Photo by: Al Forbes
Atticus Caravaggio couldn’t believe his eyes. What happened at the edge of the Wild Horse herd shouldn’t be possible. Moving as silently as possible within his hastily-constructed hide, he reviewed the film. He hadn’t hallucinated after all.
He turned another camera directly upon himself and spoke in excited whispers.
“What I’ve witnessed today is astounding! A pair of wolves stalked the edge of a wild horse herd. Three of the horses made the terrible mistake of drifting away from the herd to attend to an apparently injured member. This put them all at risk because remaining with the herd is their best chance at survival.
“The wolves saw their chance and attacked. The lame horse moved with unexpected energy and vitality. Its great head swung around with expert accuracy and bit through the wolf’s foreleg, crippling it. The second wolf, unable to process the shocking reversal, also attacked. One of the horse’s mates attacked the leaping wolf and sheared through the predator’s neck.
“I must confess I was already dazed at this, but then the three horses began to feed on the dying yet still alive wolves. They ripped away large gobbits of flesh and swallowed them whole.
“I cannot believe these events, but the camera footage proves it all. Predatory Horses my friends. They demonstrated impressive intelligence by deceitfully luring in their prey. This is a quantum leap in horse evolution! What else might these formerly dumb herbivores be capable of? Can they speak? Create art? What are the limits of their deceitful behavior?”
Excitedly, Atticus packed up his cameras and walked back to his riding horse. It was carefully picked because it was related to the wild horses he studied. He hoped that it would disturb his subjects far less than a jeep. As he cradled the camera with the critical footage, his horse lifted a hoof and knocked the camera from his hands.
“Stupid buffoon!” raged Atticus.
Angrily, the horse stomped the precious camera into tiny bits.
“Stupid beast!” roared Atticus. “Can you realize what you’ve done?”
In answer, the horse lifted its lip…and bared fangs.
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Written for Sunday Photo Fiction. Look here for the original prompt for the week and a blue button linking to a collection of this week’s stories: https://sundayphotofictioner.wordpress.com/2016/06/05/sunday-photo-fiction-june-5th-2016/
EagleAye
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I was thoroughly enjoying this read, but when I read, What else might these formerly dumb herbivores be capable of? I thought, “Uh oh,” and knew it was not going to end well. Your stories never disappoint my friend 😀
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Oh, you are truly expert at detecting my little clues. I put them out there (because they should be there) but I’m thinking they’ll escape notice. It’s the age old scenario that when a character asks, “what could possibly go wrong?” you just KNOW something will go wrong. 😉 Glad I didn’t disappoint. Thanks so much, Lyn! 🙂
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As soon as I read that his horse was related to those in the wild herd I started worrying for him and wondering if he wouldn’t catch on until it was too late. Sure enough, he turned out to be that character in the horror movie where you’re yelling at the screen — “No, don’t you see what’s happening yet? Don’t go in there!”
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Right? Sometimes these things are like watching a train wreck in slow motion. You know what’s coming next and it makes you cringe. It turned out this Stanford grad was no more adaptable to an unexpected situation than the unfortunate wolves. 😉 Thanks so much, Joy! 🙂
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He found out what the dumb herbivores were capable of, but I don’t think he knows what the limits of their deceitful behaviors are…if stays around too much longer he may get an answer he doesn’t want! You’ve written another masterpiece here. 😀
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Oh yes. The question becomes then, “does his ‘horse’ let him live and walk away?” Obviously, the horses don’t want their existence revealed, and they’re quite capable of undercover work and espionage to keep their secret. Perhaps they’ll feel no witnesses is best? Yikes! 😉 Thanks so much. I’m glad you enjoyed this one. 🙂
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Not good for Atticus.
DJ
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Yeah, I think his day took a turn for the worst. 😉 Thanks Danny! 🙂
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The horses won’t be able to keep this a secret for too long: once people start finding wolf and human half-eaten remains with hoofmarks all around, they’re bound to discover the truth – although it may cost a few eaten scientists to find out.
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Oh yeah. Something as huge as that won’t stay secret forever. And you’re right, scientists and park rangers will end up on the menu for a while. Or…maybe the horses are smarter than that. Wolves were very nearly wiped out because they were a threat to humans. What if horses smashed cameras but then let any scientists who discover their secret look like fools? These horses could be tricky.;)
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Still, only a matter of time before one of those horses is shot down and they discover the fangs.
And maybe these horses are tricky, but with their hooves, they won’t be able to use firearms or any other weapons – not even a stick! – to defend themselves from humans.
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Oh yeah, if humans arrive en masse to kill them, they haven’t got a chance. Thus, the need for espionage and Horse Spies. 😉
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Horrible! Carnivorous horses! I think he will find out that his life is worth more than those pictures. Great story, Eric!
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You are the first one to invent carnivorous horses I think. Enjoyed very much.
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Well, I do endeavor to push the envelope you know. 😉 Glad you liked it. Thanks Indira! 🙂
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Entertaining and amusing as ever, sir!
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Glad to hear it. Thanks much, CE! 🙂
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This is good, Eric.
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Cool. Thanks Ted! 🙂
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I knew there’d be a twist and you never disappoint! Spectacular.
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Hehe. I’d hate to disappoint anyone. 😉 Thanks so much, Jade! 🙂
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Good stuff! I think you’re right in your comments about those horses being crafty enough to smash cameras and destroy the proof of their actions. Once it’s too late…well…
They probably have Twitter accounts and everything!
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How did you know about their twitter accounts? 😉 They are a clever lot, but unfortunately their cell phones have to be pretty large. 😉 Glad you liked this, and thanks much, Jesse! 🙂
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Not the brightest spark, Atticus. I think he should have given them the respect they deserved. Great story as usual Eric.
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No doubt. I’m thinking his horse knows that “buffoon” is an insult. In any case, he’s not riding that horse back home. 😉 Thanks so much, Al! 🙂
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He’ll be lucky if he is alive to go back home 🙂
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Fangs? Uh, oh. Something tells me we’re not in Kansas anymore. Why am I not totally surprised to read this in your story? Great ending twist, Eric. 😀 — Suzanne
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