Wills horse, Tug, on the banner

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Will and I followed Halt and Old Bob to the corrals. I could tell something was up when I noticed the weird exchanged glances between Halt and Old Bob- I narrowed my eyes at the two of them. It must be something dealing with riding the horses, I thought. Maybe it would be the best choice to let Will ride Tug before I get on Dancer. That way if their playing some sort of trick, I wouldnt be in it.

Tug and Will had already gotten in their coral while I had a separate one for myself. I cheekily smiled to myself for thinking of such an excellent plan. "hey Will, why dont you ride Tug around the coral first. I need a master to show me how its done."

Will nodded and replied, "maybe you do. I guess I'll go first then." While Wills back was turned around, I could barely keep my laughter in check. I snuck a quick glance at Halt and Old Bob, surprised to see they were shocked. I wonder why there were shocked, I thought to myself. Will set his left foot in the stirrup on the saddle. He swung his right foot over Tugs back and settled it in the other stirrup.

If it were possible, I think I saw a mischievous glint in Tugs eye. Wills eyes suddenly grew wide and he was thrown clear over Tugs head. Dirt was all over his back and Tug let out a large neigh as if laughing. "why did you do that?" Will asked Tug.

I looked over to my own horse, Dancer, and asked, "you wouldn't have bucked me off you would you?" I again thought I saw a mischievous glint her eyes. Will had just gotten up and let out a large grunt letting out a wheezy breath.

He turned to look at Halt and asked, "why did Tug buck me off?"

"Your supposed to tell him a code word to get on him. Like mine to get on Abelard is permittez moi which is Gallican for, 'Will you allow me?'"

"The cord word to get on Tug is, 'Do you mind?'" Old Bob said.

"What's the code word to get on Dancer?" I said.

"The code word to get on Dancer is, 'Do you want to dance?" Old Bob told me. I saw Will mutter his code word into Tugs ear and I did the same to Dancer. Dancer looked me into and nodded her head up and down as if telling me that I could get on her. I slowly placed a foot in the saddle stirrup. Dancer cocked her head as if telling me, 'what are doing standing there still? Hop on!'. I saw that Will was already atop Tug and was riding around the small corral.

I took me foot out of the stirrup, tears forming in my eyes as I remembered what had happened the last time I rode a horse.

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"Mom!" I screamed frantically. The horse beneath me bolted quickly into the forest with me clinging fearfully on his neck and mane. Behind me was a wolf- chasing, and snarling at me. I could see its large, meat-eating canines. I screeched and looked forward. The stallion I rode had its eyes large and opened wide, foam around its mouth.

"Somebody help me! PLEASE!" I screamed yet again, but with tears falling like waterfalls down my cheeks. Suddenly I was in the air as my horse tumbled behind me. The air flew out of me leaving me breathless, gasping for air to come in my lungs. I propped myself up on my elbows. I looked to where my horse lay, scratches and blood lay all over his body.

I screamed as a large white and gray colored wolf lept on me, snarling in my face. "help!!!" I screeched. Suddenly, as if answering my prayers, the wolf fell to the side where I saw a purple shafted arrow bolted in the flesh. My breath came out in raspy, shaking breaths. I pushed the limp, dead body off of me.

Nobody was to be seen. My horse lay dead a few feet away from me. Being five years old, this was something scary- this would forever be stuck in my mind, I thought.

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And still, it was stuck in my mind. Reminding me of why I never ride another horse again, why I only ever saw and looked at horses from afar. Teas were streaming down my face by now. I let go of Dancers reins. I looked and saw that everyone had stopped what they were doing and staring at me.

"I'm sorry. But I can't. I can't do this," I said, me voice hoarse. I climbed over the corral bars and ran. Ran into the woods. The one place that always cheered me up. The one place that understood me perfectly- and I understood IT perfectly.  I could hear footsteps gradually getting louder and closer to me.

I started running even faster- faster than what I've ever went before. My breaths came out shorter, and quicker, and my lungs were burning in pain from overworking myself. I spotted a large tree in front of me. I stopped in front of it, looking behind me- no one was there, yet... I started climbing up it, using footholds ad handholds.i settled myself on a large branch. Halt came into my view, as well as Will and Old Bob.

I knew that they knew that I was in this tree. Not only from the fact that my footprints led up the tree, but because the could hear my pitiful sobbing. A bluebird sat in a nest about three feet away from me. Its dark, round eyes staring blankly at me. I scoffed and quietly ad said, "at least you've never been in what I've been in. Your lucky, you could've flown away from that wolf, you wouldnt have felt its body on yours, or see it large teeth in your face."

"Lily! Please come down from the tree!" Will called.

"NO!" I yelled, "You didn't see what I saw! And you weren't five years old when it happened either!"

"When what happened!?" Will asked AND yelled at the same time.

I shuddered but still yelled clearly to him, "The wolf. The blood. Dead bodies," then I murmured quietly but I knew they still had heard it, "the arrow."

(A/N: Sorry I didn't update sooner, it's just that with school and my brothers graduation, I got kinda busy...)