Little Wolf saw the distress on the pony’s face. He patted the pony’s head. “Do not worry,” the boy told the pony. “I will be back. I will come to see you every day if you want me to.”
The little pony nudged the boy’s hand. Little Wolf put his arms around the pony’s neck and buried his face in the animal’s silky mane. “I promise that I will never leave you,” the boy said softly. “You will always be in my heart. No matter what, I will be your friend forever.”
The pony arched his neck and pushed closer to Little Wolf as if to say that he understood the boy’s words. Little Wolf gave the pony one last pat and started for home. He wanted to get back before nightfall.
“Until tomorrow!” the boy called out as he walked across the ridge. Little Wolf waved and
disappeared into the mountains.
With the earth for his bed and the stars for his blanket, the pony fell into a deep sleep. In his dreams, the pony ran free through fields of sweet, green grass, snorting and tossing his silky mane. And with him was his friend, Little Wolf.
The next day, the
little pony awoke refreshed. His muscles were still stiff and sore, but the plant medicine that the boy had made had helped heal his cuts. The pony decided to explore his new home. He walked farther up into the mountains above the secret place.
The land in this place was very different from anything he had ever seen before. There were no tall mountains where he was from, only gentle rolling hills. The pony sensed
that this land, these
mountains, were special in some way that he did not quite understand. He knew without knowing that the mountains were very ancient. When the pony looked up at the smoky mist that covered the high peaks, it was easy to
imagine that the
mountains contained a strange, mysterious magic.
A bright yellow butterfly caught the little pony’s eye. Forgetting his aches and pains, the pony chased the butterfly. Gleefully, he
galloped after the
butterfly. He tossed his head in joy. Suddenly, the pony heard a noise. The pony froze. Quickly, he hid behind a tree.
Relieved, the pony saw that it was only the small human coming to see him. The pony neighed in
greeting and ran to the boy.
“There you are,” Little Wolf said. “I guess you are right to hide, someone else may find this place.” The boy held out his hand to the pony. He had brought some dried apples as a treat for his friend.
Greedily, the pony ate the sweet apples. As the little pony munched on the treats, Little Wolf realized that there was a chance that someone could
discover the secret place. No one had until now, but…
“I’ve got it!” Little Wolf cried. “We need a signal.” The boy popped a piece of dried apple into his mouth. The pony put his lips up to Little Wolf’s mouth, trying to get the apple. “Stop it!” Little Wolf said, laughing. Playfully, the boy blew air through his mouth. It made a
whistling sound. Startled, the pony stopped and stared at Little Wolf’s mouth. “That’s it!” Little Wolf cried. “When I come to the ridge, I will whistle. That way you will know it is me. See – like this.” Little Wolf put his fingers to his lips and out came a loud, shrill whistle. The
little pony neighed loudly in return.
The boy and the pony spent the rest of the day walking far up into the mountains. As they walked, Little Wolf told the pony the stories of his people. He told the pony about the first man and the first woman. Little Wolf explained to the pony how his people came to be in these mountains. He amused the little pony with many tales about the animals. With the boy by his side, the pony began to feel at home in the new land.
Without realizing it, the boy and the pony had strayed far away from the secret place. The sun began to sink low in the sky. “We must hurry back to the clearing,” Little Wolf said. “It will be dark very soon.”
Just then, the two heard a cry from above them. It was a cougar! The cougar’s cry sounded like a woman’s screams. Suddenly, the cougar leaped from the rocks.
“Run!” shouted Little Wolf.
The boy and the pony ran as fast as they could away from the big cat.
The pony was fast and surefooted. But the boy was not so swift or so
surefooted. Little Wolf tripped and fell to the ground. He could hear the big cat’s screams. It was right behind him!
Next Time:
Riding the Wind
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