Wild and Free #1: Freedom

CHAPTER SIX: "HUMANS ARE BAD NEWS"

It is now that Sable realizes the white mare is still standing there with him.

"Sorry about my father," she tells him. "He thinks every new horse that shows up is threatening him."

The sound of her voice, actually speaking to him, causes Sable's heart to beat rapidly. There is a short pause, for he is so shy around this mare that he isn't sure what to say. For the moment, all he can do is stare.

Finally, he opens his mouth. "S-so... It's Marista, r-right?" He says nervously.

"Yep, that's me!" Marista replies with a gorgeous smile.

"You wouldn't h-happen to know how I could get h-home, would you?" He asks.

"I'm sorry, but I've never been very far away from this place," Marista answers, and Sable can tell in her voice that she truly is sorry. "My Dad is the only one who knows the forest inside and out." She smiles sympathetically at the new horse, and then walks back towards the herd.

Sable continues to stand there, once again only able to stare, unable to take his eyes off of Marista.

Suddenly, the mare stops, turns back around to face Sable, and says to him with a smile, "Are you coming or what?"

Her smile causes Sable's whole body to go numb, but he shakes himself out of his daze. "Coming where?" He asks.

"You can come stay with the herd for a while if you want to," Marista replies. "At least until you can get some directions out of my father."

"Oh... okay, thanks," Sable says, and then he runs after Marista.

The mare leads him to the herd, where there seem to be about thirty horses or so. She tells him to make himself at home, and then she runs off to the top of the biggest hill, where her father is now watching over his herd.

Sable smiles as he watches her go. So many new feelings in just one day! He has never felt anything like this before. Once he is finally able to tear his eyes away from the beautiful Marista, he walks away from the herd to find a place to sleep... alone. He isn't used to being around this many horses. But then he feels as if there is someone else there, staring at him. Before he is able to turn around and look, he hears a voice behind him say, "So, are you part of the herd now or something?"

He turns around to see a dark gray stallion, with a light gray mane and tail. He is probably about four years old, though the gray coat that he was born with causes him to look a little older than he really is. But it is easy to see, by looking at this horse's eyes, that he doesn't feel older. He is still young, and full of life.

"N-Not exactly," Sable replies to this new horse's question. "It's j-just until I can find someone who can t-tell me how to get h-home."

"Well, you'll have a hard time getting that out of Jerrist!" The new horse says. "He's the only one who knows how to get anywhere in that forest."

"Jerrist?" Sable repeats.

"Jerrist is our leader," the new horse replies. "He's that black horse who was chasing you."

There is a moment of silence due to Sable's shyness. But finally he is able to say, "My name is Sable."

"I'm Relment," the new horse says. After another moment of silence Relment asks, "So what's your herd like?"

"Oh, I actually don't live with a herd," Sable replies.

"So you're a loner?" Relment asks.

"No, at least I don't think so," Sable replies, not exactly sure what a 'loner' is. "I live on the other side of the forest over there, with a family of humans."

Relment gasps, a reaction that comes as a surprise to Sable. Seeing the shocked expression on this horse's face, he asks, "What? What's the matter?"

"Do not say that to anyone else here," Relment replies, glancing around to make sure that no one else heard the new horse. "To everyone in this herd, humans are bad news."

"Why?" Sable is curious. He has never heard of any horse not liking humans. He can understand if it is one human they may not like, such as the man in the red cowboy hat who took his mother away. But not liking humans completely? Sable has never heard of such a thing.

"A long time ago, one of those humans came and took the best leader we've ever had," Relment tells Sable. "There's no telling what happened to her."

"So, how did Jerrist become the leader?" Sable asks.

"I don't know exactly," Relment replies. "One night we went to sleep with no leader, and then the next morning we wake up to Jerrist announcing that he is the new leader of the herd." After a short pause, Relment adds, "If you want to know more, you should talk to Marista. I noticed that you've already met her." Relment also notices the way Sable's eyes light up at the mention of the white mare's name.

The new horse smiles. "You like Marista, don't you?" He asks teasingly.

"Oh, well, I, um..." Sable stutters nervously. "I-I don't know... I m-mean, I only just met her, b-but..."

"It's okay," Relment laughs. "Both of your secrets are safe with me!"

The gray horse starts to walk away. But before he walks any farther, he stops and turns back around to face Sable. "Remember, don't tell anyone that you live with humans, especially if you want to get directions out of Jerrist. Or if you want to have any chance with Marista," he says. He smiles again, and then disappears into the middle of the herd.

Sable watches him go for a moment, and then stares up at the sky. It is now turning an array of different colors as the sun sets. It is the same sunset that he watched every evening at his home, but something feels different about it this time.

Home. His mind is once again directed back to thoughts of Mr. and Mrs. Timmons, thoughts of his mother, but most of all thoughts of Claire. Will he ever see her again? Does she miss him? Does she even know that he is still alive?

All these questions race through his mind as he closes his eyes. He has never been around this many horses before, but he eventually falls asleep, and dreams about Claire all night long.