The white stallion stared wildly at the human wielding the whip, standing opposite him. He had already felt the sting of the whip across his flank twice, and had no intention of letting the human get close enough to hit him a third time. Hot, angry air was expelled in rhythmic bursts from the horse’s nostrils.  His eyes never wavered from the human’s and his ears were laid flat against his head.  Quivering from head to foot, he slowly backed away from the man, who equally slowly advanced towards the horse. The other two horses, still in their stalls, neighed in fear.

“Easy now, you brute,” the man whispered angrily, slowly raising the arm wielding the whip. “Let me whip you again, maybe you’ll learn to respect me this time.”

The stallion continued to slowly back away, but suddenly turned tail, exploding into action. With a hard kick of his back legs that just missed the man, he burst out of the stables and out into the courtyard of the estate. The man, shaken by the near –miss, cursed loudly and followed the horse at a frantic run, the whip undulating wildly behind him.  Entering the courtyard, he was just in time to see the back of the horse as it disappeared through the main gates, off down the country lane that would eventually take it to the village of Tewksley. The man screamed in frustration, stamping both feet on the ground, and hurling his whip to the floor.  There was nothing he could do now. The horse bore very clear signs of abuse, and if he tried to fetch him back, he would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. He would just have to let the horse go, hoping they would never figure out who the horse belonged to.

Seething with anger, he picked up his whip and stomped back into the stable. The two horses in the stable shook in fear. There was no doubt, they’d be in for it now.