| General Fiction posted August 29, 2023 | Chapters: |
...4 5 -6- 7... 
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Rescue continues
A chapter in the book Four Horse Island
Horse Number Three
by w.j.debi
| Background Ava Revel frees herself from debris after a shipwreck, searches the ship, and finds she is alone except for four horses and a goat in the cargo bay. Ava is attempting to free the animals one by one. |
As I entered the compartment with the remaining two horses and the goat, they again greeted me with neighing and bleating. They seemed calmer than before. Maybe it was the fact there were fewer animals. Maybe it was because they were less frantic without high-strung Titan exciting them.
“Hi, boys. Let’s check your water. You’ve been down here a while. How are you holding up?” I continued to speak my thoughts aloud for the sake of the animals. “Water looks okay.”
The youngest horse, a yearling colt, nickered at me. I reached through the bars on the stall door to pet his nose. “I’d like to take you next, but this halter doesn’t adjust down to fit your head. It could be trouble if it slips off. I’ll have to find something to tighten it up. To keep things moving, I’ll take the older horse. You alright with that? You appear relaxed at the moment. Age doesn’t necessarily determine temperament. Can I count on you to keep your wits about you, boy?”
I walked over to the hay in the corner. "How about I give you something to concentrate on while you wait? You hungry? How about a flake of hay to munch on?”
The goat bleated. “Looks like you are munching on your rope. You need a distraction, too.” I threw a flake to the goat, then another flake into the feed bin of the colt. The colt immediately grabbed a mouthful.
“Good stuff, right, boy?”
I crossed the aisle to the other horse. “Hello, boy. Sorry, no hay for you. Instead, it’s onward we go.” I slid the door open enough to step in.
He nickered at me as if carrying on a conversation.
“A talker. I like that. In fact, if I knew you better, I'd give you a hug. But that's probably too familiar given our short acquaintance.” I undid the halter and, before I could loop the lead rope over his neck so I could pull his head towards me, he had his nose in the noseband. “Anxious to go. Good boy.” I did up the halter, then stroked his neck. Hopefully, the action was as calming for him as it was for me.
“Well, we better go.” I slid the door open enough for us both to step out. This put us directly next to the colt’s stall. We paused so he could nicker to the colt for a minute.
“Let him know I’ll be right back, okay?"
That seemed to reassure the colt. I patted my companion on the neck. "Good boy. Let’s go.”
As soon as we walked out the door and were out of sight, the colt let out a loud neigh. I immediately wondered if I’d made a mistake leaving him for last. Hopefully, his hunger would distract him and he would concentrate on eating that flake of hay. Nothing to do now but keep going.
Horse number three was about the same age and size as Titan, but slenderer in build. He gave off a composed and dignified demeanor as we walked toward the elevator. Even as his nostrils flared, it appeared he was analyzing the scents he was experiencing rather than showing his uneasiness at being in such a strange place. Large inquisitive eyes surveyed his surroundings, calculating the dangers, and assessing what was going on.
As I did with the other horses, I kept up a constant chatter. He responded with occasional answering nickers. Unlike the first two horses, the threshold of the elevator didn’t seem to spook him. He just gave a snort and stepped in with me. He had this. Proceed.
Once the doors closed, he lifted his right hoof and pawed the air a couple of times. Otherwise, he was calm.
Wow, I liked his attitude.
When the elevator doors opened at the main deck, we stepped out in unison. Horse number three lifted his head high, answering the calls of Apollo and Titan in the distance with a loud neigh of his own.
“Good boy. Let’s go meet them.”
We trotted down the deck towards the ramp. For some reason, it felt comfortable to trot next to this horse. Perhaps, I’d been too nervous to exceed a walk with Apollo because he was first. With Titan, a controlled walk had been a matter of keeping him in check so he wouldn’t run away with me.
When we reached the top of the ramp, he called to Apollo and Titan who were waiting at the bottom. I reached up to unlatch the halter and he lowered his head, tipping it in my direction so I could reach it more easily.
“You are well trained. Thank you, boy.” After the halter was off, he paused to nod his head once and gave me a pleased look. I gave him a pat on the rump as he started down.
After a swift but well-controlled descent, he greeted the others with a joyful kicking and bucking.
A name for this horse? I’d have to give it some thought. He deserved something special.
I paused to watch the three horses romping and playing in the sand. “What a beautiful sight. Too bad I can’t stay.”
Slinging the halter over my shoulder, I trotted down the deck, feeling a bit of a rush. Three horses were free. Just one more to go. The youngest.
“I hope you are doing okay with only the goat for company, my young friend.”
At the elevator, I looked up at the sky. Maybe an hour of daylight was left. I hoped it was enough. I hit the button to descend to the cargo bay.
As the doors closed, confining me in the moving box again, I laughed. “Considering my claustrophobia, I must really like horses.”
~~~~~~~~~
Book of the Month contest entry
 Recognized |
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Thank you to Charlotte Morse from FanArt for lending the artwork.
Colt-a young male horse
A bale of hay normally breaks apart into 10-14 pieces called flakes. Two flakes of hay are fed to a horse each morning and evening. Other supplements are often added. Adjustments are made depending on the horse's activity level, size, and metabolism.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Colt-a young male horse
A bale of hay normally breaks apart into 10-14 pieces called flakes. Two flakes of hay are fed to a horse each morning and evening. Other supplements are often added. Adjustments are made depending on the horse's activity level, size, and metabolism.
Artwork by Charlotte Morse at FanArtReview.com
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