u/m0bydyck

I can only see what I used to. I don't know why, but I can't see anything new.
 
Verdant rolling hills, great golden fields, deep lush forests, sparkling cool streams, the dusty man…
 
I see them even though they're not here. I used to see them all the time. The dusty man would take and lead me out to many different places, and would even let me choose where we went on the best days. I could run and run, bringing the thunder of my hoofs where ever we pleased.
 
Then he'd find a place to rest in the shade while I grazed away at the long wet grass. He often would eat something of his own. When he did eat, he always had something for me. I'd hear his whistle, strong and smooth. Out of his bag he pulls roundish red fruit. I trot over immediately. He brings it up to my open mouth and places it between my teeth. I bite down and feel the snap and crunch of its hard flesh. My mouth instantly wet with its sweet and sour flavours. I could even smell how wet and sweet it was. Then we'd just be there together. Most of the time not too long, but sometimes we were out until the light of day would begin fade into the shadows of night.
 
Eventually we would run out again, thundering across all the fields, hills and forests we could, and we'd go until we were exhausted.
 
I can't even run anymore and I'm exhausted.
 
My legs and hoofs always hurt. To run would be excruciating. I don't know why they hurt, I can’t even see them now.
 
I see them again. Strong and unyielding. Stamping the ground with fervor, ready to fly. Ready to thunder across the ground.
 
I try and look now, but there's only shadows and fog. I want to run away from this fog that stops me from seeing. I can't stay here! I have to get out of it, and I will! I need to go back to where I could see!
 
I stamp my hoof… sharp pain rips through my leg, I nearly fall over. I can't run anymore. I'm stuck in this dark. I never see anything new. I only see what I used to. Ever since that great thunder when I was taken away from the dusty man.
 
I did not want to go and he did not want me to either. As these gray men brought me away, I hear his whistle, strong and smooth, one last time. I look back and see the dusty man's face. He looks so sad and afraid, his eyes growing wet and big with regret. Tears rolling down his cheeks washing away the dust of our work. Of our time together. That is when I was brought to the great thunder.
 
Not from the clouds, not the sounds of our hooves on the ground, and not even from the rifles the gray muddy men that ride us carry. We all fear it. All the others like me and the gray muddy men who ride us. It comes from the ground being ripped apart. A growing whistle that ends with a boom. The ground is shredded apart, sending dirt, and rocks flying in all directions.
 
Just like when the starlings had overstayed their welcome on a freshly planted field. The dusty man would ride me out with his rifle, blasting thunderous smoke from it, scaring them off. At the sound they would flee, going in all directions. However once we moved on, they slowly meandered their way back to the easy feast of the farmers hard work.
 
The thunder that scares the ground away is much louder, and the ground doesn't come back even when the thunder stops. Sometimes the thunder hits the others like me, and the gray muddy men, and I fear that it if it were to hit me, I would not be able to come back either.
 
We ride for what feels like weeks on end, the gray muddy man on my back yelling, shooting his rifle. I hear a whistle, and it is not the dusty man's. It is the thunder's. The whistle grows louder until… blinding pain rips through my body.
 
I feel as though I've awoken, but I can't see anything! I try and get up but sharp pain rips through my legs and my body, and my head, it rings and aches like I've never felt. I open my eyes to see what has happened, but there's nothing. Just fog and shadow, nothing more. I blink, looking side to side, but there's only darkness. I don't know where I am. I don't know what's happened to me! It all hurts so bad.
 
That was many months ago and the thunder has finally ended. I was not as close to it, but I still heard it. I've been able to walk again, but not for long. I can never go far enough from this fog and shadow. People and others like me come and go, but I only hear them. I eat dry grasses that are placed by my mouth. I don't even know what it looks like. All of this is terrible.
 
I only see what I used to see. I wish I could see it all again.
 
I freeze when I hear it. My heart thumps heavily, blood pulsing through me. It cannot be, I thought I would never hear that again. A whistle. It does not sound like the thunder's. It comes again, strong and smooth… the dusty man's!
 
I must find it, I have to! I walk towards it… I trip and stumble over something hard I could not see, but that will not stop me. I slowly rise pushing as hard I can. I feel my bones and muscles ache as if they want to snap underneath me, but that will stop me. They begin to quiver, they feel like they will give up, but then I hear the whistle again. Strengthened by its call, I rise! I go to it, not just walk, but a trot, I will find him, I will!
 
I hear it again, he must be so close, he has to be! Then I hear him. I hear is breath, heavy and stuttering, so quiet and so close.
 
"Oh buddy…" he whispers, with joy or anguish, I cannot tell.
 
I go to him. I nuzzle into him. I feel his dusty cheek against mine, again wet with warm tears. He holds my head with his arm and I feel him again. I go to nuzzle further in, I want him to hold me like he did when he was taller than me. I go to his other arm wanting it wrapped around my head… there's nothing there, where is his other arm? He begins to cry.
 
He held me there and I did not move. I just stayed with him, I do not know how long, but my legs ached and my head rang with pain. But it was him. It was the dusty man. I stayed like that until my legs gave out. Until fell to the ground with a tired whimper, unable to support myself anymore.
 
I panicked and tried to get back up to him, but instead he came down to me. He caressed my head and neck, and then I felt it, the cold hard fruit put against my mouth. I opened it, allowing him to place it between my teeth. I bite down hearing and feeling that snap and crunch of it's hard flesh. My mouth instantly wet with its sweet and sour flavours. I could even smell how wet and sweet it was. Then we were just there together.
 
I can only see what I used to. I don't know why, but I can't see anything new. This though, this I did not need to see. I knew exactly who and what this was. He was the dusty man, and we were together again.

I can only see what I used to. I don't know why, but I can't see anything new.
 
Verdant rolling hills, great golden fields, deep lush forests, sparkling cool streams, the dusty man…
 
I see them even though they're not here. I used to see them all the time. The dusty man would take and lead me out to many different places, and would even let me choose where we went on the best days. I could run and run, bringing the thunder of my hoofs where ever we pleased.
 
Then he'd find a place to rest in the shade while I grazed away at the long wet grass. He often would eat something of his own. When he did eat, he always had something for me. I'd hear his whistle, strong and smooth. Out of his bag he pulls roundish red fruit. I trot over immediately. He brings it up to my open mouth and places it between my teeth. I bite down and feel the snap and crunch of its hard flesh. My mouth instantly wet with its sweet and sour flavours. I could even smell how wet and sweet it was. Then we'd just be there together. Most of the time not too long, but sometimes we were out until the light of day would begin fade into the shadows of night.
 
Eventually we would run out again, thundering across all the fields, hills and forests we could, and we'd go until we were exhausted.
 
I can't even run anymore and I'm exhausted.
 
My legs and hoofs always hurt. To run would be excruciating. I don't know why they hurt, I can’t even see them now.
 
I see them again. Strong and unyielding. Stamping the ground with fervor, ready to fly. Ready to thunder across the ground.
 
I try and look now, but there's only shadows and fog. I want to run away from this fog that stops me from seeing. I can't stay here! I have to get out of it, and I will! I need to go back to where I could see!
 
I stamp my hoof… sharp pain rips through my leg, I nearly fall over. I can't run anymore. I'm stuck in this dark. I never see anything new. I only see what I used to. Ever since that great thunder when I was taken away from the dusty man.
 
I did not want to go and he did not want me to either. As these gray men brought me away, I hear his whistle, strong and smooth, one last time. I look back and see the dusty man's face. He looks so sad and afraid, his eyes growing wet and big with regret. Tears rolling down his cheeks washing away the dust of our work. Of our time together. That is when I was brought to the great thunder.
 
Not from the clouds, not the sounds of our hooves on the ground, and not even from the rifles the gray muddy men that ride us carry. We all fear it. All the others like me and the gray muddy men who ride us. It comes from the ground being ripped apart. A growing whistle that ends with a boom. The ground is shredded apart, sending dirt, and rocks flying in all directions.
 
Just like when the starlings had overstayed their welcome on a freshly planted field. The dusty man would ride me out with his rifle, blasting thunderous smoke from it, scaring them off. At the sound they would flee, going in all directions. However once we moved on, they slowly meandered their way back to the easy feast of the farmers hard work.
 
The thunder that scares the ground away is much louder, and the ground doesn't come back even when the thunder stops. Sometimes the thunder hits the others like me, and the gray muddy men, and I fear that it if it were to hit me, I would not be able to come back either.
 
We ride for what feels like weeks on end, the gray muddy man on my back yelling, shooting his rifle. I hear a whistle, and it is not the dusty man's. It is the thunder's. The whistle grows louder until… blinding pain rips through my body.
 
I feel as though I've awoken, but I can't see anything! I try and get up but sharp pain rips through my legs and my body, and my head, it rings and aches like I've never felt. I open my eyes to see what has happened, but there's nothing. Just fog and shadow, nothing more. I blink, looking side to side, but there's only darkness. I don't know where I am. I don't know what's happened to me! It all hurts so bad.
 
That was many months ago and the thunder has finally ended. I was not as close to it, but I still heard it. I've been able to walk again, but not for long. I can never go far enough from this fog and shadow. People and others like me come and go, but I only hear them. I eat dry grasses that are placed by my mouth. I don't even know what it looks like. All of this is terrible.
 
I only see what I used to see. I wish I could see it all again.
 
I freeze when I hear it. My heart thumps heavily, blood pulsing through me. It cannot be, I thought I would never hear that again. A whistle. It does not sound like the thunder's. It comes again, strong and smooth… the dusty man's!
 
I must find it, I have to! I walk towards it… I trip and stumble over something hard I could not see, but that will not stop me. I slowly rise pushing as hard I can. I feel my bones and muscles ache as if they want to snap underneath me, but that will stop me. They begin to quiver, they feel like they will give up, but then I hear the whistle again. Strengthened by its call, I rise! I go to it, not just walk, but a trot, I will find him, I will!
 
I hear it again, he must be so close, he has to be! Then I hear him. I hear is breath, heavy and stuttering, so quiet and so close.
 
"Oh buddy…" he whispers, with joy or anguish, I cannot tell.
 
I go to him. I nuzzle into him. I feel his dusty cheek against mine, again wet with warm tears. He holds my head with his arm and I feel him again. I go to nuzzle further in, I want him to hold me like he did when he was taller than me. I go to his other arm wanting it wrapped around my head… there's nothing there, where is his other arm? He begins to cry.
 
He held me there and I did not move. I just stayed with him, I do not know how long, but my legs ached and my head rang with pain. But it was him. It was the dusty man. I stayed like that until my legs gave out. Until fell to the ground with a tired whimper, unable to support myself anymore.
 
I panicked and tried to get back up to him, but instead he came down to me. He caressed my head and neck, and then I felt it, the cold hard fruit put against my mouth. I opened it, allowing him to place it between my teeth. I bite down hearing and feeling that snap and crunch of it's hard flesh. My mouth instantly wet with its sweet and sour flavours. I could even smell how wet and sweet it was. Then we were just there together.
 
I can only see what I used to. I don't know why, but I can't see anything new. This though, this I did not need to see. I knew exactly who and what this was. He was the dusty man, and we were together again.