within me had been filled.
I had all I needed now. I had a home and I had a true friend.
