Wild and Free #1: Freedom

CHAPTER THIRTY: BANISHED

Sable cannot think of a single thing that he can do to lose Zanzeph. Again, he is losing energy because of all this running. He doesn't know how much longer he can last. Pretty soon, Zanzeph will have caught up to him, and then... there is just no telling.

I need an idea, and fast! He thinks. How can I lose this crazed horse?

Suddenly, to Sable's surprise, Zanzeph trips and tumbles to the ground. The tired horse stops running, and turns around to see what happened.

Zanzeph groans asTellis steps out of a bush to the left of his brother, and Clandri steps out from between two trees to the right of the fallen horse. Sable now looks down at the ground to see that Zanzeph is lying on a stretched-out vine.

Zanzeph quickly stands back up and glares at his brother. "What did you do?" He asks through clenched teeth.

"We tripped you," Tellis replies without hesitation. "I asked Clandri if she could help me find a vine, and she led me to a nearby swamp. It was hanging off of a branch, so we pulled it off and used it to stop you from making a huge mistake."

Sable smiles, but Zanzeph continues to glare at his little brother. Tellis feels a little uncomfortable, but he still stands his ground.

"You have betrayed me, Tellis," Zanzeph practically whispers to his brother, his teeth still clenched. "How could you even think about helping this guy?"

"Unlike you, I don't judge others before I get to know them," Tellis replies. "I think that Sable is a great leader, and I'm sorry that you feel otherwise."

Zanzeph cannot believe this! His own brother, choosing sides with someone else. "Why are you doing this?" He asks. "You've always been on my side, no matter what!"

"Well, I'm done doing that!" Tellis shouts. "I'm going to change from now on, and do things the way I believe is right!"

Suddenly, Relment and Marista come running up.

"Is everything okay here?" Marista asks. "Relment told me that Zanzeph was chasing Sable."

"Everything is okay now, thanks to Tellis and Clandri," Sable replies.

"Well, it was mainly Tellis," Clandri adds. "He had the idea! I just provided the vine." She then runs off deeper into the forest.

Right now, Zanzeph is in a daze. He is still furious at Tellis. He feels like he could just scream! Everyone, his entire life, has always come down on him. No one ever took his side, except for Tellis. And now even his own brother won't help him out.

Sable and Marista veer off to the side for a moment, as Relment and Tellis keep their eyes on Zanzeph, making sure that he doesn't try to pull some other kind of stunt.

Sable quietly tells Marista everything that happened between him and Zanzeph.

"...and that's when Tellis and Clandri practically came out of nowhere and tripped Zanzeph with an old vine," he finishes his story.

Marista thinks for a moment, and then shakes her head in disbelief. "I never thought that Zanzeph would turn out this way," she says to Sable. "But with behavior like that, there is only once thing you can do."

"What?" Sable asks her.

"You have to banish Zanzeph from the herd."

Sable thinks hard about this. He has never banished anyone before. He didn't even know that it was something he could do, and he is not sure if he knows how to.

"All you have to do is tell him," Marista tells the leader, as if she read his mind.

Sable takes a deep breath, and then walks slowly over to Zanzeph. Zanzeph glares at the leader, looking him straight in the eyes as if still threatening him. Sable takes another deep breath, and continues to be brave. He tells Zanzeph, "I-I'm sorry Zanzeph, but I'm a-afraid that I'll have to b-banish you from the h-herd."

"Excuse me?" Zanzeph replies, shocked.

"You heard him," Marista says to Zanzeph. "Your attitude is not suitable for this herd, so he is banishing you!"

Zanzeph cannot believe what he is hearing. "You can't banish me!" He shouts. "I've been in this herd ever since I was born! My mom is here, my brother..."

"Don't you mean brothers?" Relment asks with a smirk.

Zanzeph rolls his eyes, and then turns to look at Tellis. "Aren't you going to do something?" He asks his little brother.

Tellis hesitates for a moment, then replies, "Sorry Zanzeph, but some changes are for the best."

Zanzeph glares at his brother. He leans his face over closer to Tellis's, and looks deep into his eyes. "What are you saying?" He asks, once again through clenched teeth.

Uncomfortable once again, Tellis replies, "I just think that you should leave."

Zanzeph moves away from his brother. He glances at the other horses around him. "Fine then," he says, trying to act calm. "If no one wants me, I will leave!" He starts to walk away, but then he stops, turns around, and stares at Sable. "This isn't the last you've seen of me, Sable. I'll be back!" At that, he runs deep into the forest without looking back.