Desert Fire

Two horses stood at the edge of a steep hill between a forest fire and a steep dropoff covered in spiney shrubbery .Behind them the tall forest trees burned and crackled. A paint mare was closer to the fire than the black Arabian. Both were terrified. Both would have to jump. But the paint stood firm as the raging flames got closer, until finally they caught her. The black Arabian stepped back, then looked over the edge. He would have to jump now or be burned.

I am the desert fire, and this is my story.

Chapter I

Escape!

I turned back, looking straight at the fire. It’s red glow gleamed in Misty’s eyes as I watched her struggle. Her tail caught first, then the fire enveloped her. I knew I was next. The only thing between me and the fire was a log. The blazing wind blew the hot air into my face. My forelock blew into my eyes and I looked beyond the steep dropoff in front of me. I had a choice: be burned to death in the fire or gallop off the edge. I tossed my head and made my decision. The cliff was rugged and full of rocks and thorny plants, but at the bottom there was a river. I needed to get to the other side of that river.

When I jumped I landed on my side in a bush. Its tiny spines poked into my coat. I tried to move away from it and the spines but they dug in deeper, coming from all directions. I could hear the crackling of the fire and I knew it was getting close. I struggled, letting out a hoarse shriek and pawing the ground with my forelegs. The hill was a lot bigger now than it had looked from the very top. Suddenly I felt a spark land on my rump. My tail began to feel hot and tingly. In one huge heave I hauled myself to my feet and began to run. I galloped down that hill as fast as my strong Arabian legs could carry me. I felt the wind blow out the hot tingling in my tail and I began to gallop faster. I stretched out my neck and looked beyond the river. I could see a small log lying right next to the river. As I galloped away from the slope I began to shorten my strides so I could jump over the log. When I reached it I soared over the little log, but to my surprise, I landed right in the river.

The river made my legs feel like ice had settled in a thin layer around it. I quickly looked down and saw the bottom of the river. It was all rocks. I felt my hooves slipping and tried to get a better grip on the stones, but instead of getting a better grip I began to fall upstream! I began to move my legs wildly. The river seemed to suck me into the water. The frigid water ran into the cuts on my back and barrel and rinsed away the blood. The water stung like the sting of a bee on my rump. I struggled to get back in my feet but the rocks rolled out from under me. The water made attempts to pull my head under but I didn’t let it. I laid down on my side to try to float to the side, btu the river wasn’t deep enough. The rocks bruised my belly and pebbles shot up from the bottom like a thousand tiny teeth torpedoing into me. Suddenly I felt a hard pull and the water rushed up into my nostrils and sucked my head underwater. I tried to breath but the water took away all air. I was drowning! In one huge jolt with all the strength I could muster I pulled my head out of the water. I could finally breath. The water still pushed and pulled my entire body, but at least now I was in no danger of death. I began slowly placing each of my hooves into the bottom of the river and getting good footing on the pebbles underneath the large rocks. I could finally stand up.

I stood in the rushing water for a minute before I began planning my escape. I saw a hole between two rocks where I placed my right foreleg. Next I placed my left foreleg on the sand on the far side of the river. I paused to ponder my next move. Should I play it safe or jump? I decided to jump. I put my weight on my forelegs and launched my hind legs out of the current. My forelegs burst into a canter and I cantered away from the river.

On the other side there were no flames and no impaling shrubbery. It was a small island in the middle of the cascading river. Most of the ground was sand, but there were a few flat rocks and a couple of minute plants growing out of a few small plots of dirt.  I turned around to see where I had struggled. The log I had jumped was on fire and just in front of it there was a horse-sized crater where I had been stuck. I backed away from the burning log and pawed the sand with my hoof. The sand was damp and had many pebbles scattering the surface. I trotted to one of the flat rocks on the near side of the tiny island. There was a tiny plant growing up from a bit of dirt, and I dropped my head down and are it. It tasted chalky and dry, so I went to the river for a drink. As I slurped up the ice-cold snowmelt water I realized something: If I didn’t get off this island soon the fire would eat up the entire forest and I’d be stuck. I yanked my head up and trotted to the other side of the island. The forest on the other side was still fresh and green and none of it had been burned. I trotted back to the other side of the island and picked up a quick canter. I built up speed as I neared the narrow part of the river and finally jumped over it. Not one part of my body touched the frigid water again.

As I cantered away from the river I looked around. I knew I was leaving my home in the forest. I took a last look at the drapes of moss that hung lightly from the trees and the damp, shaded floor with dancing spots of sunshine. I knew that this place would be burned up and probably not recover for a long, long time. But I was leaving, never to return to the forest.

Chapter II

The Fields

I knew the way out of the forest. As the foliage started to thin I could see the never-ending fields of grass on the other side. I began to slow down until I finally stopped just before the last tree. There was no protection from wind nor was there anywhere to hide from predators. I stepped out into the tall grass. It made my belly itch and scraped against my sides. I tasted a piece of this grass. It tasted dry and dusty and sucked the saliva right off my tongue. I forced myself to swallow it. This was not grass. It was far too dry and sticky to be grass. My mouth felt dry and the remaining saliva was thick and foamy from running. I pushed on, trudging away from the forest into a sea of grass.

There was no cover from the wind in this open place. I could hear the grass rubbing together like the water rushing over rapids in the river. It comforted me a little. I stopped and closed my eyes. I imagined the river rushing at me, washing cooly over my hooves whispering life into my legs. Suddenly I became very thirsty. I opened my eyes. All I could see was grass; dry, sticky grass. I longed for the sweet water of the river and the light, wet breeze of the forest. I began to wonder where I’d get my next taste of water, and if I’d ever see my home again. I forced myself not to look back and pushed on.

After many hours the sky began to darken and the sun fell slowly behind a hill. The hill, I realized, was one I’d never seen before. It rolled lightly away, and soon I noticed its friends. There were many of them; golden rolls of dry grass and dust. I glanced around nervously, wondering if I should be afraid of these. They didn’t seem openly threatening, but there was a strange, beckoning call to meet one of these hills. Finally I gave in; wheeled around and galloped off toward the hills.

The cool air of dusk rushed by my nostrils, filling my lungs and powering my strides. I could see the hill, just beyond my reach, sitting pretty in its blanket of dry grass. I pounded my way through the tall stems, mowing them down as I galloped by. After a while I began to tire, and I realized there was no water out here. I slowed to a fast trot, them down to a walk. All around me the terrain was the same; dry, yellow grass and hills. There were no watering holes and I could no longer see the forest. For the first time in my life, I began to feel lost. I’d never left the forest before today, and now I had no herd. They had crossed the western river, whereas I had gone east, looking for a place to hide out. Misty and I had found nothing, and now I was lost. I felt as if the world was far too large to conquer, and I’d never see a horse again. Water was a long way away, or at least I wasn’t going to find any. I turned around in a complete circle, saw nothing but hills, and laid down. I was used to sleeping on my feet, but I was so exhausted I had to lay down. I could only hope my lungs wouldn’t implode before dawn.

Luckily, I made it to dawn. I woke up wondering if yesterday had been a dream. My eyelids fluttered open and I realized it hadn’t. The sun had barely begun to peak over the hills, but it was already hot. I could hear myself wheezing when I breathed. I started to get up, but my flanks and haunches were heavy and sore. There was a crust of dried saliva around my mouth and my hooves were filled with dirt. I pushed through and stood up, but walking hurt too much. I began to look around for something to drink, but I saw nothing but endless grass. Luckily I had a little fat packed on and I’d be able to go without food for a few days, but water was still a necessity.

I began to walk forward, though it hurt. Tiny scabs covered my sides and legs, and as the sun rose up my black coat made me even hotter. My tongue was sticky and my nostrils were terribly dry. The sore muscles in my legs began to loosen up, though. I began to trot, believing that there would be river or something to get water from. Unfortunately, I trotted for about an hour and still found nothing. Foam dripped from my mouth as I struggled to swallow. In desperation I bent down to eat some of the dry yellow grass. It was still sticky, but I found that it did add some moisture to my dry tongue. I ate as much as I could without gagging, but still I longed for water.

Two more days passed, and by  the time I found a small water hole I was barely able to walk to it. I thrust my entire head down into the water. It was warm, not the cool water of the river, but it tasted wonderful. I drank so much that my stomach began to slosh around inside of me. Then I looked around for the source of the water. There was a small stream, about two feet wide. It entered the small pond on one side and left it on the other. I trotted over to the source and began to walk along the bottom of it. It was full of sand, not rocks like the river in the forest. My hooves sunk into the sandy bottom, and the warm water drizzled along my hocks and the bottoms of my forelegs. I walked in the water for the rest of the day.

It was about an hour after the sun set that I noticed the bugs. There were so many tiny legs crawling on me that I could barely keep myself from galloping into the dark. I continued on as the sky grew darker, letting the water guide me. The blue sky dimmed into a dark absence, showing no stars until it was completely black. Finally the stars appeared, tiny and sparkling, in the black sky. A wind began to pick up, and I could hear the grass rubbing together, forming a cool hushing sound. I walked on, fearing nothing. The grass was soothing, and it ran lightly across my sides as I moved forward. Eventually the moon began to rise, casting a blue glow on the dark world that surrounded me. It was almost a full moon, though a little sliver was missing from one side. Slowly it climbed higher in the sky, and I walked toward it until the tiny stream turned. I was utterly confused, not knowing where I was going or how far I’d come. I stepped up onto the somewhat sandy bank of the stream and went to sleep, envisioning the forest in my mind.

I woke before the morning sun, seeing a cloudy haze over the grass. Finally I relented, thrusting my head down and eating much of those yellow weeds. I was so hungry that they began to taste good, though I knew it must be my imagination- this grass was not good. The sun rose up in the sky as I ate, casting its yellow light on the grasses. It reflected brightly off the semi-clear water of the stream, and the moment I saw the stream I remembered- it turned. I looked at it for a while, trying to decide whether or not I should follow it. I knew that I would have water so long as I stayed beside it, but I wanted desperately to get out of the fields of dry grass. I looked at the stream, then straight ahead, wondering where the stream would take me. Eventually I decided to leave it, so I plunged my muzzle into the water for one last gulp. I sucked the water into my mouth slowly, savoring each moment, for I knew it could be days before I found more water. I can always turn back, I told myself. So I set off perpendicular to the stream, continuing straight where it turned.

Chapter III

The Colorado

(UNFINISHED)

The weather was hot, but I was well hydrated from the time I spent in the stream. My muscles no longer ached, and the tiny scabs that peppered my sides and legs were beginning to heal. The tall, crispy grass swayed lightly with a hot breeze, making a forced hushing sound. I trotted in the sunlight for a while, but I began to sweat terribly after I could no longer see the stream. It oozed through my black coat on my chest first, then I began sweating anywhere and everywhere that was in the sun. I could feel my black coat becoming wet, so I dropped back to a walk. I began to feel hopeless, for I had left my source of water. Nevertheless, I continued on, my instincts telling me not to turn around. I knew not where I was going, but I kept walking.

Later in the day it got even hotter, so I stopped to wait out the heat. I knew that it would cool off in the nighttime, so I waited. Eventually the sun sank low in the great blue sky and began to turn the sky a light, pink grey color. I began to trot again, the wind being cooler now and the heat of the sun becoming mellow. In the distance I thought I saw a disturbance in the grass, and maybe the tops of green bushes. I tried to raise my head over the grass, but it was no use. I continued trotting into the night, until finally the moon shone in the sky and I stopped to sleep.