Speak of a Friend

Chapter 2

Mother comes to me after breakfast, and I see in her eyes a fear. Without being asked, I jump on her back, holding fast to a few hairs of her main, not hard enough to hurt her but hard enough so I don't fall off. The other young horses tease me about this. I do not like this.

Mother is 15 years of age. This is young adult stage for a horse, which I wonder about. Mother picked me up when she was two years old. She takes off like the wind, leaving my thoughts and questions behind. I turn my head to see the head streaking behind us, a mountain lion hot on our heels. I can see the whites of the eyes of those in the back of the pack. They can possibly feel the breath of the demon hot on their heels. Whinnies of fear scream out. Mother turns fast and whinnies at me.

Jump to Sayde, she says. I do so, for I was not going to disobey her when she was afraid. Sayde seems a bit surprised when I land on her back, but once I explain that I am here on Mother's orders, she turns her head to the front again and continues to run. I turn to see Mother kick the mountain lion hard, He runs away at the full power of Mother's blow.

Now that it is safe I can enjoy the run. My long mane billowing out behind me, mingling with Sayde's mane, her tail a whip in the dusty air. The wind caresses my face, and I feel at peace as I only do when on a horse's back. I decide to take in the scenery. Swinging my head to and fro, I see everything; the field, the sun, the mountains and trees, the boy-the BOY? I swing my head back to him.

He is standing there, in the middle of the field, watching my heard as it circles around him. The herd is curious of him to, but Sayde the most. She is the most daring of the horses. We pull away from Mother and the heard to gallop close to this new boy. I press down against Sayde's soft fur, hiding behind her neck. I do not want to be seen by this strange boy, but he comes close to Sayde. As I watch him, I marvel at the beauty of this boy. His hair is the color of the soft wheat in a field close by. His face has a good shape, his teeth a pearly white. The boy is my age. I see them as he smiles at Sayde. He touches her neck.

"Don't be afraid of me." he whispers to Sayde as he caresses her muzzle, his hand moving up to her mane, stroking the soft hairs. Too, late, I realize my mane is still resting against Sayde's mane. A look of confusion passes across the boy's face as he comes across my dark brown mane in Sayde's cream one. Slowly,he follows the hairs of black up to my head. I sit up one I am certain he has found me.

The boy steps back from Sayde and me.

"I'm sorry." he says. "Is this your horse?" His voice is good.

No, I say. Then I realize he cannot understand me. I am speaking in horse speak.

"No." I repeat. " I know small bit of humanspeak. But I know sister. She is sister." I gesture at Sayde.

"Oh." he says. Then blinks hard. "Do you live alone here? Where is your mother.?" Oh, I love his voice. I point to the herd then at Mother.

"That is family. That is Mother."

"No, I mean real mother. Do you have a human mother?"

"She no longer walks with us." I say. I don't know 'dead' in humanspeak. THe boy makes a sad face. Then looks at me again.

"Do you have a home?"

"Field is home. Home is here."

"No, I mean a house like that." He points at the barn on the hillside; the barn where I took my clothes from.

"No. I do not need. Horses do not need house."

"Yes, but you're not a horse." The boy does not understand

"Yet I am not human." I see a look in the boy's eyes. I do not know what this look is, though I have seen it in Mother's eyes may times.

Suddenly, I hear a mountain lion's scream, and it runs up behind the boy. I feel a fear deep in my chest.

"Come!" I yell at the boy. "Come!" I stretch my hand to him. He grabs it without hesitation, and I pull him onto my horse. I see a surprise in the boy's eyes, perhaps at my strength. Bah, it is no matter. Sayde has started to run. The boy grabs my shoulders with a shriek of joy. His hands are soft. Soft and gentle. I will miss this boy when he must go home.

Something in his pocket trills a sound. A very strange sound, like the sound a metal horse made once when it passed by the field. He pulls a small shiny object from his pocket. I watch in interest as he holds it to his ear.

"Yes? I'm fine. I found a girl. Yes. NO! I won't be home tonight. NO MOM! WHAT THE HECK!!!! I'm going to a sleepover with Joe. Don't call his mom. Bye mom!" he puts down the small shiny thing and rolls his eyes. "Mothers." I look at him, appalled.

"I love Mother!" I exclaim.

"No, no. So do I. It's just that my mother is... overprotective." I don't know that word in human speak. Overprotective.

"Anyway," the boy says. "I can stay with your group tonight."

"Mother will not like." I say. "Wait. Hold to Sadye." I push a few fibers of her mane to his hands and jump off her back.

I run to Mother, stopped in a field next to the stream. I tell her of the boy and how he wants to stay with the herd for a night. I see a troubled look in their eyes.

Fine, she says. But he sleeps over their. She gestures to a place. The other horses will surround him as a safety precaution.

It becomes late rather quickly. I take one last drink from the stream and head to the foals. I always sleep with them. As I settle down next to the small, warm bodies of my sisters and brothers, I see the boy surrounded by the older sisters and Mother. I see that he was looking at me,and hastily diverts his eyes when I glance his way. What a strange boy.

The night settles in around me like a velvet blanket, enveloping me in soft, warm fabric of the sky as I drift off with the sounds of my family surrounding me.