06-06-2015, 11:49 PM
It was amazing that Kreios could calm her racing heart, allowing her to take a full breath for the first time since she woke. He stepped in front of her, preventing her from retreating from the canyon and telling her that he didn't want her to go, that he would protect her. He reached out and touched her again, the gentle contact causing her eyes to drift shut and lean into him. The way he was talking, it seemed as though he wouldn't mind dying for her and the rest of the herd- that thought terrified her more than anything.
And then she asked the question that she knew was coming all along.
"I guess there's no time like the present,"she laughed humorlessly under her breathe and began her story.
"Like I told you before, my mother was a tame horse. The man that she belonged to was the cruelest creature that I have ever encountered. When I was a filly, I would watch him ride my mother, and he had little silver things on his heels that he would jam into her stomach and shoulders when she didn't do anything wrong. And the whip..." She shivered and closed her eyes. "Anyways when I was only six months old he separated me from my mother and put me in a small box called a stall that he never cleaned, and he often didn't let me out or give me any food or water for days at a time. When I was a yearling, he tried to ride me for the first time. I threw him off in five seconds flat."She grinned a bit at that, remembering the rewarding thud as his body hit the ground, but her smile dropped as she continued. "His men attacked me after I threw him, grabbing my reins and dragging me around until the bit made my mouth bleed. They tied me to a fence and left me there for almost a week without feeding me or allowing me to rest.
The next time the man got on my back, he put the small metal things on his heels and brought his whip. He called the metal things spurs, and would kick them into my side whenever I did something wrong. That's where these are from." She gestured to small roundish scars dotting her barrel and the long thin marks on her flanks that were courtesy of the whip before returning to her story, "I tried to throw him that time as well. I reared, but he pulled hard enough on my mouth that he thew me off balance and took me down with him. I broke his leg that day.
"After his leg healed, he tried again and again with the same result. He almost shot me once. He had to have five men to hold me still and he pointed a gun to my head, but stopped short of pulling the trigger saying that it would be a shame to waste 'such a pretty horse.'" She rolled her eyes."He decided to try to breed me. That didn't go all that well either. I fought every stallion he put me with, holding my own until they figured that I wasn't worth the trouble. One stallion was particularly determined, and gave me this," she flipped her long mane over to the side, revealing the largest scar she possessed; a long jagged one that ran diagonally across her neck. "He reared and came down on me. I almost died from the bloodloss-the man said that I was too much trouble to spend any money on.
"It took me months to heal, and during that time he put me in a small dirt paddock with six other horses, including my mother. I had already decided to try and escape, and tried to convince her to come with me, but she was too afraid. I didn't blame her, only the day before we'd seen him shoot a colt and his dam because he said they were eating too much of his grass and hay. I was honestly surprised that I had survived up until that point. She begged me not to go. She was terrified that they would kill me but I just couldn't take it anymore. I would rather he shoot me when I'm trying to get free then die alone without ever living my life.
"I waited until the lights in the house went off before I made my case with the other horses- they too refused to come with me. I understood-it took every ounce of bravery I possessed to even imagine my escape, but I only wish they could've seen things from my point of view. We were as good as dead the way we were living. We woke up every morning hoping we would get something to eat and not get shot."She shook her head. "That's no way to live. I moved the others to the side and destroyed a small part of the fence-it was weak and rotten anyway-before making one last plea with the other mares. I couldn't convince them, and much sooner than I expected the man came rushing outside with his gun, firing blindly into the night. I couldn't wait any longer-I ran. I had to leave them all behind...But then I found this place, and, well you know the rest.
"So now you see, if they find me here, they'll bring me back to that place, they'll bring all of the other horses here as well."She stomped her foot and shifted her weight."I couldn't live with myself if that happened." She said the last part in a whisper, and stared at the ground, awaiting his response.
And then she asked the question that she knew was coming all along.
"I guess there's no time like the present,"she laughed humorlessly under her breathe and began her story.
"Like I told you before, my mother was a tame horse. The man that she belonged to was the cruelest creature that I have ever encountered. When I was a filly, I would watch him ride my mother, and he had little silver things on his heels that he would jam into her stomach and shoulders when she didn't do anything wrong. And the whip..." She shivered and closed her eyes. "Anyways when I was only six months old he separated me from my mother and put me in a small box called a stall that he never cleaned, and he often didn't let me out or give me any food or water for days at a time. When I was a yearling, he tried to ride me for the first time. I threw him off in five seconds flat."She grinned a bit at that, remembering the rewarding thud as his body hit the ground, but her smile dropped as she continued. "His men attacked me after I threw him, grabbing my reins and dragging me around until the bit made my mouth bleed. They tied me to a fence and left me there for almost a week without feeding me or allowing me to rest.
The next time the man got on my back, he put the small metal things on his heels and brought his whip. He called the metal things spurs, and would kick them into my side whenever I did something wrong. That's where these are from." She gestured to small roundish scars dotting her barrel and the long thin marks on her flanks that were courtesy of the whip before returning to her story, "I tried to throw him that time as well. I reared, but he pulled hard enough on my mouth that he thew me off balance and took me down with him. I broke his leg that day.
"After his leg healed, he tried again and again with the same result. He almost shot me once. He had to have five men to hold me still and he pointed a gun to my head, but stopped short of pulling the trigger saying that it would be a shame to waste 'such a pretty horse.'" She rolled her eyes."He decided to try to breed me. That didn't go all that well either. I fought every stallion he put me with, holding my own until they figured that I wasn't worth the trouble. One stallion was particularly determined, and gave me this," she flipped her long mane over to the side, revealing the largest scar she possessed; a long jagged one that ran diagonally across her neck. "He reared and came down on me. I almost died from the bloodloss-the man said that I was too much trouble to spend any money on.
"It took me months to heal, and during that time he put me in a small dirt paddock with six other horses, including my mother. I had already decided to try and escape, and tried to convince her to come with me, but she was too afraid. I didn't blame her, only the day before we'd seen him shoot a colt and his dam because he said they were eating too much of his grass and hay. I was honestly surprised that I had survived up until that point. She begged me not to go. She was terrified that they would kill me but I just couldn't take it anymore. I would rather he shoot me when I'm trying to get free then die alone without ever living my life.
"I waited until the lights in the house went off before I made my case with the other horses- they too refused to come with me. I understood-it took every ounce of bravery I possessed to even imagine my escape, but I only wish they could've seen things from my point of view. We were as good as dead the way we were living. We woke up every morning hoping we would get something to eat and not get shot."She shook her head. "That's no way to live. I moved the others to the side and destroyed a small part of the fence-it was weak and rotten anyway-before making one last plea with the other mares. I couldn't convince them, and much sooner than I expected the man came rushing outside with his gun, firing blindly into the night. I couldn't wait any longer-I ran. I had to leave them all behind...But then I found this place, and, well you know the rest.
"So now you see, if they find me here, they'll bring me back to that place, they'll bring all of the other horses here as well."She stomped her foot and shifted her weight."I couldn't live with myself if that happened." She said the last part in a whisper, and stared at the ground, awaiting his response.