I stood by the round pen bouncing my leg impatiently as I waited for Shar to get back. I bit my lip, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that I had, had since the vision. If Shar doesn't get here soon, I thought, I'm going to go home.
"Sorry!" Shar called from behind me, "It took me a lot longer than I thought to track down Hunter Ryan and give him the news!"
"Okay..." I trailed off, no longer having the energy to be angry with her for something so stupid.
"Are you ready to start the training?" She asked glancing from me to the barn.
"I think that's a question to ask Ocean, since he's the one that's going to be doing all the work."
"On the contrary, both you and Ocean have to be equally willing to teach and learn for this to work out." I rolled my eyes at her choice of words.
"Whatever, let's just get started." Shar opened her mouth to say something else but as soon as she did there was a loud crash in the barn. Instantly my heart dropped as I thought back to the vision I had about the person trying to kill Ocean in the barn. Simultaneously, Shar and I took off, sprinting towards the open barn door. We both stopped just inside the entrance as we took in the sight.
"Stop trying to kick me!" A young Hunter yelled at a seemingly familiar black mare. "I can't put the medicine on if you act like this!" Had the situation been different and not at all dangerous I would have laughed at the flustered look on his face as the mare spun circles in her stall.
"What is going on? It sounded like something fell or something!" Shar half said and half yelled at the poor Hunter. The young Hunter quickly slipped out of the mare's stall and slid the door closed.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to alert anyone! Herbalist Hardandra told the group of Hunters that were with her how to treat Islay's wound just in case she couldn't make it down to the village for some reason and I just assumed that after what happened yesterday she probably wouldn't want to leave the house and she's been our Herbalist for a few years and has helped keep the villagers healthy so I just thought that I'd help and all Islay wants to do is kick me!" The Hunter ranted gesturing wildly to the black mare at the end of it.
"Well, if your going to be the caretaker of the mare your going to have to get to know each other better first before you just expect her to let you do whatever. What is your name?" Shar said glancing between both the Hunter and the mare.
"Uhh, caretaker? I'm not- I don't know very much about horses... My names Jay."
"Okay, well Jay, considering you were probably the only one to actually pay attention to Hardandra's instructions, your gonna have to be the one caring for the mare... What did you say her name was?"
"Oh," He blushed shrinking away from us, "Sh-she doesn't really have a name... I've, Uhh, well, I, me, personally, have just started calling her Islay."
"Islay? That's a strange name..."
"Uhh, yeah, I guess so... My older sister once told me a story and one of the people was called Islay and she was very, very bold and protective and I just thought that kinda suited the mare after what she did yesterday..."
"Yeah," Shar responded, "I guess it does... Do you need our help getting the medicine on?"
"I don't know... Islay doesn't like just one person being around, let alone three people." I closed my eyes, hopefully, I thought, they'll hurry up and get this figured out.
"Kate?"
"Yes?" I asked opening my eyes to look at Shar.
"Why don't you go grab Ocean so that we can get ready to head out, and who knows his presence might calm Islay down."
"Sure!" I was immediately full of energy at the thought of spending time with Ocean. I skipped down the aisle, humming happily to myself until I got to Ocean's stall. Very rarely have I lead a horse let alone put a halter on, which then led me to the question, does Ocean even need a halter? I mean he has and enchanted halter/bridle stuck on his head so do I just use that one or do I put an actual physical on on? I stood there for a few minutes just staring as I thought about it.
"Kate," Shar called from down the aisle, "are you coming?"
"Yeah," I yelled back, "just give me a minute!" I opted for the second option, if Ocean doesn't need the physical halter on top of the enchanted bridle then we could always take it off over there. I slid into his stall with a pastel green halter. I raised it up trying to slip it over his nose but every time I did so Ocean lifted his head further away from me. I bit my lip, reaching up as high as I could but still his head was higher than I was reaching. I sighed and glared at Ocean as he watched me.
He sent an image to me of the halter barely over his nose and snorted. I laughed, "so that's why you won't let me put it on? You don't know what I'm trying to do." I sent an image back to him of him with his head down so that I could reach all the way to his ears. He flicked his ear and stared at me with what I presume to be slight confusion but did as I asked anyways. He lowered his head so that I could slip the halter over his nose and clip the piece behind his ears with minimal effort. Ocean snorted once again, raising his head as he scanned the area, as if checking for danger.
"It's okay," I said softly, "We're just going to go calm Islay down and then you and I, well Shar too I guess, are going to begin our training." I lead him awkwardly to where Shar and Jay were waiting. "Okay what now?" I asked once I got near them. Islay whinnied softly to Ocean as soon as she saw him, but when he didn't respond Islay began to rear and kick in her stall. Trying desperately to break through the wooden gate to reach her old leader.
"Islay! Islay calm down! Your okay! He's okay!" Jay shouted over the loud crashes as her hooves came in contact with the wood. It didn't calm her at all, in all reality the shouting seemed to amp her up even more. "What now?! It didn't work!"
"Really?" Shar said sarcastically as she rushed to move everything out from the front of the stall. "Kate is there anything you or Ocean can do?!"
"Ocean?" He didn't respond, just stood with his ear pricked forward as he watched Islay, "OCEAN!" This time he heard me and lowered his head. I sent an image to him of Islay being calm and he immediately snorted and sent one back of her running through a meadow with the rest of the Herd. I shook my head sadly at him and sent a picture of the wound on her leg and then a picture of the medicine. He neighed at Islay but then turned back to me when she continued to kick. He sent me the image of the Hunters' who had been there when Islay had been shot.
"I don't know how we're going to calm her down!" I shouted, "Ocean can't help!" Just as I said it Ocean nudged me with his nose and sent an image of Islay busting through the door. "Guys!" They didn't respond. "Guys! Get out of the way she's coming through!" I yelled and just as we had all cleared the way Islay broke through and went running straight for the open barn door. She vanished in an instant out the door and I turned to face Shar and Jay.
"Now what?" Jay asked. I looked at Shar's wide eyes and realized out of the three of us, none of us had any clue. Ocean nickered, lowering his head to get my attention. He sent the image of Islay's wound that I ad sent to him a while ago back at me as if questioning. I turned to Jay, "Jay, what exactly did Hardandra say about Islay's wound?"
"Uhh, she said if it wasn't checked and cleaned it could get infected... If it gets infected while she's out there she probably won't live." I sent an image of her wound infected, then one of her laying down in a grassy meadow, and last one of her staying there, not moving.
"Okay Ocean," I whispered stroking his nose, "what do we do?" Instantly he sent an image back of him chasing her down, with me as his rider. "Okay," I breathed, turning to tall Shar and Jay the plan.