The Names Luna {On Hold}

8. Theif

I yawned and opened my eyes, I wonder why I woke up? It's still dark out.. There was a faint sound of foot steps, I pricked my herd to listen to them and stuck my head out of the stall. There was someone with a mask on carrying a rope. The man saw me and slowly made his way over, I neighed loudly, waking up the other horses.

The man threw the rope at me, I reared up to dodge the rope, and remembered I was injured. No one would steal an injured horse, would they?

"Shh. Shh shh. It's okay.. "He reached out to pat my face, I didn't recognize his voice.

I backed away from him, he opened the stall door and studied my build, the strong muscles and the small cast on my hoof,

"Injure yourself, huh?" He was thinking about something, he put the rope around my neck and lightly tugged on it to pull me out of the stall.

"Help! Anyone!" I neighed to the other horses, who started neighing loudly to get Adam and Dawn's attention and wake them up.

I reared up and threw my head up in a neigh that echoed through the stables, startling the horse thief and the horses. The man dropped the rope and covered his ears, the horses stopped neighing and dropped their heads as if they where bowing.

I looked around and realized there was nothing holding me back, I could find the herd! I could escape and leave and never come back!

"Hey!" A familiar voice yelled.

I pricked my ears up in the direction it came from and saw Adam and Dawn running over. I looked back at the horse thief, but he wasn't doing anything. He then realized he was caught and jumped on my back, and caught me by surprise. I reared up and neighed again, but with the new weight on my back my hooves slipped and I fell backwards, right onto the thief.

I rolled off the man and stood on wobbly hooves, Adam and Dawn got to the thief and saw that I had crushed him, but it was his fault. I walked behind them and hid my head behind Dawn, I wasn't hurt, but that doesn't mean I wasn't scared. I was scared that they thought that I didn't hurt him on accident, that they thought it was my fault.

Dawn noticed me standing behind them and patted my neck, "it's okay, Layla. Your fine now, it wasn't your fault. It was his. I know you didn't mean to hurt him."

I sighed in relief, they know it was an accident and I didn't mean to hurt him. I heard a small groan and looked over to the man, whom was trying to pull himself off the ground with one arm. His leg looked twisted the wrong way and his right arm was limp, I walked to him very slowly. I sniffed his broken leg and stepped back a bit, he was bleeding and I could smell a lot.

Dawn was already calling 911 for an ambulance and the police to report the horse thief. The man turned his head to me and tried to pet my face, but I lifted my head high out of his reach and stomped my hoof. I noticed the horses still had their heads down, I wandered over to a white mares stall,

"Excuse me, why do you have your heads down?" I asked kindly.

"Your neigh. It was a royals neigh. We are bowing" She replied.

I backed away slightly, royal? There are royal horses? Like leaders and alphas?

"Is-is there a way to tell everyone to stop bowing?" I asked.

"Neigh again." A chestnut stallion answered.

I threw my head back, raised my broken ankle off the ground, and neighed loudly. I stomped my hoof on the ground, and surprisingly it didn't hurt. I lowered my head back to its original height. One at a time, all the horses raised their heads and neighed.

All I wanted was to be a horse, but.. The horse said I had a royal neigh. Does that mean Im royal?