Broken [In Revision 2023]

Chapter 3 - Freedom

Caleb couldn't believe the venom in his uncle's words, they buzzed in his head like a swarm of angry bees, the noise growing until he wanted to cleaver his head open. His ribs ached from being thrown to the ground, making breathing difficult and slowing his speed. He felt every rock under his bare feet, every pointed stick and thorny offshoot. He turned the pain into fuel, pushing him further, faster, not wanting to stop until he was clear of 'mad-dog mountain'.

His knees gave out as he reached the edge of the forest, forcing him to plough into the compacted earth of the trail. Sharp rocks buried themselves in his knees, shins and palms. Tears spilt from his eyes. Frustrated tears that he desperately tried to stop by pressing his palms to his eyes.

Caleb's screams filled the air, echoing through space and sending animals scurrying for their burrows. He kept going, sucking in huge gulps of air and bellowing his emotions until his throat was too raw to continue. His chest heaved, his eyes burned and his nose was running.

Something in the trees behind him moved; a branch snapped. He twisted around so fast his throbbing headache made his stomach flip. He could taste his own blood, still flowing from his split lip.

Fear pricked at his skin, calling every hair to stand to attention. He held his breath and closed his eyes, straining to hear any hint of an animal.

Relief. He let his breath out slowly and dragged his weary body from the dirt. Forcing his feet to carry him on his pilgrimage to safety.

Away from the trees, the ground grew dryer; sunbaked and devoid of moisture. Mesquite and creosote bushes anchored themselves in the deeply carved channels that held oasis' of water trapped after the heavy monsoon rains. He could feel the bite of the tall grasses against his skin, but nothing could compare to the building madness from the burrs and seed heads as they caught in the fabric of his shorts and made him itch.

Hours passed. The pain in his limbs increased with every step, his feet were numb, but he could feel the gritty mix of blood and sand between his toes.

The undulating terrain became harder to overcome, rocks would tumble under his weight as he struggled to stay upright. The world started spinning. His feet struggled to find solid ground, rocks kept slipping away, building up momentum as they cascaded down the hill.

He put his hands out but there was nothing for him to grab. The best he could do was try to protect his face from the jagged edges of the surrounding rocks; sacrificing the flesh of his arms.

It was his head that stopped his descent.

His head met a large granite boulder with a sickening crack that made him feel sick. For a moment he thought he was dead. But the reassuring beat of his heart within his ears told him otherwise.

It wasn't until he opened his eyes that he realised he was upside down. His feet hovered above him, toes pointing upwards to the moon, still lingering like a ghost in the mid-day sun. He sighed and accepted his fate. He welcomed death to take him, to end his miserable life.

A sudden trumpeting sound made him jump, he jerked his neck and sent a fresh wave of pain that threatened to make him pass out. He struggled to pull his body into a position to enable him to find the source of the strange sound. Every inch of his body showed hallmarks of his journey, everything from deep lacerations to bruises and he was sure his collarbone had snapped in half. He cradled his arm like an infant and did his best to roll over.

Not too far in the distance stood a band of horses. The deep copper stallion craned his neck and took two tentative steps towards Caleb. His ears pinned flat against his neck, and teeth bared, he snorted again. His wild eyes scanned Caleb. He tossed his head and with a snaking motion encouraged his mares away from the danger.

Caleb watched the magnificent creature in amazement, such a powerful animal, able to control his whole family without the need for a single spoken word. He lay as still as he could, a smile spread across his face.

Caleb held his breath as the horses moved away, he secretly hoped that they would remain close enough that he could watch them until death came for his inevitable appointment. He felt dizzy from the loss of blood, but his pain had gone.

The horses stayed close, the grasses here were lush and plentiful and a small pool of water remained in the foot of a huge gash in the mountain. The mares dropped their noses to the ground, agile lips working the tough grasses into their mouths, tails swishing as their foals suckled.

A leggy buckskin foal had decided to investigate the strange object that had fallen down the hill. He walked slowly, head lowered and teeth clacking towards Caleb. He blew hard through his nostrils, small puffs of dust whirling in the current. He didn't notice his mother's concern, and he was too curious to hear her worried call.

The palomino mare trotted towards her rogue offspring, ears back and eyes white, she cut him off before he got close enough for Caleb to touch. Her teeth closed around the foal's rump and he gave her a small buck of defiance before surrendering to her request.

Like a bodyguard, the stallion drove them both back to the safety of the herd, but not before he gave Caleb another wary look.

"I mean you no harm," Caleb said quietly, his throat dry and prickly. He waited to see how the horse would react to the sound of his voice before continuing; "I know I am trespassing, this is your land, your home, and I am a guest."

The stallion tossed his head and snorted in response, it looked to Caleb as though he understood the words spoken, or the tone of it anyway. He lowered his head and pawed at the ground.

"I do not challenge your position," Caleb slowly raised himself up onto one elbow "I will not interfere." He blinked and shook his head in disbelief, he thought he saw the copper stallion offer him a small nod of understanding before walking back to his herd.

Caleb's lungs started burning, he clutched his chest as if trying to pull his heart out and fought for breath. Heat spread through his body, shooting down his spine and igniting in his limbs. He felt like he had been thrown in boiling water. His breath caught in his chest, there wasn't enough air left for him to scream.

Cramp pulled his muscles, compounding the burning pain until he was nothing more than a writhing mass. He couldn't see, hear or sense anything. His consciousness consumed by pain and fear.

Slowly Caleb started to relax, the tension in his muscles dissipated and he could hear not only the loud beat of his heart but his breathing too. A wave of relief rushed over him as he realised he wasn't dead, yet.

But something had changed in the fifteen minutes he had been unconscious. He could hear the horses now, chewing loudly, as though they were beside his head. Impossible, as he was on the rocks, there was no grass to be eaten there. Curious, he opened his eyes.

He panicked; the world had changed colour, everything was now in shades of green and blue. He couldn't get his eyes to focus, he lifted his head to try and get a different view. Better, but not the same.

His body felt heavier, almost as though he could feel his mass through the pressure on his chest and folded limbs. He tried to stretch himself out but found his body refused to move in the way he was used to. He was no longer human.

The sound he made drew the attention of the herd, their heads shot up and their ears stood to attention. If he could have sworn he would have. He struggled to get his long legs to unfurl, and even after he did it took several attempts for him to achieve a less than graceful standing position; there was just too much body to control.

Caleb had no idea how the foals could frolic and play without falling over, he struggled to coordinate his legs enough to walk the short distance to the watering hole. Nothing worked the way he was used to, drinking took a minute to figure out and he wasn't looking forward to learning to graze, there were too many muscles to control.