Taste of The Wild: Life Through the Eyes of a Wild Mustang

Chapter 6

           Just when everything seemed to be gone, I was about to give up hope, I heard a new person. Not just any person either. The sound of his voice brought hope in and warmed the heart. His feet did not have the sound of spurs, and he didn't carry a whip. I tried to stand up and get a better picture of this man but was only able to lay upright. 

         I could see a white cowboy hat, a blue shirt, blue jeans, and sandy brown hair through the watery mud.  Then, beside him, I saw a little girl. She came up to his waist, and her blonde hair was in two ponytails. She had a matching hat and pants and wore a white jacket. I watched them with hopeful eyes.  

         They stopped by my holding pen and looked across the muddy coral. I tossed my head to catch attention. "Pick whichever one you want Madison," The man said to the girl.

        "Look at that one!!" The girl, who was Madison said and pointed to me. My ears went back but I still looked interested in them.

        "Okay, if you're sure,"

        "Daddy!!"

         The man smiled warmly and talked with a worker. The worker then came into the pen and walked to me. I got up hastily and glared at him.  I couldn't trust them; good or bad.  They were all enemies. Somehow, the worker herded me over to another trailer, and I could tell it wasn't the same one. It smelled nice and clean.

          Meanwhile, the father and daughter walked off to another pen.

Now back to Ivy's point of view

         I was knocking on death's door when I heard the sweetest of sounds. A young girl and her father were walking this way. I could tell they were my only hope. Luckily, I was able to stand up and see them. "Oh daddy," The girl said in a sad voice. "These horses look like they're dying. I want to take them all," 

        "I know sweetheart," The father said and looked at me with soulful eyes. "How about that one??" 

         "Okay," She said and watched as I was put into the trailer they brought. I was too weak to squeal at the men, let alone fight them. However, my ears pricked up and I knew everything was okay when I went into that trailer. I nickered quietly and went up to the horse lying down. He looked up at me and did the same. 

         With another contraction coming on, I lied down next to him and inhaled the familiar smell. It was Flint. I was out of that horrible place and was with Flint. With him, I could recuperate from my normal self and get my strength back.

Flint: 

        As I lied next to Ivy, I felt it was going to be okay. I was with her again, strengthening her, and she was strengthening me. In the trailer was fresh clean water, and I drunk the whole thing. Ivy drunk half of the other bucket, and it tasted like it was from a spring, and it took me back to my young days when I would play in the ponds. 

       The trailer stopped, and the man came and opened the trailer. This time there was a woman with him. She looked like the little girl, Madison, and wore a summer dress. "Look, Edward!! There lying down together!! She said and hooked her hand around the man's arm. I learned that her name was Tina. I guessed they were married and that Madison was their child. I learned that it was Madison's ninth birthday. 

       As we got out of the trailer, I took in the new scenery. It was ten times better than the holding pens. The wooden fences were up to my shoulder, and tall bright green grass was everywhere. There was a big gravel driveway and big beautiful mountains. The new barn had six stalls, three on each side. Deep sawdust was in the stalls, and the windows in the back looked into a big pasture with a bubbling brook. 

        A big ally of fences led us into a pen that had hard-packed dirt. It led into the barn, that smelled of new wood. I drank more water that was in a big trough, and I lied down again. My stomach felt a little better, but the ache was still there. 

        Before these people came, I knew that if anything included humans, it wasn't trustworthy. Now, I was second-guessing myself. I was drawn back to earth as Edward came into the pen. Ivy and I rose to our feet, and I guarded Ivy. "It's okay boy," He said as he slowly put a halter over my head. I quivered with fear and thundered around the pen. Ivy followed by my side, and the halter came flying off. Tina moved Madison out of the way and kept her there as Ivy came out after her. 

      "We'll just have to try this again later," Edward said and picked up the halter and exited the barn.