A Seahorse Tale

Chapter 17

Kenneth yelled as the casket he was in toppled over as Xia hit it harshly. The basket flipped over and he slid on the floor. It hurt as he landed, the floor brick with grazed harshly against his skin. He let out a small whimpered of pain, struggling to get onto his hooves to balance. Someone, Kenneth suspected Xia, pushed him back down to the ground, nipping at the backs of his webbed ears painfully. 

Tamur let out a loud neigh and the others backed off. The older seahorse, hovering over him. "I told you he wouldn't be able to float yet," Tamur growled, stamping a hoof down angrily as a threat while his tail shifted behind him angrily. Kenneth watched from the ground cautiously as Xia laughed at this statement. 

"Think you can stop us Tamur?" Xia laughed, pushing up into Tamur's space, Kenneth slowly trying to shift back so the seahorse couldn't reach him. He didn't like this. "You're a good runner Tam, but you're not a fighter," he warned, baring his teeth.

Tamur bared his own teeth but backed away slowly as the seahorses around Xia started to get aggressive too. "You can't hurt him, Xia," Tamur warned. "Master Endotuer would ban you," he threatened but he was backing off. Kenneth let out a whimper, not liking how he was being left in the open with the bullies. He shifted to shift backwards with Tamur but could seem to get the right balance or grip to do so.

"We won't hurt him," Xia snorted, leaning down to nuzzle Kenneth and pull him away from Tamur. The touch was rough and clearly to calm Kenneth down. Kenneth tried to wriggle away but the seahorse wrapped his tail around him and pulled him out from over Tamur. "If he can't float yet, then I guess we will have to teach him," Xia said offhandedly.

The others grunted in agreement, their smiles almost aggressive. Keni yelped as the tail wrapped around his middle tight and pulled him upright so that his hooves were no longer on the floor. He found himself leaning against Xia looking at Tamur begging the other seahorse to save him. The other seahorse shifted unhappily but before he could move forward and attempt to help him, the other two seahorses moved to move Tamur. Hooves ready to strike if Tamur moved any closer. 

"Xia," Tamur argued, pressing against the bullies but they weren't budging.

"Will you cool it Tamur," Xai said giving the seahorse a look of impatience. "Master Endotuer will be even unhappier if he has brought a worthless pup whose only good feature is his looks," he said darkly, nuzzling Kenneth again. "Looks are not enough to become a champion, as you know Tamur," he teased harshly. 

Tamur growled and surged forward, breaking past the barrier of the other two seahorses and full-on attacking Xai to push him away from Kenneth. Kenneth yelped as he fell back to the ground roughly, his skin scraping against the hard floor of the stable again. He scuffled out of the way of the fight. The helpless feeling he had felt when he had first woken up in this situation returning as he watched the four seahorses fight. Hooves and teeth snapping harshly. He could do nothing to help. He could only watch in horror as the bully began to win against Tamur, biting down on his fins and butting against him harshly. 

The other two horses backed off as Xia snapped at them, not wanting anyone to intervene in his battle. The two crashed against the side of a stall, wood splintering as it broke but it did not seem to slow them down. Both seahorses were screeching as they fought. A nasty sound to Kenneth's ears. Xia managed to knock Tamur down and slammed on top of him to stop him moving.