SO-Serina+S.

My name is Serina and I love animals. I have alot right now! I have 20 cats, 3 dogs, 6 horses, 5 fish, 2 birds, and 1 rabbit. I'm not going to name them all because theres so many. My favorite subject at school is Art. I love to draw. I'm in a group called 4-H and it has a County Fair every year and I'm entered in with my dog for showing and my artwork for show, and my rabbit to show, too. My dog that I'm showing name is Lexxi and shes a German Shepard and is 1 years old. My rabbit is Molly and shes a Netherland Lop. I live in the country at both of my parents houses and I enjoy the peace. I like to write sometimes when I'm bored so thats why the story is so long. I love wrighting stories about animals because its the only thing I know most about.

**They Come From Wild Island** By Serina Stratton

Off the coast of Chincogotage is Assengeoge, or know as “The Island Of The Wild Things.” The island got its nickname from the wild horses that come to live there long ago. It started out from when a Spanish Galleon fill with Marsh Ponies, broke in half from a powerful storm. Half of the horses made it, and the rest were swallowed by the great sea. They swam to the nearest island, Assengeoge. They lived there for a long time, and still do. People who live on the bigger island, a little way from the wild island, let the wild ponies have it. Which means, no one is to build on the island or live there. Only the wild creatures are to live there. The island is not small. Its just as big as Massachusetts, but more beautiful. During the summer, it blossoms with beautiful wild flowers. Herds of wild horses run free, and happy to be wild. Little foals run by their moms as the herds move from place to place. Rainy, a girl from the island Chincogotage, stares and thinks //beautiful,// every time she comes to the wild island. “Can I go?” Rainey, the girl, asked her mom. It was Round-Up Day. Round-Up Day is when some people from Chincogotage got on a boat with their horses and went to Assengeoge to round-up some of the wild horses and sell so the population doesn’t overwhelm the island. “Fine,” Rainey’s mom said, “just be careful, or those horses will run you over.” Rainey was delighted. This would be her second time she went to one of the round-ups. Her first time, she followed a black and white, blue-eyed mare and caught her. She named her Moon Dance and that would be the horse she would be riding for this round-up. She woke up early the next morning and remembered it was Round-Up Day. She went out to the stables to tack up Moon Dance. On her way, Rainey was thinking of what would she get this time. A stallion she was thinking. Perfect so she could breed him to Moon Dance. Pounding hooves rang through Rainey’s ears. They rounded-up a whole herd of wild horses of all sizes. As she rode towards the channel, were they will make the horses swim across to Chincogotage, she looked through the herd to see what horse she would want. She saw many great horses, but they were mostly mares and the stallion of this herd got away. Rainey looked off to a distance. She saw something in the corner of her eye. There it was again! It was a black flash with golden strikes. She turned Moon Dance around and followed the flash. Rainey finally saw what it was, a black stallion with the mane and tail the color of gold! She fought her way through the brush and trees, trying to catch up with the stallion, so she can drive him toward the channel. Twisting and curving her way through she finally caught up with him! The water was cold, but felt good after the long run. Horses kicking and neighing with fright, trying to escape. Men yelling in all directions to keep the horses in line. A young boy was the last one to go into the water, on his young bay mare. At least that’s what most people thought, but then the black stallion comes out of the woods and plunges into the cold water. Rainey plunges into the water, following the stallion. A sightseer, on Chincogotage, spots the herd coming closer to shore and yells, “There a come’n!” The horses were running up the beach and going down the town road, heading down to the fair grounds. The black and gold stallion and Rainey were the last to come out. The stallion galloped up to the front and into the near corral. After all the horses were in the fair ground corral, Rainey came and sat on the corral bars, looking at the wild horses. She searched for the black and gold stallion. She found him at the far end of the corral, pacing around, trying to find away out. After a little while, Rainey went home to rest for tomorrow, which the horse auction would begin. Rainey’s alarm rang through her ears. It was 7:00 and the action would start at 8:00. Rainey went through her chores in a flash and had Moon Dance tacked up and ready to go. She rode past the yearling’s corral and on to the older horse’s corral. She quickly found her stallion at the front gate, waiting. She went to her father which gave her a “sold” rope. A sold rope is used to put on a horses neck to show it had been bought. She let her self into the corral and walked slowly over to her new horse. As she got closer she was wondering if someone had already bought him. “No,” she said to herself. As she got even closer, what she feared came true. The black and gold stallion had a sold rope around his neck. She thought for a moment, maybe she could take it off and replace it with hers. And what she thought worked, she slid the rope off carefully as the stallion was grazing, not caring anymore. She slid hers on and put the other rope on a different stallion, similar to hers. After the day was up, Rainey had gotten her stallion and took him home. Rainey spent hours in the stables with her new horse. Grooming him, feeding him, and getting him used to her. She got so tiered that she slept in the stallion’s stall that night. Rainey woke up to a soft breathing, and as she opened her eyes she felt something nip her finger. She got up with out yelling in pain and looked at her finger. It was fine. She looked around and decided to start on the chores. After the chores, she went to Assengeoge to look around. She always loved coming to the wild island to look at its beauty. As she walked through the woods on the wild island, she heard growling. Rainey turned around and looked everywhere. She found nothing. Rainey kept walking for a while until she reached her favorite spot, in the middle of the valley. She laid down and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes she found a little dog. She awed at it. Rainey picked the puppy up and looked around to see if there was anybody else there. No one. She thought for a moment, “Maybe I can take you home,” she said to the puppy. Surely her parents wouldn’t mind. After she got home she ran inside with the dog and found her parents. “Mom, Dad, I found a puppy on the island, alone,” Rainey said as she was showing her parents. They were amazed about his glossy silver, black, and gold coat and his little face. “Well he sure looks nice,” said Rainey’s mom. They both looked at the dad. “Well, I guess so, just as long he doesn’t chew anything important,” Rainey’s dad said. In the middle of the night, Rainey heard a baby’s cry. She got up and looked around that house. In the room were they put the dog is were the crying was coming from. She went inside the room and found a baby in the dog bed were the dog should have been. She thought she was dreaming so she went to her room and layed back in bed and pretended nothing happened. Early in the morning, Rainey quickly got up and went to the little dog’s room. Se opened the door and found the little dog sleeping in his bed. She thought for a moment, //Maybe I was dreaming.// She shut the door and went to eat breakfast and got on with her day. Nights went on and the little dog was getting bigger faster and each time she saw the midnight baby, it was bigger. Rainey started to think that the dog was not a dog. She thought that the dog was some kind of were dog. At her school she looked up “Were Dog” on a search site and got an old legend from Canada of a Luguineai, a mystical wolf that looks like the size of a bear and is stronger then a tree rooted to the ground still during a tornado. Luguineais are any color and grow very fast. They turn into humans at night like the opposite of werewolves. She written everything he needed to know down on a piece of paper and was planning on what to tell her parents. As Rainey got home she quickly ran inside to tell her parents of what she found out. When she got inside she was greeted with a hug from a teenage boy. She looked at him closely. Pale white face, dark hair, and dark eyes. “Um, excuse me, who are you?” Rainey asked. “I don’t know,” he sadly said. Rainey woundered why. He put her down and looked at her with his deep dark eyes. "Why don't you know who you are?" Rainey asked. "Because," he said quitely, "you never gave me a name." Rainey was shocked as he said that. "What do you mean I never gave you a name?" asked Rainey. "I'm that little dog you found on the island, you know that black, silver, and gold one." He stared at her again with his dark depressing eyes. "Well then, lets get you a name," Rainey said with a samll smile. Later that day she thought also of what she was going to name her stallion, too. She went through many names but non matched them. It was hard trying to figure out names for Rainey. She thought she wasn't that great at it and she remembered her old cat the she named Mr. Wiskers and it was a girl. She gave up and went to bed. She think of something tomarow. She awoke to a neigh for outside. Rainey got up and looked out the window to see what was going on. She saw the black and gold stallion paceing back and forth, along the feance line. She looked to see what was on the other side and it was Moon Dance. He was neighing to her. Thats what Rainey wanted. A smile crept across her face. The stallion wants her to be with him. Rainey then noticed a dark figure out across the field. It was the teenage boy whos also her dog. She then remembered she had to find a name for him. Something normal, human and part animal put to geather. //Uhh! How could this be so hard?// Rainey thought. She finaly got herself to go outside and open the gate from the stallion's paddock to Moon Dance's paddock. Raniey got down stairs and out side, slowly walking to the paddocks. She thought about entering her stallion in the on coming fair in town. She thought also about how he would show. //Would he prance and show off, or would he shy away//? Rainey thought. She came to the paddocks finding that the gate was already opened. She was puzzeled and woundered who did that. Off the cornner of her eye she saw a dark figure. It was the teenage boy, but behind him a tall man stood. "Greetings," the man said, "I was walking by when I saw this boy opening the gate to your paddocks and noticed the stallion." Rainey knew what was coming. "He mighty beautiful with the gold mane, black body, and silver hooves that I just knew he would be a kick in shows," the man said with a smile. Rainey didn't know she was staring. "Oh I almost foregot my manners, I am Cade Kato," he said with a bigger smile. Rainey stuck out her hand a shook Cade's hand and said "Pleased to meet you Mr. Kato."Now as I was saying-" Cade started until Rainey blurted out, "I'm Not going to sell him!" Cade looked at her and said, "Now now I wasn't going to ask you to sell him, but to only let me train him for shows. You see I'm a trainer, a mighty famous one to, and I would love to see that wounder of a horse not to be unnoticed," Cade said. Rainey thought about her stallion being famous. A smile spread across her face. "It would be an honnor Mr. Kato," Rainey said happly. "Great," Cade said with a big smile, "now so whats his name?" Rainey stopped for a second then said, "Um, he doesn't have a name." Cade said "Thats not a problem, he'll get a name in no time. Now, lets go see him and see if I can get a name out of him." The three of them walked down to the paddock, the teenage boy leading. "So whats the young lad's name?" Cade asked Rainey. Rainey hesitaded for a minute. "He doesn't have a name either," she said looking down. "So then, were did he cme from then?" Cade asked. Rainey answer was short,"He came from Wild Island." Cade Kato stopped in his tracks and look a the boy with anstonishment. "Really," Cade said, "and how long has it been since he was here?" Rainey didn't know what to tell him. "He came here when he was a baby," Rainey stopped and hesitateded, "one week ago." Mr. Kato's eyes widened. "That can't be, hes around 15 years old." She can't beleave she told him that! "Well thats the thing, he ages fast," Rainey sighed. //Soon, he'll be older then her Great Grandpa and then die// Rainey thought, holding back tears. They reached the paddock Mr. Kato was amazed at how the stallion looked so beautiful up close. "Hes quit amazing, were did you get him?" Cade asked. "I rounded him up on Round-Up Day," Rainey said proudly. "You know, from Wild Island." Cade seemed to almost drop his mouth. "So they both are from the islan then?" Cade asked. "Yes," answered the teenage boy. "Yes," Rainey achoed, "they came from Wild Island." Cade was pleased and looked like he had an idea. The teenage boy walked up to the stallion and paded him on the neck. "They both get along great," Rainey said remembering how long he spent with the stallion each day.

**Questions for Peer Reviewers**
(Think in terms of questions you would like to ask the author.)

1. Think of plot—is it original? (If an adaptation, is it creative or interesting to you?) What suggestions do you have for the author(s)?

2. Think about problems that the characters face. Are there complications that add enough suspense, tension, or interest? Is there a climax that satisfies you? Is the resolution satisfying? What could be added or changed?

3. Think of characterization—are the characters life-like? Are characters likable and enjoyable? Do we get a good sense of character from many of these: description, dialogue, narrator's opinion, discussion from other characters, the character’s own actions?

4. Think of imagery and details. Do they help you //see// and //hear// and //experience// the story? What details would you like to see in the next revision of the story?

5. What areas of the story need the most improvement? What suggestions do you have for the author?