A Falling Ember

Just A Horse

Clip clop, clip clop, thud thud, thud thud. The beat of my hooves on the frozen ground is in synch with my heart beat. I'm almost home. The sad look on old Sam's weathered face had been hard to gallop away from, and Fanta and even George had been great friends. But I'm almost home. Home to Mama, to Birch, to Father, to Mystic and the others. It seems like a lifetime ago that we were one as a whole, a free herd running through the plains and hills and mountains of Wyoming. I've changed, that's for sure. My perspective on the world and on humans has been forever altered.

My instincts tell me to just continue straight west. The rolling hills around me have evergreen pines sticking out of the hillsides, scattered like the petals of a large green flower. Ahead and on both sides of me I can see only snow covered hills. In the far distance, I can make out some tall mountains, and on my left the thin line of a highway far away. I slow to a canter and then to a stop. My stomach grumbles and I paw at the ground in the hopes of finding grass. After a moment of digging and scraping, I see the little heads of some yellow grass poking through. I bend down my head and take a nibble. Hmmmmm. Cold and sparse, but good enough. I eat my fill, but I'm still in need of something more. I wish I was in our winter clearing, with our trees and brook. And my family.

I continue on my way. The moon is hidden behind a thick blanket of pale grey clouds and it's freezing. I shake the white crystals out of my dark mane and continue trotting along at a steady pace.

Then I spot something ahead of me. As I get closer I realize that it's a fence, not quite like the ones at old Sam's barn. This one is metallic, with points at the top and along the side. It's only about three or four feet tall and I can probably jump it. Beyond it lie the beautiful mountains in all their glory, and beyond that is my homeland. I look around to make sure there is no danger around me. I see a dark building that looks a little like a barn about a mile away. The fence stretches all the way to the building and around. The fence must belong to the building.

I step backward a bit. I canter forward, my tail swishing the powdery snow off of my back. Finally I reach the fence and push off the ground with my powerful haunches.

Then tragedy strikes. My left back leg, the one that was sprained, slips in the icy ground. The momentum from my other leg still pushes me forward, but I topple sideways as I lose my balance. As I fall, the fence catches me. But it isn't metal, it isn't even wood. It digs straight into my side and I shriek with pain as I fall right onto it. I collapse to the ground. I try to push my front legs up to stand, but I only succeed in pushes the barbs of the fence deeper into my shoulder. I shift and struggle in the snow, that awful fence just cutting me up even more badly. A pool of my own blood is slowly spreading around me, bright red against the white of the snow.

I shriek again and neigh desperately for help. I call out to anyone, even humans. This pain is worse than anything I've ever felt, even my broken leg and wolf bite. And I can't get away from it. As my vision gets blurry and my thoughts more jumbled up in my head, I am vaguely aware of it beginning to snow. It can't end like this. I was so close.

A bright light shines over the mountains, as if calling me home. I think it's the sun.

I'm just a grey mare, all alone, lying on a snow covered hill surrounded by her own blood. I am completely vulnerable and helpless. I'm just a horse.

Then everything goes black.