Horse

I saw the cold horses out there this morning. They were wearing blankets, but I could feel that they were still miserable. They're always out. Even if they were in, that barn doesn't even have walls. It's hardly more than a roof supported by poles. 

Two of them were standing close together. Their heads were kind of leaning forward and they were very still. I always think they're talking telepathically when I see them looking that way. 

My thoughts drifted to wild horses. I imagined a herd of them. What does it look like when they sleep at night? Do they all lie down together? Do they separate into family units? Do they post sentries? Are they afraid of anyone? Men? Wolves? Rampaging grizzlies?

Wolves, like horses can run and run and run. The wolves are probably not as fast as the horses, but they're relentless. 

The horses flee as a herd. There's a leader - the strongest and wisest among them. The young trust this horse entirely. He is what they want to be. The lead horse has problems the others cannot comprehend. Right now, it's how to shake these wolves that have been in pursuit for more than a day. 

The weakest of them - the smallest young, the sick, the old - can't maintain this pace. The leader is mindful of this, trying hard to rally them, but doing the math in his head at the same time. Leaders have to make difficult decisions. 

The young one, running hard but tiring fast, looks to the leader with absolute faith. He is afraid - as they all are - but he knows the leader will deliver him from the wolves. Their eyes meet. The leader communicates strength and will. The young one is heartened but his strength is flagging. 

The leader has to think thoughts the others do not. The grim calculus. The wolves will stop the chase when they have something to eat. The leader kicks it into a higher gear. The others follow suit - those who are able. 

Their eyes meet one last time. The young one, the one with all the faith, can't keep up. His eyes grow wide as the others pull away. The wolves are gaining. The leader looks away for the last time and charges on. The young one doesn't have the time to fully understand, but it's dawning on him, and the leader sees that moment. There must be sacrifice.

The wolves circle the young one in a frenzied tornado - tearing. The herd disappears in thundering dust to distant safety. 

Later, the leader, once the sentries have been posted and the others have all bedded down, is alone with his thoughts. Each time his exhausted eyelids fall, he sees those round eyes. The faith.