Red Outlaw

White Magic

Fall was a magical time for the little horses but when the sky dumped white all over them was when it got better. One day it was real bleak out, cloudy and bitter cold when all the sudden it happened.

The clouds got darker and darker till it happened. The horses was antsy in the stormy weather and all huddled together with their muscles bunched up. Red wanted to go play, but ever time he moved he 'membered how cold it was.

He tossed his head up and pinned his ears, bored and cold. He looked around for somethin' to do when he seen Dot, but not like she looked usually. She gotten white all over her fur, but it didn't stay, it disappeared some after a while.

Red seen the snow fallin' from the sky when he looked up, and all the sudden got the urge to jump and run around. He knowed Dot felt the same, they was both quiverin' but not out of cold.

It took a while for Red to find a way out of the groupin' of mares, but when he did Dot come right after him. He run around and breathed the air that was colder than he ever felt before, and jumped high.

Soon enough the snow piled up to their knees and they had a hoot kickin' it all around like dirt. Red flung some on his mama and she squealed at him, he didn't do that anymore while she was looking. He almost been kicked when he shoved it on her belly once.

Red seen his and Dot's breath come out like fog, and go up in the air and disappear. He snorted loud and made a whole lot come out and figgered he could make funny shapes with it.

He sniff Dot's nose and seen some snow on her shoulder, so he gone and scratched it off. She liked that and scratched his shoulder too. Red and her was fallin' asleep standing before they knowed they was.

Then their mamas come and drag them back inside, but first Red kicked out some snow behind him. He wanted one last play before he got stuck in the middle of all a them. They was warm, though, which Red liked. He and Dot dug through the snow to eat a little, and then the wind picked back up to do it for 'em.

Then  they lay down and go to sleep together like they usually done.

Sometimes instead a goin' to get a drink, they chomp down on the snow that fell and Red find it turned just like water in his mouth.

Sometimes there wasn't any wind and ' they had to go diggin' through the snow to get grass, Red thought it was real hard. He kept stealin' his mama's grass when he think she wasn't lookin'.

His mama didn't let him have much milk no more, he was plenty old to be weaned off.

One day they was all havin' a good time and those wolves come up and ruin it all. Red an' Dot was playin' real good, he was lettin' Dot win cause they was good friends. He seen Dusty watch them from underneath Olive's flank and he got to lickin' and chewin' like he learn somethin by it.

Suddenly the whole herd was quiet. When Copper come and get Red into the middle he knowed there was trouble. When his papa go out and stand stock still, Red thought, I'm gonna get big and do that one day.

Nightshade pin his ears and snort, pawin' the ground like he seen somethin'. Copper licked Red's poll, she had to reach up and get it now, but he sniffed her nose and told her he was ok. But this was like the calm before the storm, since it was too quiet for comfort. All the mares was tense and ready to run, if only Red know what was comin' he'd be tense too.

All the sudden them wolves come explodin' up the hill like there was no tomorrow and they scare the herd so much they couldn't even move. Then Nightshade run at one with his teeth and knock it over, and the herd go chargin' down the plateau. All the other horses got spooked by it too and run with 'em.