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Chapter 9

“Leave that poor horse alone!” Listens to Horses yells at me as I am trying and  failing to get a filly into the water through brute force. I throw the lead down into the pond causing water to fly up and soak my face and shirt. With a growl I stomp out of the water and onto the muddy bank in front of me.The already slick ground gets even more wet from my clothes, I lose my footing and come crashing down to the ground sliding back into the water. Now covered head to toe in mud I give up and plop my butt on the grass covered bank that reaches into the pond. 
Listens to Horses walks towards me with eyebrows raised, “I can see you're having a rough morning.” My head sags, water dripping from the tips of my hair. “There is nothing wrong with having a bad day but it is no excuse to hurt the horses. You must learn what you can and can’t take your anger out on.” I grimace at his words knowing he is right but my exhaustion keeps me from being humbled and wanting to admit I’m wrong, instead it fuels my anger and clouds my judgment. 
“Do you know what it is that is bothering you?” I sharply throw my hands into the air and stand from my spot. Listens to Horses stays seated and simply says,”Take the day off and go for a walk, clear your head. I will finish the work for the day.” I head towards the woods and follow the stream, I keep my thoughts from wandering so I can concentrate on where I am going. After a short hike I arrive at my cave. With hesitant steps I walk towards the entrance, it invites me in with the welcoming arms of the surrounding tree branches. A deep sigh escapes my lips, as I step foot inside its cool damp embrace. 
Soon after I settle down some the wolf reappear, “What!” I yell at her “What do you want with me! Just leave me alone!” I scream and throw a rock at her. She yips and takes off. I sink to the compact dirt floor and break down. I yell, scream, sob, punch the rock wall, and fall into a silent depression. I feel like I have been robbed, I’m not supposed to be here, this isn’t who I am supposed to be, this is not the life i was supposed to live. I should be free in my pack with my mate. I am not supposed to be a two legged who enslaves other animals into a life where they are only ridden and worked till they are too old or die. 
I spend the next several hours hating myself and wishing for my death to come swiftly. I pull a knife from its sheath which sits on the side of my soft leather boots. I place the cold smooth blade against the side of my throat. I can feel my adam’s apple bob up and down as I swallow. With a heavy sigh I press the blade down against my sensitive skin.  
“So this is where you have been all day, sitting and brooding over how hard your life is.” Listens to horses makes me jump out of my skin and I drop the knife to the ground. He places a hand on my shoulder before squatting down beside me. “You seem to be having a difficult couple of days but trust me when I say it could be much worse.” I shake my head and begin to think this man is insane. 
“To start you could have suffered greatly if Moon Teller had never found you. You have adjusted well to the change from wolf to human, you have amazing skills with the horses, and you are surrounded by friends. Your life is far from normal or easy but you are doing well for yourself.” he declares. I sit there carefully considering his words. He gets up and grabs the blade that had fallen from my grasp. “Come on, let’s go back to the village and get Moon Teller to give you something for a good night's sleep.” 
He helps me up then we make our way back. With Moon Teller’s help I am able to sleep through the night. The next day I don’t wake till noon and my mind is at ease. I step outside and see Listens to Horses readying two horses for a ride. “It’s a good thing you got up, I was about to come in and wake you myself. Today we are going to go to a friend’s place, he breeds and trains horses but will sometimes need help here and there.” Excitement fills my bones and I practically leap onto the horse. The sight makes Listens to Horses laugh. 
The ride there is quiet and peaceful, when we arrive he has a young horse he is working from the ground, he has to draw the horse’s attention back to himself after he catches sight of us riding up. We dismount near the barn and walk back to the arena. By now he has calmed the horse back down and has his lead and headstall on him. “He is looking good.” says Listens to Horses. “He is a fast learner and doesn’t spook at much.” Says the stranger. 
Listens to Horses points at me and addresses the stranger, “This is my friend I was telling you about, he has a good touch when it comes to horses.” The stranger smiles at me and holds out his hand, I firmly shake it, “The name is Levi Wilder and yours is?” Listens to Horses chuckles, “I wouldn’t expect to hear much from him, he is unable to talk.” Levi’s eyebrows lift slightly, “Well I suppose that don’t matter much as long as you're good with the horses.”
I smile and nod, “Well let's grab a new horse and see whatcha got.” Levi says while opening the gate and taking out the recently worked colt. When he comes out he has a shire appaloosa cross, “This is the prettiest filly I have ever had and she was just broke to ride, she just needs some finishing work. I’m hoping to get a pretty amount for her as well.” Levi states while putting her in the arena.