Just A Pinch Of Spirit

Captivity

the buckskin stallion had rebelled with all his might and with all his soul for hours, until sweat had begun to drip from his neck and his muscles, formed running on the snow-capped mountains of the cimarron, had started to hurt from contracting.

the cimarron.

his land, which now was nothing more than a distant memory, blurred as in a nostalgic photograph of the past. one of those gray ones, damaged by time.

everything had changed at any moment, the stallion thought as he tried in vain to free himself, wildly shaking his head and throwing violent kicks to the walls of that strange object in which he was locked up, whose suffocating smell disturbed him and to which several hooks they were tied chains that made him unable to move properly, surrounding his neck, front legs and muzzle, to prevent him from biting. but those strange two-legged beings hadn't been able to block his hind legs, as the horse was kicking with the precise intent of smashing the heads of his 'kidnappers'.

it was immediately clear to both men that the beast wasn't willing to give up so easily, especially now.
the journey begun a long time ago, and that horse hadn't stopped for a moment to be nervous, neigh and kick like crazy.

"Is that diablo still awake?" It was one of the two men talking, the one with a hooked nose and graying black hair.

In front of them the highway was lightly illuminated by the light rays of the sunset, which were reflected more on the lawn and on the flowers on the asphalt dried by the warm rays of the sun that had beaten insistently throughout the day. it seemed to extend for another 30 kilomenters and both men knew that it would be a while before the robotic female voice of the navigator who had been attacked with a sucker on a window had told them it was time to change direction.

Sergio, the man at the helm, just turned to his traveling companion before glancing back at the road, "I told you we should've sedated him," he replied almost dryly.

Hernando, the other man on the passenger side, settled further into the seat "we just have to wait for that wild beast to get exhausted"

Sergio moved the steering wheel slightly to take the road that would take them to casa del toro,and Hernando looked at his Watch "as soon as we arrive we'll put him in the box and we'll feed him"

"ah, I'm sure that the demoniac will love eating your arm like crazy" at that sentence both of them burst into a roar of laughter.

ah, certainly there was no doubt that the fiery stallion of a race that none of the two men had ever seen in many years of work would have had several problems to integrate.

the horses that the breeding of fighting bulls kept in a paddock separated from the bulls' were cared for, their coats clean and groomed, their mane cut and well-combed.

This specimen was wild, and it was understood at first sight.

His long black mane, like ebony, was thick and knotted, his hooves were full of mud and had no knitting, and the horse was extremely muscular and seemed to possess incredible physical endurance. oh, Mr. Moreno wouldn't hesitate to propose him like a picador's horse.

the night had just fallen on their arrival and some stars stood out in the bluish-blue sky.
in feeling the vehicle stop, the panic in Spirit's chest only increased: certainly his energies hadn't failed him, but hunger and thirst began to be felt.
from the small cracks of the van, Spirit managed to perceive familiar smells of grass, mud and trees, which for a brief fraction of time managed to calm the animal now raging with anger and fear.

This before the smell of the two legs came back to hit his nostrils when the two opened the back of the vehicle to get the horse out.
Sergio carefully held out a hand to unhook one of the chains and Hernando himself did the same. the latter succeeded in subtracting his hand from the sudden jerk of the horse's jaws, for a thousandth of a second.

Spirit stuck his hooves in the iron, trying to make a grip. but they slipped on it, then the stallion relied on the head, tugging it back and trying to free itself, so wildly that his long black mane fell over his eyes and covered his vision.

Moreno, the landlord, was already there and watched the animal carefully, dark eyebrows slightly arched and a strange glow in his eyes, in laying them on that superb horse.

With enormous effort, the two men dragged the horse in front of their employer.
"He's a great example, senor moreno" said Sergio, holding firmly the chain tied to the neck of the horse "he's a male, a stallion"

the sparkle in the dark eyes of Moreno was now evident "a mustang, gentlemen" said "a kiger, to be precise"
Sergio and Hernando looked at each other, without words. a Mustang? it was very rare to see one in those parts.

"He's wild, I guess," said the landlord, bringing a hand to the horse's muzzle.

Spirit, however, was faster. he neighed sharply and bit Moreno's hand with a sharp blow from the jaw.

Moreno gave a cry of pain and suddenly withdrew his hand: the teeth of the horse had gone to close right on the fingers, leaving a cut over them a few centimeters long.

Spirit snorted "so you won't do that again," he growled, leaning forward.

Sergio and Hernando pulled him back with the help of the chains.
Moreno cursed under his breath and glared at the stallion "bring that beast into the stables." he hissed through clenched teeth, before he left, murmuring curses.

Spirit snorted and neighed when the two returned to pull him, this time towards the stables.

it was a very difficult undertaking, considering the fact that the stallion was neighing so loud that he ended up waking up all the other animals.

Sergio and Hernando were exhausted and sweaty when they finally managed to get that devil disguised as a horse in his box, and after managing to tie his muzzle to a pole and his legs as well, to avoid him kicking and destroying the door of the box.

Hernando leaned against his knees, gasping and Sergio wiped his forehead from the sweat.

"This horse's a nice thorn in the side," he mumbled, Hernando nodded, "of course, but he's a magnificent beast"

the two men paused to look at the horse for a moment, shaking his muzzle to free himself.

in line next to his box, there were those of the other three horses that now seemed so insignificant in front of that mighty stallion.

"Well, better to go," Sergio said. The man made the mistake of extending his hand towards the horse "g'night, beast" he managed to say before the horse threw an excruciating neighing and resumed moving like a damned, shaking the box.

Hernando pulled him by the sleeve "Leave him alone, that stallion doesn't seem to be in a very in a good mood," he said, as two of them started out "maybe tomorrow he'll be calmer."
last famous words.
for the humans,troubles had just begun.