Funday Times - Story

Legend of the Pony’s Tears

Chapter Six : A Friend
A Quality Serials Story By Mary Maden, Illustrated By Vicki Wallace Copyright 2004 by Mary Maden. All rights reserved.

The current of the river held the pony under. Water filled the little pony’s nose and mouth. He couldn’t breathe! The pony started to panic. He flailed his legs, trying to get his footing. The pony was tiring fast. He couldn’t fight anymore. The little pony surrendered to his fate. He let the river’s waters rush over him.
Silently, the little pony said to the river, “You have won, Long Man.

I am beaten.” Suddenly, the pony’s head broke the surface of the river. As quickly as the river’s current had taken him, it let him go. The little pony gasped for breath. He greedily gulped in great gulps of air. The air burned his nose and throat, but it was sweet and good.

The river continued to carry the little pony along in its rushing flow. The pony spotted a tree that had fallen over the river’s edge. He caught hold of one of the tree’s branches with his teeth. With all the strength he had left, the pony held onto the tree branch. He kicked his feet until he was able to get a foothold on the slippery boulders beneath him. Finally, the pony was able to raise himself up on all fours.

He half-walked, half-swam his way to a shallow spot on the bank of the river. The exhausted pony crawled the rest of the way out of the water, and then he collapsed on the river’s bank. The little pony was all alone, and he was afraid. He didn’t know what he was going to do. He felt too weak to go on.

The pony didn’t know how long he had lain there on the mossy bank, not able to move. His body was battered and bruised. His legs were cut and bleeding. The pony gazed up at the sky. An eagle soared over the pony’s head. The sight of the majestic bird gave the pony the strength to get up.

Slowly, the pony got to his feet. The little pony concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Painfully, he began walking. He was lost and didn’t know which direction to go in. He let his spirit lead him. With the stars in the sky as his only light, the pony walked far into the night. Finally, the pony could go no farther.

I will stop a short while and rest, he said to himself. Almost immediately, the little pony fell into a fitful sleep. The morning sun shone in the little pony’s face. He blinked his eyes. He hurt all over, and he was stiff and sore. Wearily, the little pony went in search of food.

The pony was busy nibbling on a patch of grass when he heard a noise. It was the crunch of dry branches breaking. The pony’s ears pricked up. His nostrils flared as he sniffed the air. His nose picked up an oddly familiar scent. It was the scent of the small human!

Little Wolf was making his daily journey into the mountains when he saw the pony. The pony saw Little Wolf. The boy stopped and stood still. The little pony stood poised to flee.

“Do not fear,” Little Wolf said in a gentle voice. Warily, the pony looked at the small human. His heart said there was nothing to fear, but still the pony was cautious. Little Wolf noticed that the pony was injured.
“You are bleeding!” Little Wolf cried. Without thinking, the boy ran to the pony.

He gently rubbed his hands all over the pony. He checked his ribs, back and legs. The little pony quivered under the boy’s tender touch. “Good! Nothing is broken,” Little Wolf announced. The boy stroked the pony as he talked. “If you will let me, I can help you. Wait for me here. I will be back very soon.”

The little pony waited while Little Wolf went in search of some special plants that had good medicine. In no time, the boy was back. “This will make you feel better,” Little Wolf said. The boy put a poultice on the pony’s wounds. “You ran away from the horse trader, didn’t you?” Little Wolf said. Little Wolf sat down next to the pony. He thought about what to do. Then he made a decision.

“I know a secret place where you can hide, and no one would ever find you,” the boy said. “I can take you there if you will go with me.” The boy held his hand out to the pony. “I want to be your friend,” Little Wolf told the pony. “I promise I will never do anything to hurt you. Will you come with me now?”

The pony didn’t know what to do. He remembered the old horse’s warning.

Could he trust a human?

Next Time: The Secret Place

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