Trickster
Chapter Two
Dr. Quinn explains to Dr. Mac that they got hit on the turnpike by a swerving car. The fool took off, too. Didn’t even stick around to see what happened. Dr. Mac says at least the trailer didn’t flip. But it did lean, and it knocked the horse around.
Dr. Mac says they have to get him out of the trailer. He’s panicking. Mr. Quinn says he seemed fine at the accident, but on the way home, he started to tear it up. Dr. Mac says he’ll need a sedative.
David says that he probably feels trapped. He may be afraid something else will hit him. Just then, there’s a clanging from the trailer. Dr. Mac says they can unload him into the fenced backyard.
As Mr. Quinn maneuvers the trailer so it’s facing the fence, the volunteers rush inside the house to the deck to watch. Dr. Mac and Mr. Quinn are already in the backyard, and Mr. Quinn says he untied his halter from the ropes in the trailer. As soon as they open the gate, he’ll be free to come out. Sunita asks David what he thinks will happen. He says definitively that the horse will run out as if shot out of a cannon.
Mr. Quinn unlocks the back gate, lowers the loading ramp, and scurries out of the way. The horse stops stomping and whinnying for a second, and then cautiously backs out of the trailer. As soon as his hooves touch grass, he twists in the air and gallops to the end of the big yard. It’s awesome.
The horse is a rich chestnut, brown color. He mane looks like someone combed fudge through it. His leg muscles ripple under his shiny coat. It’s the most amazing horse David has ever seen. He vows under his breath that he’s going to ride that horse.
As the horse wheels around and gallops toward them, his eyes are wide with fear and his ears are pinned back. David can see he feels threatened. His gait is awkward, too. One of his hind legs is bothering him. He runs another lap before he slows down and relaxes a bit. Dr. Mac quietly tells David to bring out a bucket of water.
David cuts through the kitchen to the clinic and grabs a bucket from the supply closet. He doesn’t want to miss a thing. The water sloshes on Zoe’s shoe as he passes on the deck. David can see the sweat on his chest. His eyes and ears sweep the yard, as if he’s expecting something else to come along to scare him.
David reaches the bottom of the steps, and the horse begins to walk towards him. David doesn’t move to avoid startling the horse. The horse does have a limp, and it looks like it’s painful for him to put full weight on his hind right leg. David can see a stream of blood and a cut about two inches long over his right hock.
David asks what his name is. When Mr. Quinn answers that it’s Trickster, he whinnies, stops right in front of David, nostrils flaring. David shifts the bucket to his left arm and holds out his hand for Trickster to smell, and then introduces himself to Trickster. David knows they’re going to be friends someday.