Just A Pinch Of Spirit

eyes on you

Moreno didn't give up the next day. But Spirit could sense that something had changed, especially in the way that the owner of Casa Del Toro looked at him. It was no longer an irritating superficiallity, but it was more a respectful curiosity, but without letting go even a shred of the ancient cold warning from the day that Spirit had bitten his hand. Even now, Spirit hadn't regretted a bit of doing it. Indeed, he felt a certain sense of pride in rethinking that automatism of his when the man approached his hand, he hadn't regretted all the grim looks that had been exchanged, of all the times he had shown his teeth in a snarl - if a horse is able to snarl. The plan had come to a blind spot, as the ramshackle group didn't know how they would succeed not to stand out, or simply to be able to pass unnoticed by the three snobby ponies. Ferdinand had suggested some ideas, but none of them was convincing. He himself didn't seem convinced in stating them, but Spirit and Rain had done their best not to discourage him even more. The idea of asking for help from three little creatures that Spirit didn't know existed came to Rain, and she had exclaimed it so loudly and suddenly that the bull and the stallion had to exclaim a 'SSSSH!' With more calm, she had explained what she had in mind; The three hedgehogs would have kept the three horses distracted while they passed the electric fence after it was broken by Maquina.

"Good, everything is now organized in detail." said Spirit "we can't fail." Ferdinand was doubtful about it, but the good faith that Spirit had about this plan heartened him a little. "But what if we do fail?" asked Rain, reflecting the bull's thoughts. "What if it didn't go as planned?"
"not gonna happen."
Ferdinand broke in "so what about some unexpected events?" he asked. It was as if Spirit were challenging fate ... this made him feel uneasy.
"there will be none." the stallion repeated stoically, "we planned everything, we just need to act at the right time." Ferdinand held back a nervous snort "and what should be," he asked "the right time?" Spirit hesitated a moment this time "as soon as possible. My herd needs me." he then said in one breath.
Rain nodded "we know. You already said that." he said, as if to remind him that he must be patient and that they all wanted to return from their concept of freedom. But Spirit didn't care, if they didn't understand the importance his pack had for him, the priority they represented in his life, the constant duty to protect them in the place of herd leader, was their business. the sooner would have turned away from this misadventure, the better would have returned to the Cimarron.
"Hey, F-bomb!" the voice of Ferdinand's calming goat burst into their low voices and the little creature trotted beside his friend, looking at the other two horses on the other side of the fence "what are you three plotting?" he asked suspiciously. Apparently there was a thin line between the suspicious look of Lupe and the playful one. All three snapped to attention, and exclaimed at the same time "Nothing!" with a voice that clearly said the opposite. Lupe was unimaginably suspicious in looking at the complicit and perhaps guilty looks that the three of them exchanged, almost as if someone had caught them committing a robbery.

"hmph ..." she said. She then turned to Ferd, saying slowly, "tomorrow we'll start training, I suggest you go to sleep. I want you as fresh as a rose!" She realized, however, that she had used an example that fit Ferd too perfectly "well ... um, rest! tomorrow'll be a hard day!" and walked away slowly, casting suspicious glances at the two horses "I'll wait inside, brickhouse."

Rain and Ferdinand held onto a smile painted with a felt-tip pen until Lupe disappeared from view, Spirit didn't bother to smile at all, he looked at the goat with a neutral expression. All three breathed a sigh of relief "she doesn't trust us ..." Rain said. Ferdinand shrugged "I think she doesn't trusts Spirit." he said cautiously. Spirit shrugged in turn "you can't please everyone." he said resolutely "we're gonna update tomorrow to decide when to escape, some of us meanwhile will have to try to talk to the hedgehogs."

Rain thought aloud "if Ferd did it would attract Lupe's attention and suspicions ... maybe we should do it."

Spirit nodded "okay, then. But if they're insolent I'll take care of putting them back into place." he said nonchalantly. Ferdinand sighed "Spirit. We won't get anywhere with this assumptions." he told him.

Spirit snorted "okay, okay." grumbled " fiery stallion has a muzzle." Ferd looked at him "good." he said unexpectedly severe. This thing didn't shake Spirit anyway. Upset for a slightly harder tone? not even a foal would have been capable of this.

During the day, Rain had managed to convince the three hedgehogs to introduce themselves. And three small balls full of spikes and with different shapes between them rolled to the fence where the stallion and the mare waited as agreed.
The three hedgehogs and the two horses looked at each other; the leader of the group was a female porcupine, and Spirit immediately understood that it was about her from how she posed and how she was looking at them. Although the second taller and thinner hedgehog with an angry appearance similar to the perennial anger of the Spirit, he seemed very willing to give orders if necessary. The complete omega, on the other hand, was the thickest and shortest porcupine of the three, looking at horses with big, innocent eyes.
They stood in silence watching the larger creatures and the female smiled slightly at Rain "well well..." she said, then looking at Spirit "so this would be the wild Mustang that everyone talks about so much."
"precisely." Spirit said dryly, looking at her. She planted a paw on her side "you made a name for yourself here, hm?" She said with the same smirk. The second hedgehog intervened "and this, dear sister, is the description of someone who understood how to survive." but she nudged him in the ribs.

The third hedgehog looked at him fearfully "...this one doesn't bite, does he?" he asked fearfully. The spontaneous response of Spirit would normally have been 'I bite a lot if I feel threatened.', But at that point he instinctively reassured the smaller creature "No, I don't bite." He said,shaking your head slightly.
the female porcupine, Una, looked at him "I bet you bark a lot but sure don't bite, do you?" he said "otherwise you would have answered in a completely different way." Spirit refrained from falling to his height "if you're trying to provoke me, know that it won't work." he said "we are not here to fight." Una continued to stare at him with a raised eyebrow "say a little, are you the friend of the good giant?"
"Do you mean Ferdinand?"
"is that his name? then yes. The new bull." Spirit felt embarrassed ... he had never had someone to consider a real friend before then. "we can say that I am." he finally said.
Rain intervened "we are dwelling on." he said "Guys, me and Spirit are here for another reason."
The three hedgehogs looked at each other "and what would it be?"
"let's say it's to ask you to help us."

a glacial silence fell for a moment, then Una motioned for her to go on. Rain looked at Spirit, then spoke again "you have to help the two of us and Ferdinand find a way to escape from here."
Una's jaw dropped "a bull wanting to escape Casa Del Toro?" She said incredulously, echoing the explanation. Spirit shrugged "I don't see anything weird about it, which is why a sheep might want to escape from Casa De La Pecora, a mammoth would like to escape from Casa Del Mammut-" and went on talking to himself for a few minutes,walking around. Rain looked at him confused, just as Una, Dos and Cuatro did.
Then Dos spoke "Oh yeah ... we really need to get that horse out of here."

"Wich is why i'm asking for your help" Rain said "he might reaaally get even crazier than that i'm afraid."

Dos came forward "yeah, but what do we get in return?" Spirit stopped talking to himself and looked at them "anything, anything in this world! I just need someone to get me out of here!" he said with a hint of despair in his voice. But the porcupines weren't convinced, they wanted something material and a reward for the help was something they hadn't thought of. With a fake cough, the stallion recomposed himself "Give-give me time until tomorrow morning, I'll look for something."

Una looked him up "Good." She said dryly, the three went to leave but then she turned back "anyway congratulations; unseating the most famous matador of Spain with less than a buck is not something you see every day." Spirit felt despair fade and he smiled, Dos looked at him with a spark of admiration "you absolutely have to explain to me how you did it." Spirit shrugged "it's all about balance." he said modestly.

the third hedgehog looked at him "he's different from those three idiots!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm "maybe he could be our friend!"
Spirit let out a wider smile than usual, Cuatro reminded him a lot of a colt looking for protection. So the natural affection for him was almost instantaneous "I count on it." He said