Spirit, Riding Free: Lucky and Her Adventurous and Mysterious Cousin Sasha

Chapter Seven

Sasha was on Destiny's bareback, riding ahead of everyone to get the Ramada gate opened up for the wild herd of horses. She and Destiny had both opened the gate up for the new horses. Sasha had gotten permission to join the mustang drives with Mr. Granger as his new apprentice. She decided that she wants to be one of Mr. Granger's ranch hands and his apprentice.
But she heard something that sounded like heavy rain or distant thunder. She raised her head to have a better hearing of the strange but familiar sound that she had a while back, and Destiny had swiveled her ears to the sound, and Sasha suddenly remembered the sound: hoofbeats. The shrill whinnies of incoming horses erased the last of Sasha's contentment and had made Destiny become alert, making Sasha and Destiny both looking at the distance.
The thundering of the hooves grew louder, and Sasha felt the ground shake slightly beneath them in the wake of the sudden noise that seemed to be coming from the dry plains. That's when she saw Mr. Granger and his workers.
She watched as Mr. Granger, his mesteñeros, and his ranch hands herded the new batch of trained horses from the field with the help from the Saddle Club (with Miranda's permission, of course) into the ramada. The Arabian mares and the piebald horses that Sasha had seen had been sold a few weeks ago to fair riders, but Mr. Granger had to get the horses from the field before the dry season hit the wild frontier, there'll be less water and food for the horses due to the overwhelming desert-like heat. The thought of wild horses had reminded Sasha of Smoke. Smoke is still wild or wilder than Spirit, he prefers to go without any riding gear or have any owner. Sasha was amused that Smoke had tossed Mr. Granger, his mesteñeros, and his ranch hands off his back over a dozen times, and only allowed Sasha or Lucky get close to him without bucking, kicking, or bitting them and allowed to pet him or feed him.
She was watching from outside of the ramada as she watched the stampede of horses. Wait a moment. How did the horses get panicked and started stampeding? Why are they leading a herd of panicked horses?
Sasha looked at Destiny with a confused and nervous look before returning her gaze to the panicked herd of horses. The horses raced past them, causing Sasha sneezed and coughed out the sandy dirt and Destiny snorted the sand and dirt out of her nose, stumbling and careening — a blur of chestnut brown, reddish-brown, dark brown, black, light gray, and a few red/black/gray with pinto markings. All of the wild horses had began to calm down as they entered the ramada.
Once all of the horses had entered the ramada, Sasha helped Destiny closed the fence gate and she dismounted Destiny to put an unbreakable lock on the gate to make sure no frisky, wild horses will try to break out of the ramada. She remounted Destiny and watched as Mr. Granger and his workers come Sasha and Destiny's way.
"Mind me asking, but how did the horses started stampeding?" asked Sasha curiously.
"The horses had gotten spook from a passing coyote and a couple of startled crows," Mr. Granger said as he fanned himself with his cowboy hat, looking slightly winded.
One of the stallions had caught Sasha's eye. The lean stallion has a brown coat with unique symbolic patterns shaved into his coat and has a shady look. The symbolic patterns reminded Sasha of the nearby Native Americans' symbols that's shaved onto their horses.
If the stallion was marked, he must belong to someone, figured Sasha. She doesn't remember seeing that stallion before. By tomorrow morning, she had planned to check on him.
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Sasha rode down the hill on Destiny's back. The rising sun had lit the surrounding mountains on shimmery and warm golden fire. A peregrine falcon flew overhead, and a dog barked in the distance. A couple of sparrows were singing from the top of Mr. Granger's barn. A orange cat was grooming from one of the top of the corral fences. Since it was breakfast, the ranch hands were each waking up in their bunkhouse, having coffee and bacon or toast. From inside came the sounds of utensils and lowered, slightly drowsy voices as they had breakfast. Mr. Granger's horses were in their corrals for today, ready for today's new sales. Probably.
Sasha noticed that Spirit was looking at the ramada with a concerned expression with Mystery, Chica Linda, and Boomerang in the corral next to the schoolhouse. She saw that Smoke and the new batch of horses — there's about twenty or more of them — are surprisingly close to the small opened-walled shelter at the end of the ramada. Smoke was the closest one to the shelter, looking protective and worried.
"Sasha, thank goodness you and Destiny are both here," said Mr. Ranger, as he and the other workers stood next to the ramada fence, looking stunned and bruised. "We tried to have a better look at that shaved one, but he started to struggle and panic. It had attracted unwanted attention from that dappled gray stallion and he gave us one heck of a run for our money."
"We noticed that you and Lucky don't get injured and you seemed to blend into the horses," said one of the workers. "So maybe, you can see what's the problem with them?"
Sasha nodded and she had readied herself as Destiny jumped over the fence as they walked towards the worried herd of horses. Sasha carefully slid off Destiny's back, but she kept a hand on Destiny's sleek golden pinto palomino shoulder and walked alongside the golden mare.
Destiny neighed to Smoke, who had came trotting towards them and nickered to Destiny, who also started to look worried, but she nickered and scrapped the sandy ground with her hoof. Smoke snorted and nodded, the gray stallion stepped back and walked besides Sasha towards the small shelter for horses.
Sasha decided to be more prepared, due to her last incident with the lack of supplies. She had her brown satchel strapped over her shoulder filled with different kinds of horse treats, canteens filled with cool water, bandages, creams, liquid medicines, a few ropes, a small and stony bowl, a small stone, and a small box filled with organized herbs.
Once Sasha had entered the wooden shelter and the two horses stopped outside of the shelter, she saw the brown stallion that had the unique markings was laying down on the hay with his brown eyes closed. He seemed to be pretty exhausted from yesterday. But as she crouched down and reached out to pet his face, his eyes flashed opened in a instant and he turned towards her. Fear and panic flashed in his eyes. He let out terrified neighing and was trying to stand up, but he kept collapsing onto his right side. His legs started to thrash about in the hay, struggling to get up.
Sasha started to hum a gentle cajun french lullaby and started petting the stallion's muzzle with gentle and soothing touches. He stopped struggling and started looking at her. He had became calmer and started breath more relaxed.
There was sadness, confusion, and pain in his warm brown eyes. She could feel it, as if someone had broken her own heart. He desperately wanted to go back to his owner and he wants to be free. She made a silent promise to herself to buy him and to return him to his true owner.
His trough was full of oats, untouched and on the ground. Why wasn't he eating? Why was it on the ground?
He's homesick, Sasha realized. She also noticed that his left ankle was has an uneven ridge underneath his skin. And he's also injured, she also realized. The stallion looked at Sasha with uncertainty in his brown eyes. She scooped the oats into her hands and held them out — an offering to the stallion on his left side, knowing he couldn't see her in front of him. He set his muzzle into her palms and ate.
She grabbed more oats and dragged the trough in front of the stallion. Sasha coaxed the stallion toward the trough until he stuck his mouth and started eating the oats. But his ears perked up when they both heard a crow cawed from somewhere on one of the rooftops.
"I think I'll call you Crow." The stallion/Crow nickered and nodded before he returned eating his breakfast. When he was done, Crow stared at Sasha for a long time, but Sasha saw his confusion and uncertainty swimming rapidly through his brown eyes, schooling and scattering like fish. Finally, he let out a warm breath on Sasha and Sasha also blew into his nose, getting rid of the sand and dust from his nose. She knew at once that Crow had accepted her as a new friend.
"I'll be right back boy." Sasha stood up and walked towards Destiny. She gently petted Destiny's muzzle, who nuzzled Sasha's chest with a proud glow in her warm amber eyes. "Destiny, Smoke. Please keep an eye on Crow, while I get the vet." The two horses nodded and they both stood on either side of the small shelter, like a pair of horse bodyguards.
Sasha went through the herd and went to the front fence of the Ramada. Her mentor and other workers are all there, watching her from her encounter with the stallion.
"The stallion has a left injured ankle," said Sasha grimly. "We need the vet's help."
"You!" Mr. Granger pointed to one of his ranch hands. "Go and get my wife."
After a while, each of the men had started to ask Sasha questions. Sasha's background, her hometown(s), her interests, likes, dislikes, and other things like that. Sasha had answered Mr. Granger and everyone's questions honestly. Sasha saw Mr. Granger's wife come towards them with her vet's bag.
"Where is this injured horse that I heard about?" asked Mrs Granger.
"Follow me," Sasha said. "He's in the small shelter. I've named him Crow."
Mrs Granger went over the fence and Sasha led her to the small shelter. Destiny and Smoke both snorted as they saw Mrs Granger, they allowed into the shelter without biting or snapping. Sasha crouched by Crow's other side and gently started petting him as he raised his head to look at Sasha.
"Don't worry Crow, you'll be okay." whispered Sasha to the stallion. "Mrs Granger is trying to help you."
Crow let a neigh and revealed his injured ankle to Mrs Granger. Mrs Granger got out some cream and sanitized bandages, along with an horse ankle brace. Sasha helped Mrs Granger clean Crow's injured ankle before Mrs Granger had put the cream on his ankle and topped it with the bandages and the horse ankle brace.
"Crow's ankle is fractured," said Mrs Granger as she petted Crow's muzzle. "It'll take about six or so weeks for his fracture to heal." She looked at Sasha with such a proud smile that had made Sasha blushed. "You have done a great job of calming him down. I wouldn't be able to help him if it weren't for you."
"It's no big deal." Sasha petted Crow, who nickered softly and seemed to be smiling.
"Make sure you sanitize and change the bandages every week," said Mrs Granger to her. "Be sure you get some help from my husband or one of his mesteñeros will help when you do it next week."
"Okay, thank you." Sasha gently stroked Crow's short brown mane.
Now, it's time to buy the stallion and keep him till his owner comes for him.