Preface
Whapap! The pain was unbearable. Hot searing strips of pain all over. Crack! The pain was there again, but more unbearable by the second. Vexi was in pain. She tried to kick out toward whatever was making her hurt. "What did I do to deserve this?" she found herself thinking. SSSSHAPAK! Came the answering whip lash.
"Put a rope on her and tie her to the rail!" someone shouted in the background.
Vexi was weak, skinny, covered in blood, and dizzy with pain from the whip lashes. In her blind pain, she started to run in a mad frenzy, knocking the man with the lariat to the ground. The black, starless night was cold, so unbelievably cold. There was no snow, but the howling wind took what warmth she had away, chilling her to the bones.
She was running, running hard. The men who were causing her pain were coming toward her, but she didn't slow down, no matter how weak she was from the neglect. You could barely tell she was alive, let alone a bay paint horse. CRACK! A bullet whizzed past her. "They're shooting at me?" she thought to herself?
Faster and faster she ran. The sounds of her pursuers were starting to fade. Maybe they decided she wasn't worth it; couldn't make it until the morning. Well, maybe they were right. Maybe Vexi wouldn't make it until the morning. She was determined to prove them wrong.
After several hours of running, Vexi decided to rest beside a small meadow with a stream and a grove of trees. It may have sounded safe and homey, but it wasn't inviting. The grass was all shriveled up and dry; gone even. The stream was frozen solid. The trees were old and twisted, without any leaves." Maybe they won't look for me until morning. I can last until then," she tried to reassure herself.
Later, when all was quiet and Vexi was asleep, a twig snapped. The shadowy figure froze, unsure if the sound was heard by the miserable looking horse. Nothing moved. Slowly the figure moved closer. The black metal stick hanging by its side was deadly and wicked looking. When the figure was a mere ten feet away, it slowly drew up the metal stick and aimed for Vexi. The figure put its finger on the trigger, ready to fire. Suddenly, Vexi had a feelling, call it a sixth sense, that made her wake up. Quickly, the figure pulled the trigger, sending the tranquilizer dart into her emaciated hind end. Vexi jumped, surprised that she was hit. Slowly, her mind being muddled, she stumbled once, twice, and one last time before toppling over.
When she awoke the next day, she found herself in a wood corral. Startled, she sidestepped so fast she fell on her side, then when she got up she jumped so high she fell over backwards.
"I won't hurt you," came a voice from behind her. It was a human. Frightened, she jumped into the wall, scraping her scabbed over wounds and reopening them. This human didn't seem to be too scary; didn't seem to want to hurt her. She decided to trust him. He held out a treat.
"It's O.K. girl, I won't hurt you," he cooed as he held out a treat. She decided to trust him and took the treat tentatively. He touched Vexi's nose. Startled, she snapped her head up and out of his reach. " I don't know how I got you in this bad shape or how you got this way, but you are going to be fine," said the strange man. He smelled of hay, sweat, and horse.