WAR

Chapter 20

I pull the man's leg. And he slips. Falling onto the ground. Before he can scream I put my hand over his mouth. Being stupid, he does not lick nor bite it. Stupid. Max slowly gets up. Carefully stepping outside the door. He yanks his nameplate off the door. I toss the food cart man into the cell. His body flops hard onto the ground. I slam the door shut.

The cart is a small metal one. With a blanket covering the bottom of it. Max climbs into the cart and I push it. We hurry down the hallway. Until Max peaks his head out of the blanket. "Park it here." I stop the cart. Next to a door. Max slowly climbs out. Then he pulls open the door. It leads to a beautiful stable. Hundreds of stalls. "Wow." I breathe out as I spin to see everything I could. "Hurry!" Says Max. "We don't have much time before the guards know something is up." Max leads the way down the hall.

Chestnuts, Bays, Dark bays, Dapples, Pintos, Paints, Appaloosas, Clydesdales, Friesins, Tennessee walkers, Shires, Palominos, Welsh ponies, Icelandics, Arabians, Percherons, Morgans, Dutch Warmbloods, Black Forest Horses, Drafts, Warmbloods, Hotbloods, Coldbloods, Work horses, Ponies, Light Horses, Grays, Blacks, Milky white grays, Blue roans, Red roans, hundreds of horses. Stallions, Mares, Colts, Fillies, Yearlings, Mares and their foals, Brood mares, Geldings. "Holy crap." I mutter under my breath. "Look at everything!" Max pays no attention to the horses. "What was your horse's name?" He asks me. "Her name is Hermosa. I don't know if Sugar's old owner thinks she is Sugar, he called her Fea once though." Max nods. "Ok let's look for her. She's a mare so she would be somewhere here, Not a broodmare, so that numbers it down to......." Max pulls me over to a map, pasted to the wall. "Whoa! That's the entire stable! That's a lot of horses!" Max nods. "She would be in one of these few hundred stalls." My mouth drops open. "Few hundred?!?" Max nods. "Come on!" It's like he has new found energy. He walks really quickly. Then stops at a door. A tall elegant bay stallion is in a stall. "He looks like Colt..." The stallion's ears prick up. His head turns to me.

"You look so much like Hermosa." The stallion winnies. "Colt?" His name tag says Thunder. "Huh, Thunder now. It suits you." 'Thank you.' I take a sharp breath of air. "You and Hermosa! I guess-" 'No. It runs in every horse. You just have to listen. It takes talent.' I open his stall door. "Max, this is Thunder, Hermosa foal. You open the stall doors on this side. I will grab another horse and do the other ones. Thunder, make sure they don't fight thanks." I interweave my fingers and Max puts his foot in it. "One, Two, Three, Up!" I give him a boost onto Thunder. I run to the next stall. A handsome black and white pinto stallion named Cloud stands in there. "Hey Cloud. I am gonna open your door, You are gonna round up all the horses you can find, Stallions, Mares, Yearlings, Geldings. Don't let any human come close. Don't kill children please." I open his door and he shoots out, Following me as i open door after door. Stallions are released, Thunder and Max are far ahead. After hundreds of stallions are released the geldings start. I don't think you understand how many geldings there are until that's all you see for ages. They blend perfectly into the herd of stallions. Gelding after gelding. Horse after horse. I don't even know that I am in broodmares until I see a big bay mare race out of the stall and a little black shape follow it.

I smile and continue. I hear Cloud relay my message over and over. Hundreds of mares and foals. This barn must be miles long. Then I hear a winny. "Hermosa!" I call out. She rears in her stall. I quickly open her stall and she charges ahead of me and starts to unlock the stall doors. All i have to do is unclip whatever little chain thing attaches the stall door to the stall. It goes much faster. And more mares are released.

I do this for hours. Thousands of horses follow me. Stallions, Mares, Brood mares, Mothers, Foals, Yearlings, Fillies, Colts. When the end of the barn comes my hands are raw and bloody from handling all the mettle bits. There must be over a million horses following me. I mount Hermosa. And Max on Thunder joins me. His hands are also bloody and raw. "Cloud!" I call out. He canters up to me. "Please take this herd as far away as possible, Make sure the geldings don't get left behind. Split, would be best. Or stay together. It's up to all the stallions." Cloud turns tail and gallops away. Charging though the groups of people. The men hold guns but I don't care. Then I hear someone yell, "DOGS!" and this time she's right.

Bell, Riley, Wish, Butterfly, Dot, Dart, Dash, Copper, Blue, Jenga, Hurricane, Tornado, Daisy, Dust Storm, Hail, Mia, Rover, Anne, Oceania, and the horses, Breeze, Willow, Jay, Ember, Heartfelt, Sugar, and Leaf. Guards. Men. Woman. People run toward the horses. And the world erupts into chaos. Barking, Hooves pounding, Gun shots, who died? Winnies, Nickers, snorts, the scream of a horse falling, Hermosa stays calm beneath me.

But then another gunshot goes off. And a scream rips though the air. Hermosa rears. 'JAY!' She screams. Her rear caught me off guard and I fell. Hooves were all around me. Screams. Yelling. Gun shots.

"GET THE DOGS!"

"THE HORSES"

"MOTHER?"

"HELP!"

The screams of pain and pleading ripped into my heart and soul. Then a strong voice cut through everything. "SHUT THE HELL UP ALL OF YOU!" Yelled a voice. A woman. Riding a horse with a ragged coat. Dull eyes. Skinny body. A dark bay mare. Comet. Ava. "I am Ava. And this is now my world. Anyone named Max, River, Ray, Jake, or Emma, Guards seize them!" A tall bay stallion lowers his head down toward me. 'Ray. Get up. Please.' "Thunder?" I mumbled weakly. 'Come on.' "Coming." Max is nowhere to be seen. I mount Thunder. He has to raise a hoof for me to mount.

'The dogs are this way.' "How did you know?" 'I know more than you think Ray. Also your mind has flashes of everyone you care deeply about.' I cling to Thunder and cry my eyes out. "Why does War have to be so bloody?" Thunder snorts. And keeps trotting. Toward a smaller building right next to the Horse barn. I dismount and open the huge doors. The building has runs and runs filled with two to three dogs each. I start opening the runs. "Go! Scat! Hurry! Before the men get back. Ava rules now!" There are about 30 dogs. The run has two dogs. "Storm? Cracker!" Omg you guys are ok!" I open the door. Pick up the not so small Cracker and set him gently on Thunder's withers. Storm runs beside. I send out a message that should connect with my family.

'Horses, Dogs, Please, run away. The battle is better left then continue. I am on Hermosa foal, Thunder, and have Cracker and Storm. They are safe and sound. Please don't take risks. Make sure your not followed. I want everyone back in two days. Then I will send out search parties. Stay safe. Stay unharmed. And please keep track of each other. Thank you.'

'JAY IS DEAD!' Yells Hermosa.