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

Chapter 9

          Finally, when they were doing the evening chores, they opened the top of the stall. I myself couldn't believe I had my head out of the stall for the whole evening. I had only did that to nip Edward. I still was planning to get my revenge. The following morning, while I was munching on my oats and nosing hello to Ivy, Edward was setting up the same equipment he was using yesterday. I knew something was up.

        "Okay boy, be nice," Edward said as he slowly moved into my stall. I threw my ears back and backed up to the corner of my stall. Not having that flight option put my mind in reverse. I reared up, striking my air with my hoofs. Get out of my way!!! I thought to myself as I looked for an escape. Edward just stood there, speaking peacefully. I pricked my ears forward and back, taking in the words.

         "It's okay, boy, nothing's going to hurt you," He said in a deep, calm voice. It remembered me of a bubbling creek in the Proyrs, and I remembered the round-up. I remembered that I was hopeless without Edward and Madison. I lowered my head so it was at wither-level. In the wild, that was saying a lot, especially to a raiding stallion.

"That's a boy," Edward said again as he slowly moved toward me with a halter. I raised my head slightly threw my ears back, but allowed him to put it on. He led me out of the stall and clipped me to the cross-ties. The whites of my eyes showed as he dipped the sponge into the soapy water.

Slowly, he moved the dripping sponge onto my body. When the sponge soaked through the thick, dry layer of mud, the wetness was so sudden that I reared up in the air. I threw my ears back and turned my head as far the cross-ties allowed to see Edward. I glared at him with laser-red eyes.

Are you trying to kill me?? I thought to myself as kept the burning glare on him. I could sense the hair on his neck stand on end. "It's okay boy; I'm not trying to hurt you," Edward said in the soft tone I had started to like. No one human had talked to me like that ever, let alone touch me.

My ears pricked forward slightly, and my eyes softened. Finally, after what seemed like ages of awkward eye-contact, I sighed and turned my neck to looking forward again.

I still wasn't gonna let Edward get away with this. I was planning my "sinister" plan while keeping a watchful eye on Edward.

I do admit, I was starting to enjoy the grooming. It was as if he was a Mustang himself, using his teeth to rub my body.

After awhile, when Edward sensed I was relaxing, he started to open up his never-ending encyclopedia of words. He told me that this ranch was nestled in a mountain valley, in Montana, right next to the Pryor Wild Horse Range. I thought I recognized those mountains!! That stream in the pasture seemed to be a trickle of the deep snow-fed lake up in my home.

Ivy listened too, and closed her eyes. Edward was getting close to finishing on my right side, and there was only a small layer of mud that wouldn't give way unless you rushed water over it.

My ears pricked up as I heard quick, light footsteps coming. It sounded like Madison's footsteps. Ivy went to the very front of her stall and looked in the direction of the sound. When Madison came into view, she nickered a hello and tossed her head.

Me, on the other hand, threw my ears back and stepped as far back as I could. I didn't want anything to do with her. She was nice, but I still didn't want to interact with any humans. She walked right up to Ivy, and placed her hand on her big, dark cheekbones.