September Story Contest

Firelight Fury
by microphone & Black Mist  age12

A red stallion looked over his herd from a hill. His best mare, a pure-black Arab who was captured from a ranch, stood behind him. His white, brown, red, black, and roan herd grazed peacefully below in the meadow. Suddenly he heard a powerful buzzing noise coming from high above. He pushed Canal ahead of him and galloped down the hill toward his herd. His twin daughters, Mel and Eagle, lifted their heads to the helicopter, unafraid. But the red stallion started neighing fiercely to his herd. Mel and Eagle ran together along with their white mother. Canal turned to make sure Hakned was still behind her and kept running. The helicopter chased them towards a lone horse who ran with their herd when they reached it. But the horses were blind with fear and didn’t notice they were in a coral until the gates were closed and they were locked in. “Okay, that’s twenty herds.” Said a human to another human in the helicopter. The red stallion whinnied and reared when he was taken away from his herd. He was put in a tiny stall and tied tightly so he could barely move his head. Then a human pulled a hot stick from a fire and came towards him. Hakned whinnied with fear, but could not do anything. The human pressed the hot stick to his neck and he shrieked with pain. When the hot stick was pulled away, Hakned could feel his neck was hot and his hair was singed and smoldering. He knew what this was from childhood stories and also from Canal. It was a brand.

Hakned could only watch sadly as the rest of his herd was led away to be branded. The last mare was Canal. “Hey, she already has a brand! She’s not a mustang either. This must be Canal!” The man hurriedly pulled out a cellphone and dialed a number. “Hello, Mr. Cartwright? Yes, it’s Harold. I’ve found your horse, Canal. With a wild horse. She looks pregnant. Em hm, yep, alright, bye.” He hung up and put Canal in a private stall that said “SOLD” On it. Hakned drooped his head lower. Mel and Eagle were huddling close together, their necks stinging. Their mother, Miknu, was drooping her head near them. Suddenly a lot of people started arriving and looking at the horses. An Indian girl looked closely at Miknu, Mel and Eagle. Then she led them off whispering, “Miknu, Melody Hawk and Eagle’s Wing. I know your names, I understand your speech.” Hakned hung his head. Canal was gone, Miknu and his daughters were gone. Gani and Maki, a blue roan mare and her bay son, we being examined by a man who eventually led them off. Hakned didn’t think he’d ever find a person that he liked enough to let him/her keep him. But then, amongst the crowd, he saw a red-haired girl with her hair like flames billowing in the wind coming towards him. He lifted him noble head and reared majestically. The girl stroked his neck and whispered things to him. “I am Ann, and I will be your owner. My parents said I can get whichever horse I want. I am Ann Cartwright. You are Firelight.” Firelight remember that last name from the call ‘Harold’ had made. Would Canal be with him?

In the big trailer there were three other horses, Lilac, a bay mare of Firelight’s, Zenix, a white mare from Magic’s herd, and a black Arab mare. “Canal?” Firelight snorted. “Hakned?” “I’m Firelight now! But, but, you’re here! I’m so glad that Ann chose me!” “Ann? Oh, yeah, she was the only thing I missed at the farm.” “So you weren’t happy in the wild?” Firelight asked, afraid of the answer. “No. I wanted to go back but I knew I’d get lost. I don’t like these people, other than Ann, but most people are nicer, like the Indian girl who took Miknu and Mel and Eagle. Ann’s already named our foal. She convinced her dad to let her keep it. Her name is Starsprinkle. Mayke, the Indian girl, she visits with Nuku sometimes. At least she used to.”

The ranch was big and rough. Firelight and Canal huddled close together. Zenix came near and huddled close too. It was snowing and they were outside in the freezing cold. And that was their life until they died, of old age. Mayke visited with Miknu and Mel and Eagle.

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The END

microphone and Black Mist. Thanks for reading.