8# Back to The Water

The horses grazed in the pasture except for Navisca, she gazed at the lake. She swore she saw one of the kelpies go under water. Navisca shook her head and sighed, all she wanted was to go home. "Home sick?" Lad asked. Lad trotted next to Navisca, his long gold mane fluffed onto his face. "How did you know I was home sick?" Navisca asked pulling her ears back. "I know that look, anyways, do you live out there somewhere? Is that Australian Kelpie dog ranch out there?" Lad asked putting his hooves on the fence. "Uh, yeah." Navisca lied. A bell started ringing in the distance from the village. "Here come the children." Lad said trotting over to the other horses. "Children?" Navisca asked as she saw a small group of tiny humans come towards Horse Haven. "Small humans, young humans actually." Lad said with a flick of his tail. "They come here to ride us." Lad said pushing dirt around with his hoof. "They don't ride me because who wants to ride a pony? Am I right!" Lad said taking a mouth full of grass. "I have to get out of here!" Navisca thought to herself as more children cane over the hill and towards the pasture. Navisca ran towards the stables, but they where closed, the barn was open, but does she really wanna deal with that stubborn cat. Hairy opened the gate and some children entered the pasture, some where holding saddles and food. Navisca hid between the building and the fence. She peeked around the corner and saw Brutus being swarmed by kids wanting to ride him. "Hey!" Brutus clicked his tongue at Navisca. "Sucks to be you!" Brutus snorted and trotted along. Navisca knew she had to escape this place, so she made he way towards the barn. When she got in the barn, the cat jumped down from the haybills again. "How many times do I have to tell you!?" The cat hissed. "Get out of here!" He meowed threateningly. "No, I have to get back to my family!" Navisca neighed. "Listen kid, no one, and I mean no one escapes Horse Haven." The cat said licking his paw. Navisca shook her head in disbelief "You see horse, Farmer Hairy is very strict on making sure none of his animals escape this place, because he believes animals would be better off here than in the wild." The cat said stretching before bounding onto a fence post. "Ya see, I get to go wherever I want, but now I have to deal with you entering the barn." He hissed. "I am not the only one you should be worried about! What about Grim and Dario!?" She neighed. "Who and the what? Aren't they just coyotes with mange?" The cat said laughing. He scratched at the post and lept in front of Navisca. "No! They are Chupacabras they kill goats and sheep! They can go after anything but they prefer goat." Navisca said glancing behind the cat, She saw her only escape. "Listen pal, I don't know where you learned this, bug listen to me when I saw this.. Fantasy creatures aren't real." He said, his pupil shifted into slits. "They are, you are just to afraid to leave the barn." Navisca said smiling, she had a plan. "Beat it horse, I am not afraid of some dumb wild dogs with mange!" The cat hissed. "You aren't tough," "Yes I am!" The cat yowled. "What would you do if there was a creature in front of you?" Navisca said with a smirk. "Come on don't be dumb! They aren't real! I outta scratch your eyes out Missy!" The cat said as he crouched and hissed. Navisca lept over the cat and broke the chicken wire on the other side of the barn. She bolted for the lake as fast as she could. The cat hissed and meowed loudly from the barn. "She's escaping dammit!" He hissed at Hairy who was carrying buckets. Hairy noticed the cat hissing and looked up to see Navisca. Hairy whistled and three black Tibetan massifs came running out of a small shed behind the barn. They snarled and barked as they chased Navisca. Hairy got on his horse and rode after the dogs, Navisca stopped at the waters edge around the corner.

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Warning Some Violence

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Navisca turned around and reared as the mastiffs came to a stop. They continued to bark at Navisca. Navisca snorted, "Come along." A mastiff said "We caught you let's go!" The mastiff ordered. "Do you think I'll follow you?" Navisca threatened. "My name is Buck, and I will be taking you back to safety! Now come on! Or else I will drag you back!" Buck snarled. "No! I will not!" She snorted and hoofed the ground. "I am warning you bright white! This is dangerous out here, there are creatures out here!" Buck said looking around the water. "Oh you think so?" Navisca said turning her back on them. "I see how it is, Rider, get her." Buck said with a soft snarl. "With pleasure!" Rider said crouching down and then ambushing. Navisca kicked him and he stumbled back. "Damn you!" Rider snarled, blood dripped from his nose. Rider pounced on Navisca, he bit into her white skin that suddenly changed black. Her mane turned a bright blue and her hooves a bright white. Rider found himself stuck on her back. "Let go of me!" Rider exclaimed. "Gretchen save him!" Buck said with a snarl. "I can't there buck." Gretchen said with a whimper. "That there is a kelpie." Gretchen said looking at the water. "I suggest we kill this creature before she gets into the water!" Gretchen said barring her teeth. Buck and Gretchen growled and tried biting at Navisca, but they where too afraid to get stuck. Navisca dove into the water. "No!" Buck yelled grabbing Navisca's tail. Navisca tried to swim away with Rider stuck to her back. Navisca flashed back at Buck and bit him on the cheek. Buck barked un pain as Navisca splashed around as Rider bit her. She bit his leg that was free from her back and she dragged him underwater. Hairy came around the corner to see Buck laying on the ground whimpering and Gretchen growling at the rippling and bubbling water. Suddenly Rider's head broke the surface and he gasped loudly. Navisca's head crashed through the surface too, she grabbed his neck and pulled him back underwater, "What the hell!?" Hairy said grabbing his gun and loading it with silver bullets. Somehow Rider managed to get off Navisca's sticky back. He ripped some hair in the process, Navisca swam towards Rider with mouth open. Rider bit the side of Navisca's neck, air bubbles flew from her mouth and she kicked Rider deeper into the water. Hairy shot at the water a couple of times but missed Navisca. Navisca grabbed Rider's throat and she swam up towards the surface. Hairy jumped and dropped his gun as Navisca held Rider by the neck. She pulled him back underwater and Hairy grabbed his gun and aimed it at the water. Navisca never surfaced again and the bubbles stopped, suddenly a red substance began to float up to the surface. Gretchen gulped and started to whimper. Buck shook his head, his mouth open in shock. The Red substance floated on the surface as something black came floating go the surface. Rider's body reached the surface and floated there. Buck started howling in sadness and Hairy sat down covering his face. Buck stopped howling and grabbed Rider's body and yanked him into the shore. His eyes where white and he had multiple gashed and cuts everywhere. Buck stopped dragging him and turned in sadness Navisca was already gone, she had swam to the island cave to tell the others on her first glorious kill.