 | by
Paige in my world of make-believe |
November 29th, 2005
sorry about those miss-posts (uno, the 3 below this one, the computer was like, freakin' out and stuff.
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Introduction
My name is Makana. I’m 14 years old and I have light brown hair
with gold/brown eyes. I’m 5ft7, pretty tall I suppose. I go to West Hills
High School. I’m Christian and I go to Pathways, ACC (A Community
Church). I have two best friends, Caitlin and Bronte. Bronte goes to my
church and Caitlin goes to my school. Bronte is younger then me so
that’s why she doesn’t go to my school. Anyway, so yeah. . . two best
friends and the family dog Rover, our two yearold black lab.
I always thought that believing in God meant that he would never
let me get hurt. Well, I was wrong. . .
Our car skidded to the left as the huge black car swerved to the side.
“Crazy drivers tonight!” Dad said. I hugged my stuffed animal wolf, Wolfy,
tightly to my chest as Dad made another quick turn/dodge. Mom clung onto the
hand clasp above her head tightly. Probably as tight as I was holding Wolfy.
I tried to fall asleep by putting Wolfy on the window and setting my head on
his soft body but with all Dad’s driving I couldn’t.
“Please God. Let us have a safe trip home!” I silently prayed. But God does
not answer all of your prayers, and this was one that didn’t come true. . .
“Oh Hun! WATCH OUT!” Mom shrieked, I yelled. Dad yanked the steering
wheel, yanked it too hard. The car flipped.
The last thing I heard was the music of Evanescence flooding the car.
WAKE ME UP INSIDE! WAKE ME UP INSIDE! Call my name and save me
from the dark. . . Her voice faded. Bright lights flashed, red, red and more red.
Blood.
Wetness.
Wetness all over my head.
More blood.
I was going, to DIE!. . .
I sat up in bed, hands shaking and sweat pouring down my face. After
looking around and noticing light was streaming down through my bedroom
window and I was starring at my wooden bed post and not a terrible car crash or
a hospital room, I let out a LONG whoosh of relief.
Manny’s head snapped up and he looked at me puzzled. Manny is my
dog. He’s 7 years of age and I happened to get him when I was 7. He’s a
Japanese dog. A Shit-Zu. Pretty hard to pronounce correctly. He has a cute
baby bear’s face with a moustache and beard, but a short curly tail like a pigs.
Except it’s so hairy it could be attached to a broom handle and not a dog! He
has bright brown eyes and in those eyes you could see every one of his emotions
at one time. He is only about 2ft off the ground and he is a light brown color
mixed in with a lot of white. (He is full grown.)
I wiped the sweat off my forehead and yawned. I looked around at my
new room. The stone walls were old but everything looked clean, well polished
and VERY smooth. My circular room contained, so far, of a music box, the one
my Grandmother gave me before she went, my favorite blanket, some of my
clothes, a eating table, some of my stuffed animals, a bed for Manny, even
though he never uses it, and a small rocking chair.
“My first night in my new castle and I’ve already had a nightmare.” I
sighed. Manny’s ears perked up and I could tell he was listening intently.
“Yes it was JUST a dream. I am no ORDINARY girl.” I said aloud. “I am
Princess Of Ceeen (pronounced: seen)! My mother, Queen Of Ceeen! My father,
King Of Ceeen! And I don’t have a Labrador named Rover, OR two best friends
named Bronte and Caitlina. It was Bronny and Caitlina.” Since we must rule
over one kingdom, and if we move, we must move to a castle in that same land.
So I can still see my two friends along with going to the same school, NORTH
Hills and the same church Pathways. That and the fact that I like wolves were
the only two things that were TRUE in my terrible dream. I also like all animals,
but in this order. . .
1.) Wolves
2.) Horses
3.) Siberian Tigers
4.) Snowy owls
5.) Snow Leopards
6.) And then all the rest.
It was my first time in the new castle that my parents had inherited only a
month ago. My Grandfather, who I have to say I was not so close to him, had
lived here and died last month. When he died he left with his body 2million
dollars his mighty home, which consists of 10 bedrooms, 20 bathrooms, 40
closets, 30 secret passageways, 4 towers, one belonging to me, 1,000 acres and
all of his beloved animals wild and non, which I STILL have not met.
I have lived in castles all my life, but never in one as old and beautiful as
this one. This was my familys’ heirloom.
“Come on Manny. It’s our first real day to explore.” Manny yipped
excitedly then jumped off the bed. Manny is a strange dog. I notice he doesn’t
age like regular dogs. He’s supposedly 49 in dog years, but he acts like a small
rambunctious puppy!
I went to my closet and pulled out my dark blue Levi jeans and my
sparkly white top. You may of thought that as a princess I would always be seen
wearing a long, cute, dress. ‘Ha! Ha! Haaa!’ Not in the year 3015! A lot has
changed since then! (Hopefully. Just kiding.) And you would definitely not see
ME wearing a dress when I didn’t have to. I am NOT a dress person at all. I
brushed out my long, light brown hair and made sure I still didn’t have any
droplets of sweat left on my forehead or neck. There was none.
Finally I headed towards the stone paved door. It was fairly small, likely
5ft9. Just so I could fit in. My Grandfather had left me a letter, for me ONLY,
telling me the password to open my door. The letter holds 5 numbers,
3,7,11,15,and 23. At first when I looked at my door, a door with no handle and
no number pad, for the first time, I could not figure out what the code meant.
Finally, I figured out that I had to press on the stones by their number. Starting
from the top. So, that way, no one besides ME can get in. Well, one person can.
The only problems are is I don’t know who or how. It’s just that last night after
dinner I was positive I had shut the door all the way and I knew that the sweets
bowl was in fact empty- but when I came back in AFTER dinner I saw that the
sweets bowl was filled to the top with candy of all kinds, cookies and brownies.
I believe it is a girl, possibly and older woman, a young lady, or even a young
girl younger than I am! Why I think this is because when I came in, the door
was indeed shut already, I saw small footprints in the carpeting which meant
that the person was tiny and there a couple seconds before. Also I smelt a strong
smell of sweet perfume. I’ve decided to call her The Candy Maiden.
“Come on Manny!” I called again. He yipped again and wagged his tail. I
quietly opened the door in time to see my eight cats sitting by the door. (Yes I
truly do have EIGHT cats.) I seem to have a liking for house cats rather than
dogs, but seem to like the WILD dogs better than WILD cats. My cats names are,
Measha( Siemees), Jet Black (Black Cat) Midnight (Black Cat), Sharlett
(Unknown), CrookShanks (Tabby), Jessy (Black Cat), Coco (Unknown), and
ZizzyWag (Tabby).
Measha is a greyish/blondish color and is 4 years old. She has spunk, she is
tough, and has an attitude problem.
Jet is all black, with a teeny, tiny grey smudge on his chest and he’s 2 years old.
He has bright goldish/greenish eyes and is HUGE! Huge EVERYWHERE! His
head is big, his tail is super long, his paws are huge and his stomach is twice the
size of his head! He is the biggest, fattest cat you will ever meet. I’m still
surprised he can still leap let alone walk!
Midnight is also black but is a little more of a brownish color. He’s also a lot
older, 7 years old. He has the face of a leopard and the agility, speed and
strength of the Tiger, Cheetah and Lion combined. He is an excellent hunter
(King of them all) and is Jet’s older brother which does make him larger than
most cats, but still, Jet’s the biggest. You can also see the Tiger, leopard, Lion
and Cheetah when you look at him. Tiger in the eyes, Leopard in the face and
Lion in the body and Cheetah in the long and slender legs. He’s half Wild Cat,
half Indoor Cat. He usually, well at our old castle and I’m sure he’ll do it here,
climbs up the chimney at early morning and comes in the castle to wait with all
the other cats. Then I feed him and let him outside again.
Sharlett is black and white with light green eyes and a pink nose and is 5years
old. Like Midnight she is very skittish and does not like new people unless I tell
her that they are my friends or that they will not hurt her.
CrookShanks is a meddlesome fool with bright blue eyes that make you think
he is a cute and cuddly cat. Looks can be deceiving. . . He actually is a
rambunctious CROOK who likes to dominate over everything and everyone and
loves to attack you and pick on the female cats. His color markings are
extremely strange. He is a short haired cat, like Jet and Sharlett, and is fairly big
with a long tail. He has the strange Tiger-like markings all Tabbies have except
his markings are white and dark brown over a light grey body. He IS the leader,
you can count on that for sure.
Jessy is 13 years old. She is the wisest and the smartest. She, like Midnight, is
also brownish/blackish but is twice as fluffy as any of my long haired cats.
Coco definitely draws A LOT of attention. She is mostly a light brown with a
large, white patch/bib on her chest and it looks as if she’s dipped her paws and
the tip of her tail into a white paint can. She has brilliant gold eyes that always
seem to be following you.
ZizzyWag is CrookShanks older brother, but instead of brown AND white he
has just the plain white stripes. He also has longer hair, longer than Midnights
and Measha’s, but still not as long as Jessy’s. On his face are the clear markings
of a Tiger’s face and he also has the strength of the lion. And, as strange as it is,
he has one blue and one gold/green eye!
All the cats seem to get along (even though Measha only USUALLY gets
along with Jet the best) well together. CrookShanks is Sharlett’s partner, Jet is
Measha’s partner, Midnight is Jessy’s partner, and ZizzyWag is Coco’s partner.
We’re expecting to receive Kittens in a year!
“Why hello there! Are you all going to explore with me or do you just
want food?” CrookShanks meowed his answer.
Manny went around and licked each cat’s faces. One of his morning,
“Hellos and Wake UPs!” Jet, Midnight, and Jessy all looked like three black
panthers sitting in a tree, except they were sitting on the stairwell railing. Manny
put his front paws on the bricks of the stairwell and braked at them so they
would wake up.
Jessy leaped down on the first shrill yip, then Midnight on the second.
“*Grrrr-Ruff*!” Manny barked again. Jet opened his eyes a crack, looked down
at Manny as if to say, ‘Quite down, down there! I’m tryin’ to sleep!’ then shut
them again, his stomach lolling out from under him.
“Oh Jet.” I sighed. I went over and heaved him off the railing. He went
limp in my arms. He weighed like 20 pounds! (That’s A LOT for a cat!). “Tit, tit,
tit, tit, titititititititititititititit.” I clicked my tongue to call the cats. All 8 cats,
Manny in the front, CrookShanks and Sharlett behind him, Midnight and Jessy
behind them, ZizzyWag and Coco behnd them, and finally Jet Black and
Measha in the back. (Measha doesn’t like always having to be in the back, but
hey, she picked Jet Black and that’s where he usually ranks.) It was like a
Parade of cats, and one dog of course, following me down the winding stairs in
an orderly fashion.
I immediately began looking around the house. When we had arrived last
night it was very dark and I was very tired and we had eaten in the car already.
So Dad showed me to my room and I fell into a deep sleep as soon as I touched
the pillow. So, I didn’t get to see any of the house. Of course, I NEVER would’ve
guessed what I was about to see next!
I came to the bottom of the stair-well and looked around in utter
astonishment! On the walls of the Living Room there were hundreds and
hundreds of pictures! Pictures of animals! Horses, Dogs, Cats, Exotic Birds,
Lizards, Snacks, Monkeys, Bugs, Fish, any animal you could think of, even
Dragons, Pegasuses and Fairies! Then, I saw, in the middle of the room, by a
Fire-place, just above it, was a picture of a Black horse (looked like a Friesian)
in the middle, a Black and White Siberian Tiger running next to it and a Light
Grey Wolf running on the other side! “Oh my gosh!” I whispered, something
about that picture was drawing me ever so closely. It was as if the picture was
especially for me!
CrookShanks began his frantic *meow!* and he began clawing at my shoe.
Measha began to cry her strange Siamese cry (the one like an Seagull or a Baby)
that she inherited from her ancestors.
“As soon as I find the kitchen I’ll feed you all! Now hold onto your Cat-
Nap will Yah?” I said glaring down at the 8 cats and a dog.
“*RrrrrRff!*” Manchu cried as if saying ‘Well then stop dawdling and get
a movin’!’
I was pretty hungry myself. I glanced once more at the beautiful picture
above the Fire-place, then turned left and came in front of a big Wooden Door.
“I wonder if this is the kitchen?” I quietly and cautiously opened the door
a crack and peeked inside. The Living Room was suddenly filled with bright
light.
“Oh WOW!” I breathed. The door lead into a magnificent In/Out Garden!
Located in the very center of the Castle, it was at least an acer and it was the
only part of the Castle that, besides the Front and Back-yard, that was outdoors.
Manny came running and pushed his way through the door, followed by a
stampede of crazed and excited cats. 1 door, including this one, was on either
side of the garden, so one on each wall. Most were covered by roots and looked
as if they had not been touched for centuries. But how could that be? All the
doors seemed dusted, except for the roots, and all the plants, trees and flowers
were growing nicely.
“It’s soooo beautiful!” Manny ran to the farthest door. This one was the
cleanest and something about it showed Royalty and Satisfaction.
Manny ran under bushes, zig-zaged through flowers and ducked when
sudden tree branches popped out of nowhere. On either side of me was a white
bench, well dusted and shown when the sun hit it. Then a tall line of neatly-
trimmed bushes behind the benches, then another white bench behind that
with a lovely water-fountain in the very center of the garden, to the side of that
comes the two other doors, where they lead, I would find out later. Finally, after
that, another wall of bushes come, then last door. Manny sniffed frantically at
the door and I knew it must lead to the kitchen.
“Tit, tit, tit, tit, tititititititititititit.” I called the cats again and they all came
running.
I turned the door-nob and slowly opened the door. It made a creek so
eerie a shiver zoomed up my back. I peeked through, along with a dogs’ head
and eight cat heads. And there we met. . . REBEL!
“Oh my!” I don’t think I was at all prepared for what my eyes had laid
upon. A HUGE Black Dog was lying ON TOP of a table, snoring quite loudly. But
this dog was smart, he was a trickster, before I came in, even though I did not
know I soon found out, that he had been awake ever since I had woken up. He
was just merely PRETENDING to be asleep.
Manny’s ears pricked up and he sniffed the air. His eyes laid on the Black
Dog and his eyes bulged. His tail began to wag furiously back and foreth. It was
so fast I felt dizzy if I looked at it.
“Manny, don’t even-” but Manny, not on a leash, knew I could not hold
him back. So he pushed through the weary cats and went excitedly, but
cautiously towards the Black Dog. With his tail down, still wagging, he yipped
his “Hello!” I held my breath. I knew nothing of the dog except that it was huge
and powerful and it could KILL Manny with one snap of it’s powerful jaws - but
something told me Manny was not so stupid enough that he would approach a
dog that would kill him.
“Manny! Get BACK here!” I whispered furiously. He ignored me and
yipped again. The dog stopped snoring, I stopped breathing. One of the dog’s
eyes opened to reveal a bright green glow. Then the other one opened and it was
bright GOLD! The dog looked down at little Manny. As if laughing at Manny’s
ridiculous size the dog sneezed. I let out a long sigh of relief. The dog stood up
and leaped off the table with such majesty surely it was NO Stray Dog.
CrookShanks hissed, followed by 7 other furious hisses. The dog merrily
looked at the cats then sniffed Manny’s head. (Looking at Manny beside the big
Black Dog I would’ve thought the dog was a Small Pony!) Then the dog came
over to me, the cats ran into the kitchen dodging the big dog, and sat in front of
me as if he was letting me get a good loonnngggg look at him, either that or HE
was looking at ME.
He had silk black fur, almost like a NewFoundLand except that he had a
longer muzzle and his ears stood straight up, and sitting he was up to my
stomach! He COULD be a Pony! What kind of dog was this? Whatever it was, it
DEFINITELY belonged here, in the Castle. His gold eye showed Braveness and
Royalty, his green eye showed Difference and Purity. His tongue lolled out and
he panted happily. His tail was weeping the floor.
“Are you hungry too?” I asked.
“Yes he is.” erupted a voice. I looked around the dimly lit kitchen and
soon took in what was there to see. The kitchen had two long tables, one long
one for when friends came over for dinner and one small one for when it was
just my parents and I sitting together. In the far left was a refrigerator, to the far
right was where our chefs would make the food. And over standing behind the
counter stood a tall man with a grey moustache and neatly trimmed grey/white
hair. He had hazel brown eyes and was dressed in casual cloths, it was
impossible to tell if he worked at the Castle or was just a visitor. He was leaning
over the counter a broad smile on his face. “Ahhhh, Miss Makana. You’ve grown
so much since the last time I laid my eyes on you. You were only 3 at the time
and I myself 11 years younger.” He laughed softly. “I have never in my life seen
so many cats run through this kitchen. Master Hamilton never really had a
liking for House Cats, always preferred dogs, as so myself.”
“Oh, but Sir, you won’t mind me having cats will you?” I asked.
“Oh, of course not! They will be helpers around here, catching all these
mice we’ve had recently. And it is not my right or place to tell a Princess what
animals she can and can’t have in the Castle. Besides, when I first worked for
your Grandfather, Master Hamilton, I was petrified of dogs. Now,” He said
stepping out from behind the counter, “I cannot live without them. I’m sure I
will learn to love your and other cats too.”
“I’m sorry, Sir, but I did not catch your name.”
“Oh, forgive me, My name is Mr. Carlson. If you wish you may call me
Mr. C or just Old Carl, everyone in Town calls me that and I have earned my
Reputation.”
“But surely you’re not OLD!” I replied.
“Well, I’m well on my way, but I’m still good-looking.” Mr. Carlson
smiled and flexed his muscles. I couldn’t help but laugh. He seemed so nice and
bright.
“And what is his story?” I asked pointing towards the dog.
“Ahhh, he, my Princess, is Sir Rebel. Extremely old in dog years, at least
25 in people years, but still acts like a puppy, sometimes.” He came over and
patted Sir Rebel on the forehead. “Even though Master Hamilton always said he
was Different.”
“I think my dog, Manny, is like that. He’s 7 in dog years but he still acts
like a 7 month old puppy.” I told him.
“It could be the same thing - but I know for certain this boy here is gunna
live for a loonnngggg time.” Mr. Carlson replied scratching Sir Rebels’ chest.
“Do you have any cat food?” I asked.
“Sorry Princess, but I’m afraid we don’t, we do have some fish in the
fridge though.”
“That’ll be alright.” Mr. Carlson vanished for a moment then reappeared
with 8 bowls filled with neatly cut fish and 2 bowls filled with stake.
“Wow! That was fast Mr. C.!” I said. I had never seen anyone work so
fast. (For some odd reason I didn’t like to think of Mr. Carlson as a Butler or a
Chef.)
“One of my many talents young Princess.”
“Who’s the second stake bowl for?” I asked puzzled.
“Why, your dog, Manny, of course.” Mr. Carlson said bringing the tray
over to the nearest table.
“Oh, but Manny doesn’t eat stake. The vets say-” I started.
“Vets aren’t always right about SPECIAL dogs. Now here.” He thrust both
stake bowls into my hands. “I’m not going to be an animal feeder, Sir Rebel is
your dog now.” Hearing his name being mentioned Sir Rebel let out a mighty
“*BARK!*” It was so loud it shook the kitchen. I gasped. Mr. Carlson just
laughed.
I put both bowls on the ground, and, just in case since he looked like a
mighty big eater, scooted Sir Rebel’s away a few feet from Manny’s. But Sir
Rebel recognized his bowl almost instantly and went straight for it. I then
remembered a saying the Pastor at church once said.
“Size and Strength can miss lead you greatly. You have to-”
“Look at the heart first.” Mr Carlson finished.
“You know that saying?” I asked.
“I go to your church too. You’ve just never noticed me before.” He
explained.
“Oh.” Then 2 by 2 I grabbed the fish bowls and walked to the back of the
kitchen where all the cats were huddled. I made sure to feed CrookShanks and
Sharlett first, them Midnight and Jessy, then ZizzyWag and Coco then Jet Black
and Measha.
I slumped into a chair huffing and puffing as I watched all the small
heads, and a big one of course, digging into their bowls.
“I’ve never seen a Princess so Determined and Concentrated on feeding
her pets.” Mr’ Carlson said smiling down at me.
“You have no idea, I love every animal too much to ignore them. Why, if I
had 20 pets I could give them all their feed.” I explained still breathing heavily.
Instead of giving me a surprised look Mr. Carlson smiled. “Good.” He
said. I looked at him confused. “Follow me.” He waved a hand towards the door
leading to the garden.
I made sure that Manny would stay in the kitchen, but also I whispered a
threat in Sir Rebel’s ear, “You better not touch him.” Sir Rebel seemed to laugh
again with another sneeze and then yawned and went back to eating.
So, I followed Mr. Carlson through the garden, twisting and turning in
between trees and bushes. We turned right and came to another Wooden Door.
“Where does this-”
“If you wait, you learn, when it is the right time you will find there are
more important questions to be asked.” Mr. Carlson interrupted. Then he
opened the Wooden Door and a rush of beautiful color shown before my eyes.
“Oh my gosh!” I cried, (for what seemed to be the thousandth time) a
huge smile of happiness, eagerness, and astonishment across my face.
In front of the sun was rising, it cast a radiant pink/orange light over the
sky. Birds flew above me. They looked so magnificent, their wings spread out
wide against the beautiful color of the sky.
Our Castle was on a huge hill, so bellow me a forest spread out over the
1,000 acres we owned, who knows what animals were there. Father had said
probably Horses, Wolves, Coyotes, and all kinds of Birds lived there. Behind it a
beautiful dark blue shown where the ocean was.
“Follow me.” Mr. Carlson said again and we started down the hill. The
wind blew pleasantly and made my long hair whip through the air. The long
grass seemed to be like waves on land on all sides of us.
Suddenly to the far bottom of the hill I spotted a tall, slim figure sitting on
a smooth rock with either a book or a writing pad. As we got closer I saw that it
was a women with long white/grey hair (a little lighter then Mr. Carlson’s) and
she was indeed writing. But what?
“Hello Mrs. Clark!” Mr. Carlson said merrily. He took long strides (which
was easy for him since he had such long legs) and stood by the woman. Her hair
was billowing in the cool breeze.
“Shhhh! They will be coming when the bottom of the sun hits the top of
the tallest tree!” She said a finger to her lips. I wanted to ask so badly what
would come, but I remembered what Mr. Carlson had said. And, if she was
correct, whoever it was would be coming soon for the sun was almost fully
risen.
And sure enough right after that thought came to me the bottom of the sun
hit the tallest tree and a loud thundering sound erupted the stillness. Suddenly
the earth began to shake and a huge dust cloud rose suddenly just in front of the
forest. ‘What IS that?’ I wondered. I was soon answered.
About a hundred horses came stampeding out of the forest. Their wild
manes and tails rippled in the air like a quick whip. Their mighty shrill cries
and bellows shook the forest as they thundered out onto the wide vast of plains
just a few yards away in front of the forest. There were White ones, Black ones,
Bay ones, Grey ones, Red/Brown ones, Tan ones, Dark Brown ones, Silver ones,
all the colors of horses you could imagine, and they were all running wild and
free before my eyes.
The woman, Mrs. Clark, began furiously scribbling notes down on her
paper.
The Lead Male was in the back herding the group across the wide field.
The Lead Mare was leading the group in the front. I could tell which were which
by how they walked, trotted, galloped and what sounds they made. The Lead
Male was a Friesian, all black including the mane and tail. He was soooo
hansom, there was no other horse like him. (Even on the famous show my Great
Grandfather used to watch when he was about 3 called Zorro that had a mighty
Friesian in it.) He looked exactly like the one in the picture. The Lead Mare was
a White and Black Gypsy Vanner. They are like Clidstails in size and like
Friesians in strength, agility and speed. (Friesians are one of the fasts WILD
horses in the Wild Horse Kingdom.) They were both magnificent creatures.
“Come, they will not harm us, they will not be frightened.” Mrs. Clark
replied getting up from her Rock Seat. She straightened her dress and altogether
we walked down onto the field and over to where the horses were gathering.
“Are they wild?” I asked beside Mrs. Clark.
“A lot of people think, and some LIKE to think, that but they really
belonged to your Grandfather and now they belong to you and your parents.
Your Grandfather made the choice to keep them UN-tamed.” Mrs. Clark
explained.
“How many are there altogether?” I asked.
“Including the colts and foals I’d say about 88. I come out here every
morning, afternoon and sun-down to study their herd behavior. I’m a Wild
Horse and Mammal Biologist and YOUR new Teacher.”
“I would LOVE to be an animal researcher!”
“I will teach you, if you wish.” Mrs. Clark offered.
“That would be wonderful!” I replied. We sat about 10 yards away from
the ‘wild’ horses and watched them drink and slurp out of the small watering
hole.
“What kind of horses are in the herd?” I asked.
“Yes, this is indeed one herd and oh my, there are soooo many different
kinds! Most were brought over as gifts from other Kingdoms and lands!” Mrs.
Clark explained. “The Lead Male is a Friesian and the Lead Mare is a-”
“Gypsy Vanner.” I finished.
“Yes, she is. There are a lot of mixtures now after so long, but the blood
lines are very clear in most of the horses. Like, the Arabian, the Shagya, the
Barb, the Marwari, the Peruvian Paso, the Rocky Mountain, the Camargue
Pony, the Eriskay Pony, the Cleveland Bay, the StandardBred, the Orlov Trotter,
the Colorado Roger, the P.R.E, the Lipizzan, the Irish Draught, the Pinto, the
Roan, the Black, the Dales Pony, the Huzul, the American SaddleBred, the
Palimino, the Shire, the ClidsTail.” As Mrs. Clark named them off she would
point to the ones of the breed she saw. Suddenly the Lead Mare turned from her
watching position and trotted over towards us. I could feel her light brown eyes
starring at me. She was so close now that I could reach out and touch her, but I
thought twice.
“Alisha is the only horse named out of all of the herd. She, even if she is
the Lead Mare, is the nicest out of all of them. That Marwari and the Eriskay
Pony also come over occationly to say “HI!”, but I tink ALL the horses are quite
curious about us.” Mrs. Clark told me.
“What about the Friesian? What’s his story?” I asked.
Mrs. Clark’s warm smile faded almost instantly. “We don’t really know
too much about him. Except for that he always seems to be down, stubborn and
mean. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him happy with anyone other than Alisha.”
Mrs. Clark sighed. “He just doesn’t seem to like humans one bit.”
“How come?”
“Well, your Grandfather never could find the reason. Whenever he tried
to get near the Male he would canter off or buck at the air foolishly. There have
been stories though. One, an old Folk Tale, is that there will only be one love in
a Male Friesian’s life that is human, this love, may never come. The other is a
story told be your Great Grandfather, this Friesian is the only one ever to be in
the herd, that is a fact, except for now he’s mated, so we have Half Bloods.
“But wouldn’t you need a mother and a father Friesian to. . .”
“Precisely my point, and I asked that to your Grand father and HE said
that the Male’s parents were brought by English Men, by ship, his parents, a
Sire and Gypsy Vanner. THIS, my dear, is one of the many unsolved reasons
why this Friesian is so different. Another strange fact is that he has one Blue Eye
and one Silver Eyes. Blue Eyes are very original in horses as it is but Silver,
never heard of.”
“Kind of like Sir Rebel’s eyes. One is Green, one is Gold.” I said.
“Yes, yes, very similar - but, Unlike the Friesian we don’t know how Sir
Rebel got to his state.”
“And a very BIG state indeed!” I said.
“You will find, Princess, that there are a lot a THINGS in this Castle that
are VERY strange, peculiar, and mysterious.” Mr. Carlson said.
“Like The Candy Maiden.” I said quietly.
“Who?” Mrs. Clark asked looking at Mr. Carlson strangely.
“Oh, no one, just, thinking.” I finally replied.
Before anyone could say anything more a tremendous roar shook the
trees and ground. It rippled through my body like a jolt of electricity without the
pain. Birds flew out of the trees and straight up into the air. All of the horse’s
heads snapped up.
“Here he comes! Right on time!” Mrs. Clark cried excitedly.
I looked at Mr. Carlson but he just smiled, putting s hand on my shoulder
and whispered in my ear, “Watch this!”
Out of the forest appeared a huge Tan Body about as big as a Lion, or
bigger! I then noticed it had Dark Brown Stripes all on it’s back and small
designs on it’s face and legs. It moved like a Tiger, but was as big as a Lion. It
could only be one thing. . . A LIGER!
“Isn’t he beautiful!” Mrs. Clark replied happily her eyes following the
Liger wherever it ran.
It was beautiful, one of the most beautiful thing in the world! (Forgive me,
I’m going to add Liger onto my List Of Favorite Animals now.) I just hoped it
wasn’t going to KILL any of the horses.
“*RROOOAAAARRRRR!*” I had to cover my ears and bite my tongue to
remain from crying out in shock. The roar was soooo loud!
The horses neighed and scattered. Clearing the watering hole. The Liger
came over and began to drink. The horses ran back to the forest.
The Liger, it seemed, was not in the eating mood. Instead he got a drink
and started walking towards us.
“What, what is he going to do?” I asked backing up.
“Oh, don’t worry, this is Rig, one of the 3 Ligers in the forest. He’s just a
young one. His mother grew up around your Grandfather and his father came
from Africa. He’s rather quite friendly with humans.” Mrs. Clark assured me.
The bright Blue Eyes on Rig’s face calmed me. Rig came over,
unexpectedly, to ME first. I stood implanted into the ground. When he got 5ft
away from me I was surprised to see that his head came up to my breast.
He stood there looking at me, his Baby Blue Eyes traveling up and down.
Then, he cane forward, and gently pushed his head against my chest.
“Oh good! He’s excepting you as the new Princess!” Mrs. Clark said
happily.
“He, he knows I’m the new Princess?” I asked gently rubbing his huge
soft head.
“Oh yes. It is thought that Ligers, with the Tiger and Lion’s brain are just
about as smart as Dolphins.” Mrs. Clark explained. “We think he can also
understand a little of Human Talk.”
“Wow!” I starred at Rig’s Blue eyes. There was no doubt in my mind that
Rig did not understand me.
He then let out a purr-like-growl, turned around and took a mighty leap
across the field and ran back into the forest.
“Ah. Your escorts are here Princess Makana.” Mr. Carlson said looking up
at the top of the hill by the Castle. There, on top of the hill stood Sir Rebel and
Manny.
“How did they get-”
“Sir Rebel happens to know how to unlock, open, close, push, grab and
move certain things, one happens to be a door. He must’ve followed our scent
out here and let Manny come with him.”
Manny, have catching my eyes, yipped and came running down the hill.
Sir Rebel, though, went down with such elegance and his coat shown so much
that everything seemed to stop and stare.
“*RUFF!*” (Sir Rebel)
“*YIP! YIP, YIP, YIP!*” (Manny of course)
“They are telling you that they are ready.” Mrs. Clark said.
I started walking up the hill but once Sir Rebel got beside me he pushed
up against me.
“What?” I looked at Mrs. Clark and Mr. Carlson, but they just smiled, of
course.
“*WOOF!*” He pushed against me again. I just gave him a puzzled look.
“*GrrrrRuff!*” Manny jumped up, right on top of Sir Rebel’s back and
yipped at me, then he quickly jumped down.
“Does he want me to SIT on him?” I wondered aloud.
Mr. Carlson and Mrs. Clark looked at each other and smiled still.
I looked at Sir Rebel again. He starred up at me with his two strange eyes.
“Okay, here goes.” I swung my leg over on the other side of him and
slowly sat down. I weighed 125 pounds and I wasn’t at all sure that Sir Rebel
could hold that much weight on his slender back.
He turned to look at me, noticing my feet were still firmly planted on the
ground, I wasn’t putting any weight on him, and let out an irritated growl. I
didn’t need telling twice. I pulled my legs up and Sir Rebel began to carry me
up the hill. I clutched onto his fur forgetting to be gentle, I was scared, but I
misjudged Sir Rebel, he was VERY strong indeed. He wasn’t even breathing
heavily.
Manny was running beside us huffing and puffing.
“Oh come on Manny! Work those little legs of yours!” I laughed looking
back at him. I noticed that some of the horses had come back to the watering
hole and that Mr. Carlson and Mrs. Clark were no longer watching me, but
watching the horses instead.
Suddenly Sir Rebel came to a halt and I heard a sudden snort. I turned
quickly back around and to my great surprise we were already back up by the
Castle and standing there was a beautiful Bay horse with Light Brown Eyes. He
had a beautiful Black mane and tail. He stood so magnificently that I was sure
he was trying to show off. He was just about as tall as a Sire, but was built like a
Mustang. ‘Must be one of the Cross Breeds.’ I thought to myself.
Sir Rebel sneezed, so did the horse and he pawed at the ground irritated.
‘Is he wild? How did he get up here? Does the Castle have it’s own horses? Does
Mrs. Clark and Mr. Carlson know he’s up here?’ Sir Rebel shook himself so
violently that I jumped off. Manny cautiously moved towards the horse. For a
little dog Manny sure was a Dare Devil/Dog.
(And yeah, that’s all that I’ve gotten new. I know, I know, such a dumb
place to end it, but. . . oh well.)
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