chapter 6
a mind of her own
PRINCESS had seen only the stall, the paddock, and the larger paddock where the other foals played. Was there any-thing else?
“We need to show her a bit more of the world, to get her ready,” Roland decreed, and one day Princess and her mother were led out the front door of the stall, the people door.
They emerged in a broad aisle lined with stalls. Ponies looked over the half doors, pricking their ears in friendly greeting. Princess wanted to go meet them, but she had a halter on her head, and the trainer had her rope in his hand. He didn’t pull, but he didn’t budge when she strained toward the nearest pony.
So she followed her mother, out of the barn to a gravel driveway lined with trees and some huge gray things, larger than she was and perfectly unmoving.
Princess started toward them. The trainer didn’t, and the rope went hard and tight. “Good girl,” he said.
Roland often said that. His voice was like her mother’s, doting and besotted. When the trainer said it, it was just a sound. He was like that. The things he said sounded wrong. He even said “Princess” like he didn’t mean it. Now he was stopping her from doing what she wanted, again. She stood looking at the gray things, one ear tipped back at him. Roland laughed. “She’s of two minds about you, Charlie!”
“They don’t like to be thwarted,” the trainer said.
“Let me take her.”
“Are you sure? She isn’t trained to lead yet.”
“I’ll let her lead me. Keep the mare close.”
Roland took the rope, and it went soft. The halter stopped pressing Princess’s face. She stepped toward the first gray thing and he stepped with her. Together they approached the—what was it?
“That’s a rock,” he said. “The world is full of them. Great big hard things that you have to go around. And that’s another one. Do you want to go see?”
There were six of them, set in a circle under a spreading birch tree. Princess sniffed her way around them. Roland slowly paced beside her, the rope loose between them. “That’s right, look them over,” he said. “You haven’t seen much of the world—”
On the last rock, a small gray hump arched up on four legs, opened a red mouth, and hissed.
Princess jumped back, and Roland stumbled. The rope tightened between the two of them. The trainer’s voice barked in the the background: “Careful! Whoa! Are you all right?”
Roland caught his balance and spoke her name. “Princess.”
He was breathing fast, but his voice was warm and gentle. Princess looked toward him. The rope softened, and he said, “Good girl! It’s just a cat. They’re scary when they do that, aren’t they?”
His voice drew Princess nearer. He shortened the rope, but it stayed soft. He reached out to rub her neck. “That’s my good girl.”
Princess peeked past his large stomach at the cat. It sat on the rock, tail wrapped around its paws, looking at her with bright eyes. Though small, it looked dangerous. She was impressed when Roland stretched his hand out to it. “Hello. Where did you come from? We’re a long way from civilization up here—and you look like you’ve seen hard times.”
“Must be a stray,” the trainer said. “I’ll chase it off.”
“No, no,” Roland said. “He’s come this far—he must be meant to be here. Put out a bowl of milk, and get some cat food next time you’re in town. He’s down on his luck right now, but he looks like he could deal with the mice in the grain room.”
“Darlene doesn’t like cats,” the trainer mentioned.
“It’s a big place. I’m sure they can stay out of each other’s way.”
That night as Princess lay flat on her side near her mother, she was awakened by a new sound—prrt! She rolled up on her chest as the cat appeared at the top of the stall door. Princess’s mother lifted her head, but didn’t get up. Too much trouble.
Princess stood and shuddered the straw off her coat. She stepped toward the cat, ears pricked, legs tight, waiting for a hiss. The cat stiffened, also waiting.
Princess lifted her muzzle. Her warm breath ruffled the cat’s fur.
He lashed his tail. But almost in the same moment he arched his back, differently than the first time, and stroked his side against Princess’s muzzle. Then he jumped down outside the stall. Princess couldn’t see him anymore. She listened to the soft thumpa-thumpa-thump of his feet going down the aisle.
The cat came the next night too, and frequently after that. Only for a few minutes. He had many errands, especially after dark. Princess would hear squeaks out in the aisle, then a ghastly crunching. Later the cat might appear for a moment with blood on his breath. They were too different, perhaps, to be close friends, but he was the friend Princess had.
After that Princess and her mother were led out every day. The trainer took Princess, and his wife took her mother. He had become bossy, Princess noticed. When she wanted to go in one direction, he was apt to stop her. When she wanted to stand, he’d make her move. He was never simple, always thinking; Princess could feel it, and it made her wary. He was careful and so was she, and she did trust him to a point. But between the thinking and the scent of the woman that persistently clung to him, she was never completely at her ease.
Once they walked down the driveway, along the edge of the big field. Between the rails of the high fence, Princess could see the foals exploring, nibbling grass, scratching each other’s shoulders with their teeth. Her shoulders itched just watching them. That place was impossible to reach. She whinnied.
All the ponies raised their heads, pricking their sharp ears. Then they galloped toward the fence, hooves thundering, manes tossing. The foals cut back and forth between their mothers, nipping, kicking, squealing. They stopped just short of the fence in a cloud of dust and flying clods of turf.
The foals arched their necks at Princess. Who are you? The mares made vicious faces at one another and polite ones at Princess’s mother. Many were her daughters and grand-daughters. The old mare ignored them, fixing her queenly gaze on the mountains beyond.
“Conceited thing!” said the woman, who was leading her.
A cheeky black colt reached his nose between the rails toward Princess. Play, he suggested.
Princess had only ever played by herself, running in circles around her mother. How did you play with another foal? She didn’t know—yet she did. All on its own, her mouth took a tiny sideways nip at the black foal’s neck.
“Uh-uh-uh!” The trainer pulled her away. “If he puts a mark on your perfect face, what’ll happen to me?” He led her up and down the fence, near the other ponies, but out of reach. “Well, she isn’t afraid of them. That’s what he wanted us to find out. Let’s go back to the barn.”
He turned Princess after her sedate mother. Princess had always followed her mother before this, always followed the pressure of the rope. Now a wild, stubborn heat flared inside her. No! Stay! Her four hooves planted squarely, she twisted her head to look back at the foals.
Gently the trainer tugged on the rope. He could make her move. People were strong. She’d learned that when she was born. But she was strong too, and she didn’t want to go back to the barn.
“Keep going, Darlene,” the trainer said. He waited, with a steady pressure on the rope. Princess braced against it, while her mother got farther and farther away. In the distance the old man was calling questions.
“C’mon, Princess,” the trainer muttered. “I’m your fairy godmother, remember?”
The other foals got bored and moved away from the fence. Princess was all alone out here with the trainer. Suddenly she wanted her mother. Up flew her head, up flew her short tail, and she came along the driveway at a springy trot, the trainer running beside her. She didn’t like that and neither did her mother, who turned, flattening her ears. But they were together again, and after a short meal Princess was ready to follow everyone else back to the barn.
“That didn’t go perfectly, Charlie,” Roland said, when they got there.
“No. She has a mind of her own,” the trainer said. “In spite of the work we did when she was born.”
As he led Princess into the stall, he muttered, “Thanks for making me look bad!” He slipped the halter off and Princess moved away from him, toward her mother. But the woman was there, at the old mare’s head. Princess hesitated. People were in control. That was the first thing she’d ever learned. But if she didn’t go near them? What could they do if she didn’t go near them?
At the very least, she would not go near the woman.
She was of a mind to avoid the trainer too, but he always seemed to know what he would do next, and after all, he was perfectly gentle. Besides, he took her exploring.
One day they went inside the horse trailer. Princess’s mother ate hay while Princess sniffed things. Doors were closed, an engine started nearby, and Princess felt a vibration beneath her feet. When it stopped and the doors opened, Princess and her mother were led out to a slightly different place in the yard. “Congratulations! Your first trailer ride,” the old man said. This happened on several days, until Princess was quite used to it.
The vet came back to give her and her mother more shots. When he was done, he glanced around. “The place looks good, Roland. So the new couple are working out?”
“Yes. Charlie and Darlene are very efficient.”
“Where did you say they’re from? I thought I knew most of the pony people in this area.”
Roland shrugged. “I met them at a show.”
“But when you checked their references—”
“I didn’t go into all that. I have an eye for people.”
“You have an eye for ponies, Roland! I’ve known you to be wrong about people.”
“I trust Charlie and Darlene completely! And I trust you. About ponies!”
The vet shrugged. “There’s no fool like an old fool, Roland. I wish you every success.”
After that the daily walks were different. The trainer fussed, wanting Princess to walk slowly, to pose with her front hooves perfectly aligned. Her back hooves had to be lined up too, and her neck stretched high, and her ears pricked forward.
It was hard to hold still. But when she did, Roland said, “That’s my Princess!” Princess liked knowing she had pleased him. She made herself walk sedately. She stretched her neck and posed for as long as she could.
“She’s better for you than she is for me,” the trainer mentioned.
“I know.” That pleased Roland most of all.
Early one morning Princess and her mother went into the trailer. It moved for a long time, and when it stopped, they were someplace new.