John Ken came back from one of the trail. He wasn't alone.

"Hold her down! Get her to the corral! Watch out for the hindlegs! She going to buck!" Mr. Ishiyama was yelling from outside. Yumi and Tori came running out to see who was there. John Ken had an all black horse. As John Ken closed the door to the corral, The mustang run in circals in the corral.

"What happened?" Tori asked as Yumi walked over to the corral and watched the horse.

"This mustang was interfearing with a cattlesmen's cows. He's paying us big time to tame this thing, and he'll pay us more more to use her in the cattle drive in six months." Mr. Ishiyama said.

"It's.....a......she." John Ken panted. Yumi looked at the beautiful black horse.

"Well, your keeping her right?" Tori asked.

"If we can tame her, she can stay." Mr. Ishiyama said as he turned to Yumi. Who was still watching the black mustang run around the corral.

I wonder if dad will let me tame her. probaly not, he's so protective. I REALLY want to tame a wild horse like mom did. This horse, not a tamed horse like at the horse octions. This horse is so beautiful and looks free spirited. I'll tame her weather dad wants me to or not! Yumi though to herself.

"So John Ken can tame her." Mr. Ishiyama said.

YEAH let him do it! If he does, I'll kill him! Yumi thought angrly. John Ken seemed to know how Yumi felt about things. It was their brother, sister connection. They could tell what one another was thinking.

"Why not Yumi do it?" Jonh Ken asked.

John Ken, If he saids yes, I wont kill you. Yumi thought as she smiles at him.

"Can I, dad?" Yumi gave her dad the same look her mom gave him when she knew she could do somthing.

"After Rio, no." Mr. Ishiyama said coldly.

"Look, If I can get within petting distance of the mustang right now, I tame her." Yumi said. Her dad frowns at her.

"If you get hurt, you never get near her again, at she goes." Mr. Ishiyama said to her. Yumi smiled and hopped onto the corral's fence. Yumi begain to sing in a soft voice to the mustang.

"Thoughts of you keep running through my head....Images I just want to forget....I look in the mirror and put on a happy face...but nobody sees it and I Don't believe it." Yumi looked at the mustang that stoped running and looked up at her tilting her head.

"Hey girl." Yumi said in a soft voice to the wild horse and continued the song. "I bought into every word you said....I never thought that's somthing I'd regret.....I look at you now and wonder how I see....I'm lost in the frenzy and it's never ending." The horse troted over and started sniffng her.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" Yumi asked, mostly to the horse, and petted her.

"Ok, Yumi, you can tame her." Mr. Ishiyama said and turned to the stable.

"Dirty horse. Give her a bath Yumi, she needs one." John Ken said. Yumi runs into the stable to see Ulrich and Odd brushing Yankee and Whirlwind.

"Hey, Yumi." Ulrich said.

"Hey guys." Yumi walks into the wash room and gets a bucket of warm water,, a horse sponge and a wash cloth. Ulrich was putting Yankee back in the stall when she ran back by.

"Where you haeding off to?" Ulrich asked.

"The new mustang needs a bath." Yumi said as she left the stable. Ulrich follows her out to the corral where the mustang was.

"Who that horse?" Ulrich asked as Yumi jumped the fence. This time the mustang came up to her.

"Hey girl." Yumi said as she soaked the sponge and started washing the mustang. I was hard because she would roll in the dirt like all horses do. Ulrich would laugh when the mustang would be almost done, and roll in the dirt.

"So does she have a name?" Ulrich asked.

"Not yet." Yumi said as she finished.

"How about........Flicka?" Ulrich asked.

"Flicka?" Yumi questioned.

"It means 'beautiful young girl' I learned it English class." Ulrich said.

Come to think of it, Ficka would be a good word to use in a poem. Ulrich thought.

"I like it." Yumi said. Ulrich started laughing. "Flicka's rolling in dirt again isn't she."

"Yeah." Ulrich said as he pointed to the horse rolling in dirt.

"Forget the bath. Help me get some hay out to her." Yumi said heading back to the stables. Ulrich followed.

"I'm going back to the dorms, Ulrich. Jeremie's going to tutor me in history." Odd said as he left.

"Good luck with that." Ulrich said.

"Ulrich help me with the hay." Yumi called from the hay arch that was like an attic on top of the stable.

"Throw it down." Ulrich said. Yumi through down a stack a hay. Whan they feed Flicka, she ate it like she never ate in days.

"Six months. You think I can tame her by then?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah, and soon you'll be back at the Sport Horse Cup." Ulrich said. Yumi smiled and lokked back at Flicka.