Chapter Three
Sleepily I opened my eyes. The sun was even now rising in the sky and although it was early the temperature was warm. I felt no sign of sickness from my drenching the day before on Earth and for that I was grateful.
Sitting up in the grass I blinked repetitively as I came to the swift conclusion of how un-alone I was. Horses were everywhere!
I was laying in the midst of a herd that had to be literally thousands strong in number!
How was this possible? The horses nearest me flicked their ears at me, but continued grazing as they kept a wide berth around me. Their actions seemed almost tame, but I had the distinct feeling that they were not.
Why did they not trample me to death? Perhaps they recognized that I was no threat to them.
Just then I heard an excited breakout of horses neighing warningly and then there was a deep chesty roar. I sat frozen still, my eyes wide open at the hearing of the roar that continued to echo out across the prairie.
Horses took off into a full run all around me in an awesome flexing of muscle and sinew put to the test. Despite the panic to escape they sheeted around where I lay in the grass as if there was an invisible wall around me.
The horses that had been near me were gone as the herd split and went in what seemed like a hundred different directions. That’s when I saw the predator.
It was a bear, but a bear unlike any I had ever seen or heard tell of before. Its legs were taller than a horse and while truly massive in size it looked like it could run very fast.
There were three of them. Two were in full chase after the horses, who’s kicked up heels made the ground beneath me vibrate with heavy intensity. The third bear however looked like it had no stomach for chasing horses today.
It looked about scanning its environment, which is when it saw me. It gave an excited huff and began to lope unbelievably fast toward me.
I tore the makeshift sandals off my feet and letting the coat fly off my shoulders I took off barefoot across the prairie as fast as I could run. Looking back I saw the bear looming fast. Its speed was uncanny given its great bulk.
I ran harder and then on a whim I began dodging to the left and then to the right. The bear was upon me, but it was as I had hoped. It was fast in a straight line, but unwieldy in shifting direction.
It roared bad naturedly as it swiped at me with a paw that would’ve taken my head off. I screamed and turned direction again and ran with all my might. Ducking my way beneath a second swipe at my head I took off back in the direction that we had just come from.
The bear pulled up as tons of weight came to a skidding halt and with a snarl it turned to follow after me. I had no more in me though. I could barely breathe and my ribs hurt to the point of extreme pain.
Pulling up I watched it come toward me as I sucked in air that didn’t seem to satisfy my lungs need for life. In desperation I cried out, “God you promised me!”
“I know and soon you will know that I keep all My promises. Drop to the ground Tara and behold how tenderly I watch over you.”
Instantly at the passage of those words spoken to me within my spirit I fell on my face even as a squeal of heavy blood wrath erupted over top of me. My cheek bounced off the ground as four hooves hit hard on the ground just ahead of me.
I looked up to behold the most massive and utterly resplendent stallion I had ever seen in my life. In color it was one of the rarest being a blue roan, but in equal it surely had none.
The massive bear came to a halt as the stallion reared up pawing at the air with massive hooves as its voice shook the air with an age old battle cry. The bear then in turn reared up to an unimaginable height on two legs and roared its own challenge back at the stallion.
The stallion while valiant had an uphill battle at best against such an opponent. The stallion however clearly didn’t care what his chances might be. It launched forward teeth bared and in awe I watched an epic conflict begin.
The bear swiped out and with the reflexes of a cat the blue roan stallion dipped down under the swipe and dived forward off to the bear’s one side. It then delivered a crushing sideways kick to the bears forward support leg and I heard the audible snap of bones.
The bear cried out rawly and fell forward over its injured leg, the stallion, however was relentless in its attack. He had circled and come up behind the beast and in continued awe I watched the stallion leap up high into the air.
The bear seemed to sense its impending doom and it started to look up, but it was too late. The stallion landed with crushing force and the bear was knocked flat to the ground. The stallion skipped forward off the bear’s back and as the snarling bear lifted its head with an angered roar both rear hooves shot out and pulverized its face.
The bear’s roar had been cut off by the double kick as if it had never started. Its great head crashed to the ground, but for good measure the stallion wheeled around and slammed one foreleg hoof into the bear’s head, but the bear didn’t move.
The stallion then let loose with a squeal that rocked the air as it proclaimed loud and clear to all that it was king of this prairie world. His front hooves crashed back to the ground and for a moment it was utterly still and devoid of all its former wrath as it turned its head to look at me and I knew then and there that God’s promise of protection was real and something I could put my trust in.
The stallion took off towards its departed herd and for a moment I sat there in silence. Standing up I heard a sound and glancing to the side I saw a group of riders sitting still in their saddles not too far away from me.
They came toward me then. There features were surprisingly familiar to me in that they appeared to be of Cherokee Indian origin. They gestured back and forth from me to the bear speaking excitedly.
I knew something of their language, but they spoke so fast it was hard to comprehend all they said. “The great spirit watches this one! We no touch!” “She rare. Bring good price.” “No! Leave her be!” “We need what her price will bring us, but we not touch her lest we be cursed.”
The three of them seemed to come to a consensus and one jumped down and approached me hesitantly. I held out my wrists together and said in Cherokee, “It is not right for a brother to sell another of his kind.”
He glanced at me startled before then stepping forward quickly and binding my wrists together. I continued staring him down and at the last he said, “It is our way.”
“And yet there is a better way.”
Muttering under his breath he hurried away and mounted his horse. The three riders started out then and the rope binding me to the one’s saddle tugged and I started walking. My life as a slave had just begun.