The hot sun burned my eyes once they opened. It took me a little to adjust to the lighting and finally when I wasn't blinded, I looked around the barn to see who was still in here.
The stall across from me was empty, which is normally where Achilles is. I craned my neck to the left to see if Raye was in her stall. She wasn't. Lovely wasn't in her stall, hers is left diagonal to mine. The only other house that was in the barn besides me was Striker, who's stall is right diagonal from mine.
I didn't dare whisper or call Strikers name due to last night. He needed his rest, and I didn't need to be selfish again.
"You need to stop being selfish Moon." Raye said lovingly as she grazed closer to Achilles than ever before.
"How am I being selfish Raye? I just like talking to Achilles." I muttered as I tried -with little success- to grab a stick with my tiny mouth.
"Silly filly. Your trying to keep Achilles all to yourself. You forget, your sire got us captured."
I stopped chewing my stick, not sure what she was getting at," You could have just run away, like my sire did. And then you would have been just fine. I mean, you are the greatest mare on the ranch and Achilles is the greatest stallion on the ranch. You could leave right now if you wanted to."
Achilles and Raye shook their enormous heads at me. Achilles was the one to speak," You think we haven't tried that my little Moon. We tried that for so long that I almost broke my neck trying to get out. That's when we decided that we needed to accept our fate."
I was puzzled. All the pieces were in my head, but they just didn't seem to fit.
Emma calling my name snapped me out of my thoughts of thoss years not to long ago.
"Hey Moon! I brought you an apple! And a carrot," She slipped me both of them and I munched on gratefully," But don't tell anyone." She giggled.
I tried to neigh softly so she could try to understand my thank you, but instead the carrot tried to escape my mouth and almost fell on the ground, if Emma hadn't caught it.
"Silly filly! Your lucky I caught that!" She giggled again and let me trap the prisoner of a carrot into my mouth.
The carrot made a burst of flavors in my mouth like it always does.
Emma's face changed so quickly that I almost didn't even notice," Father says that you are injuring too many of the horses to put you out today. We most likely can put you out tomorrow if father is in good humor. But until then you and Striker should get some shut eye. I'll give you hay and water and open the door to your paddock so you can at least be outside. Father said that your paddock is okay. Who knows, maybe if I get done with school early maybe I can ride you? " Emma laughed," Probably not though. Riding a horse is a 'man's work'. Ugh."
She stomped out of the barn in such an unhappy mood that I thought she would never come back.
I didn't understand most of what she was saying but I understood paddock and outside which seemed good enough for me. My mind kind of grazed over the part where she said that I couldn't go out to the pasture and maybe she would ride me.
I heard the sound of boots against wood which ment that Emma was coming in again. Sure enough her head popped into my vision and she opened my stall door, climbed in with me and went to the back. She glanced at my usual kicking spot and shook her head in a sad manner," You deserve to be outside. It's not good for you to be cooped up."
She did something with the wall of my stall then all the sudden, it opened up like a door and led to a fenced part behind my stall. I scarcely remember this from when I was barely a two year old. It was like my OWN pasture! I gladly stepped outside and lowered my head to the ground so I could 'trim' the over grown grass.
"I knew you would like it. I'll still put some alphalfa in your bin." Emma left me be and did what she said then went into Strikers stall. Now, being the jealous horse that I am, I walked to my stall door (the one that is inside the barn) and watched every move of Striker. If he even pinned his ears at my human, I would let him have it. I'm pretty sure that Emma knew what I was doing because she raised her head above Strikers door and said,"It's alright baby Moon. Striker is to hurt to do anything right now. It's alright, just go back to your paddock and enjoy the second level of freedom that you have."
I could have at least tried to understand what she was saying, but in all honesty I didn't care. I was more worried about the look that Striker had given me. It was like as if the moon and stars all left his normally sparkling eyes and turned them into mud. It seemed as if Striker knew he had nothing to live for. I wanted to call out to him, tell him that he was going to be okay and that once his leg healed we would be out of here. But for some reason I knew that he wouldn't approve of me speaking what he thought were lies.
All the sudden I heard Emma softly whispering to Striker ," My father says that we are going to make the fences taller and cement the ground around the pasture so animals don't get in, and so you guys cant get out. He saw you and Moon messing around with the fence, testing it's weak spots and seeing where you would get out. I know that you wouldn't be able to leave-by the time you heal, the fences will be in place and the cement will be drying. And I know Moon wont leave without you. I know I shouldn't be saying this- but thank you for getting a spranged ankle. I know it sounds terrible, but now that your hurt, Moon wont leave me and I can have her forever. That's all I wanted to tell you. Anyways, your leg looks better than it did yesterday. Don't stand up, but if you do don't put weight on it or it may break and that wouldn't be good. "
Granted, I could only understand half of what she said, but the parts that I did understand were enough to know that Emma didn't want me to leave and she would do anything to stop me. And here I thought she was my friend. This is why Lovely never trusted humans. That's why no horse trusts humans the way they trust the herd. Humans just want whats best for them. Nothing else. I turned my attention back to Emma as she slipped out of Strikers stall and walked out of the barn, boots hitting the floor. As Emma dissapeared out the door, I neighed to Striker. He happens to understand normally everything that the humans say. I needed him to tell me the pieces that I didn't understand in Emma's little monologue.
"What do you need Moon, Emma told me that I need to rest to get better." Striker mumbled as he replied.
"I just need you to sum up what Emma said to you. I know that you can understand everything that Emma says-and every other human."
Striker sighed, not wanting to do the task," I will tell you, but one condition."
I threw my head back, thinking how ridiculous he sounded," Sure, what."
"After I tell you this, promise me that once you get into the pasture tomorrow you will jump over the fence and run. Don't look back."
Striker whispered just so I could hear him.
It took me a moment to grasp the concept of what he said. Why would he want me to leave without him?
"Moon my darling, could you please go over there?" Achilles softly said.
"But Chilles, I want to be with you right now. Do I have to go?" I whined as I played with his large legs.
"Yes my little Moon, me and Raye have to talk about things." Achilles said convincingly.
"But I don't want to leave you!"
Raye rolled her eyes at me,"How about this, you run around the pasture three times, and the third time you pass us, we will run behind you. As long as you promise to not look back."
I nodded my head eagerly as I started to stretch my long, skinny legs.
"Okay, and don't stop until we stop you our selves." Raye said with an all to knowing smile.
Then I took off.
I shook my head ,trying to forget how I ended up running at least fifteen laps around the pasture because I listened to Raye and Achilles. I was trying to forget how even when Lovely told me that no one was behind me I continued to run. I continued thinking that she was just lying.
I closed my eyes to try to clear my thoughts once again. This time actually working. I looked over at Striker who gave me a knowing look,"Please just promise me Moon. Promise."
I sighed and looked down. If he wasn't going to tell me unless I promised, it must be very important,"I promise."
Striker flashed me a smile," Good. So here's what Emma said," He suddenly got into a sad mood, which made me wonder if I really wanted to know what Emma said. But he continued,"She said that her sire is going to make the fences stronger, better. Then she said that she's glad that I got hurt because she knew that you won't leave without me. And then she laughed about how you are going to be hers forever."
I looked down, wanting to get out of the barn at that very second. I neighed loudly, wanting Emma to come to me right now and let me out to the pasture. I wanted to show her that I'm not some wuss because I won't leave my best friend. I neighed again and kicked my stall, wanting, begging for Emma's attention.
But Striker knew better,"Stop that right now Moon! What if Emma doesn't come out and it's her sire? He'll shoot you! Just wait for tomorrow. Wait. You can do it. Tomorrow you will show Emma that you can do whatever."
I immediately calmed down I took a deep breath in. He's right. I just need to wait for tomorrow.
I nodded back at Striker,"Okay, deal. "
And I walked to my paddock door then lowered my head and started grazing, thinking about how tomorrow at this time I will be free.
~~~~~
Hey peoples, it's the writer here! Just popping in. Sorry I haven't updated in so long, just busy. Anyways, please comment and vote. It would mean a lot. Anyways, thanks for reading, see you next time!!!