The Three Feathers - The Magnificent Journey of Joshua Aylong Read Online Free PDF Page A

Without another thought he jumped, flew and landed on the horse’s back.
    “Hold on!” The horse thought and, with that, turned around and broke through the brush and into the open meadow. What followed was the wildest ride of Joshua’s life. He dug his talons into the horse’s back and if it felt it, it didn’t let him know. He realized very quickly that he needed to stay low if he wanted to stay on at all.
    The large warhorse flew across the meadow with the wolf at its side. Joshua felt the sheer power of the horse’s muscles under him but he also felt its utter joy of having escaped certain death; of running fast as the wind, pushing against the earth beneath its hooves. Joshua couldn’t help but be infected by this array of emotions and to his complete surprise he let out a rooster call that was filled with his own joy joined with the horse’s. The call was heard in the farthest reaches of the valley by creatures large and small and some of them felt the joy inside their hearts as well. And for the smallest of moments they were all with him.
    * * *
    They eventually slowed down into a trot and by nightfall they rested by a small stream that flowed into a still pond. The cover of snow that had fallen earlier made the night even quieter. Joshua sat on a low branch in a large pine tree. Grey lay below him on the pine needles licking his paws. They were raw from the day of running on the harsh ground. The horse stood by the edge of the pond grazing off a small patch that was more dirt than grass. His reins were tangled with small branches and covered in mud from the escape. Joshua could feel the throbbing pain the horse had in his mouth from the metal reins pulling at it all day.
    “I can take these off for you if you want,” the wolf thought. Joshua saw in his mind’s eye the image of the horse lying down in front of the wolf and Grey, with his teeth, taking the leather strips of the reins and pulling them over the horse’s head.
    The war horse turned his head and looked at Grey for a moment. There was hesitation in his eyes. It was accompanied by another image the three of them shared. It was of such brutality that the wolf got up suddenly, his neck hair standing up and his upper lip pulling back, teeth bared. Joshua let out a terrified rooster call and flew down from his branch. It was a scene from a war. There were dead soldiers everywhere and blood mixed with the dark soil in the ground. A group of eight horses huddled together near a barren tree on the vast battlefield. The tree was their only shelter. They had mud and dried blood all over them. Some of the blood was their own; some came from the soldiers who fought on them or whom they fought against. There were dead horses among the men; their bodies seemed peaceful as if they had escaped the terror of the battle at last. The few soldiers that were left took care of the wounded.
    There was suddenly movement on the edge of the field. Something drew near. Through the fog it was hard to make out at first. But then the horses caught the scent and terror spread among them like wildfire. The pack of wolves that came out of the high grass looked like an image straight from the depths of hell. They were starved and starving, filthy, eyes red with blood lust standing clearly in them. Without warning they leaped forward toward the horses. The horses, worn and tired beyond comprehension from days of battle did not have the strength to flee. The wolves moved quickly and Joshua saw their horse. He stood on the edge of the group watching as one of the wolves flew toward him, jumping, mouth open wide with claws ready to rip into his flesh. The only thing the horse could do at this moment was move forward and meet the wolf in mid air. The horse stood up on his hind legs and jumped. He and the wolf met and for a moment, were face to face.
    The image of the wolf’s face so close to his own was burned into the horse’s mind and even though now safe and far away from the