10 Minute Tales, Part 2

Aug 4 - The Race

The horse whinnied nervously as it was guided into the gate. It was clear to see she was not happy to join in this time.

"Come on, girl." he tried to soothe her, stroking her neck gently. "You've got this, okay? Won't be a problem." the horse snorted, not convinced, but obliged and went into the compartment. The others joined one after the other, keeping to themselves. Eventually, the starter raised a flag.

"On your mark." he declared. The tension in the air grew thicker, and he held his breath. A tense, tense moment of silence, then the flag dropped and the gates opened. They stormed out of the door, the thundering sound surrounding them. It wasn't the strongest of starts for them, but at least they were off. He had to win this. If not for his own sake, for hers. He grunted as he whipped her gently, spurring her a little faster. She grunted as she sped up, clods of dirt flying out from behind her. It wasn't enough, though; he could already tell they were losing ground.

"Damnit, not this soon... come on, girl! Hya!" he whipped again, harder this time. She shook her head in objection, but she carried on as best she could. Still, they lost ground as they entered the straight. He sighed, his pressure fading some. She slowed down too, sharing the dejection he felt. "Okay, girl... let's focus..." he closed his eyes. The race didn't matter. He could feel the might she held, the power in her muscles, as she pushed the two of them further down the straight. The speed she was controlling blurred the fences to either side, his own body shuddering from the impacts. The race didn't matter. Only she did. "Come on, Belle, we can do this. Just relax." he rested a hand on her neck, trying his best to calm her. She snorted once and relaxed too, her gait becoming more natural, less forced. He couldn't hear the crowds gain interest as they started to speed up. He couldn't see the riders stare in disbelief as the pair surged past them, their pace outstriding even the leader. He barely noticed they had won the race and just kept going; it wasn't until the horn blared when he snapped out of it and brought her to a stop. "There we go." he nodded, petting her gently. She shook her head slightly, huffing contently. The two cantered off, heading back to the stable. She needed to rest, and he needed to collect his winnings.