Alec's mind was foggy and muddled. His thinking was stupid and slow. His back, chest, and legs were alive with an intense, burning pain. Alec thought he was dead, but he couldn't tell.
The boy groaned, making a weak attempt to sit up. Alec gasped and fell back to the ground. More ferocious waves of agony burst through his body and down his spine. Alec opened his eyes and looked around, pitifully trying to prop himself up on his elbow. Alec could turn his head slightly to the right and a fraction more to the left. He soon wished it would have been the other way around.
Alec saw his beloved friend lying on the ground barely a foot away. The Black's enormous, powerful body was deathly still, save for a shallow, ragged breath every once in awhile. Alec wriggled over to his stallion, ignoring the brutal pain that movement brought.
The Black's head moved slightly at the sound of Alec's hand hitting a loose rock. He tried to nicker, but he ended up coughing painfully. Alec couldn't bear to look at the grotesque sight.
Producing form the Back's middle was a sharp rock. Fresh blood covered it, running down and soaking the black stallion's once gleaming coat. Tears coursed down Alec's dirt-streaked cheeks. He let his head fall onto the Black's neck, sobbing.
Alec didn't do anything but lay there and cry for a while. During a short interval of his crying, Alec felt the Black stop breathing. He wept, face turned upward towards the heavens. The bell of death had tolled.
Why? Why had this happened to him? His best friend was gone- forever. Alec felt like dying himself. "Why?" he shouted, "Why did you do this to me, Lord?!!!" Alec cried from the effort the shout took. The boy cried himself to sleep, his head resting against the big black stallion's muddy cheek.
Alec awoke with a start. He looked to his right and saw Sham's head hovering about his shoulder. He patted the bay muzzle, then turned back to his stallion. A single tear rolled down the boy's face as he touched the mighty horse's body- it was cold. Alec closed the stallion's eyelid, thoughts drifting through his muddled mind- thoughts about his amazing horse.
How the Black had towed him to dry land after the shipwreck… His first ride upon the black demon… His race against Steve Duncan… How he had defeated Sunraider and Cyclone… How he had nearly lost his stallion to a stark mad, rabies carrying vampire bat and found him on some odd island…
But now he's gone forever… Alec thought. He looked skyward one last time, and he opened his mouth. And unearthly howl escaped his chapped lips, full of grief, sadness, and depression.
And then…