The next morning, Little Wolf awoke refreshed. He ate the morning meal with gusto.“Your appetite is very big for one so small,” Little Wolf’s mother teased. She watched her young son eat. Her eyes were filled with a mother’s love. “You look more like your father each day,” Little Wolf’s mother observed.
For the first time in a long time, Little Wolf smiled at her. “It’s such a fine day. Why don’t you go see my elder brother, your uncle, today?” Little Wolf’s mother suggested. “He has asked why you do not come to see him.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to see him,” he said. Little Wolf felt frustrated. He could not find the words to tell his mother what he had been feeling. “The trader is bringing some new horses,” his
mother said. She knew how much Little Wolf loved horses. “I would like to see the horses!” Little Wolf
hesitated, and then
decided. “I will go see my uncle today.”
Little Wolf’s mother
nodded with pleasure. “Give this to my
brother’s wife,” Little Wolf’s mother handed him a sack of sweet dried fruit. “Be home in time for supper.”
“Yes, Mother,” Little Wolf said. Impulsively, the boy gave his mother a big hug. “My son,” Little Wolf’s mother whispered. She
ruffled the boy’s hair.“Go now!” his mother said,
pretending to scold.
Little Wolf walked the few miles to his uncle’s farm. His uncle was very rich. He had a fine house and animals, including many horses. He heard it said that his uncle had the finest horses in the entire nation!
While Little Wolf was travelling to his uncle’s, the horse trader was
bringing his horses along the trail. He had many horses, including a
beautiful little pony. The pony was a chestnut brown colour with a soft, silky mane. The pony had a noble head. Its eyes were dark and intelligent.
But
in those eyes one could see a deep sadness.
An old, grizzled
packhorse trotted along side the pony. “What’s the
matter with you?” the old horse asked. “I miss my home,” the pony answered. “It was such a beautiful place! Everywhere were fields of sweet, tender grass. I used to run and play all day in the fields with my brothers and sisters.”
“Sounds right nice,” the old horse admitted. “How did you end up here?”
“I don’t know,” the little pony stammered. “It all
happened so fast… One minute I was running free, and the next thing I knew, a strange two-legged
creature was running after me. Then I felt something tighten around my neck.
It was awful!”
“Humans!” the old horse spit the word out. “That’s what took you. A human. They’re evil, every last one of them. They capture you and make you into a slave. There’s no such thing as a good human, I say!”
The little pony felt a shiver of fear run down his back. He whinnied softly. “Are all humans bad?” he asked. “Every last one of them!” the old horse replied. “Big ones, little ones, red ones, white ones. It don’t make nary a difference. They’re all the same! Just plain no good!”
“I don’t want to be a slave!” the little pony cried. “Is there nothing I can do?”
“Don’t let them ride on your back,” the old horse advised.
“If’n they come near you, rear up your front legs and buck like crazy. Act like Old Scratch is in you if’n you have to. Whatever you do, don’t let them ride you!”
“Gee, horse! Yah! Yah!” the trader yelled, snapping his whip across the packhorse’s back to get him to move faster
.The old
packhorse looked at the man. There was hatred in his eyes. “See what I mean?” the old horse hissed. “Evil, pure evil!”
Presently, the trader and his
horses came to a farm. The trader herded the horses into a pen. He walked over to Little Wolf’s uncle.
“I have some fine horseflesh for you!” the trader said. “We shall see,” Uncle replied. ‘Uncle, may I go see the horses?” Little Wolf asked.“You may,” Uncle said. “Mind that old
packhorse,” the trader shouted after Little Wolf. “He bites! ”Little Wolf went over to the pen. The
little pony and the packhorse stood by themselves at one end. The boy spotted the beautiful pony right away.
Little Wolf opened the gate and walked over to the pony. “Look at you!” Little Wolf crooned. He moved
closer, extending his palm face up to the pony.
“Remember what
I told you!” hissed the old horse.
Suddenly the little pony reared up on its hind legs.
It began to buck wildly. “Nephew!” his uncle screamed. “Watch out!”
The pony brought its hooves down with all its might. Right toward Little Wolf!
Next Time: Kindred Spirits
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