| General Fiction posted August 15, 2023 | Chapters: |
3 4 -5- 6... 
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The Titan
A chapter in the book Four Horse Island
Horse Number Two
by w.j.debi
| Background Ava Revel frees herself from debris, searches the ship, and finds she is alone except for four horses and a goat in the cargo bay. Ava is attempting to free the animals one-by-one. |
Apollo had been a joy to lead. Even at fifteen hands and an estimated 950 pounds, he had been so light on the lead rope that I had hardly noticed.
Younger than Apollo, the second horse stood about thirteen hands high and weighed roughly 750 pounds. I felt every bit of his well-muscled physique straining at the end of the taut rope, especially when an unexpected sight or sound distracted him. If it weren’t for my firm grip, he would likely be tossing his head. Twice during our short trek, he let out loud, sustained neighs which echoed in the cargo bay.
Though he was well-trained enough to stay by my side, the smell of his sweat-soaked hair, the arch of his neck, the nervous twitching of his eyes, his flared nostrils, and the fact he kept one ear focused in my direction but the other constantly flickering as he searched for unusual sounds let me know he was on alert and ready to react to anything suspicious.
Using my best horse-calming tone, I soothed, “Easy, boy. Easy. You’ll be with Apollo soon. Where are you from? Do you understand English? Is, ‘whoa,’ a universal command all over the world? I’m hoping so. How about I call you Titan?”
When we arrived at the elevator, the threshold had him all aquiver and snorting. He pranced in place, trying to decide whether to cross that silver band on the floor or not. I stepped in and out several times to reassure him.
“See, it’s safe, Titan. Come on. We don’t have a lot of time to waste. The others need to get out, too.”
A sudden noise startled him. It may have been something falling or a vent turning on, but Titan jumped the threshold, landing with a thud and a bit of a skid inside the elevator. The floor dropped two inches. My stomach did the same.
I kicked the block of wood out of the way, hoping the doors would close before the horse could change his mind. Titan attempted to rear, but his back feet slid on the wood floor. His front hooves only rose a foot before they bounced back to the floor. The elevator shuddered.
“Oh, please don’t let this elevator stop now,” I said as calmly as I could for the horse’s sake.
An ear-piercing neigh reverberated in the small space.
I stroked the horse’s neck. “Take it easy, Titan. Shush, boy. We’re getting close.” I counted aloud to keep his attention and my focus.
The bell dinged. Titan flinched.
“Whoa, boy.”
When the door opened, he lunged out. I braced my feet and pulled on the lead. He spun to face me, his back legs scrambling to find purchase on the smooth deck. This gave me just enough time to step to his left side.
“Take it easy, boy. We’re almost there.”
Apollo neighed in the distance; Titan answered with another ear-splitting roar. Several times, I tugged up and down on the lead rope to remind him I was there.
“No sense waiting. Come on.”
We headed down the deck with me leaning back on the lead rope to keep Titan in check. When we reached the top of the ramp the two horses saw each other and began neighing excitedly. Thankfully, Titan hesitated to consider the two-inch gap between the deck and the ramp. I half expected Apollo to start up the ramp, but he waited.
“Okay, Titan, I’m not going down the ramp with you like I did with Apollo. It’s too slick, and you’re ready to explode at any moment. If I were injured, I couldn’t help the other horses. Be careful.”
I reached up to unlatch the halter. As soon as he felt the slack, Titan reared, catching me by surprise. I tumbled backward.
As I lay on my back, I heard Titan skidding down the ramp. A couple of thumps midway down made me wonder if he fell or was just hitting the ramp hard with his hooves. In any case, the cyclone was released.
I took a couple of deep breaths. Was I hurt? No, just had the wind knocked out of me. I sat up. After a couple of minutes, I got to my feet to look down at the horses.
Titan was bucking, kicking, and pawing the air.
I shook my head and smiled. “Go for it, Titan. Let out all that frustration and fear. I have no idea what you went through. I was unconscious when the ship crashed and missed all the excitement.”
Apollo joined Titan and they raced back and forth along the shore. I leaned against the railing to catch my breath and enjoy the spectacle, admiring their energy, beauty, and strength.
I rubbed my right shoulder. The struggle with Titan was going to leave me sore tomorrow. A slight trembling in my muscles reminded me I needed to take care of myself if I was going to help the others. Grabbing some water or juice and maybe an energy bar or chips would be wise.
A glance at the sky told me there was maybe an hour and a half of daylight left. With any luck, I wouldn’t need that much time. I turned toward the gift shop. They had juice and snacks in stock. On my way back to the cargo bay, I could grab something to eat.
“Please, horse number three, be a gentleman.”
 Recognized |
#13 August 2023 |
Thank you to ValKul for the use of the artwork "Horse Play"
As prey animals, a horse's natural instinct is flight when encountering strange or new situations.
Hand=A horse's height is measured in hands. A hand is 4 inches. A 15-hand horse would be 60 inches tall at its withers (top of its shoulder).
'Whoa' is used to tell a horse to stop. I was taught it was the most important word a horse can know. It's saved me a few times.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. As prey animals, a horse's natural instinct is flight when encountering strange or new situations.
Hand=A horse's height is measured in hands. A hand is 4 inches. A 15-hand horse would be 60 inches tall at its withers (top of its shoulder).
'Whoa' is used to tell a horse to stop. I was taught it was the most important word a horse can know. It's saved me a few times.
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