Chapter 2

A collected gasped escaped from Christina's family as they took in the awful sight. Here stood a very young horse her coat dull black, mane' tail all tangled up hooves severely over grown, but still very feisty. Blackgoddess craned her hollow neck high searching the people finding no enemies the filly snuffed at the ground. A woman was the first to speak.

"So this is the filly you where telling me about, Daughter?" asked a woman dressed in pale yellow shirt and skirt. Christina swallowed hard, "Yes Mother she is and I named her Blackgoddess for her fighting spirit as you can all see." The lady went on, "Well let's hope you made the right decision" they moved away but her brother Ross stayed behind.

"Hey Chris I like the filly" then he too walked away, he had to get ready for his baseball tournament. Alone Christina walked over to the filly who glare at her from her playful eyes. Laughing Christina placed a hand on her skinny neck murmuring, "I'll take of you Blackgoddess you'll see we will be a team! Together you and I are going places" grabbing a soft brush Christina began to groom the filly the filly closed her eyes in pleasure. Soon it was midday feeding time and Christina left Blackgoddess in the roundpen to feed the other horses but as she began to leave, Blackgoddess began to pace then she screamed and charged at the wooded rails, with her chest sending a thudding sound as she pounded against it with all her might.

"Whoa Blackgoddess, whoa girl easy I'm coming back!" Christina rushed back to the filly who, was still pacing. Once the filly saw Christina she stopped pacing and walked calmly to her pushing her soft muzzle into the palm of the girl's hand and shuddered. Brushing back the filly's forelock, Christina petted Blackgoddess forehead until she calmed down even more then she went to feed. Later she brought Blackgoddess her food, a small ration as not to over load the filly with food for fear of her colic. Being starved as she was, Blackgoddess didn't bolt down her food as Christina had thought. Christina then brought Blackgoddess her hay and filled her water up. Taking a mane'n'tail brush and the curry comb, Christina began to finish her grooming out the tangles and brought Blackgoddess's dull coat to a show-horse shine. A shout from the house startled the filly and girl. "Christina it's your boyfriend, Rory Lakin he want to know if you want to go riding with him at two!" Christina shouted, "Yes, I'll pick Stormy tomorrow and mom he's not my boyfriend where just friends!"

"Okay darling" her mother shouted back. Blackgoddess snorted at Christina's reply, shaking her head Blackgoddess whinnied. Now it was afternoon, "What happened to the day?" Christina asked the filly, who now shown like the midnight sky. After haven eaten, Blackgoddess was in semi-high spirits as she trotted circles around Christina who then giggled, as Blackgoddess then switched into a surprising smooth, swift canter.

Christina judged Blackgoddess; she had a good sloping shoulder and a muscular hindquarter good for getting over the high jumps of the cross-country course. Yes she will be a force to reckon with when the time came but for now Christina will have to keep eventing on Stormy. Sighing deeply Christina went over to the filly and stroked her now shiny coat, "I have to go in now girl so be good." Blackgoddess whoofed softly and moved away now understanding that this human would come back So she let Christina go out without making a fuss. Smiling Christina went up to the house and went in.

The house was full of chatter as her brother yakked to his friend Josh Long about baseball; Christina stuck her tongue out playfully at her brother as she raced upstairs to bath. Her parents where talking about raising their rates on their top stallion Wild Starlight and of the foals that where soon to be born. Steam rose up in the bathroom as Christina showered off. Christina then turned off the water and dried off. Now she pulled on her clothes a blue shirt with white flowers on the front and jeans. Christina the left the bathroom going down stairs to get some lunch, then start on her homework assiment for history on the Queen Elizabeth the first of England which was done on Monday.

Ross hung up the phone as Christina walked past and dashed up stairs to start on his lesson. Christina walked to the kitchen, began to make herself a sandwich for lunch. Taking a bite out of her lunch, Christina looked out the window at Blackgoddess.

The filly was grazing hungrily on the sparse grasses her short tail swishing over her skinny back but she looked content as a ray of sunlight shown down through a break in the clouds turning her perfectly groomed coat into something like black fire. Then Blackgoddess broke from grazing into a swift walk over to the fence and nuzzled her noses with one of the old broodmares, a grey, named Salarylady. The old one was very friendly with all the other mares but when she was young and on the track Salarylady would just blow a way all the other racehorses, but now she is a reliable broodmare and she is in foal to the farm's top breeding stallion Wild Starlight, a spotted stallion. Soon her very round belly would lose its weight as she will give birth to her last baby.

Christina saw an idea with a seconded look at the two horses, she got up from the table walking over to her mother she asked her idea. "Mother do you think I could put Salarylady in with Blackgoddess?" her mother turned from peeling the potatoes to look at her daughter with love in her light blue eyes and said, "You will have to talk to your father on that one, honey, I think he's in the foaling barn checking on Small Fire, you know Silver's new baby colt." With a last look at her mother Christina murmured, "Okay I'll go see him" grabbing her sandwich from the table Christina went out the door.

The smells of hay and horses smelled delightful to Christina as she made her way to the third stall. Snorts and foal whinnies fill the air, one foal; Starlight's Dream poked his chestnut head out of his stall and nuzzled Christina as she walked by, "Hey Dream! You little rascal" the colt looked at Christina with mischief in his little brown eyes. Then Starlight's Dream snorted and retracted his head back in his stall moving over to Tall-Sally a red roan, and started to nurse loudly. Smiling Christina moved on down to the third stall as she approach her father came out of Silver's stall.
"Dad I have a question to ask you!" Christina told him about her plan to put Salarylady in with Blackgoddess.

Her father looked thoughtful as tugging at his little beard with one hand but before he replied a squeal from the one of the stalls broke the stillness. Then with a twinkle in his amber eyes he said, "Sure you could try it and see what happens if ether on of the horses seem aggressive take one out. But I'll come and help you." So together they walked to the paddock where Salarylady still stood beside Blackgoddess and went in.