Untamable

Chapter Eleven Facing Fire

The caterpillar head is gaining speed, I push my legs harder. My breathing heavy as I loose control of my speed. My legs are moving more to keep me upright than to keep me going. My momentum is alarming as I flash by. I turn my head back to look at the caterpillar and my eyes widen in confusion. Its gone! Only a cloud of dust remains where the huge metal beast was a moment before. Suddenly it smashes into being, twelve feet away from me. I whinny in terror and pick up speed. My head is bent down as the caterpillar head gets closer. But it does not slide anymore, it smashes into the ground from the air. Sending rich earth flying with an occasional rock that hits me.

My speed increases to a gallop, my life depending on it. The caterpillar is in the air and its bounces are getting longer. I canter harder my heart aching as it works to bursting point. I cannot turn to get out of the way I have to go straight, the tree wall blocking my path. I see the small Bee Hive that we started at and now I will end with. Possibly my end is here, I have freed hundreds of horses, but my life will not end here. My task is not done. The caterpillar makes another crash and I feel the air this time. The Bee nests are getting closer and I can't turn, my momentum is too great. I hurtle through a window into a long narrow building, my speed to great for me to be cut by the glass. Accept for one fiber which burrows itself in my cheek. I don't even notice. But, the caterpillar has stopped bouncing and is rocketing toward me. I push myself even harder, knowing that I will never reach this speed again no matter how much danger I am in. This is my maximum full adrenalin speed.

As I canter the wood is splintered behind me. The metal head would crumple my body just as easily. There are pale face cries but they don't register in my ears. My entire being is focused on keeping my legs look like a blur. My breath is tearing at my lungs but I push on. I explode out of the door as it swings open, midway through its opening though it is smashed to splinters. The other caterpillar head I saw is right in my face and I have no option but to leap on the arrow shaft like tip of the metal head and change direction. My knees almost buckling but I move with my old agility and redirect my motion and rocket away as the heads explode. Sending flames high into the air. Now fear of fire adds to my pace.

Fires are not uncommon in my homeland, Sage has a herb for burns and we need them. I can't remember what it is called but I remember Dire the Clydesdale telling me about how his mother was burned alive when he was a yearling. However my hoof falls are less panicked and I lengthen my stride and take away some acceleration. The Bees are yelling to each other and one tries to catch my chains that are linked to my face. I had not noticed them until he made a lunge for them, my entire being was focused on not becoming a smashed bloody pile. He isn't fast enough and I continue to canter away. I go toward the sunset thinking of how close these Bees were to going there. Now we are safe. The Bees won't be able to bring more caterpillars. I burned the whole lot.

I reach the forest and look back from a cliff, I narrow my eyes at the incredible heat. Another explosion sent flames into the treeline. I step back knowing I must flee again soon. I take one last look at the blaze were the caterpillar that took me here and the tiny Bee Hive is destroyed. I did my job well. I take off at a lope my breath still heavy from working the hardest I ever have in my life. I hear the pines groan and fall. The fire is getting closer. I pick up my pace a bit. This is much easier, I think as I coil my muscles to leap over a simple fallen log. Midway through my jump the link on the bottom of my chain catches in a notch in the tree bark.

All my weight is whipped to a halt all the pressure on my neck. I choke my windpipe completely cut off. But I get my hooves on the ground and am able to open it back up again. I gasp my eyes watering as the wall of fire roars closer. I get my wits about me, I must move now or be burned alive. I shift my hooves and lean back but the loop at the end of the chain attached to my neck is latched securely in the tree. The smoke comes before the flames, my air already hard to catch becomes sharp and painful to inhale. Black spots appear in my vision and I slump.

Suddenly there is someone hacking away at the tree and I am freed. But I cannot process anything, the smoke, the panic, and the over all terror that has filled my brain makes it slow and not responsive. The pale face is pulling me and using an urgent voice. There is a cliff that drops off to who knows what. But its our only option. They pull me to my feet and we run to the cliff. He jumps off first screaming surprise as we plummet 50 feet to a river. I splash into the water and weakly put my head above water before the I black out.

I wake with no chain around my neck, I blink the sleep from my eyes and get up. A pile of apples are neatly stacked next to me. I whinny softly and lean down to get an apple and eat it. As I crunch my ears pick up a being moving. I stop chewing and turn and there is Wild Face! I don't know how he got here, but I sure am happy to see him. Wild Face notices I am looking at him and he smiles. Usually pale faces showing their teeth would threaten me but I know he is pleased and this is his way of showing it. I lift my buckskin head and nicker trotting over to him and he rubs my upper shoulder blade. He murmurs something in pale face that makes no sense,

"You saved my life, no matter what I will find you and repay the favor."

I playfully bite one of his long dark braids, he yells in surprise and ruffles my mane. I butt his back with my head sending him flying into the near by stream. He laughs as he lands in the water with a tiny splash. I leap after him, my splash sending waves across the calmly moving surface of the lake.

He splashes my head by making a spoon like cup with his hand and raking it against the water sending a water fall over my face. I whinny and flip my head dipping it under the water soaking him in water. He raises his hands in submission, we get out of the water and I shake sending water droplets all over. He laughs and rubs my forelock. Suddenly the energy shifts and we are gazing into each others eyes. I have never trusted a pale face like this, he saved my life and I saved his. This is a bond that cannot be found in any Bee, Queen to most simple.

The whistle that sends terror in my bones and the spark that will light the fire of rage rings through the air. We both turn and there he is AGAIN. Standing on a hill one hundred feet away, Saber standing smugly with Queen Bee glaring on his back. He has five Worker Bees with him, one is aiming a long silver gun at Wild Face.