Chapter Six

There was a heavy knock at the front door. Startled, the old man dropped his paperback book and sprang up from his wooden chair. Falling backwards, the back of the chair hit the rug with a soft thump as he hurried to the door.

My feet hit the floor as I rolled out of the sofa. I retrieved my m4 rifle standing next to my armor vest, helmet, and boots in a pile. Safety flipped off and my finger slipped onto the cold trigger.

The old man reached up and flipped the switch with a solid click next to the front door. Instantly the room plunged into black. There was a scuffling of feet followed by a 2x4 hitting the floor with a thud. The front door cracked open letting moonlight shine through the narrow gap. The dark shape of the old man's head positioned itself up against the gap. A shiver of moonlight streaked past the owner onto my socks.

The front door swung open before a large dark four-legged figure. It's sides heaving with labored breathing. Illuminated by the half moon, the sorrel figure eased its way in. Its side scraping against the door frame.

The smell of sweat drifted in, its pungy odor defiling the sanctuary inside. Its own existence was unexpected yet familiar. Strong enough to be tasted on the tip of my tongue.

The old man, briefly visible in the moonlight, closed the front door, turning the inside back to complete darkness. Heavy breathing and the shuffling of feet was the only sounds in the pitch blackness. I remained where I was holding my tongue, finger off the trigger. A click and then light came on, blinding all three of us.

My arm covered my face. Adjusting to the light, my eyes picked out the old man standing at the door squinting his eyes, hand on the light switch. Elly was in front of him, her long body facing towards me. Her sides and neck were covered in glistening sweat. Her flaxen mane in disarray and eyes hidden underneath.

Her sides expanded and contracted to a rhythm, gradually slowing over time. Her mane fell to the floor as she lowered her head revealing her squinting eyes.

"What happened? I asked. My rifle's butt rested on the floor next to my foot.

Elly cleared her throat with guttural sound. Her enlarged nostrils strained to blow out the air within her lungs.

Behind her, the old man tentatively picked up the 2x4 and placed it back in its slot. He turned about in place, eyes falling onto the mare in the room.

"Curse this mane. I should have had it braided." Elly shook her head up and down.

"Do you mean cut?" My tongue moved on its own. "What happened out there?"

"Heavens no!" Elly huffed. "Before you ask, I must have a drink first."

Elly slow stepped to the water bucket dragging her mane on the rug. Her sweaty stench now strong as ever. She stuck her muzzle into the bucket. Loud slurps came within the plastic container as water splashed around the inside. The old man cautiously made his way around her and left the room heading to the back of the house.

The slurping continued as her muzzle sank lower and lower into the bucket. The slurping ended and she lifted her muzzle out, dripping water on the floor. Her tongue licked her teeth and she yawned, showing off her large incisors.

The old man came back arms full of blue,grey, and white towels. He dropped them on the floor and handed me a blue one off the top. He took a grey one for himself and walked around to the other side of the mare. He went to work with enthusiasm.

My towel rubbed her side with half the vigor of the old man. So much hot sweat soaked into the towel that by the second pass I was holding a drenched smelly fabric. The old man was already on his second towel while humming a tune. I took another towel and started on her neck.

Elly took it in stride with her eyes closed and neck lowered to make our jobs easier. The heat coming off her body was intensely hot, like the heat from a hot shower. I am sure if we were outside doing this, steam would be rolling off her body. How far did she actually go?

"How sweet," Elly exclaimed.

I shot a glance to her front, the old man was dabbing her face with a white towel as he spoke pleasant words to her.

"What is he saying?" Curiosity demanded answers.

"He is saying...in many words- well he is apologizing for ignoring me and not treating me as someone worthy of respect." She cleared her throat. "Also for slapping my rump."

The old man placed his palm on her nose and bowed his balding head whispering low enough for only her ears to pick up.

He raised his head and stooped over picking up the dirty towels. He left the room carrying the load to the back of the house. Elly turned her head in my direction.

"Have you finished?" She asked in her woman's voice.

"Your mane is-"

"Disgusting I know." Her foreleg lifted up. She sniffed then placed it back down.

"You can start on my legs."

My face scrowled. I discarded my towel at her feet and picked up a fresh one.

She offered me her foreleg and I wrapped the towel around and vigorously rubbed it up and down.

"It looks like you have been eating well. There are still some remains on your lips."

I stopped and wiped my mouth with my hand. The taste of sweat, her sweat made me gag.

Elly chuckled. "Do you know not to wipe your face while brushing a horse?"

I spit into the towel. "I have forgotten." I went back to work.

"Say, how has he been treating you?"

"Too well," I glanced back at the nightstand still holding a plate of bread and dried meat. "He keeps bringing me food and I keep eating it. Hell, I'm going to eat through all his food at this rate." Not to mention the pain pills he gave me earlier. They worked wonders on my sprained ankle. I can barely feel the pain.

I released her foreleg and switched over to the other foreleg with the towel.

"Poor old man." Elly said. "Having to live alone in this house while there is fighting going on. Has he mentioned anything about his family to you?"

"Nothing I know of." Up above me on the wall, Portraits of him and his wife and all seven children displayed prominently. Below them were the brothers and sisters of the expansive extended family and close friends. Why was he here alone?

A new towel and I went to her back end. She lifted up her huge leg. The size of the beast made me gulp. It was all pure muscle connected to solid bone. I would hate to be kicked by that. I started toweling it down.

The old man came back carrying a five gallon bucket of water. His feet shuffled as he made his way over to the two of us. The strain clearly showed on his wrinkled face. Breaking from behind her, towel still wrapped on her leg, I reached out to take the bucket from him.

"Do not take the bucket lest you injure your ankle. Elly side-stepped in front of me. Protective much? I grew annoyed but did not press the issue. She had a good reason to do so.

The old man with weakening arms set the water bucket down beside the empty one. He paused to catch a breath. Elly spoke a word to him. He waved her away and retrieved the empty bucket and left us alone in the room.

"That's a lot of water. I would think he would have his own stockpile of it. I don't think it rains here in the desert." I resumed wiping her leg.

Elly standing on three legs looked behind herself at me. That is the cleanest well water I have tasted since…"She stopped in the middle "...I came here."

"There is no well in the backyard. Are we not drinking his entire supply?" She never mentioned where she came from or who she was? I wondered if I should ask.

"That may be so." She injected. "Yet my ears say he minds not."

I took the towel off her leg and moved to her last leg. A simple touch of my hand and her hind leg lifted up for me. I started at the top of her thigh.

"Have you noticed how happy he is? How he smiles every time he comes into the room? He was not that way when I first saw him. I sensed the bitterness in him as he moved about, dragging him down. That has all changed since we came here."

I nodded.

"The two of us being here has been the greatest gift we can ever give him. Nothing else can compare to that even as the war rages outside his door. This one evening has changed him for the better. The least we can do is keep him company for a time.

Elly's head swung to the kitchen doorway. The old man entered the room carrying two kitchen bowls, one filled with vegetables and one of fruit. Her nostrils widen with the intake of air. He placed them before her and backed away.

Elly sniffed the two bowls. "He certainly knows how to treat a mare."

I let down her hind leg to the floor. The old man held out his hand to me with his eyes on the dirty towel I was holding. I gave it away and he picked up the other towel and left the room.

I picked up my rifle and sat back in the sofa chair. My attention naturally swayed over to Elly as she bit into the fruits, splitting them into chunks spilling on the floor.

The old man came back empty handed and sat in his wooden chair from before with his paperback in hand. His brow dipped with droplets of sweat as he turned page after page before stopping. His eyes moved left to right on their own.

The radio played softly in the background as I leaned back in the chair. The cushions comforted me from my neck down to my thighs.

Elly moved on to the vegetable bowl picking them up one by one and grinding them with her teeth.

The old man leaning to one side in his chair engrossed in his book. He flipped a page, his eyes glued to the page. His foot on his crossed legs moving back and forth.

I grasped the cup's handle and sipped the now warm tea. A familiar feeling hit me right in the chest. My cheeks flushed with heat. Elly turned her head towards me and our eyes met briefly.

The bowels flew into the walls with a bang. Elly's powerful legs spun her around till she faced the front door.

The old man and I jumped in our chairs, we looked at each other.

"What is it?"

Her ears swiveled erratically and shifted from one end of the room to the other. The tips almost touched the ceiling as she strained her neck.

"I don't know." She blinked, turning her head to the left. "I have a feeling that something is not quite right." She cautiously approached the front door.

"I am sure of it." She clicked her tongue, with a shake of her head. "They were never aware of my presence, not a single one of them. Their tones never changed."

"What's wrong?"

"I was not followed, yet...the machines are getting closer."

My breathing stopped. Every muscle in me grew tense.

"How close?" the words came through clenched teeth.

Her left ear flicked. A tiny bit of snot dripped from her nostril. Her hoof clopped on the floor as her weight shifted. Her uneasiness grew by the passing minute. My hand clenched my rifle propped up against the chair.

The old man, watching me, fidgeted in his seat. His closed book was still in his hands. His gaze dividing itself between Elly and I.

I cocked my head towards the front door. The lightest hum of the generator out back spewing fumes, the old man sniffling with his nose, the sound of the radio announcer giving an elaborate report on some event, there was not a single sign of a vehicle in the immediate area.

The old man rose from his chair, stuffing the book in his pocket. His worn shoes made no sound as he picked up the bowls and headed back to the kitchen.

"I don't hear anything."

Her ear twitched. "I can hear them. They are too faint for your ears to pick up."

It is amazing what she can hear with those ears. Far beyond what a human can dream to hear. She has been far more capable than I can ever imagine. How can I ever hope to match her at least once in some area besides having hands. Maybe I should ask her one time.

"How many are there?"

Her head dipped. "I do not know. Five, ten of them, a dozen? There are so many of them moving together. I can only say they are coming closer as I speak."

"Should we leave?"

"No, It is far too risky for us to be out there."

Elly turned her neck to look behind her. A rattle of metal pans came from the kitchen. The mare's ears relaxed and she turned to me.

"On my way back to you…" She paused. Her muzzle rubbed against her foreleg. "I nearly cantered into a patrol. I was being foolish and wanted to get back to you as soon as possible lest something happened. They were sitting on a machine I have not seen before in my life, a heavy solid metal machine with metal bars.

"What kind of machines? Were they technicals? The ones the local militias are using." Why am I using military speak?

"Technicals?" She tilted her head.

"I mean trucks. You know those things with four wheels that go around." I gestured

"No, these were different. I trailed them for some time out of their sight using my ears and nose. They seem to be in no hurry to be anywhere. Once they gave me an opening I took it and came back here as fast as I could gallop."

The old man came back into the room carrying a new hot cup of tea and another bowl of green, yellow, and red vegetables. Without a word he placed the bowl down before Elly.

"Should we tell him?" I pointed to the old man.

"I do not know." She glanced at him. " I never have the words."

The old man took my warm tea and replaced it with the hot red cup. He smiled as he walked between the two of us with not a worry in the world.

The unmistakable sound of distant revving pierced through the walls of the house. All three of us froze, our eyes as white as could be.

I rushed to the front door, rifle in hand. The old man was right on my heels. I slammed myself against the door and looked through the peephole. The outside yielded no surprises except for the dim grey outline of the two story boarded up house across the street and an empty porch.

"What do you see?" Elly asked.

"Nothing."

The old man tapped on my shoulder. Pointing his finger at the peephole. I yielded my spot to him and he looked through the peephole same as I did.

The engines noises continued. Somewhere out there were trucks full of armed men roaming the streets looking for something or someone like Elly? Could they have spotted her at a distance with binoculars and followed her? A loose horse was bound to attract attention even from the laziest militia men. I shot a glance to the mare.

"Did they ever spot you?"

"Nay." Her horsey accent slipped through. She cleared her throat with a gagging sound. "I was never seen. They gave no hint- they were aware of me."

"They could have radioed that you were in the area. You know or maybe it is a patrol or a hidden lookout."

"Radio?" She asked with a questioning tone. "What is a radio?"

I snapped to attention. Every emotion went through my face. The veins in my neck seemingly budgled. Perspiration grew on my hot forehead. I'm going to be sweating like a dog.

"A radio is...a communication device that allows a person to talk to someone else at a long distance without being seen."

The rumbling of a diesel engine grew. I clenched my teeth. The old man began backing away from the front door. So did I as I leveled my rifle at the door.

Elly grinded her teeth. "I understand." Her ears swung right.

Someone must have spotted her and directed those trucks this way. I should have known that was possible! Why didn't I ask her any questions before? Because you assumed she knew didn't you?

Three roaring gasoline engines pierced through the outside walls of the house. The old man stumbled over Elly's oversized hoof and landed on his ass. I sprang for my gear. My feet barely touched the floor as I snatched up the helmet putting it on my hand and slapped the armored vest around me and secured it on me.

Elly spun herself around avoiding the old man with her hooves.

The old man was back on his feet and he grabbed my arm as I fiddled with the chin strap.

"Come!" He yelled.

Fuck this. I grabbed my rifle in one hand and snatched my shoes in the other. The old man with surprising strength for his age pulled me down the hallway to the back of the house. Elly came after us, her hooves hitting the solid floor.

I was shoved inside the first bedroom. My rifle banged against the doorway as I fell inside. Elly came next blowing air out of her lungs. Her sides almost made it through scraping both sides of the door frame in a squeeze till she stopped halfway.

Tires squealed and the engines grew louder. I flung my rifle and boots down. I grabbed her neck and mane and pulled with all my strength. Loud grunts came from behind her. Elly's legs strained against the door frame. It creaked with an unnatural groan. A loud crunch and her massive bulk slipped into the bedroom.

The bedroom door slammed shut and the old man's feet raced down the hallway. I was sprawled out on the bed with a strands of mane in my hands. Elly gave me a stern look. The sound of the back door being opened and a few seconds later the lights in the whole house went dark.

I could not see my hand in front of my face, at least I think it was my own hand. It could be a boot or shoe or piece of clothing laying in the room. I laid on the bed staring into nothingness. My eyes were about as useless as tits on a bull. If I am blind then at least I should be armed. Guessing where I dropped my gun, I rolled off into the general direction.

I landed somewhere on the floor with a thump, my face rubbing against the hard floor.

"What are you doing?" Elly's voice appeared somewhere behind me.

"I can't see shit in here, might as well lay down instead of falling on my ass."

I heard her legs moving, stretching and a heavy mass coming closer.

"Can you see?" I asked.

"I can hear you clearly." A hard rounded shape poked my side.

"That is me." I spoke up. I crawled on my belly searching with my hands. I have found...my boot.

"Shhhh." She hissed.

This is still better than being black out drunk on a saturday night at the NCO's place. Hell I wondered how Huntman and I weren't severely punished for that incident. Why was I remembering this?

My fingers bump into something cold and hard. I grasped it. It was the feet of the bed. Disgusted, I persisted scanning the floor with my hands.

"Switch your place with mine." Her voice was directly above me somehow? Pitch blackness was messing with my sense of direction. A sound of metal hitting metal and a hard object touched my skin.

I grasped it like a child finding his toy. It was my rifle. I lifted it up in my arms cradling it in the dark.

"Switch with me. Her breathing grew louder. A faint breeze hit my face. It was warm and moist and smelled like the stench of celery and cabbages with a hint of fruit.

Reaching out, feeling the empty air, my fingers touched her soft nose. Hot breath bathing my skin.

"Move over to your right." She whispered.

I did as she said, encountering the wall to my right side and flattening myself against it. Directly to my left, the bed rocked with the sound of a heavy weight being dragged across its surface. The bed springs straining under the intense pressure then releasing said pressure. Her legs shifted and I heard her body lay to rest on the floor.

"They are on our street." She quietly whispered well within arm's reach. I gulped. I sat on the floor between her and the door.

I licked my chapped lips. My finger tapped on the gun's receiver. In the darkness I listened to the commotion outside. A technical sped past our position with its driver gunning with a lead foot. If he is driving it that hard, the Iranians are sure to have enough fuel stockpiled for a long siege.

Unfortunately for him, he'll reach that nearly six foot hole in the street we had to jump across and be forced to come back the way he came. He'll be gunning it the same way as before. Would be a nice place for a mine or even a claymore.

Sure enough the truck came back gunning it all the way. The tires squealed and the truck came to a sliding stop by our position. Voices could be heard speaking out yet too faint for me to hear the words. There was one older voice mixed with a couple younger ones. At least I knew these were not a bunch of guys my age running wild. They had a system of rank and leadership.

"What are they saying?" I whispered.

"I am not certain what they are saying. Your tapping is not helping."

I stopped my tapping.

Nerves are a funny thing, once unraveled they are impossible to bring under control. My heart was pounding in my chest, so were my hands shaking themselves against my persistence. If they caught me, who knows what they would do to me.

There could be twenty of them surrounding me while I'm tied to the front bumper of a truck. Each one of them taking their sweet time with whatever they had on hand, hot or cold. I wasn't an officer or pilot. I was an enlisted grunt. I knew I didn't matter, except for a name on some list.

"Come closer."

Without hesitation, my body moved on its own. Still holding my m4 at the door, my legs propelled myself backwards inch after inch. My back encountered a solid mass. Something hit the top of my helmet.

"Wait" I undid the chin strap and tossed the helmet in front of me. Next my vest came off with two hands setting my rifle aside. Might as well be comfortable, I thought. Her head came over my shoulder gently touching.

"Now relax." She whispered into my ear.

My shoulders slouched as my back leaned back into her chest. Her chin pressed into my chest pushing me closer into her. My hands grasped her mane instinctively. The smoothness of it teased my skin as it slid through my fingers. Her breathing comforted me, calming my heart down in a mesmerizing rhythm.

Her chin pushed harder on me, while her neck pulled me in for a tight hug. My back now pressed against her. Sudden warmth rushed into me. Every nerve in this young body firing at once.

A short soft gasp followed my hand snaking through the mane. Finger tips searching through her mane reaching upwards. Further, and farther still my fingers went. I wanted,no, needed her, her essence, her being. I wanted her warmth against me, beside me pressed into me. Fingers searching high above my head through her mane. Out of her mane and on the top of her head heading for the only thing I had in mind.

Tips of my fingers briefly touched the hairs on her ear. A tiny shudder erupted from within her. Her ear pulled away though not out of reach. Fully extending, my fingers boldly touched her ear.

A strong shudder went through her entire body. Far stronger than the one she had during our ride. Her breathing quickened, pouring steam out of her lungs in a hurry. So tightly pressed against her, I could feel her heart beating rapidly.

I withdrew my fingers back to her mane and embraced her.

The lights flickered on.

"SHIT!"

I shoved Elly's head to the side and rolled forward onto my knees. The pain was light but bearable as I staggered to my feet. I snatched the rifle up and pointed it at the door, finger on trigger.

The unmistakable idling sound of a truck sitting outside on the street next to our house. I heard voices muffled by the walls between us and them. There was only one truck with how many men were on it.

Why the hell was the generator back on? If they were planning to storm this place, the old man himself wasn't going to stop him. What would Elly do? I inched my way to the bedroom door. I listened. There was an incoming vehicle coming this way or was it outgoing? I could hear it through the other end of the house. They could be surrounding this place. The generator's hum from outside didn't make things any better. My nose sniffed the oil laden air. I needed eyes on them.

Quietly, I inched my way to the bedroom door, rifle at ready. My hand took a firm grasp of the knob. Elly sprang to her feet.

"James, you must not."

"They have us surrounded." I whispered.

"There are only three of them out there." She gestured with her nose.

Three? My lips gave the slightest hint of a grin. Three aren't so bad for odds. I expected worse odds.

"I will go out there and check on the old man. If anything happens, leave this room and come get me. We'll ride out of here like cowboys if we have to." I spoke in my deep Texan accent.

I decided to leave my gear here, being quiet was going to be crucial if I was going to see what they were up to. Could the old man be ratting us out? Not likely at least.

My hand took a firm grip on the door knob. I paused again to listen. It was always good to be cautious. Elly moved herself between me and the door. Her neck blocking my exit.

"Do not!" She gave her stern warning.

Hearing little difference from before, I ducked down to go underneath her and turned the knob. The door never cracked an inch before I was starting up at the ceiling with the light bulb flickering from the generator's shoddy output. A fly's shadow flew around the ceiling and walls like some kind of freak shadow puppet show. My rifle seemingly disappeared from my hands.

Elly's shadow fell over me as she blocked the light. Her head low to the floor close to my level. Mane covering her eyes.

"Must I do this?" She spoke in a low tone. Her ears flat against her skull.

"Do-do what?" I stammered from having the wind knocked out of me.

"This," She drew the word out while raising her shoed hoof and placing it squarely on my chest dead center before my own widening eyes.

"Whoa whoa hol-"

The air left my lungs in one crushing undeniable force.

"I did not ask you to speak." Her soft voice spoke over me.

The release of pressure brought a sudden inrush of air to my lungs. I gasped, choking as I coughed. My chest ached where her hoof once was. My heart raced ahead, adrenaline taking hold. I glared up at her face.

"What the hell was that for?"

No sooner had the words left my lips, her hoof came down, digging into my chest. My hands gripped her leg, pulling with my useless arms. My body shook, legs kicking. My mind could not comprehend a simple thought. There was no air, nothing for me to take in.

The next moment passed and the pressure eased. Gasping, I coughed uncontrollably spit dripping from my mouth. Her oversized hoof rose and fell on my heaving chest.

Her nose came down to within inches of my face.

"Speak again and regret it."

"What the fuck!" My tongue held no regrets.

Her head turned aside. Her hoof came crushing down onto me. My ribs groaned under her overwhelming strength. No air. No air at all. Nothing for my lungs to breathe. Nothing for me. My nails clawed at her leg. My feet kicked the bed and the floor. Seconds were eternity. Blackness creeped in the fully lit bedroom.

Her hoof relented, coming off my chest.

I coughed, hacking up spit. My whole body was shaking. My lungs burned. Tears fell from my eyes. Snot poured from my nasal cavity. Drool dripped onto the floor beneath me. I involuntarily rolled onto my side coughing up a storm.

"Now you may breathe." She commanded in her woman's voice. Her head rose above me. Her mane parted from her face as it draped over me.

My arms lay useless beside me, agony simmering inside my chest, my lungs. My heart beat rapidly. It was painful to breathe, to live. Unable to comprehend, I laid there in a drunk's stumporer.

I rolled on my back still breathing hard. My eyes watered and cheeks red hot. My lungs still burned from before. The heart in my body began to slow its rapid pace. Aching ribs did not go unnoticed as I stared into the ceiling.

With every taken breath, my mental capacity came back in bits and chunks. Exhaustion was a killer. My own limbs felt frail and old like the old man's. There was a sense of apathy in my emotions like nothing mattered.

The south of a diesel truck drove past the house shaking the bedroom walls. But I didn't care. Nothing else mattered outside this room. Not the enemy militia or their trucks nor the war or being captured. Not the old man keeping a watchful eye for us. Nor my platoon out there somewhere in this blacked out city. All that ever mattered was Elly words, her hoof and my breathing.

Elly's ears moved about as if they were hearing things I couldn't hear on my own. I wanted to ask her but I had no words to express the question. Brain fog my squad mates called it. It was a condition when one's mind gets into that you become lost in a different reality than is actually there. Who actually told that to me? I don't know who.

Elly looked down, her blue eyes peering at me through the mane. Warm breath blew from her bathing my face. Her hoof found itself back on my sore chest. I gasped in anticipation with trembling hands. Her face remained expressionless.

"Now exhale."

It was amazing how calm I was when her hoof slowly bore down onto my chest. I did not fight, I surrendered, letting her push the air out of me. I was alert and aware, no longer in a panic. I looked up at her eyes, their bluish color captaving me.

"Wait." She barely whispered, her head turned away from me to the bedroom door.

Her hoof pressed hard on my chest. My eyes flashed looking up from below at her long jaw and whiskers on her lips. Her long mane tickled my cheeks and eyes.

Agonizing second by second ticked by. The lungs screamed for air. The heart raced faster than ever in my chest. My tongue wiggled on its own, ignoring its master's control. My throat gagged, eyes blurring. My hands reached for her. I wanted air. I had to have air. I wanted to breathe- no, needed to breathe. My hands like hooks grabbed her mane and pulled her head down towards me. My body screamed to live.

Something big and soft covered my lips pressing down onto my mouth. It was roundish, wet and never mind the taste or smell. My mouth opened in a silent scream. Oh sweet precious air blew into me filling my lungs while the enormous weight on my chest vanished. My arms wrapped around her head, holding her down. I took in her air, all of it, all that she was willing to give and then some more. I filled myself with her air till I was ready to burst.

Without warning, Elly pulled herself from my arms.

I lay on the floor gazing up at the ceiling breathing hard and fast as my lungs would allow. Oh sweet air! How wonderful it felt to be alive. Beside me, Elly's heavy breathing could not be more obvious.

"Are you...ok?" She asked softly as she hovered nearby.

I did not respond. Her nose touched my cheek before her mane's softness tickled my nose and lips.

"James...are you well?"

"Yes" I squeaked out. I sucked in more air, puffing up my chest then expelled it.

"I was worried…" She paused, shaking the mane from her eyes. "That something had happened." She hesitated. "That...I may have bumped you too hard."

A sudden coughing fit wracked my body. Agitated, my limbs tried to push myself to sit up.

Elly sank to the floor, her nose pushing down my shoulder. I relented, falling back.

"Take it easy there, dear. No need to get up." She nudged my cheek. Her breath blew in my face carrying her last meal. "You must relax, let yourself be."

I lay back still breathing through my mouth. My chest rising and falling while she lay beside me watching over me.

"Thank you" The words left my lips. My breathing began to relax. I didn't have the will to say more.

"You are welcome."

I rolled my head to the side glancing at the bedroom door. There was a strange absence of noise from earlier. Did time get away from me? How long has it been?

Where were those trucks that I heard earlier with their revving engines? Did not one of them sit idling outside our house on the city street? I listened, yet there remained not even a voice or the sound of tires on asphalt.

"Are they gone?" I whispered.

"Yes they have been gone for some time." She replied.

Relief swept through me. The ordeal was over. I was...no we were saved by sheer luck or happenstance. Thank god. I let out a moan.

"It appeared that they were passing through, not searching for me. Radio or no radio I was not seen." Elly rose to her feet being careful with her hooves beside me.

"I will tell our host and friend that we will be leaving soon and to prepare for our trip. She took a deep breath. "Once you feel rested, come out soon so that we may leave."

I grunted my reply. I needed the rest. I had to find my rifle and my boots too. Hell I am not being a professional grunt here at all. I'm being a disgrace. I need to get my shit together.

Elly stepped over me, lifting her feet high above me. Their metal shoes are a dull sliver color under the shade of her hooves. She headed for the exit, stopping next to the door with her rear legs near my head, tail tucked in.

Out of the corner of my eye, she turned her head back, giving it a little tilt. The mane parted enough for her eye to be seen.

"Oh, before I forget myself."

Her rear hoof came striking down onto my chest. The sudden impact took my breath away. Her shoed hoof dug into my flesh. A moment of terror and fear driving out all reasonable thoughts. Hands grabbed onto the bed footing and floor. Mouth opened in a silent scream.

Then she gave her hoof a twist.

Footsteps came down the hallway. The bedroom door opened revealing the old man's relieved face. He smiled, seeing Elly greet him at the door with all four hooves planted beneath her while I lay nearby seemingly relaxed, like nothing had happened at all.

"Come come. all ok." He spoke in his thick Iranian accent.

Elly squeezed herself through the small door frame. Her hooves went down the hallway, each clip-clop a reminder of what she had done and was capable of. The fear was real. The old man remained at the bedroom entrance.

"American?" He asked, tapping the door.

All that came from my lips was a small whimper. Hearing no reply, he left the door open and headed to the living room.

You can run now. You can escape from her. A small voice in my head told me. I shook the thoughts out of my head. She would hear me and know. Those ears of hers would not miss a thing.

Using the end of the bed as support, I pulled myself up, searing pain erupted from the fresh wound on my chest. Little bloodied with much bruising, the wound on my chest seemed worse than it actually was. Did she actually break a bone? My finger touched it. Pain immediately flared up. This was a message from her. Don't even think about it!

It was oblivious, the dread I would feel taking off my shirt to see the full extent of the damage she did. I'll have a medic check it out once we get back to my platoon. Better to not know. Ignorance is bliss. For the time being, I will endure it. I slipped into my armored vest and put my boots on. I understood now as I put my helmet on then fiddled with the chin strap. The pain was a reminder for me.

I found my rifle underneath the bed. How did it get there? I picked it up and left the room.

Elly and the old man were waiting for me in the living room like they were expecting me. Three is a crowd though isn't it? The old man creeped up the front door, removed the 2x4 and flipped the lights off. The living room plunged into darkness. The door cracked open. A narrow beam of moonlight shined through to the floor showing dust particles floating in the air.

The old man stuck his head out and swept both ends of the street with his gaze. The enemy could be hiding anywhere. Caution was always a good choice.Elly and I watched and waited with baited breath.

He pulled his head back in giving the all clear. I relaxed my rifle, holding it ready by my side. He beckoned to us pushing the front door wide open. Moonlight flooded the doorway.

Elly squeezed past him, her sides brushing his clothes as she went by. The old man leaned back giving space. I followed behind her, nodding my head to the owner of this sanctuary that we were now leaving behind. In the middle of the street, Elly turned herself around to face the house and us. The half moon was high above us with a dark cloud drifting past.

Red,blue, and grey plastic water bottles littered the street in front of the old man's house. Left behind by those trucks that came through earlier while we hid ourselves. I never did get to see what they were doing.

Besides that, nothing else was out of place for this street except for the couple of shattered windows across the way I didn't notice before. The old man's house was the only occupied building on this part of the street. If it was any safer than living with neighbors I wouldn't know. Neighbors you can't trust could be so much worse. Elly would not have brought me here if he wasn't alone. She did have good sense.

Why was this part of the street abandoned? Did the residents flee from the war while the old man stayed behind content to being alone? Doesn't he have a family in those portraits on the wall? Who knows, Elly certainly wouldn't know. She would know at least nobody else was there except him.

This part of the dark street made us seem invisible and hidden from the outside world. Maybe I don't know what this war is doing to this country and city and its people. Some things could not be explained.

The three of us stood on the street hearing the sound of an AA gun going off in the distance. Its tracers streaked through the night sky. The distant boom of jets coming or leaving the city airspace. This was what war seemed like, a grand show in the sky while we stood here.

The old man broke from his calm demeanor and embraced Elly around the neck. His words slipped out, one by one. A tear rolled down his cheek. I held my tongue as I watched the sky and him out of the corner of my eye.

Elly gently laid her head on his shoulder. Strange words came from her lips. This was goodbye.

The old man withdrew from her, wiping his face. He came to me, holding his arms out. He wrapped around me and pulled me into a bear hug. Releasing me, he kissed both of my cheeks, his stubble beard rubbing on my chin. I blushed red while Elly watched.

The old man finally stepped back, his grin unmistakable in the dark.

Taking his cue, Elly approached me, tail raised, mane drifting in a light breeze. She gestured to me with her head and neck. Her forelegs folded and her front came down first. Her hind legs tucked underneath her as she lay down on the asphalt. Her head held in a dignified manner as if she had practiced this routine numerous times. It was elegant all the way through.

I stole a glance at the old man, his face sparkling in awe. I took a deep breath and slung my rifle over my shoulder. I placed my hands right next to her withers and swung my leg over her. The wound she so clearly left on me began to throb. Once my ass touched her back she lifted me off the ground in one grand display of her athleticism. My hands gripped her withers dearly.

I took stock of my new height. Looking up and down the street of the abandoned neighborhood I sensed little of anything of interest. I half expected a pack of dogs or a stray feral cat though it seemed they don't roam this section of town. This area certainly started to look rather dead, safer for us at least.

A hard rounded object poked my thigh and I snapped my head towards the old man holding up a small white plastic bottle. Ah yes pain pills covered in unreadable Persian letters. I took the bottle of pills and found an empty pocket on my uniform.

"Thank you." I said.

The smile on the old man's face was perplexing to me. Like a father seeing his child off for one last time. Looking down, he looked so frail and old. Pity welled up inside me.

He also placed still warm food wrapped in a cloth in my other hand. I put it in a spare pocket I had. With a canteen full of fresh water, I was set for our ride. Elly spoke a few words in Persian to him. He replied back wiping away his tears.

He gave her nose one last pat and stepped aside. Elly gave him a final look and moved on in a slow walk. The old man waved to us and I held out my hand to him. He watched us as we slipped away up the darkened street. The house, our sanctuary, soon disappeared from view behind a row of darkened abandoned homes.

So long old man, I thought to myself. Don't let this war take your life if you can make it through the occupation.

My hands touched her warm back as her muscles worked beneath me. Her hooves clip-clop on the cracking asphalt below. I shifted my seat to a position suited more for her liking. One of her "spots" she pointed out to me earlier.

"You know my spots." Her ears rolled themselves to me while she looked straight ahead.

"I-uh thought you might like for me to do so." Why must you please her?

"I do," was her swift reply. Her ears turned to her front.

It is because you're afraid of her aren't you? After what she did? I gulped, feeling something went down my throat, like a ball of fear that once swallowed will come out later during the most inconvenient time. My finger poked the spot where her hoof dug into my flesh like it was her own spur. A slight pressure and it throbbed on its own, most likely red and swollen underneath my vest and uniform.

Being on her back, there was very little that she would miss from me. A twitch of my own muscles, she would feel it. A slight cough, she would know I was sick. Not even mumbling to myself was safe from her own ears, lest she'll know about it. I shivered involuntarily.

"Are you cold?" Her one ear cocked to me.

Not one thing…. "No I mean yes I'm a bit cold."

"My mane is open...for you" She emphasised the last two words.

My hands slipped inside. I wasn't cold but I'll take her warmth anyways. Better than her hoof. I winced.

"I hope you are well rested. We have plenty of ground to cover on the hoof. How may be your ankle?" She asked.

"It is fine actually." I squeezed her sides with both ankles.

"Actually?" She glanced behind herself. "I do say lately my ears have been picking up loud booms far and near to the north. I do not know what your people are doing to those people in this city." She stopped in the street.

"I suppose it does not matter what your people will do, yet I am afraid as a donkey in a wolves den. This city is being stirred up and I am fearful that we will have to go through the thick of it." I could feel her take a deep breath. She must be worried.

"The Iranians, they hold the north and central parts of the city. the last I heard from my NCO. Those booms could be the shells they are using 75mm or larger. I don't think they will give this city up without a fight. Urban warfare is the best advantage they have against us and our overwhelming air superiority . How far north do we have to go?" I asked.

"It is a street in the north, in a secluded area away from the local people. I will know it when my nose finds it." Elly went back to a slow walk.

My nose began to snifile. There was a faint smell of smoke.

Elly continued. "I could smell their foul mood in the wind. Their agitation was like knives to my ears. I will forewarn you though. This way will be dangerous for both you and I. I will have to ask for all your strength for what may lie ahead."

She bent her neck to look at me on her back.

"Do you accept?"

"Yes I do. You have my full support."

"I thank you. James. Whatever may happen on this ride. I trust you will do the right thing."

I bit my tongue. Or else?

"With that said…" Elly glanced away for a moment then back to me.

"Would you care for a trot?"