Born Free

Chapter 19

I thrash my head side to side as the rope rubs my neck raw. They've managed to catch me and tighten the the rope around my throat, behind my ears. I toss my head up and rear, they back up even more. I land back down and see someone approach me from the front, trying to hide in my blindspot. I lash out with my hoof, but miss. Where did it go? Suddenly, he shows up beside me, stabbing a needle into my neck. I jump to the side, but it's too late.

They call it a sedative, it almost puts you to sleep, and pretty much paralyzes your body. Only your mind can move, telling yourself to run when you can't. This is what they did to Thunder, stuck a needle into his neck and injected him with this strange liquid. I snort with every paw to the ground, pulling back on the rope once more. It snaps, I stumble back.

" She's loose!" Nick yells from behind the fence. A man hushes him, Nicks bright blue eyes staring back at me. I lope in a couple of circles before my hooves start clicking together. I slow to a trot, my hooves still clipping each other now and then. Then I start to stumble, slowing me down. My legs slow dow to a walk, but I really just want to run. I stop, my eyelids dropping over my eyes and I lean on the wall beside me. I put all my weight on the wall, taking a couple deep breaths. I hear some footsteps approach me and crack my eye open. The vet, Nick and another man walk up to my side. Nick smiles, stroking my shoulder lightly. I freak out inside, but my body doesn't react. This worries me. What will they do to my foal? Will this affect the foal? My thoughts build up so much I don't even notice the vet rub something on my raw skin. I twitch at it, and thats all I can do.

" Can she be mine, Dad?" Nick looks up to the man standing at my head, slowly stroking my face. My ears flop back in anger. Stop touching me!

" She will be a great challenge to take on Nicky. You have school to go to and you also have your gelding, Thor, remember." His smile fades as he looks back at my shoulder.

" Yeah, but, Thor is old." The man huffs, raising my heartbeat in fear. The vet walks around me and I try to kick out, my hoof doesn't even move from the ground.
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The cold metal leaves my body, his 'stethoscope' wrapping around his neck like like a snake.

" She's all good, the sedative will wear off in a couple more minutes. Her foal, its doing okay. She has probably had a few tumbles along her way here and that worries me. She is about seven months along, so you should keep her here till she delivers the foal." Nick nods and lays his cheek against my shoulder and I'm able to lean away. He jumps back, his blue eyes filled with fear. I can sense it too, making me uneasy. They back away and leave the arena, a wave of relief rushes over me. They're finally gone. But not ten minutes later, a person enters leading a black horse, a mare by the smell of it. Then, the scent hits me like another horse. Raven! A smaller, black and white head pops up from the fence. Bear! I start to walk over, dragging my hooves as the liquid wears off.

" Aurora!" She whinnies, making my steps faster. When I reach them, we sniff noses. I smell other horses and let out a squeal. The human yanks her head back, fear showing through his face. Bear nickers as he walks up to see me.

" Hey guys. How are you?" I ask, licking Bears face.

" Very good, its actually not that bad here. Bear is enjoying playing with the other foals very much." I stop and look at him, his eyes brighten, and he nuzzles Raven's chest.

" Really? But... they're humans! They caught us and I haven't seen Thunder in forever! How could you like it here? They are just trying to bribe us into being their mounts. Trust me, this happened to my mother and she escaped just in the nick of time." I am more reckless and wild than my mother, and I was taught to despise humans. I now see why horses hate humans so much, at least the wild ones. They take you from your families and homes, tame and breed you until you either die or get too old to bear and foals. I will not live that life, not ever. I won't let a human sit on my back, breed me with some random stallion, or get close to my foal.

" No, Aurora. They saved us. We could've dies this winter, we have heated stalls and arenas. They give us warm mash and clean water, space to raise our foals, I could go on and on." Her coat shines under the light and her mane is free of tangles.

" Did you let them brush you? Raven!" I catch her attention and she looks away.

" I needed it." I stand there in shock, her long, winter coat is no longer there. A short, summer one is.

" No, Raven, you need your winter coat! Its the middle of winter, you could get sick, or even die without it." She snaps her head back, nipping at my cheek. I back up one step.

" They blanket me. Okay?! It keeps me warm and dry and its so much better than a stupid coat." I lunge at her neck and latch on to her skin, biting her roughly. She whips her neck back and screams a whinny. I back up far enough so she cant touch me. She rears up and catches her front legs on the top of the fence, baring her teeth at me. The human pulls her back and she drops off the fence and gets led out, with Bear following close beside her.

Authors Note

Wow, has Raven gone soft on her wild side?! And when will we see Thunder next? I know... Thanks so much for reading and voting! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! -Acacia