Eight year old Jake Ely stood beside his father. "When will it be here Dad?" He asked, looking up at the older man.
Luke Ely looked down at his youngest son and laughed. At eight Jake already had long hair that he refused to let his mother cut, and was full of wonder, he questioned everything, but mostly listened, he was the quiet one, but Jake had talked more in the last half hour than he had in his life. See, Luke's mare, Skye, was having her first foal, and Luke had promised Jake the foal. All of his other son's already had horses, and Jake was excited to train one by himself, something that none of his brother's had had the chance to do. "I don't know, a few more minutes maybe. These things don't happen quickly, they take time." Jake nodded, like he had five minutes before, and settled himself down to wait - again.
Just as Jake's eyes were about to drift shut, Luke whispered, "Here it comes!" Jake's brown eyes flew open, and he watched Skye begin to bring life into the world. Skye pushed and heaved, but let out a low rumbling noise whenever Luke tried to get close and help. After a grueling few minutes, Jake gasped, he saw tiny hooves. A miracle occurred right in front of him as a little black foal slipped its way into the world. After just a few seconds in the world, the foal began to move. It was all black, from hooves to ears. The foal scrambled to it's feet as Skye continued to lick it. As the foal was suckling on it's mother, Jake asked, "Is it a colt or filly?"
"Girl." Luke grunted. "What are you going to name her?"
Jake had no answer, he watched the foal finish its, no her, meal, and yawn. The foal shook itself, and looked tired. It flopped into the hay. The moonlight played on her coat, making it look darker than ever. "I don't know." Jake sighed, and continued to watch the foal.
"There's nothing more to do tonight, let's go inside Jake." Luke prompted, knowing Maxine would be mad if Jake stayed up too late.
"Can I stay out here tonight Dad? Please, please?"
"Go ahead." Luke said, and turned to leave.
"Dad, what time was she born at?"
Luke glanced at his watch. "Midnight." He answered, and left.
"Midnight," The child mused. "The witching hour." He settled down to wait. Most children would be tired by now, but Jake wasn't. He couldn't take his eyes off the filly. He could not believe that she was his! He couldn't wait to rub it in his best friend's face. Sam would be so jealous.
Jake was entranced by the foal. Every little movement caught his attention, he didn't miss anything. Every little flick of her tail, every swish of her ears, every tremble, was caught by his ever watchful eyes. When she woke again, Jake watched her itty bitty hooves, he saw how she swayed slightly on her feet as she wandered to her mother for more milk. When she was finished, and her tiny belly was bloated, Jake cautiously let himself into the stall. Dad had warned him about overprotective mothers, but Jake wasn't going to walk up to the foal. He was trying to get her to come to him.
The door creaked when he eased it shut aways behind him. It caught the curious foal's attention. She took a shaking step toward him, and then looked back at her mother. The dark bay did not seem to care, she was watching her baby carefully, but she also knew Jake, and was confident that there was no danger. The little black creature took another little step closer. After another couple of wobbly steps, the filly reached him.
"Hello there," Jake whispered, loving how her tiny ears flicked to catch his words. "You look just like your sire. He was all black too. His name was Ebony." Jake continued to talk to the filly as he reached up to pet her neck. The filly shivered under his touch, but soon relaxed. She began to nose at him, poking at his arms, chest, blowing her breath onto his neck. Remembering what his grandfather had told him, Jake leaned and blew his breath into her nostrils. She started, but breathed back. Feeling like he had accomplished something, Jake gave her neck another pet, and turned to move out of the stall. He let out a squeak as she nipped his arm. "You little demon!" He swore, then stopped. Could Demon be an option for her name? He shook his head. If she was male then maybe, but she was a female. "What should I call you? What's your name?" He asked, then shook his head. She couldn't answer him.
But Demon had given him a starting point. The foal had seemed to make it obvious that she was a trouble maker, she was adventurous, and maybe just plain evil, but that was okay with Jake. She seemed to like him, and he was sure that if he could keep it that way he would keep on breathing. He thought about names, maybe something to go with her colour, like Raven. That was rejected. Crow? Nope. He leaned against the door. Naming her was going to take awhile.
***
When the filly was three days old, Jake decided to introduce her to Sam. Sam was six, and a girl, but she was okay. Jake led the younger kid into the barn, and the stall where Skye was keeping a watch over her energetic little baby. Sam peered over the stall door and gasped. "Oooh, Jakey, she bootiful. Wha's her name?" Sam turned to look at him, her green eyes piercing his brown ones.
"She doesn't have a name. She's got many different sides, and I need one that will fit her all the way around."
"Wha 'bout Black Baby?" Sam suggested, kissing at the foal. The foal in question pinned her ears back.
"No, she's not the cuddly sort." Jake explained.
"I bet she loves you. Can I go see her?"
Jake shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?" Sam whined, stamping her small foot to prove her point.
"Well, Nate was going to muck out the stall, and now he has a cast on . . ." Jake trailed off.
"But you will be wif me. I will be safe." Sam pleaded.
Jake sighed and opened the stall, slipping in before Sam. The foal darted to his side, nosing at him. She had grown more steady on her feet, and she didn't sleep as much. Jake thought about what she would do when she was allowed out in the field in a couple of days, like Luke had said. Sam came in beside Jake, and made a move to pet the foal's neck like Jake. The filly snapped her teeth at Sam's arm, only turning away because Jake moved to shield Sam.
"See what I mean?" Jake asked Sam, once they were safely outside the stall.
"She doesn't like me!" Sam wailed, tears brimmed in her eyes. "I don't like her either." The six year old decided and stomped out of the barn.
***
Skye and her foal were spending their first day outside together. Jake was perched on a fence watching them. Skye had almost instantly settled down to graze in the small paddock, but the foal was amazed. She tried to look at everything at once, she pranced on the unfamiliar feel of grass, nosed at the fence, shied at the calls of birds, stared in wonder at the brilliant blue sky, but one thing above all others caught her attention. The ranch horses in the other field. The foal raced to the fence -at a speed thought almost impossible for a horse her age- and looked through. Jake's smiled when he followed her gaze, and saw that she had caught one of the other's horses attention too. Chocolate Chip, his older brother's horse, rambled up to the fence to nose at the filly.
"Hey little bro," Quinn called. Jake slipped off the fence post to walk beside his brother. "How's the little horse working out for you?"
"Good, she really seems to like me."
"She doesn't like Nate." Quinn laughed, waving to their older brother, who was sulking on the porch, attempting to hide his recently turned neon pink cast.
Jake shrugged. "She doesn't seem to like most people."
Quinn opened his mouth to say something than swore. "Or other horses." Jake looked over in time to see his little foal take a bite out of Chocolate Chip's nose. "She's a devil!" Quinn cried, as he ran to his now bleeding horse.
Jake jogged to keep up. "She can be quite a witch." He agreed, and stopped. That was what her name was! Witch!
As Quinn began to tend to Chip, he asked Jake, "That thing have a name yet?"
"Yeah, her name is Witch." Jake explained.
"Fitting." Quinn snorted.
Jake ignored his brother and slid into the paddock. The foal ran to him, her feet skimming the ground. She bumped him with her little black muzzle and he laughed. "Witch." He murmured, to see if she liked it and she nickered.
I don't own Phantom Stallion. Thanks to iluvacting and thanks to you who will review, you are appreciated. ;D
~DI4MGZ~