by canter » Sun Dec 23, 2012 12:07 pm
This might be a little long XD Here's my literate entry starring Jedi and Maisha <3
- Jedi and Maisha’s Flirtatious Gallop Through the Snow –
I stood, all muscles tense as I surveyed the scene before me. There were bright flashes of red and green, spearing through the white horizon of snow. The air was filled with the sounds of young children playing and running in the freshly fallen snow. My long ears flicked one direction to the next, alert and ready to bolt away if I needed to. I was attached to a trailer with a thin, black rope, resisting all of my sudden movements. I didn’t feel comfortable here, I was alone and very uneasy. My eyes wild, they darted back and forth as I heard a shrill whinny, similar to mine. Swinging my head to the side I caught sight of a delicate head through a gap in a nearby trailer. I paused, my uneasiness evaporating from my conscience. I swiveled my ears to catch the whinny as hooves beat the hard bottom of the trailer. Nostrils flared, I battled the rope to see more of the equine behind me. I could tell it was my kind, and was a mare. My conformation abruptly shifted, I arched my muscled neck and stood tall as a pair of humans led the mare out of her metal confinement. She was radiant against the vast white around her, her sleek body glided out of the trailer and into the snow. She stood still for a moment, her eyes wide and curious as she took in the sights round her. I surveyed her and he had a sharp intake of breath as her wild, untamed eyes reached mine. I let the air in my lungs go, and condensation seeped out of my nostrils. She tossed her delicate head and let out a soft nicker. I raised my head and snorted in response, starting to prance on the spot, struck by her beauty. The humans weaved around us, carrying odd lanyards and other objects as I approached the young, stunning mare. I pushed my chest out and gave another snort as a human quickly untied me and stationed me right next to the incredible mare. Standing proud, I lowered my gaze to hers and gave her a playful nip on the neck. ‘What can I call you?’ I snorted to her, my tone welcoming. Gracefully, she raised her head to be level with mine and tilted her head a little, as if looking me over. Her expression finally broke into a playful grin as she responded, flicking her tail. ‘I’m Maisha, and I come from the mountains of the North.’ Her voice was smooth and flawless, as though she was singing rather than talking. I relaxed a little more and replied. ‘Call me Jedi, I-‘ I was interrupted by a petite human that called out to us in a soft voice. I stood my ground and did not budge, but I could see that the girl was no harm. Slowly, I reached out and prodded her with my muzzle before adult humans bustled towards us and led us to a few sleds. Curiousity started to nip at my mind as I peered at these bizarre objects, carved into different shapes. The humans gave me no time to observe, they led me to one of these sleds and exchanged a few words amongst themselves before pairing me and Maisha up. I did not try to hide my enthusiasm. Giving a snort of contempt, the humans attempted to harness me.
Legends tell of what happened to me and Maisha that day; when the humans oblige you to work, and force metal bars into your mouth and heavy packages to weigh down your back. Thus, I put up a fuss at first, rebelling against the three humans that tried to harness me. I could feel the eyes of other equines trained on me, and most importantly, Maisha’s. I let my head drop, and reluctantly accepted the metal bar above my tongue. It was different in the legends, the metal bar was supposed to feel harsh and cruel, but it felt somehow bearable. Maisha looked at me as if I was about to catch fire, but I gave her a nod and she quickly accepted her metal bar. I barely noticed as humans buzzed past us, quickly preparing for what was to come. I felt better now, with another equid at my side and my confidence back. I whirled around and realized me and Maisha were the last team to be ready. I shook my head and watched patiently as the harness was pulled over my shoulders.
A few minutes later, me and Maisha were all tacked up. We had both briefly met our jockey and were ready to go. I could feel my competitive side arise as I looked around the starting point. There were more equids than I realized. Brushing the thought of losing away, I nudged Maisha and she turned to me, a confident look in her bright eyes. The whole clearing was silent, all eyes trained to the narrow path before the competitors, hidden underneath thick trees. I felt my body ready itself for the effort to come. The humans all held their breaths until a loud, blaring sound exploded into the silence and cast the teams into chaos. Maisha and I glanced at each other, sharing thoughts. We took a few short trot steps and then, with all the power in our bodies, we hurled ourselves into a flat out gallop. My hooves drummed against the earth as Maisha seemed to float just off the ground, taking long, even strides, never faltering a step. Our jockey yelled out in surprised excitement at the sudden burst of speed. I glanced at Maisha before taking a stride towards her, enclosing the space between us as a sled led by four stallions shot by. Instincts roaring above all else, I let out a challenging call to the sled just in front of ours. Thinking fast, I elongated my strides and pinned my ears into my mane. Maisha was faring excellently, she didn’t look tired, she looked just as determined as I was. Taking advantage of her speed and stamina, I raised the speed up a notch. Our jockey sounded a little panicked, if that’s what all her wails were about, but I barely heard her cries above the howling of the wind and the drumming of hoofbeats. My eyes fixed on the path ahead, I suddenly caught sight of a sharp turn. I gulped in a quick breath of air as I realized there was no other side. I planted both feet in front of me as I skidded across the frozen water beneath my unsteady hooves. I stumbled a bit and then realized Maisha and the sled were going to go over. My eyes suddenly widened as Maisha let out a high pitched squeal. Bunching up my muscles, I gathered my strength and jerked away from the turn. The sled spun around, having gotten back on firm ground. Maisha gasped in exhilaration, but then gave a spirited buck before charging forwards again. I was a little shaken, that mare had personality! I chased the thoughts from my head and concentrated solely on catching up to the equines in the lead. Maisha and I soon regained our rhythm and heard the equines ahead of us. If we were to make it to the top three, the race would be tough. I was already planning for some way to get past the sled in front us when I felt a powerful tugging at my harness. Maisha had spotted a hidden trail through the forest. In a quick bound, I sprung into the trees. I had forgotten the most essential question; where did this trail lead? The trail was more like a tunnel than a trail, the tall, thick trees blocked skylight as Maisha and I catiously cantered through it, being careful to run straight, as the trail was barely big enough for the sleigh to fit through. The forest was strangely silent, as even the wind could not break through the tree’s thick barrier of countless needles and branches. Maisha and I exchanged glances once in a while, speeding up, we both didn’t like it very much. After a few minutes of cantering on through thhe tunnel, there was a crosspath. I stamped my hoof in frustration and snorted in anger, To my surprise Maisha was listening intently to something. Silencing myself, I pricked my ears and heard a small, hollow sound. It was definitely coming from the left path, which was the obvious one to avoid because the finish line would be expected to be on the right. However, I could feel Maisha forget about the race, and winning, she just crept towards the left path hearing the noise of the baby animal over and over, a desperate cry for help. Maisha and I quickly trotted towards the sound, curiosity taking us closer to the noise. Finally, we dropped our heads are recognized, the small dished face of a fawn. I turned around and nickered to the jockey, who seemed beside herself with panic, until she caught sight of the fawn, cold and hungry, without parents to care for it. She clambered off the sleigh and wrapped the weak fawn in her jumped, before climbing back onto the sleigh. Since the trail was too narrow to turn back, we had to continue down the left path. The scenery gradually changed and there were clearings and bushes occasionally, I hoped we were near the end of this trail, so we could find out where it would lead us. Would it mislead us or lead us to victory? Questions ceased to enter my head as the trees started to thin. Finally, the trees came to a large opening and were welcomed by humans who were everywhere, shouting and clapping. Maisha and I looked around, but saw no other equids anywhere in sight. We then realized we were the first to arrive. Maisha’s kindness had led us to our well-deserved victory. Maisha and I walked proudly across the finish line and towards the resting stops. The humans then took our harnesses off and left us alone. I look at Maisha again and smile at her, nickering a thank you. As the weak winter sun slowly set over the horizon of white, two equids nuzzled each other for the first time, learning that Christmas was about giving and then receiving.
- “You make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing.” -
- I own an eight year old hanoverian mare and am an eventer. -
- seeking art of my equine characters. If interested shoot me a PM. -