Words Can Hurt

Chapter 1

A new day was dawning in Seville, Spain. The smell of rain hung in the air from a shower the night prior as the sun shone brightly in the sky.

In a modest house atop acres of farmland, a black bull was slowly rising from his slumber.
Ferdinand slowly opened his ocean blue eyes. He gazed around the child's bedroom where he spent the night to find Nina, his owner Juan's daughter, sleeping peacefully, cuddling his front limbs the way one would a teddy bear.

Ferdinand smiled as he watched Nina sleep. This little girl and her father had done more for him than he could ever describe. Nina and her father Juan had given him food, shelter, a meadow to play in with the most beautiful flowers Ferdinand had ever seen or smelled, and Nina had taught him how to dance. But most importantly, they had given him a family after his father Rafael's barbaric, untimely death.

Ferdinand gently pulled his limbs out of his best friend's grip and replaced himself with a pillow, so as not to wake the sleeping girl as he tip toed out of her bedroom. The black bull treaded carefully to avoid waking Nina and Juan as he slowly exited the house.

Ferdinand stretched and yawned. He then shuddered as a chill ran down his spine. Ever the optimist, Ferdinand decided to shake this off and wake Jorge the rooster as usual.

"Jorge, wake up, little guy." Ferdinand whispered, his face centimetres away from the sleeping rooster.

Unfortunately for Ferdinand, Jorge slept like the dead, his wake up call falling on deaf ears.

"C'mon, Jorge, time to get up, let's go!" Ferdinand called more cheerfully.

Jorge finally woke up and began to crow, waking Nina, Juan, Ferdinand's fellow bulls, and the rest of the animals that called the farm home.

"Music to my ears!" Ferdinand cheered, a skip in his step.

Summer, Ferdinand's favourite time of year, was in full swing. Flowers were in bloom, the Flower Festival set to take place 2 weeks from now. Pollen and petrichor made for a delicious cocktail that was music to Ferdinand's nose.

"Race you, Guap!" Bones yelled, already half way down one of the farm's many rolling hills.

"Hey, that's not fair! Get back here!" Guapo yelled, chasing after his best friend.

Ferdinand giggled as he watched Guapo and Bones chase each other. Bones, as his nickname suggested, was a lanky bull with a white and brown coat. His red hair blew in the wind as he bolted past Ferdinand, Guapo struggling to keep up. Guapo was only a head shorter than Ferdinand. He had a black coat with a maroon underbelly and face. His black hair was styled in a stereotypical military buzzcut, and a red string was tied to his left horn.

Ferdinand froze in shock, his jaw agape. All his life, he had been convinced that Soulmate Strings were nothing but a bedtime story his mother had told him, and now, one of his fellow bulls had one tied to his horn.

In the distance, Valiente, a dark brown bull with a yellow face, and Angus, a Scottish Highland bull, were seated, conversing under a cork tree. This was Ferdinand's favourite spot to smell flowers, and a place the bulls commonly went to spend time together, or when they wanted to be left alone. Maquina, a Belted Galloway, could be seen sitting nearby, a tiny rabbit perched on his head. Paco, an English Sheepdog, could be seen herding the chickens, while Lupe, Casa Del Toro's former calming goat and Ferdinand's bullfighting coach, watched from the top of the gate that lead to the flower meadow.

Ferdinand did a double take. Was that a red string around Valiente's horn? His ears wiggled and he began giggling uncontrollably. Valiente and Guapo had soulmates! Ferdinand couldn't wait to meet them. It seemed like pollen wasn't the only thing in the air! The breakfast bell rang. All the bulls ran to the house except for Ferdinand, still giggly at the thought of Valiente and Guapo having soulmates.