Just Like Fire ( On Hold)

Chapter 1

      The day that Phoenix arrived was hard to forget, learning his backstory and meeting him for the first time, finally getting him out of the trailer and into his stall, never mind that it all happened yesterday, it will still be hard to forget.  

      Phoenix is one those horses who has a mysterious and far away look in his eyes that make you wonder all the hell that he's been through.

 Normally the horses that come to me and my moms horse rescue, Helping Hooves, are dropped off by owners who don't have time for them anymore or are from kinda sketchy auctions. So when we got the call that there was a 3 year old fire survivor that needed a home we were very surprised. After all, it's not everyday that a stable burns down and a horse survives.

 Phoenix is a really pretty liver chestnut who was on his way to becoming a Ranch Versatility champion.

 This morning at breakfast mom said that we should wait a few days before working with phoenix so that he has some time to settle in. Kinda disappointing, but i understand why. 

It's Monday, so it's my turn to do the morning chores.

Morning chore duty isn't that bad, but i have to shower and change again unless i want to come to school smelling  like i was swimming in the manure pile.

 I start by mucking out Nakoma's stall. Nakoma is a chestnut and white paint who is to mischievous for her own good. Every day she finds something new to either break, unlock, or re-arrange.

Next to Nakoma is Cash, a strawberry roan and former clover leaf champion who is my personal horse. I got Cash as my 12th birthday present and i've had him ever since. Unfortunately, he's starting to get kind of old and i'm going to have to start looking for a new horse.

Next to Cash is Fabio ( don't question his name, my mom named him) who thinks he is the best looking horse in the world and while there is no denying that he is a stunning horse, a black friesian, that doesn't mean that he has to rub it everyone's faces. Fabio is my moms horse and kind of like Cash, he's not a rescue. 

The last 3 stalls on the left side of the barn are empty, but that's because the horses that were living in them were moved into one of the pastures.

 On the right side of the barn i start with Dora's stall, Dora is a spunky,  brown/white pony who was a jumper until she landed in a weird way and had to have her front left leg amputated. Despite having three legs, Dora is a playful and adventurous pony.

 Next to Dora is Solo, a sweet and blind 27 year old OTTB. 

After Solo is Zahara who was abandoned by her previous owners and has major trust issues, especially when it comes to men.

On the left of Zahara are Thing 1 and Thing 2, two troublesome bays who are a mix of who knows what. 

 In the final stall is Phoenix, standing alert and wide eyed as if someone is suddenly going to drop down from the ceiling and attack him. All of a sudden he jumps up and starts panicking, kicking the walls and stall door. 

He starts to calm down after a few seconds, but i wonder why he just flipped out like that.

Maybe he got spooked by something. But what?

On my way to school i can't stop thinking about Phoenix and what could've made him freak out like that. Phoenix is definitely a strange horse.

 My thoughts are interrupted when i pull into the school parking lot. 

Great, another day in hell 

I think to myself as i get out of my car and walk up the entrance.