Post by HorsegirlDylan on Sept 3, 2008 9:20:57 GMT -7
Thundercloud: A Destiny Awaits
Beware: It's long!
Her strength and energy failing, Cloud Queen pushed one last time, bringing her foal into the world. She nudged her foal, and ate the tissue that surrounded him. With a sigh, she lay her head down on the straw.
~*~
Fourteen-year-old Alie Bailey awoke early as the first rays of sun played with her golden hair on her pillow. She jumped out of bed and got dressed quickly, knowing she had horses to feed. She was especially eager to visit Cloud Queen, the bay thoroughbred mare that had been bred to their stallion English Thunder eleven months ago. Cloud Queen was so large; she would surely have her foal soon.
Alie charged out of the house and walked briskly to the barn. She found a wheelbarrow and filled it with hay, then pushed it to Cloud Queen’s stall. She opened the stall door, and she saw Cloud Queen lying down. The mare lifted her head and nickered. Then Alie noticed the foal, which was wet, but was flicking his ears and attempting to stand.
Alie rushed back to the house. “Mom! Dad! Cloud Queen has had her foal!”
Alie rushed back to the barn, with her mother and father on her heels. At the stall, they watched as the little colt stood up on its shaky legs and charged toward his mother, stumbling and falling down.
Alie’s father stroked his chin and a frown creased his forehead. “Why hasn’t she gotten up yet?” he asked, half talking to himself. Alie looked at Cloud Queen, who breathed heavily, only occasionally lifting her head to nuzzle her foal.
Alie felt a sinking in her stomach. She hoped the mare would be fine. “Go call the vet,” instructed her father. Alie ran to the house and rung up the vet. With the message that he would be there soon, she rushed to Cloud Queen.
When she got there, her father was trying to coax the mare to get up, as the foal was waiting for his breakfast. Cloud Queen finally relented, and the little colt drank her milk ravenously.
Alie went to bed that night worried. The vet had come, but she had been in another part of the stables and had not heard what he had said. She asked her father, but he only said that the vet said that she was not well and may not make it through the night.
The next morning, Alie awoke, and with a beating heart, made her way to the stables. She slipped into Cloud Queen’s stall, but the mare was not there. Only the little colt lay there, looking at her with fearful eyes.
At once, Alie knew what had happened. Cloud Queen had been put down. Her father mentioned something like that might be necessary. Tears came into Alie’s eyes and she kneeled beside the colt and threw her arms around him. He didn’t even budge. It seemed that he understood Alie. Alie pet his little head, and the colt played with her hair.
She then went inside the house, where her father confirmed that they had put the mare down last night. He said no more. He gave her the vet’s instructions on how to care for the orphaned foal. Alie was to bottle feed him until he was old enough to eat solid food.
The little colt was named Thundercloud. He grew well under Alie’s care for four months. However, the Bailey family suffered a disaster when Alie’s father was killed in a car accident.
Soon after, Alie’s mother Trina called Allie to her room. “Alie, we will need to sell these stables and horses and go live with my mother. We have no money left to care for the horses.”
Alie stared at her mother and burst out crying. “I don’t want to leave the stables, I don’t wanna!”
One by one the horses were sold in auction. Little Thundercloud was sold to a man who claimed to own a racing stable. However, as Thundercloud would soon learn, he did not have a racing stable, he had a stable where he bought horses to send to slaughter. He bought Thundercloud at a cheap price, and thought more about the short-term money he would get from Thundercloud’s meat than the potential Thundercloud had. Surprisingly, the Baileys’ forgot to give the man the registration papers, but the man did not even notice.
Thundercloud was crammed into a trailer with many horses and driven to the stables, which were small and crowded. A gruff-looking man took hold of his lead rope as he jumped out of the trailer and roughly pulled Thundercloud with him. “Come on!” he shouted at Thundercloud.
Thundercloud quivered and rolled his eyes as the man slapped him on the back. Thundercloud bolted forward, but the man was massive and the colt only swung around the man. “You idiot!” shouted the man. He pulled out a whip and sent a stinging blow over Thundercloud’s chest. Thundercloud squealed and half reared. The man was finally able to cram him into a small stall.
Thundercloud’s nostrils quivered as he tried to find space in the stall. It was piled high with manure, and there was very little water and no food. At his former owner’s, he had been treated like a prince, and Alie was almost always with him, except at night. Here, he started to feel lonely.
He sent out a shrill neigh, and started kicking the stall. “Get me out of here!” he thought. The same gruff man came and opened the stall door. Thundercloud laid his ears flat on his head, but the man lifted the whip. The whip whistled through the air and landed with a crack on the colt’s face. Thundercloud spun around and stuck his head into a corner.
The whip whistled again, and an intense pain followed the crack and blood began to gush from Thundercloud’s back. He quivered and knew that he had to run, but he also knew that there was no place to run, as he was as far from the man as he could be.
The whip came down a second time, and Thundercloud spun around and reared, his hooves striking out at the man. The man yelled and struck the whip against Thundercloud’s chest. The colt squealed and reared again, pushing the man onto the ground. He lithely jumped over him, giving him a kick with his hind legs before galloping away.
Thundercloud did not know where he was going; all he knew is that he was running away, far away. His nostrils quivered and his legs pumped him faster, as he ran for his life. His wounds gushed blood, and they stung him tremendously, but he knew he could not stop until he was far away from the hell he had left.
He galloped until he arrived to a small stream in the middle of the expanse of desert. This was Nevada, a dry desert, but home to the wild horse herds. Here he drank his fill, and then perked his ears. A stallion and a mare with a filly a little younger than him trotted toward him. When they noticed him, they stopped. They looked at him quizzically, and the stallion took a step toward him.
Thundercloud quivered and was fearful before these mustangs. He knew that a weak horse is not welcome, and he was bleeding. To show that he was not weak, Thundercloud reared, striking his hooves into the air. He neighed and trotted in a circle, then stopped and looked at the mustangs. The stallion watched him quietly. The mare nickered and stepped toward Thundercloud. Her nose met his, and they sniffed each other with apprehension. The mare backed up and nudged the filly. The filly looked at him shyly, and then began prancing around her mother.
Thundercloud flicked his ears and trotted after the filly. The filly was shorter, but she was about the same age. She galloped away from her mother, and Thundercloud galloped after her. They began prancing around, nipping each other playfully. Thundercloud finally grew tired and went to lie by the stream. The mustang stallion went up to him and sniffed him. Then, satisfied, he turned toward his mare, formally accepting Thundercloud into their small herd.
~*~
Thundercloud grew larger and taller than any mustang around, as he was a Thoroughbred. As he got older, his bay coat darkened into a non-fading jet-black coat. He was happy in the small herd, and as he matured, he began to be interested in the filly, wanting to breed with her. However, the filly was still young, and she began to kick at him whenever he got near.
Thundercloud then began approaching the mare. However, the stallion did not appreciate this. He chased Thundercloud away with a threat, but as time continued, the stallion began to be more irritated by the frisky colt, and felt the colt could not stay in the herd.
One day Thundercloud nuzzled the mare when the stallion was over the hill. Then he attempted to mount her, just as the stallion came galloping over the rise. Thundercloud turned to face him. The stallion snorted and reared, with his teeth bared and his ears laid flat against his head.
Thundercloud dodged, but then charged the stallion, and bit him on his neck. The stallion squealed and kicked out at the colt. Thundercloud reared and neighed, just as the stallion reared, with his teeth heading toward the colt’s neck. He did not reach the neck, but bit Thundercloud on his shoulder on his way down. Thundercloud spun around and kicked his hind legs into the stallion.
The stallion snorted and half reared as he charged the colt. Thundercloud’s eyes had a fire in them, but he knew he wasn’t a match for the much more experienced stallion. The stallion was small, being a mustang, but he was intelligent in the ways of fighting.
The stallion reared and struck at Thundercloud with his front hooves. Thundercloud bolted and trotted a few steps away. He turned and faced the stallion, which was looking calmly at Thundercloud. Then the mare laid her ears flat on her back and charged at Thundercloud, her teeth bared. Thundercloud spun around and galloped away, through the sagebrush and desert sands. He knew he had been expelled.
He galloped far away, but soon slowed and turned around. He heard the pounding of hooves behind him, and soon saw that the filly had been following all along. He neighed and nickered as the filly trotted to him nuzzling his nose. She pranced around him, and he took off galloping again, with the filly beside him.
Soon they arrived at a small stream, and here they drank their fill.
~*~
A year and a half later, Thundercloud welcomed his first son. He had now added a new life to his small herd.
Thundercloud thought his happiness complete, as he had no want, and as he enjoyed his time with his small family, far from human civilization.
He thought he would never come into contact with humans, but he was to be proven wrong. One day, when his colt was only one month old, Thundercloud heard a rumbling on the ground, and a rumbling in the air.
Soon, a herd of mustangs came into view, followed in the air by a helicopter. Seeing the helicopter, Thundercloud reared and screamed his shrill neigh and took off galloping, as the mustang her caught up. Thundercloud stayed near his mare, and as the young colt slowed, Thundercloud and his mare began dropping back. The helicopter kept them going faster though, and the colt dropped further and further behind. Thundercloud and his mare were running for their lives, and so no way to keep behind with their colt.
After a few hours of constant running, the colt dropped beside sagebrush, panting, and two weak to go any further. Thundercloud and his mare galloped on, hardly keeping running themselves. They were herded into a corral by the helicopter, where they panicked, as they were crammed together with many mustangs that were just as scared as they.
Thundercloud could barely keep beside his mare, but he managed to. On him was branded a number. It was not very conspicuous and was underneath his mane on his neck. Thundercloud’s mare was separated from him along with several of the other mustangs. Though Thundercloud did not know it, his mare had been sent to slaughter, to reduce the mustang population on the BLM’s land.
Thundercloud, on the other hand, was put up for adoption. A sixteen year old girl named May Magee, with her mother Laura and her father Harold walked around the arena, discussing each of the mustangs they saw. They had come to adopt a mustang. The Magee family raised and raced Thoroughbred racehorses, but they had decided on having one mustang.
May then pointed to Thundercloud. “Now he’s a big mustang, isn’t he?” she said.
Her father looked at the stallion she pointed to. “I would declare so! He almost looks like a Thoroughbred he’s so large.”
May looked at Thundercloud. “He looks as though he would be fast. Why don’t we adopt him?” She looked at her father.
May’s father smiled and stroked his chin. “What do you think, Laura?” he asked, turning to his wife.
Laura smiled and said, “I think he would fit well into our stables. Let’s hope his temperament is as good as his physical looks.”
May’s father drove the trailer up and they herded Thundercloud into the trailer. Thundercloud was so frightened with what had happened in the last couple of days that he did not offer resistance. Once inside the trailer, May’s father cornered him in one end of the trailer by closing the angle’s gate. He then quickly grabbed Thundercloud’s head and looked at this top lip.
“He has a tattoo on him!” he exclaimed as he exited the trailer and closed the gate. “That proves that he is a Thoroughbred that was raised to race. We can probably track his papers.”
As they drove toward their stables, May wondered about Thundercloud. “He must have escaped,” she thought.
Meanwhile, a couple of days later, in the hot desert sands, fifteen-year-old Amy Horton and her seventeen-year-old brother William rode their trusty horses. Amy’s chestnut mare, Sugar, began to raise her head higher than usual, sniffing the air, and snorting. William’s paint gelding, Dodo, pranced ahead of sugar. At a certain bush, he suddenly bolted and snorted, with William holding on tightly.
“What’s the matter with you, Dodo?” asked William. Then William and Amy both stopped and stared at the bush. Under it lay a colt that looked more dead than alive. But he was breathing, which showed he was alive after all.
It wasn’t long before the colt had been taken to a vet for intensive veterinary care. Thundercloud’s colt was one of the few who had survived to be found and saved. Many more died in the desert, being trampled in the holding pens killed others, and many pregnant mares had aborted their foals after the exhaustive round up.
After Thundercloud’s colt had recovered, the Horton family adopted him. As he grew, he was healthy and loved, and matured to be big, red, powerful, and fast. He was named Thunderbird.
Thundercloud was placed in a corral with plenty of water and food. May Magee came to the corral, and stood there looking at the large stallion. Her father and mother had decided that the stallion would belong to her. His coat was dirty and shabby, and his mane filled with burrs, but May dreamed of the day she would be able to tame him and make him look beautiful.
Thundercloud snorted and shook his head when he saw May. He perked his ears and watched her. He switched his tail, as a small warning.
May opened the corral’s gate and slipped in. She closed it and walked to the center of the corral. She had a lunge whip with her. She clucked and tapped the ground behind Thundercloud with the whip.
Thundercloud bolted, and galloped wildly around the corral. May did not urge him any more. She just watched him in awe, as the powerful stallion pumped his muscles and as his mane bounced on his powerful neck as he galloped. Thundercloud finally slowed and snorted. May tapped the ground again, but this time Thundercloud kicked his hind legs out toward the whip, sending up dust as he again bolted.
He finally stopped and looked at May. May took a few steps toward him, and then retreated a step backward. Thundercloud considered running again, but he didn’t as May backed up.
May clucked, but did not tap the ground. Thundercloud bolted, but soon slowed to a lively trot. May noticed that he did not sweat, and concluded that he had a lot of stamina.
May stopped clucking and watched him. “Easy boy,” she said calmly. The stallion slowed down, and finally stopped and looked at her. May could tell that he was listening to her cues.
May’s seventeen-year-old brother Willard then came up. “Hey, how’s Thundercloud?”
May looked at him surprised. “Thundercloud?”
“Yeah, Dad found out he is Thundercloud, and has contacted his breeders. His breeders said that they had auctioned him off, but had forgotten to give the buyer the papers, so they still have it. It also appears that the buyers were going to send him to slaughter.”
May’s eyes opened wide. “Thundercloud? I think that’s a nice name for him.”
“Hey, how is he doing?” asked Willard, looking at Thundercloud who was calmly sniffing the ground.
“He’s doing great. He seems to be listening to me.”
“Just don’t get too confident. He may have been abused before and may be waiting his chance to exact revenge,” said Willard, heading back to the house.
“Thundercloud, you won’t hurt me will you?” said May, looking at Thundercloud. “We’re going to be friends, right?” Thundercloud lifted his head and looked at her. As if to tell her that he wasn’t a friend yet, Thundercloud snorted, and shook his head proudly, holding it high.
“Oh, come on,” said May, tapping the whip gently on the ground behind him. Thundercloud took off in a slow canter, holding his head high and snorting every once in a while.
For the next few weeks, Thundercloud was kept in the corral, and May lunged him without a lunge rope every day. Every day Thundercloud became more comfortable with her, and using treats to coax him, May eventually was able to touch him. As he became more comfortable, May decided that he was ready to be haltered.
May walked into the corral, with a carrot in her hand. Thundercloud nickered, but did not come toward her. “Hey, when will you stop being aloof!” she scolded. She held the carrot out to him and he daintily accepted it. Then she walked to his side and stroked his neck. She slipped the halter’s rope over his neck, and then slipped the halter on. Surprisingly, he did not fight it. “He’s been halter-broken before,” she thought.
She clucked and began walking forward. Thundercloud began to prance forward, throwing his head up and down. “Easy!” said May as he half-reared. “You need to learn some ground manners,” she scolded him.
As time progressed, so did Thundercloud. He came to be more obedient with May. May was finally able to bridle him, and then saddle him. As she worked more with him, she knew that the time would soon come when she would need to ride him.
Thus, on a bright spring morning, May walked into Thundercloud’s corral. She bridled him, and then placed the saddle on him. Thundercloud endured this patiently.
May then, using a mounting block since Thundercloud was so tall, slipped her foot into the stirrup and swung herself on. Thundercloud flicked his ears backward, and tensed his body. May then dismounted and praised the stallion.
When he was relaxed, May again mounted him. Thundercloud did nothing, only listened for her cues. A few days later, May mounted him then clucked, squeezing her legs into his sides. Thundercloud suddenly tensed up, and May, sensing this, quickly spoke soothing words to him. He soon calmed down and began moving out at her cue.
Within the next few months, Thundercloud proved to be a willing partner, though he always had a streak of wariness to him. May continued training him, and finally thought he was ready to race against other horses in the stables. She had taken him to the track earlier, but without any other horses.
May bridled Thundercloud and saddled him up. Willard rode up on Purim, and the horses Cosmonaut, My Typhoon, Rebellion, Icy Atlantic, Remarkable News, Excellent Art, Nobiz Like Shobiz, Kip Deville, Trippi’s Storm, Silent Name, and Jeremy, joined them. May led Thundercloud to Stanley, a young jockey, and he mounted the stallion. Then all the racing horses with their jockeys rode slowly to the gate.
The clanging of the gates was heard and the Thoroughbreds rushed out. Thundercloud galloped forth with an early lead. However, Remarkable News began to gain ground and finally passed Thundercloud. May watched worriedly as Thundercloud began to drift away from the fence. She knew that he would have a harder time if he did not hug the fence. She noticed the Stanley was urging Thundercloud toward the fence, but the stallion seemed to have his own mind.
Excellent Art came up behind Thundercloud and passed him, and Cosmonaut soon followed. May watched as Stanley finally got Thundercloud closer to the fence, just as they began going through the first turn. They passed the second turn, with Thundercloud being passed by Nobiz Like Shobiz. As they approached the second turn, May watched as Thundercloud picked up speed. His legs were pumping like pistons and his muscles rippled under his shining black coat. He soon passed Nobiz Like Shobiz and began gaining on Excellent Art, who had dropped behind Cosmonaut. Excellent Art had begun to tire, and Thundercloud soon passed him.
Next came Cosmonaut, but Cosmonaut sped up and soon passed Remarkable News. Cosmonaut sped ahead as Thundercloud inched his way passed Remarkable News. He galloped after Cosmonaut, closing the gap as his strides lengthened. Cosmonaut was the pride of the Magee Stables, and he was showing Thundercloud that he would not be easy to beat.
His legs pumping and the wind whistling through his mane, Thundercloud gained on Cosmonaut. Soon his head was aligned with Cosmonaut’s back. The finish line loomed close, and Thundercloud inched his way forward, until the two racing Thoroughbreds were neck to neck. The finish line was suddenly there, and Cosmonaut’s nose hit the invisible line a scant few inches before Thundercloud’s.
May ran toward her stallion and hugged him. “You did well on your first race!” she praised the stallion.
Thundercloud was soon registered in an official race. He was three years old, and ready to start his racing career. The day before the race, Stanley, the jockey, confided to May that he was going to take a chance with Thundercloud, a chance that could make this race or break it. He said that he would push him to top speed at the beginning of the race, usually a grave mistake. “But,” he told her. “He has more stamina than I’ve ever seen in a horse, and he may just leave all the other racers in the dust.”
May knew it was a chance that would not work for most horses, but she had confidence that her Thoroughbred from the wild horse herds would not fail her.
The day of the race dawned bright and clear. From the Magee Stables, Cosmonaut, Purim, and Thundercloud were being raced. Cosmonaut, pride of the stables, had all the energy and morale he needed for a good race. However, the odds were all for a Thoroughbred stallion named Xchanger, and not far behind were High Finance and Gottcha Gold. The filly Hysterical Lady did not seem to have much on her side. Other racers were Unbridled Belle, Wanderin Boy, and Firebird, also going for his first major race.
Stanley mounted Thundercloud and May held the reins. “Stanley, make him win, will you?” she said looking into his eyes. Stanley smiled and said gently, “I’ll try my best.”
Thundercloud snorted as Stanley gave May one more look before riding Thundercloud toward the gates. He cringed when he realized that Thundercloud and he were the furthest to the right. May hurriedly went to the spectator area, and watched Thundercloud and Stanley. The gates suddenly opened, and the Thoroughbreds were off!
Thundercloud surged ahead and gained ground quickly, leaving the other racers further and further behind. As they galloped around the first two turns, Thundercloud was not to be challenged as he galloped with all the spirit and zest that was characteristic of him. He was the only black stallion, and it seemed he wanted to show that.
As they approached the 3.0 mark, Cosmonaut began to stealthily gain on Thundercloud. Xchanger galloped neck to neck with Cosmonaut, and High Finance began to gain ground with Gottcha Gold hugging near him.
Thundercloud had a strong lead, and his muscles pumped furiously as he fought to keep ahead of Xchanger and Cosmonaut who threatened his lead. The crowds cheered their favorite horse on. May silently said, “Go, Thundercloud! This is your chance!”
As they neared the last turn, Firebird surged ahead and quickly overtook Gottcha Gold. High Finance was not so easy to overtake, as he also galloped for all he was worth, inching his way after Xchanger and Cosmonaut.
Xchanger pushed forward and finally passed Cosmonaut. He began gaining a lead and pushing his way toward Thundercloud. Soon they were neck and neck, and Cosmonaut was fighting his way forward not far behind. Firebird was fleet, but he could not match Thundercloud, Xchanger, or Cosmonaut.
As they neared the finish line, Thundercloud put on a new burst of speed and swung through the finish line with a clear first lead. Xchanger followed suit, followed by Cosmonaut who was now neck to neck with Xchanger. Firebird sped through the finish line in fourth place and Wanderin boy came in fifth. Gottcha Gold grabbed sixth, Hysterical Lady made it to seventh, and Unbridled Belle took eighth.
Thundercloud pranced around as he was praised excessively for his success. May threw her arms around him and praised him. “Stanley, you’re a brick!” she exclaimed.
He laughed. “He has the stamina, not I.”
In front of all those present, Thundercloud reared and neighed. May watched in awe at his power and majesty. He had never done that before. Then she came to her senses and knew he could be dangerous if he did that.
“Thundercloud, you’re not supposed to do that,” she scolded. As Stanley dismounted, May led the prancing stallion into his stall.
She gave him a sugar cube. “Thundercloud, will you forgive us humans for treating you badly before?” She meant it with her heart, though she knew that no matter how much she hated it, there would still be some wicked people who would abuse horses, send them to slaughter, and abduct them cruelly from their wild horse lands.
Beware: It's long!
Her strength and energy failing, Cloud Queen pushed one last time, bringing her foal into the world. She nudged her foal, and ate the tissue that surrounded him. With a sigh, she lay her head down on the straw.
~*~
Fourteen-year-old Alie Bailey awoke early as the first rays of sun played with her golden hair on her pillow. She jumped out of bed and got dressed quickly, knowing she had horses to feed. She was especially eager to visit Cloud Queen, the bay thoroughbred mare that had been bred to their stallion English Thunder eleven months ago. Cloud Queen was so large; she would surely have her foal soon.
Alie charged out of the house and walked briskly to the barn. She found a wheelbarrow and filled it with hay, then pushed it to Cloud Queen’s stall. She opened the stall door, and she saw Cloud Queen lying down. The mare lifted her head and nickered. Then Alie noticed the foal, which was wet, but was flicking his ears and attempting to stand.
Alie rushed back to the house. “Mom! Dad! Cloud Queen has had her foal!”
Alie rushed back to the barn, with her mother and father on her heels. At the stall, they watched as the little colt stood up on its shaky legs and charged toward his mother, stumbling and falling down.
Alie’s father stroked his chin and a frown creased his forehead. “Why hasn’t she gotten up yet?” he asked, half talking to himself. Alie looked at Cloud Queen, who breathed heavily, only occasionally lifting her head to nuzzle her foal.
Alie felt a sinking in her stomach. She hoped the mare would be fine. “Go call the vet,” instructed her father. Alie ran to the house and rung up the vet. With the message that he would be there soon, she rushed to Cloud Queen.
When she got there, her father was trying to coax the mare to get up, as the foal was waiting for his breakfast. Cloud Queen finally relented, and the little colt drank her milk ravenously.
Alie went to bed that night worried. The vet had come, but she had been in another part of the stables and had not heard what he had said. She asked her father, but he only said that the vet said that she was not well and may not make it through the night.
The next morning, Alie awoke, and with a beating heart, made her way to the stables. She slipped into Cloud Queen’s stall, but the mare was not there. Only the little colt lay there, looking at her with fearful eyes.
At once, Alie knew what had happened. Cloud Queen had been put down. Her father mentioned something like that might be necessary. Tears came into Alie’s eyes and she kneeled beside the colt and threw her arms around him. He didn’t even budge. It seemed that he understood Alie. Alie pet his little head, and the colt played with her hair.
She then went inside the house, where her father confirmed that they had put the mare down last night. He said no more. He gave her the vet’s instructions on how to care for the orphaned foal. Alie was to bottle feed him until he was old enough to eat solid food.
The little colt was named Thundercloud. He grew well under Alie’s care for four months. However, the Bailey family suffered a disaster when Alie’s father was killed in a car accident.
Soon after, Alie’s mother Trina called Allie to her room. “Alie, we will need to sell these stables and horses and go live with my mother. We have no money left to care for the horses.”
Alie stared at her mother and burst out crying. “I don’t want to leave the stables, I don’t wanna!”
One by one the horses were sold in auction. Little Thundercloud was sold to a man who claimed to own a racing stable. However, as Thundercloud would soon learn, he did not have a racing stable, he had a stable where he bought horses to send to slaughter. He bought Thundercloud at a cheap price, and thought more about the short-term money he would get from Thundercloud’s meat than the potential Thundercloud had. Surprisingly, the Baileys’ forgot to give the man the registration papers, but the man did not even notice.
Thundercloud was crammed into a trailer with many horses and driven to the stables, which were small and crowded. A gruff-looking man took hold of his lead rope as he jumped out of the trailer and roughly pulled Thundercloud with him. “Come on!” he shouted at Thundercloud.
Thundercloud quivered and rolled his eyes as the man slapped him on the back. Thundercloud bolted forward, but the man was massive and the colt only swung around the man. “You idiot!” shouted the man. He pulled out a whip and sent a stinging blow over Thundercloud’s chest. Thundercloud squealed and half reared. The man was finally able to cram him into a small stall.
Thundercloud’s nostrils quivered as he tried to find space in the stall. It was piled high with manure, and there was very little water and no food. At his former owner’s, he had been treated like a prince, and Alie was almost always with him, except at night. Here, he started to feel lonely.
He sent out a shrill neigh, and started kicking the stall. “Get me out of here!” he thought. The same gruff man came and opened the stall door. Thundercloud laid his ears flat on his head, but the man lifted the whip. The whip whistled through the air and landed with a crack on the colt’s face. Thundercloud spun around and stuck his head into a corner.
The whip whistled again, and an intense pain followed the crack and blood began to gush from Thundercloud’s back. He quivered and knew that he had to run, but he also knew that there was no place to run, as he was as far from the man as he could be.
The whip came down a second time, and Thundercloud spun around and reared, his hooves striking out at the man. The man yelled and struck the whip against Thundercloud’s chest. The colt squealed and reared again, pushing the man onto the ground. He lithely jumped over him, giving him a kick with his hind legs before galloping away.
Thundercloud did not know where he was going; all he knew is that he was running away, far away. His nostrils quivered and his legs pumped him faster, as he ran for his life. His wounds gushed blood, and they stung him tremendously, but he knew he could not stop until he was far away from the hell he had left.
He galloped until he arrived to a small stream in the middle of the expanse of desert. This was Nevada, a dry desert, but home to the wild horse herds. Here he drank his fill, and then perked his ears. A stallion and a mare with a filly a little younger than him trotted toward him. When they noticed him, they stopped. They looked at him quizzically, and the stallion took a step toward him.
Thundercloud quivered and was fearful before these mustangs. He knew that a weak horse is not welcome, and he was bleeding. To show that he was not weak, Thundercloud reared, striking his hooves into the air. He neighed and trotted in a circle, then stopped and looked at the mustangs. The stallion watched him quietly. The mare nickered and stepped toward Thundercloud. Her nose met his, and they sniffed each other with apprehension. The mare backed up and nudged the filly. The filly looked at him shyly, and then began prancing around her mother.
Thundercloud flicked his ears and trotted after the filly. The filly was shorter, but she was about the same age. She galloped away from her mother, and Thundercloud galloped after her. They began prancing around, nipping each other playfully. Thundercloud finally grew tired and went to lie by the stream. The mustang stallion went up to him and sniffed him. Then, satisfied, he turned toward his mare, formally accepting Thundercloud into their small herd.
~*~
Thundercloud grew larger and taller than any mustang around, as he was a Thoroughbred. As he got older, his bay coat darkened into a non-fading jet-black coat. He was happy in the small herd, and as he matured, he began to be interested in the filly, wanting to breed with her. However, the filly was still young, and she began to kick at him whenever he got near.
Thundercloud then began approaching the mare. However, the stallion did not appreciate this. He chased Thundercloud away with a threat, but as time continued, the stallion began to be more irritated by the frisky colt, and felt the colt could not stay in the herd.
One day Thundercloud nuzzled the mare when the stallion was over the hill. Then he attempted to mount her, just as the stallion came galloping over the rise. Thundercloud turned to face him. The stallion snorted and reared, with his teeth bared and his ears laid flat against his head.
Thundercloud dodged, but then charged the stallion, and bit him on his neck. The stallion squealed and kicked out at the colt. Thundercloud reared and neighed, just as the stallion reared, with his teeth heading toward the colt’s neck. He did not reach the neck, but bit Thundercloud on his shoulder on his way down. Thundercloud spun around and kicked his hind legs into the stallion.
The stallion snorted and half reared as he charged the colt. Thundercloud’s eyes had a fire in them, but he knew he wasn’t a match for the much more experienced stallion. The stallion was small, being a mustang, but he was intelligent in the ways of fighting.
The stallion reared and struck at Thundercloud with his front hooves. Thundercloud bolted and trotted a few steps away. He turned and faced the stallion, which was looking calmly at Thundercloud. Then the mare laid her ears flat on her back and charged at Thundercloud, her teeth bared. Thundercloud spun around and galloped away, through the sagebrush and desert sands. He knew he had been expelled.
He galloped far away, but soon slowed and turned around. He heard the pounding of hooves behind him, and soon saw that the filly had been following all along. He neighed and nickered as the filly trotted to him nuzzling his nose. She pranced around him, and he took off galloping again, with the filly beside him.
Soon they arrived at a small stream, and here they drank their fill.
~*~
A year and a half later, Thundercloud welcomed his first son. He had now added a new life to his small herd.
Thundercloud thought his happiness complete, as he had no want, and as he enjoyed his time with his small family, far from human civilization.
He thought he would never come into contact with humans, but he was to be proven wrong. One day, when his colt was only one month old, Thundercloud heard a rumbling on the ground, and a rumbling in the air.
Soon, a herd of mustangs came into view, followed in the air by a helicopter. Seeing the helicopter, Thundercloud reared and screamed his shrill neigh and took off galloping, as the mustang her caught up. Thundercloud stayed near his mare, and as the young colt slowed, Thundercloud and his mare began dropping back. The helicopter kept them going faster though, and the colt dropped further and further behind. Thundercloud and his mare were running for their lives, and so no way to keep behind with their colt.
After a few hours of constant running, the colt dropped beside sagebrush, panting, and two weak to go any further. Thundercloud and his mare galloped on, hardly keeping running themselves. They were herded into a corral by the helicopter, where they panicked, as they were crammed together with many mustangs that were just as scared as they.
Thundercloud could barely keep beside his mare, but he managed to. On him was branded a number. It was not very conspicuous and was underneath his mane on his neck. Thundercloud’s mare was separated from him along with several of the other mustangs. Though Thundercloud did not know it, his mare had been sent to slaughter, to reduce the mustang population on the BLM’s land.
Thundercloud, on the other hand, was put up for adoption. A sixteen year old girl named May Magee, with her mother Laura and her father Harold walked around the arena, discussing each of the mustangs they saw. They had come to adopt a mustang. The Magee family raised and raced Thoroughbred racehorses, but they had decided on having one mustang.
May then pointed to Thundercloud. “Now he’s a big mustang, isn’t he?” she said.
Her father looked at the stallion she pointed to. “I would declare so! He almost looks like a Thoroughbred he’s so large.”
May looked at Thundercloud. “He looks as though he would be fast. Why don’t we adopt him?” She looked at her father.
May’s father smiled and stroked his chin. “What do you think, Laura?” he asked, turning to his wife.
Laura smiled and said, “I think he would fit well into our stables. Let’s hope his temperament is as good as his physical looks.”
May’s father drove the trailer up and they herded Thundercloud into the trailer. Thundercloud was so frightened with what had happened in the last couple of days that he did not offer resistance. Once inside the trailer, May’s father cornered him in one end of the trailer by closing the angle’s gate. He then quickly grabbed Thundercloud’s head and looked at this top lip.
“He has a tattoo on him!” he exclaimed as he exited the trailer and closed the gate. “That proves that he is a Thoroughbred that was raised to race. We can probably track his papers.”
As they drove toward their stables, May wondered about Thundercloud. “He must have escaped,” she thought.
Meanwhile, a couple of days later, in the hot desert sands, fifteen-year-old Amy Horton and her seventeen-year-old brother William rode their trusty horses. Amy’s chestnut mare, Sugar, began to raise her head higher than usual, sniffing the air, and snorting. William’s paint gelding, Dodo, pranced ahead of sugar. At a certain bush, he suddenly bolted and snorted, with William holding on tightly.
“What’s the matter with you, Dodo?” asked William. Then William and Amy both stopped and stared at the bush. Under it lay a colt that looked more dead than alive. But he was breathing, which showed he was alive after all.
It wasn’t long before the colt had been taken to a vet for intensive veterinary care. Thundercloud’s colt was one of the few who had survived to be found and saved. Many more died in the desert, being trampled in the holding pens killed others, and many pregnant mares had aborted their foals after the exhaustive round up.
After Thundercloud’s colt had recovered, the Horton family adopted him. As he grew, he was healthy and loved, and matured to be big, red, powerful, and fast. He was named Thunderbird.
Thundercloud was placed in a corral with plenty of water and food. May Magee came to the corral, and stood there looking at the large stallion. Her father and mother had decided that the stallion would belong to her. His coat was dirty and shabby, and his mane filled with burrs, but May dreamed of the day she would be able to tame him and make him look beautiful.
Thundercloud snorted and shook his head when he saw May. He perked his ears and watched her. He switched his tail, as a small warning.
May opened the corral’s gate and slipped in. She closed it and walked to the center of the corral. She had a lunge whip with her. She clucked and tapped the ground behind Thundercloud with the whip.
Thundercloud bolted, and galloped wildly around the corral. May did not urge him any more. She just watched him in awe, as the powerful stallion pumped his muscles and as his mane bounced on his powerful neck as he galloped. Thundercloud finally slowed and snorted. May tapped the ground again, but this time Thundercloud kicked his hind legs out toward the whip, sending up dust as he again bolted.
He finally stopped and looked at May. May took a few steps toward him, and then retreated a step backward. Thundercloud considered running again, but he didn’t as May backed up.
May clucked, but did not tap the ground. Thundercloud bolted, but soon slowed to a lively trot. May noticed that he did not sweat, and concluded that he had a lot of stamina.
May stopped clucking and watched him. “Easy boy,” she said calmly. The stallion slowed down, and finally stopped and looked at her. May could tell that he was listening to her cues.
May’s seventeen-year-old brother Willard then came up. “Hey, how’s Thundercloud?”
May looked at him surprised. “Thundercloud?”
“Yeah, Dad found out he is Thundercloud, and has contacted his breeders. His breeders said that they had auctioned him off, but had forgotten to give the buyer the papers, so they still have it. It also appears that the buyers were going to send him to slaughter.”
May’s eyes opened wide. “Thundercloud? I think that’s a nice name for him.”
“Hey, how is he doing?” asked Willard, looking at Thundercloud who was calmly sniffing the ground.
“He’s doing great. He seems to be listening to me.”
“Just don’t get too confident. He may have been abused before and may be waiting his chance to exact revenge,” said Willard, heading back to the house.
“Thundercloud, you won’t hurt me will you?” said May, looking at Thundercloud. “We’re going to be friends, right?” Thundercloud lifted his head and looked at her. As if to tell her that he wasn’t a friend yet, Thundercloud snorted, and shook his head proudly, holding it high.
“Oh, come on,” said May, tapping the whip gently on the ground behind him. Thundercloud took off in a slow canter, holding his head high and snorting every once in a while.
For the next few weeks, Thundercloud was kept in the corral, and May lunged him without a lunge rope every day. Every day Thundercloud became more comfortable with her, and using treats to coax him, May eventually was able to touch him. As he became more comfortable, May decided that he was ready to be haltered.
May walked into the corral, with a carrot in her hand. Thundercloud nickered, but did not come toward her. “Hey, when will you stop being aloof!” she scolded. She held the carrot out to him and he daintily accepted it. Then she walked to his side and stroked his neck. She slipped the halter’s rope over his neck, and then slipped the halter on. Surprisingly, he did not fight it. “He’s been halter-broken before,” she thought.
She clucked and began walking forward. Thundercloud began to prance forward, throwing his head up and down. “Easy!” said May as he half-reared. “You need to learn some ground manners,” she scolded him.
As time progressed, so did Thundercloud. He came to be more obedient with May. May was finally able to bridle him, and then saddle him. As she worked more with him, she knew that the time would soon come when she would need to ride him.
Thus, on a bright spring morning, May walked into Thundercloud’s corral. She bridled him, and then placed the saddle on him. Thundercloud endured this patiently.
May then, using a mounting block since Thundercloud was so tall, slipped her foot into the stirrup and swung herself on. Thundercloud flicked his ears backward, and tensed his body. May then dismounted and praised the stallion.
When he was relaxed, May again mounted him. Thundercloud did nothing, only listened for her cues. A few days later, May mounted him then clucked, squeezing her legs into his sides. Thundercloud suddenly tensed up, and May, sensing this, quickly spoke soothing words to him. He soon calmed down and began moving out at her cue.
Within the next few months, Thundercloud proved to be a willing partner, though he always had a streak of wariness to him. May continued training him, and finally thought he was ready to race against other horses in the stables. She had taken him to the track earlier, but without any other horses.
May bridled Thundercloud and saddled him up. Willard rode up on Purim, and the horses Cosmonaut, My Typhoon, Rebellion, Icy Atlantic, Remarkable News, Excellent Art, Nobiz Like Shobiz, Kip Deville, Trippi’s Storm, Silent Name, and Jeremy, joined them. May led Thundercloud to Stanley, a young jockey, and he mounted the stallion. Then all the racing horses with their jockeys rode slowly to the gate.
The clanging of the gates was heard and the Thoroughbreds rushed out. Thundercloud galloped forth with an early lead. However, Remarkable News began to gain ground and finally passed Thundercloud. May watched worriedly as Thundercloud began to drift away from the fence. She knew that he would have a harder time if he did not hug the fence. She noticed the Stanley was urging Thundercloud toward the fence, but the stallion seemed to have his own mind.
Excellent Art came up behind Thundercloud and passed him, and Cosmonaut soon followed. May watched as Stanley finally got Thundercloud closer to the fence, just as they began going through the first turn. They passed the second turn, with Thundercloud being passed by Nobiz Like Shobiz. As they approached the second turn, May watched as Thundercloud picked up speed. His legs were pumping like pistons and his muscles rippled under his shining black coat. He soon passed Nobiz Like Shobiz and began gaining on Excellent Art, who had dropped behind Cosmonaut. Excellent Art had begun to tire, and Thundercloud soon passed him.
Next came Cosmonaut, but Cosmonaut sped up and soon passed Remarkable News. Cosmonaut sped ahead as Thundercloud inched his way passed Remarkable News. He galloped after Cosmonaut, closing the gap as his strides lengthened. Cosmonaut was the pride of the Magee Stables, and he was showing Thundercloud that he would not be easy to beat.
His legs pumping and the wind whistling through his mane, Thundercloud gained on Cosmonaut. Soon his head was aligned with Cosmonaut’s back. The finish line loomed close, and Thundercloud inched his way forward, until the two racing Thoroughbreds were neck to neck. The finish line was suddenly there, and Cosmonaut’s nose hit the invisible line a scant few inches before Thundercloud’s.
May ran toward her stallion and hugged him. “You did well on your first race!” she praised the stallion.
Thundercloud was soon registered in an official race. He was three years old, and ready to start his racing career. The day before the race, Stanley, the jockey, confided to May that he was going to take a chance with Thundercloud, a chance that could make this race or break it. He said that he would push him to top speed at the beginning of the race, usually a grave mistake. “But,” he told her. “He has more stamina than I’ve ever seen in a horse, and he may just leave all the other racers in the dust.”
May knew it was a chance that would not work for most horses, but she had confidence that her Thoroughbred from the wild horse herds would not fail her.
The day of the race dawned bright and clear. From the Magee Stables, Cosmonaut, Purim, and Thundercloud were being raced. Cosmonaut, pride of the stables, had all the energy and morale he needed for a good race. However, the odds were all for a Thoroughbred stallion named Xchanger, and not far behind were High Finance and Gottcha Gold. The filly Hysterical Lady did not seem to have much on her side. Other racers were Unbridled Belle, Wanderin Boy, and Firebird, also going for his first major race.
Stanley mounted Thundercloud and May held the reins. “Stanley, make him win, will you?” she said looking into his eyes. Stanley smiled and said gently, “I’ll try my best.”
Thundercloud snorted as Stanley gave May one more look before riding Thundercloud toward the gates. He cringed when he realized that Thundercloud and he were the furthest to the right. May hurriedly went to the spectator area, and watched Thundercloud and Stanley. The gates suddenly opened, and the Thoroughbreds were off!
Thundercloud surged ahead and gained ground quickly, leaving the other racers further and further behind. As they galloped around the first two turns, Thundercloud was not to be challenged as he galloped with all the spirit and zest that was characteristic of him. He was the only black stallion, and it seemed he wanted to show that.
As they approached the 3.0 mark, Cosmonaut began to stealthily gain on Thundercloud. Xchanger galloped neck to neck with Cosmonaut, and High Finance began to gain ground with Gottcha Gold hugging near him.
Thundercloud had a strong lead, and his muscles pumped furiously as he fought to keep ahead of Xchanger and Cosmonaut who threatened his lead. The crowds cheered their favorite horse on. May silently said, “Go, Thundercloud! This is your chance!”
As they neared the last turn, Firebird surged ahead and quickly overtook Gottcha Gold. High Finance was not so easy to overtake, as he also galloped for all he was worth, inching his way after Xchanger and Cosmonaut.
Xchanger pushed forward and finally passed Cosmonaut. He began gaining a lead and pushing his way toward Thundercloud. Soon they were neck and neck, and Cosmonaut was fighting his way forward not far behind. Firebird was fleet, but he could not match Thundercloud, Xchanger, or Cosmonaut.
As they neared the finish line, Thundercloud put on a new burst of speed and swung through the finish line with a clear first lead. Xchanger followed suit, followed by Cosmonaut who was now neck to neck with Xchanger. Firebird sped through the finish line in fourth place and Wanderin boy came in fifth. Gottcha Gold grabbed sixth, Hysterical Lady made it to seventh, and Unbridled Belle took eighth.
Thundercloud pranced around as he was praised excessively for his success. May threw her arms around him and praised him. “Stanley, you’re a brick!” she exclaimed.
He laughed. “He has the stamina, not I.”
In front of all those present, Thundercloud reared and neighed. May watched in awe at his power and majesty. He had never done that before. Then she came to her senses and knew he could be dangerous if he did that.
“Thundercloud, you’re not supposed to do that,” she scolded. As Stanley dismounted, May led the prancing stallion into his stall.
She gave him a sugar cube. “Thundercloud, will you forgive us humans for treating you badly before?” She meant it with her heart, though she knew that no matter how much she hated it, there would still be some wicked people who would abuse horses, send them to slaughter, and abduct them cruelly from their wild horse lands.