Battlecry

The huge black horse reared and screamed. The men that surrounded him threw more ropes around his neck and ankles. They managed to get him down on all four feet, and again tried to pull him through the corral gates. They had been trying this for the past 15 or so minutes with no progress. The horse wouldn't cooperate.

Battlecry had been captured the day before, when men came in trucks after him. They chased him until he nearly collapsed, then lassoed him with a rope that had a tire attached. The weakened stallion couldn't fight much more, though he tried. They sedated him, and hauled him off in a truck with other frightened horses. When they arrived at the selling pens, Battle was put in his own pen, with fences that were at least seven feet high. He stould around, bleary-eyed, until the drug wore off. He charged around his pen, shaking the fences, and catching the eye of a buyer. He had been purchased by a man from Sparkling Creek to be a fighting stallion.

Now he was here, being forced into another fence, this time even smaller. The men finally overpowered him and squeezed him through the gate before shutting him in. Then they tossed over some hay before stalking off, cursing him under their breath. Battle screamed again, challenging anyone around, but no one answered. He charged around the tiny pen, wearing down a track before he decided it was no use. He took a long drink from the trough and ate a bit of hay.

The next day, there was a big commotion. He could smell horses all around, and once again he attacked the high walls. When the sun was high overhead, he heard his name spoken over a loudspeaker. He couldn't understand any of the words other than his name, but the speaker said, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the stallion fighting tournament of the Unknown Corral! Our next stallion to fight is a fresh-caught wild horse,who we call Battlecry! Are there any challengers?" The big black horse stould still, ears forward, wondering what the man was booming about. He didn't know he was about to have to fight for his life.