CHAPTER ELEVEN, healing hearts
Right when we reached the barn yard, we heard a horse screaming, Ben, Duke and Bully were barking their heads off. We calmly walked around the barn and saw a really weird view. The vet was trying to calm a white mare down. She suddenly stopped freaking out and turned our way. She had smelt Adrenaline. She nickered tentatively.
“That’s better. Thanks, Adrenaline.” Was all he said.
“No problem.” Was all I replied. The mare stamped her foot and shook her mane.
“What’s her name?”
“Eclipsed Moonlight, answers to moon. She’s a purebred Arabian. Actually, she’s a show horse.”
“What’s she doing here?”
“I really don’t know. She was standing here, right by this fence. She started rearing and throwing a fit ever since I walked up to her.”
“How did you know her name? And how did you recognize her?”
“First off, see this gray stripe running down her face? And her halter has her name on it, so I knew immedietly who it was. I wonder if her owner knows her mare is missing. Bring Adrenaline over here, but make sure you have a firm grip. I don’t want anything to happen. He’s a calm horse, but I’m not so sure about her. Erik, come over here now and get a firm grip on her lead. I’m going to set up a pen for her, and I’ll take pictures of her later and post them around town, and ask whoever owns her to call. Guys, be careful, k? Make sure nothing happens.”
Erik just stood there and I took a timid step. I looked at Moon and saw something on her chest. It was a red line and it looked infected. Nothing could have caused that except a whip.
“Erik, look at her chest…”
He looked and sent out a stream of swears words. He was mad, and the horses picked up on it, but stood there calmly.
“We know the reason,” Erik said. “Why she ran away.”
I nodded my head.
“She’s hurt physically and emotionally. We’re going to have to heal her emotional scars on her heart.”
CHAPTER TWELVE, On The Recovery Path
I held Moon’s lead as Bob cleaned her cut. It hasn’t been there very long, as Bob said.
“Probably only a day or two, but still long enough to get infected. I’m going to contact her owners. Meanwhiel she can stay in that stall over there.”
Bob was trying to imitate a southern drawl. I laughed. Maybe his name incouraged him? His whole name happened to be Billy Oscar Besch. That’s why he wanted us to call him ‘Bob’.
“Why do you have to call them?”
“Because if we don’t contact them ASAP they will have the right to press charges, so I’m going to call them now. Put Moon in that stall.”
I led Moon into the stall and made sure she had bedding, food and water. She snorted indigiantly. I stroked her face and unclipped the lead and walked out the stall door, turning back to make sure the door was shut and locked. She peaked out over the half door. She spotted Adrenaline standing as close as the fence allowed. He neighed a greeting. They were gonna be OK.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN, Description
A few days later, Moon’s owners came. Adrenaline and Moon had been running around in the pen, we had put them together in the same pen because they had been fighting their own, trying to sniff each other and play. Now they were together and playing happily with Ben, Duke, and Bully.
Her owners pulled in about half an hour ago, and Billy was talking to them, making sure that this was their horse, made sure that they had the papers and her medical history. I was washing the dishes and Erik was outside mucking stalls. As I put another plate in the rack, Mrs. Huffington- that was her Moon’s owner’s name- turned to me and said; “I like that those animals get along so well. Moon was never very social, and she gets along with that stallion just fine. Do you know who owns that fine horse?”
“Ma’am, Adrenaline belongs to me, he’s a permanent resident here. I like it too, that they get along. Adrenaline has been a lonely horse far too long.”
“Well, Ms. Henning-”
“Please call me Alisa.”
“Well, Alisa, I was wondering if Adrenaline could be Moon’s travel buddy?”
“As in, sell him to you?” Shock crossed my face. She nodded. I flushed.
“But, the whip mark on Moon’s chest, I don’t want his fate to be like that. I don’t want him abused!”
Shock crossed her face, and just then Mr. Huffington came in. Mrs. Huffington didn’t notice him.
“That wasn’t done by me. I sincerely love that horse like my own child. Mr. Huffington did that one night. You see, he was drunk, and was working her, and got mad at her because her gait wasn’t right, and now I won’t let him anywhere near her. He’s always been the worst man to the animals. I charged him for hurting my girl. She’s always been alone.”
Mr. Huffington’s face flushed with anger.
Chapter Fourteen,Deception
“No.” Were the first words out of my mouth. “I refuse to sell him.”
“It’s ok, we respect that.”
I turned around and finished the dishes.
Mr. huffington had stomped out and was sitting in the truck blaring music, oblivious and ignorant of us, in his own world.
“He’s the one that harmed Moon?”
“Yes, he’s never been good around horses. Oh, look at that…”
She was looking out the window. Adrenaline and Moon were running around their pen, rearing occasionally.
“I can’t sell him, I’m sorry. He’s too close to me for me to do that. I know he’s close to Moon too, but he needs me and I need him.”
“Moon can stay here, she can’t be a show horse now.”
I looked at her curiously. She continued.
“She’s been abused by her legal owner, that would be Mr. Grumpy out there, and that’s considered offensive by the horse council.”
“Oh,” was all I could say. I thought a little.
“She’s a beautiful mare, and good temperament.”
“Yes, I know.”
I turned back to the sink and cleaned up my water mess.
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