Seto had dozed off when he felt the the floor beneath him jolt. He jerked awake ready to defend himself, when he realized the trailor had only stopped. The horses whinnied nervously, straining on their ty ropes. Seto nickered grumpily, he hated being awoken from a good nap. Seto peeked through the trailor bars seeing green pastures from all sides with high, fences around them. Seto shivered anxiously and began listening for familiar voices. Seto lowered his head and nibbled at some stray hay that had fallen to the floor. He was terribly thirsty.

The trailor ramp opened and two men in beige uniform, with ropes stood at the front. They began to close in on Seto. Seto bleated weakly and shook his head. Leave me alone. He pleaded. I'm scared, leave me alone!

The men whispered to each other. One took out a handfull of pellets. Seto pricked he ears and licked his chops. Saliva fell down his lips as he wished to savor the sweet molasses covered pellets. But he wouldn't dare approach the two men, he knew they would take him somewhere. Somewhere among the tall fences in the green pastures, he would be confined for life, probably with a bunch of other poor mustangs like himself.

"Easy fella'," said one of the men "Easy boy," he held out the pellets and wrattled the container. Seto laid his ears back and backed away. No, I don't trust you!

The man clucked his tongue and wrattled the pellets again. Seto approached slowly, his aching hunger getting the better of him. The other horses pricked their ears curiously and whickered hungrily. Seto dipped his head in the oat's container and began munching slowly, savoring every bite. The man stroked Seto's satiny black neck, murmuring praises.

While the stallion ate, the man took a white nylon halter and slipped it over his head. Seto gave the man just enough time to fasten the last buckle when he jerked back. The man gasped and clung to the lead rope. "Easy, boy!" he cried holding the side of the halter to steady the nervous horse.

Seto tossed his head and attempted to nip the man, but he couldn't reach is arm. Flustered, Seto forced himself to be dragged down the ramp. The sunlight burned his eyes when he exited the dark trailor. Seto snorted and blinked adjusting to the sun that was now high in the sky. The other man grabbed Seto's neck suddenly. Seto gasped in terror and half reared as the man tied a blindfold around his eyes. Seto whinnied in anger and reared blindly, pawing at the air. Seto felt himself being pulled down to earth. He jerked and twisted and tossed his head, hoping to rid of the blindfold. Something was going on.

The man on the other end of the rope was struggling to drag the stallion into a tiny enclosed box where a veteranarian was waiting. Seto's nostril's flared as he tried to make out what trap he was entering. Seto's hindleg hit the corner of the box. He neighed in panic as he realized he was trapped. Seto stopped fighting and listened. There were soft, soothing voices talking to him. Seto relaxed, but only slightly, he was still anxious.

Seto felt soft hands run along his neck. He sniffed the hands, and realized they were covered with latex gloves. It had to be a vet or some sort of doctor. Seto nickered in fear. Please don't hurt me! He pleaded in Horse. Please don't hurt me, I'm scared!

Seto felt the hands withdraw from his shoulder and felt a sharp prick in his shoulder. Seto gave the needle pricking his hide just enough time to get all the liquid in him, before he panicked, knocking the needle to the ground. Seto jerked his head from side to side. He banged the boards with his hooves. Where they euthanizing him? The fear of dying in his sad state made Seto's heart sink with fear. But Seto did not stagger or faint, he only felt a small tingling in his limbs. He felt a little drowsy and lowered his head and sighed deeply. Seto felt something touch his shoulder again.

Every muscle in his body tensed and he jolted and lashed out with his teeth. He inhaled, trying to identify what person touched him. He caught a strong smell of perfume and peppermint. He tossed his head, it must have been that stupid vet trying to give him another shot. Seto stamped a hind foot and remained in a semi-relaxed state. Something brushed against his neck and he felt hard rough hands grab his jaw. Seto froze. Either it was the medicine that was coursing through his veins, or the terrible shock of fear that rattled him. He held his breath as the hand lifted his mouth open Seto pinned his ears back and tryed to shake off the hands prying his mouth open. The hands held him down hard enough to alow a pasty liquid fill his mouth. Seto finally got free from the jaw breaking hands and gagged on the terrible taste in his mouth. It had been dewormer paste. It tasted horrible, like freezer burnt icecream mixed with aluminum. His sputtering and gagging caused the medicine to go down his throat like chewing gum. Seto shook his head repetitivly trying to rid of the foul taste.

The halter tugged on his head again. Seto snorted and dug his hooves in the ground. A clucking sound was heard. Seto pricked his ears, he knew he could trust these people, they were trying to help him, but he didn't want to trust them. The stallion gave in and cautiously, he blindly followed the men, occaisionally sniffing the wind. Seto was forced to stop and the blindfold was lifted off his head. Seto was glad to see again and he blinked with relief. He was in a green pasture, filled with horse grazing peacfully. They were setting him free! Seto gave the men just enough time to unbuckle the halter straps before he bucked with joy and galloped away, far away from the horses and the people. He was finally going home.

Seto continued to gallop across the green feild, expecting it to turn into sage and desert, but it was nothing but rich, knee-deep grass for many feet. Seto began to tire and he looked for signs of the canyons and valleys he had crossed when he fled from his home. But the green grass never ceased. A clump of aspen trees was nearby, he headed towards them. Wasn't there a forest near Navada Kaiba Corp? He galloped on, the stressfull feeling that had filled him passed by like the breeze that whistled past him. Seto ran further into the forest when he saw a towering fence blocking the way. Seto looked at it. He would never be able to jump it. He followed it at a canter, hoping to find a way around it, but it kept going on and on. Seto squealed curiosiously and ran faster and faster. Panic was closing in on him.

Seto neighed frantically and began to hypervenalate as he tryed to get around the fence. He began to break out in a nervous sweat and he tripped several times over the gnarled tree branches. Seto turned on a grassy ridge following the tall fence when he came face to face with the highway. Seto followed the fence with his eye and far in the distance he could see the same exact horses. The feeling of being trapped again dawned on him like a thousand hail stones. He was infuriated.

Seto screamed in rage and rammed the fence. As soon as his black hide hit the railing, he felt a sharp, electrifying sensation that made every nerve in his body scream with pain. Seto squealed and backed away violently. The fence was not only tall, but it was an electric fence and it had high voltage. Seto began to tingle all over with numbness. He felt dizzy from the sudden shock that had hit his bloodstream. He trotted away from the fence and stared at it for a while in silent horror. Now he knew there was no way out. He gave a frusrated snort and backed up to a tall tree root jutting out from the ground. Seto stepped over it with his hindfeet, but his front limbs weren't so lucky and he banged his hurt foot on the root, hard.

Seto threw his head up and whinnied in pain as his foot ,that was once scabbed over, began to gush blood again. Seto was shaky with pain as he lowered his head to examine his injury. It looked terrible, it was yellowish brown and now had a trickle of red blood running down it. Seto nuzzled it and limped away from the forest and into the green pasture. Seto sighed, not from exhaustion, but from pure misery. He nibbled at the rich green grass, but the pain in his foot didn't cease and it worsened. Seto grazed like the other horses. He knew from now on he would be one of them until he somehow, magically turned back into a human or sprouted wings and flew over the fence.

Seto felt guilty as he chewed on the grass, he went through how he waisted his life on that stupid card game (no, the author doesn't think it's stupid) and that stupid company. He thought about poor Mokuba never seeing his brother again and have to live with someone else.

And I forgot to tell him how to run Kaiba Corp., he thought miserably. Seto stopped eating and stood still with his head low, wishing he would die right now. He closed his eyes and opened them again to see if he was only dreaming, but he was still staring at the endless green pasture under the hot sun with his foot still throbbing with pain. Seto heard a snort from the other horses and he turned his head to see a big, homely looking, grulla stallion. The grulla nudged Seto's neck.

Seto neiged in out rage and sank his teeth into the stallion's neck. The grulla squealed in pain and began doing to the same to Seto. The grulla reared on his hindlegs and grazed Seto's shoulder with his hoof. Seto screamed in both pain and fury and he charged the stallion. He looked absolutly terrible as he rammed into the big, clumsy horse with his ears pinned down to his skull, mouth agape, and eyes rolling in his head. The other horse snorted and loped away. Seto gave a satisfied stamp with his good hoof and tossed his delicate dished head. That was the last time that horse was going to mess with him. His moment of triumph didn't last long when he realized that he was still a horse and he didn't have wings, two legs, or apposable thumbs yet.

Seto lifted his head and looked towards the gate. The same girl was standing watching him. Seto pretended to be interested in another clump of grass and turned away from her, after all she was the one who caused this trouble. Seto winced as he put weight on his foot. He grunted and staggered into a different position. Seto knew he couldn't just stand there forever, his leg needed at least a bandage before it got infected. Seto knew what to do.

The black stallion walked up to the gate slowly and cautiously, maybe if she had oats in her hands, it would give him an excuse to go near her. When he was about three arm length's away from her he stopped and pretended to be examining her pockets from a distance.

"Sorry, no treats, boy," Rae said as if he were some kind of pet. Seto bellowed softly and winced at the pain in his foot. Rae finally drew her attention to his foot. She looked a little shocked at first and then smiled. "Don't worry pretty boy, I'll get you better," she said softly and reached out to stroke his beautiful face. Seto whickered and back away lowering his head threatingly. He wasn't going to ever let her touch him after what she put him through. He would never trust another soul again until he was safely at home.

Rae ignored the stallion's reaction and raced away to get the veteranarian Dr. Vicky Kyjoui. She was busy studying a document on her desk. Vicky was the manager of the Reno Wild Horse Rescue Squad that saved the hurt horses from those evil rustlers. The horses were now going to stay at the Reno Wild Horse Center until they recovered, than they could be released or adopted. The black stallion, however, wasn't in a bad state, but was going to be hers after he was gentled enough. It turned out he needed help anyway.

"Dr. Kyjoui, the black stallion is hurt!" she said startling the vet who was concetrating hard.

"Oh, what? Oh yeah, Blackie, what's wrong, did he get hurt just now?" she asked looking at Rae, her wire framed glasses slightly falling off her nose.

"I don't know, but he's got blood on his hoof and he looks like he's in pain," said Rae. "Please help him!"

Vicky nodded and followed Rae to the stallion paddock, where the stallions were seperated from the other horses for safety. The stallion lifted his head when he saw the two humans approaching and he backed away slowly, careful not to put too much weight on his foot.

"Ooooh, that looks bad," Rae said looking at the gash in Seto's foot.

The vet took a small animal first aid kit with her and they slowly approached the hurt horse. Seto stood still holding out his front hoof, but far enough back so they couldn't directly touch it.

With a quick reflex, Vicky grabbed Seto's other foot. Seto's eyes widened as he lost his balance and fell on his side. Seto squealed in confusion and tryed to get up, but his hurt foot hindered him.

"Rae, get me the antiseptic spray and the bandages, please," Vicky said and lifted the hurt foot in her palm. She felt it in her hand, it felt swollen and slightly enflamed. It didn't look like a fresh injury because of the yellowish scab that formed around the rest of his fetlock. She took a pocket knife and scraped the entire scab off, she would need the fresh blood for analysis. Seto winced when she did this and attempted to get up.

Rae stood by the stallion's head and stroked his soft neck whispering soothing words. The vet applyed the spray with a quick squirt of a bottle. Seto groaned when the medicine stung his wound. He closed his eyes fighting the stinging pain. After a bit of examining and cleaning, Vicky wrapped some gauze and a firm cast around his fetlock. Seto was relieved when the process was over. When Vicky was finished, immediatly he left to his feet and ran across the paddock, bound for a fresh clump of grass. He was starving.

"Wow, he's quite a horse, it'll probably be easy to gentle him," said Vicky watching the black horse feast on the grass.

"Yeah, but he needs a name," said Rae, never taking her eyes off of her horse-to-be.

"How about just stick with Blackie?" asked Vicky "It's short and sweet!"

"No, Blackie would be something you would name a dog or a pony, but he's not short and sweet, he's powerful and beautiful, he needs something that means more than that," said Rae.

"I wasn't the best in English, so I can't think of really any good names that would fit him," said Vicky with a shrug.

"I was thinking Raven, but I already have a horse named Raven," said Rae "But I once read a story about a black unicorn named Zanzibar who this horse reminded me of," she said.

"Zanzibar, hmmm...that's a nice name," said Vicky "Isn't that some African country?" she asked.

Rae ignored the vet's question, although she was true, but instead tryed to picture the stallion in motion like she saw him before. Zanzibar...

It was perfect how the syllabals wrapped around every muscle and bone in the stallions body the way the "Z" vibrated against your tongue, like the way his peircing cry vibrated against your heart, and how the "R" melted in your mouth like an echo, like the way his flint hard hooves echoed on the canyon floors. She sighed, imagining what it would be like to be on top of his back and feel the smooth rythm of his stride. He would be a perfect three-day-eventer. He had the fluid motion of a dressage horse and the speed and endurance of a cross-country horse, and the agility of a stadium jumper.

The sound of car wheels broke her peaceful dreams and she saw her father's Honda pull up in the drive way. She groaned inwardly, she hated to leave the horses. She saw her father wave at her from the drivers seat.

"I gotta go," said Rae "Thank's for helping, Blackie, I mean Zanzibar," she saide and waved farewell to the veternarian. Vicky waved back and went back into her office.

Seto had watched Rae and Vicky the whole time an had listened to their conversation about his name. Seto's heart sank, a name meant that he would belong to someone. His chances of going back home were slim to none. Seto grazed more hestitantly until he was only toying nervously with the grass. He would have to fight hard to be free again, just like he did for Mokuba. Seto felt much stronger thinking about his little brother, but his tiny ray of hope was no match for the big challenge he would soon face.

to be continued...