Skipper’s Experience With Clover Leaf Farm, Arizona It was a nice, hot, summer day. All the Spruce and Elm trees were so tall and beautiful that light barely passed through the stained glass leaves, leaving some cool and damp shade with small puddles of golden sun scattered about it. Off yonder, a sparkling, crystal – blue stream ran through lushes, spring green pasture framed by a pinkish – golden meadow around it. Even more distant, tall, white capped, blue and purple mountains stood, like soldiers to the sun. And, among the outlined, green pasture, Skipper skipped along the wooden fencing. Boy, that filly deserved his name! "Skipper!" a herd of chestnuts and bays popped up over a knoll. The one who yelled, apparently Skipper’s mom because of the identical yellow blaze on the chestnut-brown forehead, moved on ahead of the others. "Skipper! Never, ever! Not so far away from the herd! Who knows? There may be a hungry coyote just over the next hill, yonder! Stay with me." She trotted up to her son as he slowed his lightning pace. "Sorry, mother," Skipper looked sorry but felt like a baby inside. He couldn’t do anything without his mom yelling at him! His name should have been Spirit, to be free, or Chinook, because it was Inuit for wind which is free! 'Now, let’s go eat." Mother led the entire herd over to deep green grass, her son close to her and in full sight. The pack had settled down for the night. The usual howling of the coyotes sent chills up the backs and to the withers of every horse and filly, including the sentries who stood guard a good distance out from the pack. Suddenly, a howl from what only seemed to be 300 yards away sounded and was obviously too close. "Sunflash, quick! Huh, Huh" Get everyone away from here! Everyone, MOVE IT!!!! There has been a sighting of a pack of about twenty coyotes just in sight and they’re moving fast! We’re outnumbered! HURRY!!!!!!!” A sentry skidded up to Skippers mom and puffed the story out. Sunflash jumped to her hoofs. "Every one, no questioning! Just get up and follow the North Star out of here! Or be left behind! Up to it!" Some horses paused only a moment until they heard "no questioning", then they were scared. Usually, Sunflash and her sentries were told what was happening. No one was still lying once the sentries had all whizzed past. Even Skipper was sulkily dragged to his hooves as his mother bit into his withers. "Gee’ off me!" he mumbled, thinking it was his fellows trying to wake him in the morning. "Skipper, hurry! They’re too close!" Sunflash was panic-stricken, knowing what danger waited before them. He did no questioning. Skipper dashed to his mother’s quick and even stride. "O, what, mum? What is it?" "Coyotes." Sunflash hissed under her breath. Skipper skidded to a stop. "G’on mum. I’ll deal with ‘em." "No, Skipper!" It was hard for Sunflash to stop. She slipped on some grass and tumbled. Skipper turned around. He looked just in time to see some snarling teeth and red eyes. He reared himself and gave a victim a hoof in the eye. It obviously did a lot of damage for when the one coyote fell over, dead, and left Skipper’s kick still flying, it got another in the neck and there were near eighteen still alive. Those eighteen turned on Skipper and Skipper suddenly felt small. He was sure to wipe them all out in one blow! Skipper wouldn’t have been able to tell me his story if it hadn’t been for Sunflash. Sunflash had regained her stance just in time to see Skipper covered in coyotes. "Skipper!" Without any mercy, Sunflash took her teeth to a test. She grabbed for all the grey and brown, scraggy hair she could find and flung them into a small patch of sharp rocks near by. She managed to kill a few off by the scruff, but only wanted them off her son and away from the rest. "Skipper!" she breathed as she pulled up her bloody son. "Run!" Skipper ran and the last coyote flung off his back. Sunflash watched him from a good place behind him so she could keep an eye on both him and his herd plus the coyotes. Once they all reached the cave in a nook where they were safe, and everyone knew what had happened, Sunflash turned to her bright red son. Not only was Skipper red from blushing all over, but he was also cut up from snarling teeth. He took in a deep breath. "You are in such big trouble! I know you were being good in helpful-" she paused. "Except that you just about broke all the laws possible or more in the Clover Leaf Farm Book of Obedience, I will be rough with you. And then again, thank you for frightening them. Just, for now, don’t be so brave." Sunflash smiled at her son. But, a few minutes later, she didn’t wear her smile anymore. And this is where I leave you. Apparently, the consequences were horrible, since Skipper told no more of it. But, what do you think of that? I think it was sure a good lesson. THE END By Kelsa DeVault, age 12, Greensburg, PA