Unloved

Chapter Nine

~Edited Chapter~

Now that the whole stable knew about Jimber and me, I was teased.

"You like Jimba'! He's so old!" Calypso called.

"How do you deal with him?" Button asked. "He's mean."

"No he's not!" I reply. "He's quite nice!" The others laugh.

Later that day, we go for a trail ride. As we hike through the forest, next to Jimber of course, I feel a tingling feeling in my stomach. It doesn't hurt, it just feels...weird. When we get to the nearby meadow, Zoey nudges me into a quick gallop. As I race across with Jimber by my side, the small tingling feeling started to throb. But I keep going.

Later that day, in my stall, the throb really began to hurt. It was like a needle stabbing my stomach. What was happening? I didn't tell anyone though, especially Jimber. I didn't want anyone to be worried. I didn't want to seem like the drama queen I was when I was younger. When Zoey came to lead me out to the pasture, I followed her, no arguing.

It hurt to walk. To stand. To eat. To talk. So I just stood there, awaiting when I could go back into my stall. Finally, I picked a corner and laid down. Scarlet immediately lifted her head and trotted over.

"Pepper! Are you ok?" she asks.

"Yes." I say, breathing heavily. "I'm fine." But Scarlet knew to well. She had had this condition before.

"Be honest." Scarlet says. She looks at me with her pale blue eyes.

"Okay...." I say, finally deciding. "My stomach really hurts." I complain. She neighs. Her eyes widen.

"We need Zoey. And Sara. And Will. Now!" She whinnies, galloping off. That's when it hit me.

I had colic. A condition some horses die from. A bad stomach ache. A deadly stomach ache. Scarlet whinnies in alarm to the others, trying to get their attention. When she explains whats wrong, the others start neighing towards the house. Jimber trots over.

"Pepper!" He shouts over the noise. "What's wrong?" It hurts to talk, so I stay silent. He lays down next to me.

"Sara!"

"Will!"

"Bailey!"

"Alma!"

"Chloe!"

"Zoey!"

"Molly!"

"Nani!" the others shout. Finally Will and Sara come running out of the house down towards the pasture, followed by Shep. When they reach the pasture, Sara automatically sees me laying on the grass, and runs over.

"Oh my god! Pepper!" Sara says. She puts her ear to my stomach. "It's colic." She says to Will a minute later.

"I'll get the vet!" Will says, rushing back to the house.

"Get Zoey too!" Sara yells. She coaxes me to relax, and I try to, but it's so hard. She massages my ears. Scarlet and Jimber are near me, telling me to listen to Sara.

Minutes later, Zoey comes rushing out of the house.

"Pepper!" she cries.

"Zoey! Be quiet, you could spook her and make it worse." Sara whisper yells. Will comes out of the house, running back down the long dirt path to the pasture.

"The vet is on the way!" Will calls. Jimber nudges my cheek, I just lean into him and close my eyes.

~~Authors Note: Hey guys! You might have noticed I a new cover for this story. Just wanted to let you know that this IS NOT my drawing! I got it from: http://ibizana.deviantart.com/art/pepper-and-jimber-257657671. The drawing was made by horseland-scarlet (NOT ME!) and I added the text on pizap.com. Hope you like my story and I will upload a new chapter soon! Feel free to comment below!~~