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

Chapter 7

         I went into the stable and paced in the shavings and drunk some of the water in the trough. Ivy nosed her soundings and looked through the bars at me. Calm down you scaredy cat!! She said in a teasing voice. They're here to help. She then turned towards her window in the back and breathed in. This did have a different feeling than the other place. A sense of home was in the air, and kindness found a way in. 

        I was still unsure of this place, and these people. I stayed in the stable most of the time. As the next week passed by, I realized there was a pattern to everyday life. Edward would come in the morning,  bringing hay and grain, give us freshwater, clean up stuff here and there, and leave. I would stand in the back of my stall, ears back, and teeth bared. 

       Ivy, on the other hand, would stand in the middle of her stall, ears pricked and have an ever-loving look in her eye. She wanted to connect, but at the same time, stay away from that world. Every day she would creep closer. The curious Ivy was back. A sure sign she was better.

     In the evening, Madison would come with Edward to repeat the morning chores. Again, I would stand in the back, eyes glaring, teeth bared, and ears back. "Poor things. They are covered in a thick layer of mud all over," Madison said one evening with pity. 

     "Tomorrow we will clean them off," Edward said as he shut the big wooden barn closed for the night and walked off. 

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      The next morning, it started, as usual, only the whole family came into the barn. Even Ivy moved to the back of the stable and was fearful. "It's okay girl," Edward said and moved into the stall. He went up to her, with a halter in his hand, and an apple. Speaking softly, he managed to slip it over her nose and loosely buckle it. He then led her out of her stall and clipped her between the aisle to cross-ties. Her body quivered and the whites of her eyes showed.  

       Edward got out a bucket of soapy water and a sponge and rubbed the daylight out of the dry mud. At first, Ivy was terrified; then, she acted like it was the best thing in the world!!! I couldn't believe it!!! I reared and bucked in my stall, making the shavings fly in the air. 

      "Let him calm down by himself," Edward said and kept scrubbing. "Madison, come and help me. Here, get some warm water and soap in a bucket and start scrubbing."

      "Are you sure she should do that??" Tina said with concern in her voice. "That's a wild horse we're talking about," 

       "Yes, I know. This one is as sweet as honey though. The one to be concerned about is that one," He said and gestured towards me. I wildly looked him in the eyes with hatred. 

         I was gonna get my revenge.