A Racehorse's Story #2

Instructions

A Racehorse's Story (CLICK start before reading!) #1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/841053548/#comments-331784189 I'm Winner's Spirit, and well, let's just say that I've won every race I've entered, and that's four. Oh- also by a lot of lengths. Yeah, you could say I'm a born racer- but I just love to run. I also love my jockey, Katie. Anyway, this is my story, and I hope you'll like it. I was entered in my fifth race, and expected to win. Nothing unusual about the morning before the race, just regular pre-race excitment. The next day, after I was tacked up, Katie walked towards me and swung herself up into the saddle. As slow as ever, Katie guided me out and onto the track. The other powerful Thoroughbreds tossed their heads and whinnied, enjoying the crowd. However, my mind was already on business, and I thought nothing but shooting from the gate. I couldn't quite contain my excitment when I was loaded into the gate. Let's just say that I reared, but not a crazy rear. I calmed down pretty quickly after Katie started speaking quietly to calm me down. The crowd went silent, and Katie crouched over my neck. "Bang!" the gates flew open, and I shot into first. As much as I wanted to speed ahead, Katie kept a firm grip on the reigns. Quite suddenly, another horse came thundering down the track, quickly pulling up next to me and threatening my lead. Oh, no he doesn't! And he did. Pouring on speed, he burst past me, and I felt Katie tense. I was glad she did- because I gathered myself to take off. I raced forward, shooting past him, and ripping the reigns from Katie's hands. I heard her shout something, pretty shrill, but I kept pouring on speed, the reigns flying everywhere. I don't know how Katie managed to stay on, but she did. The Thoroughbred's thundering hooves faded, but my gallop sure didn't. I fought forward, Katie hanging on for dear life. Luckily, she had her feet still in the stirrups and her hands clutched my mane quite tightly. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in my right fore, and I went crashing to the ground. Before I hit the ground, Katie kicked her feet from the stirrups and launched herself from my back. My muzzle was shoved into the ground, and my right fore hurt like crazy. Thoroughbreds leaped over me, and I struggled to stand up, to get back in the race. "No!" Katie threw herself over my neck and head, fighting me back down. "Please, boy, you can't stand up- you'll just hurt yourself more." Something about the urgency in her voice made me stop fighting her, and I stayed on the ground until the medics came. There was water streaming down her cheeks, and I remember her body heaving as she held me there, quietly sobbing. The announcer started shrieking about the winning horse, then medics all over me with sharp things in their hands- and then everything went black. When I woke up, I was in an indoor body of water, and I went crazy. Splashing and struggling, I frantically floundered around. A shout from a human made me look around; there were two humans dressed in a weird outfit standing outside the body of water, carefully watching me. "Easy, easy boy." One of them said. No! Where was Katie? Where was I? Then it all came rushing back to me, clear as day. The pain, the horses, Katie, the race, the medics. One thing was for sure; humans are WEIRD. Starting with, why is there this huge white thing on the leg that was causing me pain? Quite suddenly, a door banged open and Katie, Katie!, walked in. She strode over to the older man in a white coat and started talking to him. "He was on a streak..." "Well, there's not much hope-" "But what if he recovers!" "What if he doesn't?" "But-" "Fine; I'll give him another week, but if he doesn't improve....We' ll have to let him go." "No....." Katie turned to stare at me, water making her face shiny once again. She turned back to the man, but he had already walked away. She then slowly made her way over to me, rubbing her eyes. She bent down next to the pool and stared into my eyes. "You'll recover, won't you, boy? You won't ever race again but please, Spirit, we need your blood in other foals. You're the racing stables' only hope: we don't have any other champions that would make good money in breeding." Her eyes got a faraway look, then the snapped back to me. "You won't ever race again, will you? Oh, Streak-I'm so sorry." (Streak was my nickname, given to me by Katie) Her voice quavered, then she quickly stood up and walked, but then ran, out of the room. No! Don't go! I let out a piercing whinny after her, but the door swung shut and stayed shut. I got a sinking feeling that it might not open again. THE END!!! (For Now!)