It was finally saturday morning, and Willow was quite excited. Skipping out to feed Ghost had never felt so good. And the dance tonight would be even better.
"I know! I cant wait, I love your dress!" Kendala said running her fingers over the smooth black silk of Willow dress.
"Mine? Yours looks like a fairy!" Kendala's dress was long white silk, with a net type of material over the top, making it poof out. And she even had elbow gloves and a mask that went over her eyes.
"Were going to look so good, Aspen's gonna croak." They howled as they went outside to Ghost.
Willow had picked up a bridle in town the day before, and so she carried it out to the paddock that Ghost was happily grazing in.
Willow slipped on the orange halter and lead and pushed him to a trot around her.
His hooves were slowly thudding around her and despite herself, she almost ran beside him and hopped on. But at this moment, she wasn't sure he was ready.
Kendala grabbed a seat on the fence and watched contently.
After moving him to the round pen Willow rubbed all over Ghosts' head.
He heaved a smooth sigh and made chewing motions with his mouth, lowering his head.
After dropping the halter off of his head Willow warmed the cold iron bit in her hands before putting it up to his mouth-a trick that her father had taught her.
She slipped her thumb gently into his mouth and when he popped it open, slid the bit into the bit bed, the part of the mouth that has no teeth, and up over his ears.
His head shot up and he backed quickly, his hindquarters well under him and his eyes wide open.
Willow moved beside him, confident and solid.
Ghost snorted and tossed his head, but stayed in place, licking and chewing the bit uncontrolably.
Willow stroaked his coat and talked in a low voice.
"It's okay. Shhh..." She talked slow and sure, rubbing her fingers in slow, tight circles on his neck.
His head lowered and he finally let his ears fall sideways.
Willow walked forward, and Ghost fell in behind her, walking somewhat fast, but submissive.
"Question, Why did you stay beside him, you could have gotten squished, couldn't you?" Kendala had been silent until now.
"I wanted to show him I was never going to leave him, or hurt him, and I was always there, he can trust me now. Did you see how he followed me? He trusts me."
"So just by you putting a bridle on him, he knows all that?" Kendala giggled. "Thats pretty cool."
Willow turned around and slipped the bridle out of his mouth and replaced it with a halter.
Ghost nuzzled her waist and breathed out deeply.
"I love you boy..." Willow kissed him on the nose and swept a lock of hair out of her eyes.
She smoothed his matted mane down and leaned on his side, completely content with her life.
***
After pinning the front of her hair loosly in the back, she let her curled jet black hair cascade over her shoulders, her eye make-up perfectly accenting her eyes. Her lips were coated with a sheer gloss which made her skin seem more pale.
Her dress made her look older and sophisticated, but not so old she look unaprochable. She had decided the moment she donned the black straight-jacket that it was not for anything but standing there, and looking pretty, and even sometimes she doubted that. She could barely breathe.
"I can't breathe!" Willow gasped in an all too fake voice, grabbing her stomach and crippling to the bed.
"They both giggled, despite their oh-so-unbreateable dresses.
A little more serious now they tugged and pulled at their dresses, slipped on shoes and perfected hair.
A curl on either side of Willows face blew over her cheeks in the breeze that crept through the window.
"6:04. Phew! I'm bushed, but I can't wait to see Brad in a tux." Willow giggled girlishly and fell back onto the bed, looking up at her glow in the dark star covered ceiling.
"So who is this guy that your going with now, Garret?" Kendala giggled, the blood obviously rushing to her cheeks.
"Yeah...I bumped into him at the supermarket. Well, more than bumped. We flat out knocked each other over. My canned tuna was all over him." Kendala give a hint of a grin, remembering.
Willow had to laugh at the picture of beautiful Kendala, galavanting through the store, looking down at her list, and out of nowhere a handsome fellow-according to Kendala anyway-pops up and knocks the canned tuna right out of her hands.
A knock at the door startled them both out of their dream world with a jolt and onto the floor.
Willow clasped a hand over her mouth to keep a scream from excaping her.
"And why did that scare us?" They both giggled down the stairs.
Willow peeked through the peep hole, to see Brad straightening his appearence and russling the bouqet of red roses.
Willow squeled inwardly when she un-locked the bolt on the front door and smiled at Brad.
To Willow's supprise, he wasn't wearing a tuxedo at all, but looked more like the cowboy he was. He was even wearing a cowboy hat, just like he usually did.
"Hi Willow. Kendala." He tipped his hat and then offered the flowers.
"Oh how sweet." Willow excepted them and brought them to her nose, whiffing in the scent of fresh flowers.
When Willow returned from putting them in a freshly watered vase Brad asked,
"Ready to go?" He extended his arm, letting Willow hook her arm into his.
"Sure." Willow grinned as she turned around to Kendala.
"You coming?"
"Right behind you!" Kendala hopped into her car and sped away.
"No way! You brought a limo?!" Willow squealed as Brad opened her door and slid in behind her.
"Well, No actually, my brother, Nate, did."
"Your brother owns a limo?" Willow giggled running her fingers over the leather seats.
"Five limos actually. I pulled a couple stings and, Voila!" Brad grinned.
"Wow. This is so cool. I bet nobody else is gonna have a limo."
And Willow had been right. As they pulled into the drive to the school gym, there wasn't a limo in sight.
The first song was an up-beat song and Brad had offered her some punch, and they had sipped some until a slower song came over the speakers and the dazlingly bright lights slowed down.
"You wanna dance?" Brad grinned and offered his arm.
"Certainly." Willow hooked her arm into his as they stepped onto the dance floor.
She put one hand on his shoulder and he took the other, letting his hand slip around her waist.
Willow could tell he was stiff, and she ended up leading most of the song. He stepped on her bare toes atleast three times, and then apologized for not being a good dancer.
She could feel the blood rush to her cheeks when he had said,
"You look nice, Willow."
"You dont clean up so bad either." She suddenly felt wan. She shifted her weight onto the other foot and rubbed her hands together behind his neck.
Its so hot in here!
Just then the double doors drew open and Aspen appeared. Wearing the same exact dress as Willow.
She felt heat raging up her neck, and she had to bite back the harsh words she wanted to spew at Aspen.
A new boy, more-than-likely just somebody she picked up hours before the dance slipped off her bust length cardigan and let it hang on a hook.
"Not there! It'll get other peoples germs on it or something!" Aspen ordered. The boy was obviously bewildered, his mouth came open, hoping for something to escape, but then he shut it again.
Willows attention adverted from her date to Aspen.
"Go get me some punch, Dan." She ordered with a fake smile.
Aspen headed their way. No, she headed Brads way.
"Hi, Brad." She put on the biggest, most cheesiest smile and smoothed her sides, obviously drawing attention to them.
She just barely acknowledged Willow with a wanly-looking smile.
Willow did have to say, Aspen looked like she had gotten the dress two sizes too small. She was about to bust out of it, or maybe she had meant it to be like that. Either way, Willow could tell Brad was repulsed. And she was glad, because she was too.
"I'm gonna borrow your cowboy." Aspen grabbed Brad by the cuffs of his shirt, and Brad gave a look of pity to Willow.
"I'm sorry!" He half mouthed, half whispered.
Willow could hardly catch her breath.
By this time Kendala had reached her side.
"I," Willow managed to get out, "I think I need some fresh air." She made a beeline for the exit.
Her dress seemed to clamp onto her lungs, making it hard for breathing.
She gasped in supprisingly warm air and tugged at her dress straps.
She heard to door click shut behind her.
"Whats wrong?" Kendala's sempathetic voice reached her just as she slipped an arm around her shoulder.
"I don't know...Aspen showed up and ruined everything..." Tears pricked at the back of her eyes.
"Now..Brad didn't want to dance with her, couldn't you tell? He just didn't want to be rude."
"For once in his life, couldn't he not be a gentleman." Her throat clamped around her words.
"Its alright." Kendala pat her shoulder. "It's not going so great with Garret either." Willow watched her friends eyes moisten. "He keeps dancing with this other girl, Danika. Isn't that a yogurt?!" Kendala tried to laugh but it came out as more of a yelp.
Willow leaned her head agaist Kendala's for a brief second before hearing the door zip open and shut almost silently.
Kendala slipped into the door after giving a small squeeze to Willows shoulders.
"Willow..." Brad said in such a low voice it cracked into a whisper.
She turned and faced him, but didn't meet his eyes
"If you think for one second that I like that girl...Your wrong." A silence fell over them.
Willows eyes danced over her thoughts, and the green, bristly trees that skirted the little flower garden.
Brad continued. "She's desperate. She is very desperate." Brad chuckled lightly.
"And I told her just now that I just want to be friends with her. Because I don't like her like that." He said easily.
"Thats why she stormed off in such a hurry." Brad laid a hand on the inside of her elbow. It brought her to and she met his eyes.
"Ok." She managed to breathe out.
A comfortable silence fell over them as he wrapped her in a light hug before opening the door back up.
They had made chit-chat, talked serious and sometimes just danced.
It looked as if Kendala and Garret had made up. If there was even "making up" to do for.
Willow laughed. The four of them danced silly to a fun upbeat song that had ended the dance and Willows feet were plenty tired. And it was plenty late too.
The country air breezed through Willows hair, making it dance wildly. They pulled into the winding drive with lots of room to spair between them sticking out the top window, and the wooden overhang that stood over the driveway, sporting the hanging metal sign that said "Donovans Drive". Still hanging where her father had nailed it thirteen years ago.
She smiled at Brad. He had taken off his hat, for fear of it blowing off into the black night, and now his hair-what short hair he did have-was blowing too.
Their joy ride ended much too soon, as it always seemed to.
They stepped out into the late night air and Willow smoothed her jet black locks.
He walked her casually back to the front door of the old white farm house and chuckled easily.
"Whats so funny?" Willow giggled along with him.
"Look!" Brad gasped suddenly.
Willow whirled around in the direction he was pointing. She saw Ghost off in the inky blackness, almost florescent he was so white.
His halter hung loosely around his face, caught on a small supporting post.
He tried to lift his head when Willow came slowly over to his side.
She laid a soft hand on his shoulder as to not scare him, and began unfastening his stuck halter.
He pushed his nose into the grass and cropped easily, content now for his head to be free.
Willow gently pulled his head out of the lush green grass and stroaked his nose.
"How'd he get out?" Willow thought aloud.
"I don't know." Brad examined that latch before opening it to let Ghost back in.
"The gates in order." He offered with a puzzled look.
"I'll check the fences." She told him, "I'll be right back."
Willow disapeared into the house and returned a moment later with a flashlight.
They walked the length of the paddock fence, all thick wooden posts, in a comfotable silence.
Crickets chirped in the silence, and frogs croaked their eerie, lonely noise into the black night.
"Beautiful ain't it?" Willow said trying to crane her neck upward to look at the neonic stars, twinkling, looking as if one could reach up and pick them right out of the black sky.
Brad just smiled into Willow, making her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
They kept walking, Willows flashlight beam sweeping the length of the fence.
"Looks alright to me." Willow said, mostly to herself, when they had finished the round.
"I best be getting home. Church tomorrow, will I see you there?" Brad shoved his hands into his pockets as he spoke.
"As always." Willow chirped out.
"Great." Brad beamed. "Hey, I had a really good time tonight. It was alot of fun." He tipped the front of his hat upward and scratched his head and replaced the hat.
"I had a wonderful time too." Willow felt the blood rush to her cheeks.
She hated the way her throat clamped shut, it made her feel vulnerable and uncomfortable.
She pressed the tips of her fingers together behind her back and swallowed nothing but air.
She smiled sweetly and clicked out the light, suddenly realizing how dark it really was.
It was completely silent, all the bugs and frogs had dropped out, and all Willow could hear was the panging of her heart inside her.
"Goodnight." She whispered through the soft darkness.
Willow plunked herself onto the couch and let out a content breath.
"Where've you been all night?" Willow started, her mothers voice coming from the armchair beside her.
She straightened up and pondered what to say.
"Because I'm sure the dance didn't last this long." Mrs. Armstrong clicked on a lamp and shifted towards her.
"We had to check Ghosts' fence. He had gotten out. What are you doing out here in the dark?"
Kristine stood and stretched in her pink flannel pajama's before answering.
"I was waiting for you to come home." Willow glanced at her watch, it was 12:23AM.
"Sorry we got in late. I'll see you tomorrow." Willow kissed her mom on the cheek and disapeared up the stairs before her mom had another chance to speak.
After wiping off most of the make-up, she set her alarm and changed into her pj's and colapsed into bed.
Her mind whirled and twirled and wondered all night, through dreams and restlessness.
Her alarm finally went off and she really had to stretch to hit the snooze button.
Her fingers had almost made it to the button, but it was then that she opened her eyes, and the world bent sideways, sending Willow onto the floor.
She sat up and peeled the burrito like sheets off of herself and tried to stand.
The world seemingly straightened back up and Willow got to her feet, shut off the alarm and straightened the overturned phone and lotions on the nightstand.
She finally caught sight of herself in the mirror and almost shrieked.
Her image was slightly impressing, if only she were a zombie.
She didn't just have bags under her eyes, she had the whole luggage rack.
After showering off and clothing herself in a jean skirt, belt, baby blue western button up and her scuffed up brown boots, she felt and looked better.
She pinned her wet hair into a loose bun and left her wispy bangs hanging out to dry on her forehead.
She fed and watered Ghost, happy that he hadn't gotten out again like the previous night.
But the image of him running free with his herdmates clouded her mind for a moment, and she had to wonder if keeping him was a good idea at all.
Maybe he could have found his herd again, but maybe not...Willow reasoned.
But his look of loneliness stuck with her, and she knew she had to spend more time with him.
I have to gentle him..I know I have to do it. I have to ride him, ride again...
Willow drifted inside and ate some breakfast herself.
The phone rang from its standpoint on the kitchen wall and Willow clambered over to unhitch it from the wall and say,
"Armstrong residence."
The voice on the other end cleared their throat. "Hello Kristine." An elderly voice said slowly.
"Oh, Ms. Lilly, This is Willow." She said politely.
"Oh my dear, I'm so sorry, these ears of mine are getting older." Ms. Lilly, their very good neighbor friend said, and Willow could just picture her throwing her free hand up in the air in exasperation at herself. Willow understood that the woman had been loosing her hearing for quite sometime now, but Willow had a special place in her heart for Ms.Lilly, because she had been the one to put her on a miniature pony for the first time when she was six.
Ms. Lilly finally spoke. "Will you be at church tomorrow?" The elderly woman broke off mid sentence and breathed in deeply. "Goodness! I meant to say this morning!" The elderly woman said in frustration at herself.
"Yes ma'am, we will." Willow said patiently.
After speaking a few more words, Willow imagined Ms.Lilly glancing at the clock.
"Look at the time, I must go now dear!" Ms. Lilly said lightly.
They both said goodbye and Willow replaced the phone to its bed.
Willow gobbled the rest of the cereal down and picked up the keys to her truck.
"I'm going now mom!" She shouted through the house.
"Alright sweetie! Drive safely!" Her mothers voice sounded from her bedroom.
The truck rattled to a start and Willow pulled it out of the driveway, to outskirts of town and pulled into the parking lot of her little brick and wood country church.
A bell was ringing for the 9:30AM sunday school children to run to their classes as Willow flung open the original heavy wooden double doors that had been there since the church had been built in the early 1900's.
Three young girls darted out infront of Willow, making her trip and fall.
One of the six year old girls, Jessica-Brads little sister-appologized and twirled a little red curl.
"It's just fine, no harm done." Willow said picking herself up from the floor.
"But where are my keys?" WIllow patted her pockets and searched the floor.
A little glint of light came from inside the coat closet. She opened the door and retrieved the silver keys from the carpeted floor.
"Sorry." The other little girls squeaked out and shuttered away.
Willow realized her wrists were raw from a carpet burn.
She winced when she tried to roll them.
She shoved the keys into her pockets and found a seat next to Brad, and Kendala found her way over to them.
Willow had seen her mother appear through the door way and find a seat next to Ms.Lilly.
The service started and Willow was already uncomfortable in the wooden pew's.
She fidgeted, and Brad leaned in and whispered, "You tired?" He beamed a cheerfull smile.
"Yeah." Willow screwed up her face. "Smartie pants. I only got a few hours of sleep. What about you?" She replied with a sassy tone, but ended with a sincere smile.
"I can run on only two hours of sleep apparently!" The piano chimed in that minute, making hard for them to hear.
"Now why on earth would you want to go with just two hours of sleep?" Willow questioned between verses of the hymns.
"I couldn't sleep." He said simply, with a thoughtful smile.
"Ah, I see." Willow smiled as the song leader annouced at the end of the hymn's, "You may be seated."
The preacher got up and preached a sermon from the book of Romans.
"Roman 6:23 says," Preacher Siman Rhoads, a man of around 30 called from the pulpit, "'For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'" She had heard those words a million times before, and they always hit the same each time. She prayed she would never be seased to be amazed by those words.
After the sermon, the song leader got up again and called for song number 305, a hymn that was one of Willows favorites, I'll fly away.
"I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away in the morning, When I die halelujah by and by, I'll, fly away..." Brad and Willow sang together as they shared a hymnal.
"Lemme see your wrists." Brad said after they had been dismissed.
"It's nothing, really." Willow reasoned with him as he held up her wrists and winced under his breath.
"What happened?" He asked, with no regards to what she had just said.
"I just slipped and fell earlier. I'm fine." Willow giggled.
"Now, I know that your clumsy and all, but you were just walking along and tripped, and ripped your wrists wide opened?" He squeezed her hands ever so gently.
Willow pulled her hands back and rubbed them together. "I just tripped, ok? It's not a big deal."
She noticed red heat climbing his neck.
"Are you ok?" She asked easily.
"I'm fine, ok? It's you I'm worried about." He said with more emotion.His eyes adverted from hers. She was trying to imagine what was getting him so worked up, and she could hardly think that it was just her wrists.
"Ok..." She said with uncertainty, hoping that it wasn't something she had done.
When the three friends had arrived back at Willows and were eating lunch, Willow annouced suddenly,
"I think I need to ride him."
"Who, Ghost?" Kendala said through a bite of sandwich.
"Yes." Willow replied, jutting her chin out.
"I think you should go for it." Brad said as he seated himself across from Willow.
"Good, then I have both of your approvals?" She took a sip of her own soda.
"Yeah, sure..But why?" Kendala laughed.
"Because, you two are my best friends, and if I was doing something to make you worry.." Willow broke off and smiled.
"Well you definitely have mine." Brad smiled and peeled the crust off his bread.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Chapter 4
"So you wanna talk about the big fat elephant sitting in the middle of the room?" Willow and Brad were bouncing along the road, trying to hurry back for the vet.
"Whats that?" Willow knew exactly what he was talking about, but she didn't know if she should say anything yet.
"Somehow, we keep..." Brads eyes were glued to the road. "Look, I kinda..." Brad cleared his throat. "I kinda like you."
He likes me? He likes me!
"Well, I kinda like you too." Willow cut her eyes to the side. He was looking at her. She tucked a whisp of black hair behind her ear.
"Good." Brad smiled, reaching his hand across and sqeezed hers.
"So theres a summer dance that they planned at school, kind of a fund raiser thing." Willow had seen the flyers before.
There was a moment of stiff silence.
"So you wanna go with me?"
Willow beamed at him, he looked back. "Yes, I'd love to."
"Ok, its this saturday. I can pick you up at 6:30." Brad gave a light sqeeze to her hands and let his slip off.
"Ok." Most of the ride back home was silent. Willow could only think about what she'd wear to the dance.
Something red and simple. I dont think I have something like that. Flouncy. Lacey. I don't know! Willow groaned inwardly.
Brad and Willow unloaded the stuff and Willow grabbed the halter.
"3:30." She had thirty minutes to try join up again.
"Well, I should go soon." Brad nudged some dirt with the tip of his boot.
"Can you come over tomorrow?" Willow came over to him.
"Yeah, sure."
"Ok...Would you mind if I borrowed a saddle from you?"
"Sure, no problem."
Willow smiled. "I had alot of fun today, and I can't wait til Saturday."
"Yeah, me either. It'll be fun."
Brad turned to go.
"Wait." Willow grabbed his arm.
"Is this a just friends or..." Willows throat tightened and a lump formed.
"Does it have to be?"
"No, I'd kinda rather have it...more than friends?" Willow fidgeted in place and let her eyes wander.
"I'd like that."
They said goodbye and Willow went to work with Ghost.
Willow threw a loop of the lead rope into the air and Ghost sped to a good trot. She stepped infront of his shoulder and he turned the other way. His hooves thudded agaisnt the damp ground. His eyes had relaxed and his head began to lower again. His outside ear pricked forward suddenly, and the other one fell limp to the inside, listening to Willows commands.
"Whoa boy." Willow turned around and caught her breath. She heard soft hoof steps behind her.
Hot breath ran down her neck. Willow slowly turned and placed a hand on his muzzle. "Ohh..." Willow put her nose against his and breathed out. He smelled her and she smelled him. They were a team now. It wouldn't be long until she could do anything with him.
Just then the vet pulled up. Willow climbed the fence and retrieved the halter.
She slipped it onto Ghost slowly, with the lead clipped to it.
"How long have you had him?" Dr. Jim Hiens called softly from the other side of the fence.
"Since yesterday. He's very high spirited. I can't wait to gallop him."
"Whoa there, that won't be for a long while now, he's a stallion, so you'll want to get him gelded and-"
"I'm not planning on taking that away from him. He's going to stay a stallion."
"I see. Well lets get to work." Dr.Hiens climbed the fence and approached. Ghost threw his head in the air.
"Whoa boy. He's ok. He's my friend. He won't hurt you. Nobody will." Willow stroaked his forehead. Ghosts' eyes closed halfway and he leaned his head into her hand.
Dr.Hiens peeled back his lips and checked his teeth.
"Their in good condition, he looks to be about four years old." Dr. Hiens reported.
Dr. Hiens ran his aged fingers over the horses rough hide.
"You did a good job with these wounds." He said with no particular tone of voice.
He unraveled the bandages and put some more ointment on the somewhat healed wounds.
After checking his teeth, feet ,muscles, fertility and taking some blood, Dr. Hiens was leaving.
"I'll get those results to you by tomorrow." The test was to see if Ghost was a true mustang.
Willow was confident that he was.
"Willow, phone for you!" It was Willows mom calling her from the back door.
"Coming." Willow picked up the phone in her bedroom.
"Hello?"
"Hi, whats up?" It was Kendala Livesay.
"Oh..Hey Ken."
"You sound disapointed. Any reason?"
"Well, I was hoping it was Brad..."
"Brad? So I'm not good enough?" Kendala laughed.
"Of course you are! I was just hoping." Willow bit her lip.
"You sound...On cloud nine?"
"Thats cause I am! You know this saturdays dance?"
"He didnt?!" Kendala gasped.
"He did! And he told me he liked me. He's so sweet."
"Oh thats so cool. But I thought we were gonna go since we never have anyone ask us."
"Sorry...But I finally had somebody ask me, and I don't wanna give him up. Maybe somebody will ask you too." Willow took a breath. "Oh, I forgot to tell you about Ghost. He's my new horse."
Willow explained everything to Kendala.
"Oh, I have an incoming call, maybe its somebody important. See you saturday." Willow took the other call before Kendala had enough time to say as much as goodbye. It was one for her mom.
Sitting down the reciever she went back outside and fed Ghost.
***
Crawling into bed that night never felt so good. Willow clicked out the light and tried to sleep. It was early still and she wanted to sleep, but everything going on inside her head didnt let her.
Willow tossed and turned, unable to relax.
Ok. I'm going to go shopping tomorrow. Then its dance time! Willow finally slept soundly until morning.
***
Willow blinked the sleep out of her eyes and sat up. It was Thursday morning and she had to find a dress to wear to the dance tomorrow.
The house was quiet as she crept down the stairs into the kitchen. She often missed mornings with her dad. Waiting for him to wake up and sometimes, she would get off the bus and almost forget what had happened, that her father was gone. Forever. That the feeling of his embrace, his love for her was ever out of reach, it broke her heart to feel this guilty.
Willow was the only child at the time of her fathers death. So her life was quite lonely, what with her mom always at work.
She never spoke of his death to anyone. Maybe it was the guilt that had weighed heavy on her heartstrings, and quite often she felt she was going to break.
Her mother was never the understanding, loving mother Willow had always wanted, even after the accident. Willow always wished her Mom would come to her shows with Dad, and cheer her on, and give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and say something like, "You gave it your best shot, baby girl!" Just like dad always had.
Willow polished off a bowl of cereal and then went out to feed Ghost.
"Hello boy." Ghost sounded a nicker through the air and came to his feed bucket.
Willow dumped the corn and sweet feed into a feeder, and the flakes of hay into a hay net.
Willow finally grabbed her wallet and got into her truck and started for town.
The beat up Ford was her dads. He called it a classic, but Willow always referred to it as a heap of junk. It was a classic when he bought it in 1980.
She remembered when she would ride in it, and her father would say as it chugged to a start, "Purrs like a kitten!"
"More like a kitten with Emphysema!" They both laughed.
Everytime she heard the engine blare to a start, her fathers face popped into her head. Etched with age and experience and always positive.
Willows face creased a smile as she bumped along the road into Cody.
There were only several dress stores in Cody, so she started with the smaller one-knowing it would be cheapest-and worked her way onto the big ones.
There was a pale pink one that caught her eye in one of the dress shops, but it being three sizes too big was a set back.
Finally, she rounded the street corner to the last store, and in the window was a beautiful black dress.
It was just knee length and was sleek silk, impire waist imbended with small, sparkley sequins.
Willow held her breath as she tugged at the zipper up in the back, making sure the wide straps were in place.
She turned around, and was sure this was the perfect dress for the dance.
Smiling at the store clerk she paid for it and was out the door hapily.
Now for shoes! Yes!! Willow carried the dress box back to the truck and started for the shoe store.
A pair of black thick pumps stood out to her, and when she pictured them with the dress, it just didn't work out.
Instead she picked up a pair of strappy ones, a thin tall heel and they even had little sequins.
"These would be perfect for the dance!" She said quietly to herself.
So she bought those and started home.
When she pulled the green truck into the front circle drive and shut it off she was supprised to see Brad sitting in front of the round pen.
"He's looking good." Brad called from his seat on top the fence.
"You bet." Willow gave a grin.
"Whats with the big cheesy smile?" Brad laughed.
Willow just sighed as she took a seat beside Brad.
They had only really started hanging out recently, and she didn't really know all about Brad, but he didn't know much about her either.
"So...I wanna know sometime secret about you." Brad said matter-of-factly.
Willow tensed slightly, but tried to relax.
"You first." Willow gave a wanly smile.
"No, no, no Miss Slick! I asked you first."
Willows eyes wavered. "Well..I used to be a top barrel racer."
"Yeah? Any good?"
"Eh, I won a few times. Went to state and won..."
"Dude. Yeah, you're 'a little good'. Did you compete in anything else?"
"Breakaway roping, team roping, hazing for bulldogging. Cutting, used to have an awesome cutting mare." Willow shifted in her seat. "Now you."
"Ok, well I won All Around Cowboy two years running. I've done a few rodeos. I've trained two horses that went to the olympics. When I can get to a rodeo I do about as much as I can. But I'm not gonna say I'm good at them all. This summer I should get enough points to get my pro rodeo card."
"Then will you go on the circut?"
"Yeah, I should go all around the states, maybe even some in Canada. But either way I'll have to card, and it's good for life."
"Thats good. But what about school?"
"Well, I'm going to finish out next year, and just do the circut in the summer, and then I'll be graduated so I won't need to worry about it."
"Did you ever get Sparks back? I had forgotten all about that." Willow laughed.
"Yep, she came sauntering back over with the stallion attached to her side." Brad laughed. "I called the vet and he said seeings how she was with him so long, she's probably in foal."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Uhm..I don't know yet." Brad chuckled and hopped down from the fence. You ready for the dance saturday?"
"Yes, I can't wait." Willow stretched.
"I think we should go for a ride sometime." Brad faced Ghost.
"I want my first ride to be with Ghost. Ok?"
"That just means your going to have to get Ghost gentled as soon as possible."
"No doubt." Willow was happy just exactly where she was.
***
Ghost snorted softly and shook the flies from his ears. Willow placed her hands on his cheeks and laid her forehead on his.
She breathed in softly and let it out slowly.
"When can I ride you? Huh? I miss riding. Since dad's not here. He would have loved you." She whispered as she slid her hands down his neck and over his back and let them relax.
Ghost reached his head around and sniffed her warily, then let his head drop to a relaxed position.
"Your such a good boy." Willow slid her hands off his back and kissed him on the pink velvety part of his nose. "I love you." She breathed into his nose.
"Whats that?" Willow knew exactly what he was talking about, but she didn't know if she should say anything yet.
"Somehow, we keep..." Brads eyes were glued to the road. "Look, I kinda..." Brad cleared his throat. "I kinda like you."
He likes me? He likes me!
"Well, I kinda like you too." Willow cut her eyes to the side. He was looking at her. She tucked a whisp of black hair behind her ear.
"Good." Brad smiled, reaching his hand across and sqeezed hers.
"So theres a summer dance that they planned at school, kind of a fund raiser thing." Willow had seen the flyers before.
There was a moment of stiff silence.
"So you wanna go with me?"
Willow beamed at him, he looked back. "Yes, I'd love to."
"Ok, its this saturday. I can pick you up at 6:30." Brad gave a light sqeeze to her hands and let his slip off.
"Ok." Most of the ride back home was silent. Willow could only think about what she'd wear to the dance.
Something red and simple. I dont think I have something like that. Flouncy. Lacey. I don't know! Willow groaned inwardly.
Brad and Willow unloaded the stuff and Willow grabbed the halter.
"3:30." She had thirty minutes to try join up again.
"Well, I should go soon." Brad nudged some dirt with the tip of his boot.
"Can you come over tomorrow?" Willow came over to him.
"Yeah, sure."
"Ok...Would you mind if I borrowed a saddle from you?"
"Sure, no problem."
Willow smiled. "I had alot of fun today, and I can't wait til Saturday."
"Yeah, me either. It'll be fun."
Brad turned to go.
"Wait." Willow grabbed his arm.
"Is this a just friends or..." Willows throat tightened and a lump formed.
"Does it have to be?"
"No, I'd kinda rather have it...more than friends?" Willow fidgeted in place and let her eyes wander.
"I'd like that."
They said goodbye and Willow went to work with Ghost.
Willow threw a loop of the lead rope into the air and Ghost sped to a good trot. She stepped infront of his shoulder and he turned the other way. His hooves thudded agaisnt the damp ground. His eyes had relaxed and his head began to lower again. His outside ear pricked forward suddenly, and the other one fell limp to the inside, listening to Willows commands.
"Whoa boy." Willow turned around and caught her breath. She heard soft hoof steps behind her.
Hot breath ran down her neck. Willow slowly turned and placed a hand on his muzzle. "Ohh..." Willow put her nose against his and breathed out. He smelled her and she smelled him. They were a team now. It wouldn't be long until she could do anything with him.
Just then the vet pulled up. Willow climbed the fence and retrieved the halter.
She slipped it onto Ghost slowly, with the lead clipped to it.
"How long have you had him?" Dr. Jim Hiens called softly from the other side of the fence.
"Since yesterday. He's very high spirited. I can't wait to gallop him."
"Whoa there, that won't be for a long while now, he's a stallion, so you'll want to get him gelded and-"
"I'm not planning on taking that away from him. He's going to stay a stallion."
"I see. Well lets get to work." Dr.Hiens climbed the fence and approached. Ghost threw his head in the air.
"Whoa boy. He's ok. He's my friend. He won't hurt you. Nobody will." Willow stroaked his forehead. Ghosts' eyes closed halfway and he leaned his head into her hand.
Dr.Hiens peeled back his lips and checked his teeth.
"Their in good condition, he looks to be about four years old." Dr. Hiens reported.
Dr. Hiens ran his aged fingers over the horses rough hide.
"You did a good job with these wounds." He said with no particular tone of voice.
He unraveled the bandages and put some more ointment on the somewhat healed wounds.
After checking his teeth, feet ,muscles, fertility and taking some blood, Dr. Hiens was leaving.
"I'll get those results to you by tomorrow." The test was to see if Ghost was a true mustang.
Willow was confident that he was.
"Willow, phone for you!" It was Willows mom calling her from the back door.
"Coming." Willow picked up the phone in her bedroom.
"Hello?"
"Hi, whats up?" It was Kendala Livesay.
"Oh..Hey Ken."
"You sound disapointed. Any reason?"
"Well, I was hoping it was Brad..."
"Brad? So I'm not good enough?" Kendala laughed.
"Of course you are! I was just hoping." Willow bit her lip.
"You sound...On cloud nine?"
"Thats cause I am! You know this saturdays dance?"
"He didnt?!" Kendala gasped.
"He did! And he told me he liked me. He's so sweet."
"Oh thats so cool. But I thought we were gonna go since we never have anyone ask us."
"Sorry...But I finally had somebody ask me, and I don't wanna give him up. Maybe somebody will ask you too." Willow took a breath. "Oh, I forgot to tell you about Ghost. He's my new horse."
Willow explained everything to Kendala.
"Oh, I have an incoming call, maybe its somebody important. See you saturday." Willow took the other call before Kendala had enough time to say as much as goodbye. It was one for her mom.
Sitting down the reciever she went back outside and fed Ghost.
***
Crawling into bed that night never felt so good. Willow clicked out the light and tried to sleep. It was early still and she wanted to sleep, but everything going on inside her head didnt let her.
Willow tossed and turned, unable to relax.
Ok. I'm going to go shopping tomorrow. Then its dance time! Willow finally slept soundly until morning.
***
Willow blinked the sleep out of her eyes and sat up. It was Thursday morning and she had to find a dress to wear to the dance tomorrow.
The house was quiet as she crept down the stairs into the kitchen. She often missed mornings with her dad. Waiting for him to wake up and sometimes, she would get off the bus and almost forget what had happened, that her father was gone. Forever. That the feeling of his embrace, his love for her was ever out of reach, it broke her heart to feel this guilty.
Willow was the only child at the time of her fathers death. So her life was quite lonely, what with her mom always at work.
She never spoke of his death to anyone. Maybe it was the guilt that had weighed heavy on her heartstrings, and quite often she felt she was going to break.
Her mother was never the understanding, loving mother Willow had always wanted, even after the accident. Willow always wished her Mom would come to her shows with Dad, and cheer her on, and give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and say something like, "You gave it your best shot, baby girl!" Just like dad always had.
Willow polished off a bowl of cereal and then went out to feed Ghost.
"Hello boy." Ghost sounded a nicker through the air and came to his feed bucket.
Willow dumped the corn and sweet feed into a feeder, and the flakes of hay into a hay net.
Willow finally grabbed her wallet and got into her truck and started for town.
The beat up Ford was her dads. He called it a classic, but Willow always referred to it as a heap of junk. It was a classic when he bought it in 1980.
She remembered when she would ride in it, and her father would say as it chugged to a start, "Purrs like a kitten!"
"More like a kitten with Emphysema!" They both laughed.
Everytime she heard the engine blare to a start, her fathers face popped into her head. Etched with age and experience and always positive.
Willows face creased a smile as she bumped along the road into Cody.
There were only several dress stores in Cody, so she started with the smaller one-knowing it would be cheapest-and worked her way onto the big ones.
There was a pale pink one that caught her eye in one of the dress shops, but it being three sizes too big was a set back.
Finally, she rounded the street corner to the last store, and in the window was a beautiful black dress.
It was just knee length and was sleek silk, impire waist imbended with small, sparkley sequins.
Willow held her breath as she tugged at the zipper up in the back, making sure the wide straps were in place.
She turned around, and was sure this was the perfect dress for the dance.
Smiling at the store clerk she paid for it and was out the door hapily.
Now for shoes! Yes!! Willow carried the dress box back to the truck and started for the shoe store.
A pair of black thick pumps stood out to her, and when she pictured them with the dress, it just didn't work out.
Instead she picked up a pair of strappy ones, a thin tall heel and they even had little sequins.
"These would be perfect for the dance!" She said quietly to herself.
So she bought those and started home.
When she pulled the green truck into the front circle drive and shut it off she was supprised to see Brad sitting in front of the round pen.
"He's looking good." Brad called from his seat on top the fence.
"You bet." Willow gave a grin.
"Whats with the big cheesy smile?" Brad laughed.
Willow just sighed as she took a seat beside Brad.
They had only really started hanging out recently, and she didn't really know all about Brad, but he didn't know much about her either.
"So...I wanna know sometime secret about you." Brad said matter-of-factly.
Willow tensed slightly, but tried to relax.
"You first." Willow gave a wanly smile.
"No, no, no Miss Slick! I asked you first."
Willows eyes wavered. "Well..I used to be a top barrel racer."
"Yeah? Any good?"
"Eh, I won a few times. Went to state and won..."
"Dude. Yeah, you're 'a little good'. Did you compete in anything else?"
"Breakaway roping, team roping, hazing for bulldogging. Cutting, used to have an awesome cutting mare." Willow shifted in her seat. "Now you."
"Ok, well I won All Around Cowboy two years running. I've done a few rodeos. I've trained two horses that went to the olympics. When I can get to a rodeo I do about as much as I can. But I'm not gonna say I'm good at them all. This summer I should get enough points to get my pro rodeo card."
"Then will you go on the circut?"
"Yeah, I should go all around the states, maybe even some in Canada. But either way I'll have to card, and it's good for life."
"Thats good. But what about school?"
"Well, I'm going to finish out next year, and just do the circut in the summer, and then I'll be graduated so I won't need to worry about it."
"Did you ever get Sparks back? I had forgotten all about that." Willow laughed.
"Yep, she came sauntering back over with the stallion attached to her side." Brad laughed. "I called the vet and he said seeings how she was with him so long, she's probably in foal."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Uhm..I don't know yet." Brad chuckled and hopped down from the fence. You ready for the dance saturday?"
"Yes, I can't wait." Willow stretched.
"I think we should go for a ride sometime." Brad faced Ghost.
"I want my first ride to be with Ghost. Ok?"
"That just means your going to have to get Ghost gentled as soon as possible."
"No doubt." Willow was happy just exactly where she was.
***
Ghost snorted softly and shook the flies from his ears. Willow placed her hands on his cheeks and laid her forehead on his.
She breathed in softly and let it out slowly.
"When can I ride you? Huh? I miss riding. Since dad's not here. He would have loved you." She whispered as she slid her hands down his neck and over his back and let them relax.
Ghost reached his head around and sniffed her warily, then let his head drop to a relaxed position.
"Your such a good boy." Willow slid her hands off his back and kissed him on the pink velvety part of his nose. "I love you." She breathed into his nose.
Chapter 3
Willows father had always told her that she had a way with horses, but she didnt know she could be in the midst of a herd of wild horses, then be protected from a wolf.
"So then he lept in front of me and just about squished the wolf, which then ran off." Willow stuffed another bite of eggs into her mouth and got up from the table.
"Ok, gotta go now, Mom. Bye!" She swallowed, wiped off her hands and ran out the door.
"That girl has such an imagination." Mrs. Armstrong said to herself as she dried the last dish.
Willow ran to catch the bus waiting at the end of Donovans Drive. She jumped on and the bus sped away.
Willow made her way to sit beside Kendala.
"Last day of school." Kendala sighed a breath of relife.
"And not a moment too soon!" Willow agreed.
The whole bus was murmering with excitement.
Just a half day of school, and they were getting off at their lanes.
"I'll call you, Will, ok?"
"Ok, can't wait til 2:00!" Willow exclaimed and then disappeared out the door.
A pitter patter of rain clouded her thoughts for a while.
What if he comes back? Could I train him? He's a brumby stallion, I don't know...Darn rain! Why again?! Its almost summer!
Willow cleared her throat and kept walking.
Over the hill she heard loud, screaming whinnies, echoing through the vally.
Willow made it to the top and looked down.
She saw two horses-stallions no doubt-kicking and beating each other to a bloody pulp.
There was the Ghost, kicking and rearing, but his wounds were visable, and he was wearing.
The other stallion was jet black, his mane twirled fiercly and he clamped his teeth into Ghosts' neck.
Ghost squealed and twirled and kicked.
But the black stallion prevailed.
Ghost galloped away, with a noticeable limp in his front right leg.
"Oh no!" She gasped aloud. "Brad!" Willow broke into a run, knowing there was nothing she could do for the poor guy-at the moment.
She raced through the door, up the stairs and into her room.
Flipping through a school directory she looked for the M's.
"Cynthia Maller, Karen Mhalen, Brad Miller!" Her fingers searched the line for the number.
Picking up the phone beside her bed she dialed, then slowed to catch her breath.
"Hi Brad, this is Willow, I found your number in the school directory..No, Hi brad, Willow here, hows it going? No...Errr!" Willow had no time to think when Brads deep voice answered and said,
"Hello?"
Willow slammed the phone down.
"Oh how stupid was that!" She took a deep breath and hit redial, trying to collect herself.
"Hello?"
"Hi, this is Willow, hows it going?" She said slowly, making sure to sound older.
"Hi, did you just call?" Brads voice seemed just as deep as it was in person.
"Uhh, no, it wasnt me." She tapped her fingers on the beside table.
There was an awkward silence for a moment.
"So Brad, any new horses lately?"
"One, he's a brumby. Beautiful stallion! But he sure puts up a fuss!"
"Really?! How'd you catch him?" Willow was suddenly intrigued.
"I got him cornered on a fence and slung a rope over his head. I was on horseback of course."
"Do you have to have any claim or anything to be able to pick one of them up?"
"Naw, not really. Why?"
"Oh, no reason, Do you think I could borrow one of your horses sometime, I havent ridden in who knows how long!" Willow chuckled.
"Yeah, you guys had that really big barn fire a couple years back didn't you?"
There was stiff silence for a moment before Willow could choke out, "Yeah.."
"I'm really sorry, you guys lost alot of good horses."
"Yeah I know.." Willow tried to change her tone of voice but it wasnt working so well.
"I'll probably be pretty rusty, havnt ridden for three years but I'll need a quick horse though."
"Whats the rush?"
"I don't know, I just need to ride I guess."
"Well, we just had a big sale the other day, so I don't know about horses, but theres always the motor bikes?" Brad chuckled at the thought of little Willow riding a big bike like that.
"Do you think you could help me then?" Willow said she'd explain if he met her at the drive at 2:00.
"Ok, see you then!" Brad said.
"Ok." Willow smiled.
"Hey,it was nice talking to you, I'll call you soon, maybe we could hang out sometime next week?" Brads tone of voice was assuringly nice.
"Sure!-Err.."Willow cleared her throat and tried to sound not as desperate. "That'd be nice."
"Ok, bye." The click of the reciever was all she heard after that.
I really, really like him! Willow squealed inwardly.
She dialed Kendala, but no answer.
"This is the Livesay residence, please leave a messege and we'll get back to you."
"Hey ken, its me, I can't make it today, I'll explain later."
Willow clicked the phone down and looked at the clock
"1:15."
Willow opened her closet and pulled out and older western shirt, black hoodie and slipped on some new jeans, exchanged her boots for some that could really get dirty, and hopped down the stairs.
"Is anybody home?" Willow called out. There was no answer.
Mom must be in town. She thought after a deep breath.
"Good." Willow skipped out the door and started across the yard.
She ran into a small shed where they had kept the last of the horse stuff that hadn't been lost in the fire. Willow reached for a rope and left the shed quickly, slamming the sliding metal door behind her.
While walking briskly down the long lane she heard a high whinny.
The big white was rearing in the distance.
"Ghost!" Willow exclaimed.
Just then she saw Brads beat up rusty red pick-up truck round the corner with two blue motor bikes in the back.
"Come on, hurry!" Willow exclaimed.
"Whats the rush?" Brad popped out of the drivers seat and rushed to unload the bikes.
Willow was on first with the rope in hand and kicked the bike to a start. Brad stood back, quite impressed.
"Whoa there cowgirl." Brad flashed a smile and handed her a helmet.
Willow sped away with Brad close on her tail.
Ghost was close in the distance.
They were closing in, Willow swung the rope high above her head and flung it through the air. The loop missed by an inch.
"Darn it!" Willow called, her voice muffled through the stinky helmet that was much too big for her head.
They were buzzing along behind the stallion. Brad sped to one side of Ghost and Willow to the other.
Brad swung a rope and missed as the stallion dodged a little too close to Willow for her comfort.
Willow tossed another loop and this time got it over his head.
She kicked down the gears and dumped the bike as the big white reared and pawed the air. Dodging for his herd he strained the rope.
Willow jerked off the much too big helmet and dropped it, stepping closer to him.
"Its alright. Nothing to be afraid of here boy." Willow spoke softly, holding her hand low infront of her.
Ghost snorted loudly and popped into the air.
"Willow, what are you doing, you wanna get yourself killed?" Willow could hear the concern in Brads voice, and to be honest, she liked it.
Willow tried to stay focused. Her outstreched hand touched Ghosts' velvety muzzle.
"Good boy..." Willow whispered, even though his head was high in the air, and his eyes rimmed in white.
Brad and Willow pulled into the back yard. Willow let Ghost into a small round pen.
He trot around and around, streching his head over the fence, pressing enough to move it slightly.
"I feel bad for him." Willow and Brad were sitting in the green grass chit-chatting.
"What made you want him, why not a mare or something? Their easier to handle and train."
"I'm not looking for easy." She said simply. "And because he saved my life."
Brad chuckled. "How so?"
"What, you dont believe me?" Willow gave a playful grin, feeling the tightness in her throat give way to comfort.
"Of course I believe you! I just wanna know." Brad threw a light silly punch to her shoulder.
"I was out walking and I saw the herd of horses, and then these wolves came out of no where. God was looking out for me when Ghost ran 'em off."
"Ghost?" Brad lifted his head from picking grass blades apart and laughed.
Willow laid down on the grass and tucked a whisp of black hair behind her ear. "Ghost..."
Brad laid down beside her, his elbow touching hers.
Willow giggled.
"What?" Brad turned his head.
"Nothing." Willow faced him.
They were closer than Willow expected. Willow held her breath. For a second it was like they were the only two in the entire world. Only silence filled the air. Willow stared into Brads beautiful blue eyes, Brad stared into hers.
Suddenly Ghost sqealed.
"I'm gonna go check on him." Willow whispered.
Willow felt Brads eyes on her as she stiffly, but quickly, walked to the edge of the fence.
"Can I borrow your phone real quick?"
Willow bit her lip and sqealed inwardly.
"Can I borrow your phone?" She said finally, impressed at how cool and calm she sounded.
"Sure." He shoved a hand into his wrangler jeans pocket and fished out a flip phone.
She punched in a well remebered number and put the phone up to her head.
"Hi, I my name is Willow Armstrong, I'd like to speak with Dr.Hiens please."
Willow ordered a sedative so she could tend to Ghosts' bloody wounds.
"They'll be there by tomorrow morning." The nurse had promised.
***
Willow was scrubbing the last of the dishes in the sink. Her head was practically spinning inside out.
The sun washed an orange tint over Ghosts muscles. He hadn't quite relaxed completely, but atleast he wasn't flipping out.
"I cannot believe you did that Willow." Mrs.Armstrong was finishing clearing the table as she spoke.
"I can't either." Willow was smiling softly, thinking some about Brad, but mostly about Ghost.
"I'm going to start training tomorrow. Brads coming over to help me."
"Ahh! This Brad Miller fellow, you like him?" Kristine Armstrong chuckled, but Willow could sense the tention in her voice.
"Ah, he's alright." Willow tried to act casual but she could feel her moms eyes piercing her.
Willow climbed into bed clicking out the light. She had glow in the dark stars on her ceiling that seemed to stare back at her.
"1,2,3,4..." Willow started counting all of them and thinking of a favorite thing every star. The only two things that came to mind where Ghost and Brad.
Willow finally drifted off to sleep, dreaming about galloping Ghost across an open feild, Brad beside her on Sparks, his dappled white and black quarter horse mare.
Suddenly the alarm was going off. 6:00AM.
Willow groaned and hit the snooze button.
She peeled herself off the bed and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. It was bright in her room. Her once white walls now looked like they had been kissed by the sun, and then bright pinks and yellows and such spilled over the top.
Willow streched and yawned as she got dressed.
She glared in the mirror at herself as she brushed her dark locks.
Willow picked up the telephone and called the feed and tack store.
"Hi, this is Willow Armstrong, I'd like to reserve-"
"Willow?!" A familar voice called out.
"Who is this?"
"Why speak of the angel! I was just thinking about you!"
"Denny?" Willow laughed. Denny Broacham was her horse trainer before. Denny and Willows dad had been good friends, before the accident.
"Sure is! You still riding?"
Willow was silent for a moment.
"Not since..." She trailed off.
"Ahh. Thats alright."
"But I will be soon! I have a brumby stallion now, his name is Ghost. Me and my friend Brad are training him." Her voice was filled with more energy, but the melencholy smile on her face would have given her feelings away.
"Oh, Brad Miller?"
"Yes sir. He ok?"
"Why he's the next greatest thing! I taught him everything he knows, and he sure loves 'em furry thins'."
Willow laughed, picturing Denny's grin on his face, his Napoleon complex showing-because he had a limp after a bulldogging accident when he was younger.
"Well can you reserve four small bales of hay and a couple sacks of feed. I'll be in today to pick them up."
"Ok, see you then!"
"Bye Denny." Willow replaced the reciever and checked "feed" off her list of things to do.
"Gentle Ghost" was below that. Willow couldn't wait to check that one off.
At the round pen Ghost was settled. He snorted softly when Willow approached and leaned against the fence.
The two honks of a horn startled Willow back into reality.
Brad approached in his rig and Willow leaned through the open window.
"You think you could give me a ride down to the drive, I gotta get the mail."
Willow leaned through the window of the truck and picked out a couple envolopes and a small box.
"The sedatives." Willow said mildly.
They drove back to the house and Willow popped out of her door before Brad could get it.
It would be tricky, trying to get the shot into him, but Willow knew she had to do it, even if it would betray what little trust she had built with him.
She climbed the fence, and Ghost was immediatly aware of her presence.
He backed away, only a little, until Willow was close enough to touch his nose.
Instead, all in one motion she jammed the needle into his neck and squirted it.
He lept away and started trotting, but almost immediatly his eyelids began to get heavy and his knees started to lock.
All at once he collapsed to the sandy roundpen ground with a soundly thud.
Willow reached his side and as Brad handed her the first aid kit she'd prepared the night before.
She put special ointment on his wounds, addressed the right front leg as a little sore and then retreated to the fence panel to await his awakening.
The two of them sat in comfortable silence until Ghosts' shoulder twitched. Then his back leg kicked softly at a fly.
His eyes waved open and shut, until he finally lifted his head, pulled his front feet out from underneath himself and struggle to his feet.
It was funny, Willow thought, That a horse of his grown size was so easy to sieze. And it was akward how the full grown horse, stallion no less, was wobbly on his feet, like a newborn colt of great size.
The sedative would wear off in a few hours, and Ghost was in little to no pain, so She wasn't worried about him a bit. She smiled sweetly and went into the house.
Willow introduced Mrs.Armstrong to Brad. They had looked at Brads training website, gotten tips and just plain laughed.
They ate some lunch, later on , of ham and cheese, with potato chips and soda.
Willow led the way out to Ghosts' pen.
He was alert and "with-it" so to speak and Willow was happy for that.
She didn't even notice when Brad had left and soon after returned, sporting a loung whip, rope and halter.
"Hey, whats all this?" Brad handed it all to her.
"Your lounge whip, halter and a rope. Its time to do join up."
Join up was kind of like lounging. It was done inside a round pen and the horse had no ropes or leads attached to him. The handler would drive him in both directions to show who was boss. When the handler turned around, back facing the horse, the horse should approach and let himself be touched.
This wasn't easy, Willow knew that. She had done it before, with domesticated horses no less, not a brumby stallion.
"C'mon!" Willow called to Ghost and threw a loop of the rope towards his hindquarters, driving him forward.
She kept him at a good trot for a few circles, then changed his direction by stepping infront of his shoulder. He pivoted on his front end and bounced into the other direction, his hooves thudding the ground.
They worked and worked.
Willow, hot and sweaty, was waiting for a signal, until she practically had a heartattack when he lowered his head and started making chewing motions with his lips.
Willow let out a sigh of relief and turned away and waited, holding her breath. Ghost stuck to the fence.
Willow groaned and threw herself over the fence.
"Why cant it be like the movies? Where they go in and jump on his back and gallop him around?" Willow said breathlessly.
Brad and Willow both started laughing.
"I know right?"
Willow slouched against the fence.
"Ah, things'll look up soon, it'll just take some time." Brad slumped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed.
Willow screamed inwardly.
"I can only hope." She smiled softly at him.
"Are you going into town today?" Willow asked, Brads arm slipped off.
"Yeah, I gotta go buy some feed."
"Perfect, could I hitch a ride? I gotta pick up some feed for this ole guy."
"Sure, lets go." Brad opened the truck door and Willow slid in. He jumped in the other side.
The truck ride was bouncy and noisy, yet silent.
"So..." Was the only thing Willow could croak out into the silence.
"So?" Willow couldnt think of anything else to fill the silence with, so most of the ride was filled with country music.
Willow started singing along to one of her favorite songs.
"Cowgirls dont cry, ride baby ride.." Before she knew it Brad was staring, grinning at her.
Willows could feel her cheeks burning. She tried to laugh it off.
"I'm sorry, lets stop by the doctors, and get you a hearing aid after that preformance."
Brad laughed. "No, keep going, you sing really good." Willow didn't know if he was just saying that, but he sounded sincere.
For the rest of the way they both sang the songs, this time Willow sang quieter.
He sings well too. He's handsome, sweet, loves horses, can sing, what more do I need?! Willow smiled as this shot through her head.
The red pickup truck chugged to a stop infront of Dennys Tack and Feed.
Willow started to open her door.
"Wait wait wait!" Brad split out of the truck and yanked her door open.
"Oh why thank you!" Willow was flattered.
He opened the store door too.
"Well hello Willow and Brad!" It was Denny. The stalky, dark haired man in his late thirtys appeared from below the desk.
The three chit-chatted for a while and then Willow said she'd be right back and went to the back of the store.
There was a beautiful western saddle. It was dark oil leather with a light seat, tooled leather and some chrome.
Willow rubbed her fingers against it, it was soft too.
Brad came up beside her and admired it.
"Wow, thats beautiful." Brad looked at the price tag. They both whistled.
"Thats alot of money I dont have. I need a saddle though..."
"You don't have one?"
"No, it was lost in the barn fire." Willow kept looking at the saddle. It was perfect for her.
"I see..."
Willow looked at the rest of the tack and recalled the tattered teal halter she owned. It used to be her other horses.
A bright neon orange caught her eye.
"Ooh." Willow picked it up and found a matching lead rope. She took them to the front desk where Brad was talking with Denny.
Willow paid for them and then spoke with Denny a bit more. Brad peeled off to go load the feed.
"That Brad, he's keen on you, missy." Denny leaned in and said before departcher.
Willow slipped on her leather gloves and helped load the bales.
"I gotta stop over at the grocery store, so do you have any more errends?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna go over to the vets office and make an appointment for Ghost."
"Alright, I'll stop you by on my way over."
Willow nodded.
Willow opened the door and Brad sped away. Her cowboy boots' clip-clop against the lenolium floor reminded her of the clatter of horses hooves.
The white walls sported horse shoes, pictures of dogs and cats,ribbons and prizes, the vets certificate.
"Hi, my name is Willow Armstrong, I'd like to make an appointment with Dr.Jim." Willow arrived at the front desk.
"Ok, what breed of animal is it?" Donna, the receptionist, asked.
"He's a brumby stallion. Mustang." The look on Donna's face was priceless.
"So he will need sedatives?" She asked. Willow shook her head fiercly, "Never."
"Ok, when will work for him to come?"
"Whens the soonest?" Willow tapped her fingers on the white speckled counter top.
"Today at 4:00." Donna typed into an old computer infront of her.
"Perfect."
Donna typed and printed some forms for Willow to fill out and sign.
Willow thanked her and started towards the grocery store.
"Hey Brad. What time is it?" She met Brad at the check out.
"2:15. You gotta date?" Brad chuckled.
"No silly, I have an appointment with the vet at four, will that work?"
"If we hurry it should, I'm almost finished with the errends."
"Ok, anything I can do?" Willow lifted a paper sack into the cart.
"Start up the truck." Brad finished loading the cart and paid the cashier.
The red truck chugged to a start just as Brad rounded the corner of the store with the groceries.
They loaded them into the back seat of the truck and left the store.
"Whats next?" Willow checked "Vets appt." off her list and looked up at Brad.
"Rodney Jones' place, I gotta pick up some round pen panels for the brumby of mine."
"Fine by me." Willow beamed a bright smile.
It was forty five minutes until they were turning off into Rodney Jones drive way. Most of the ride was filled with conversation about horses, and some about each other.
Brad honked the horn as they pulled into the turn around.
Rodney, an older black man stepped onto the front porch and shielded his eyes with a hand, the other grasping a cane.
"Hi Mr.Jones."
"Well hello boy. You pickin up them fences?"
"Yes sir I am." Brad tipped his hat at the elderly man and the two kids drove behind the big red barn into a feild.
"Whoa, look out there!" Willow called, pointing to the open feild infront of them.
"Thats my stallion!" Brad slammed on the brakes sending the two of them forward almost off their seats.
A magestic black stallion grazed in the distance beside a white mare.
"And thats Sparks!" Willow pointed to the white speckled mare.
"Darn it!" Brad hit the steering wheel with the side of his hand.
"Shes in season." Brad hit his head on the steering wheel.
Willow got out and stood on the fence panels that were leaned against another fence.
Brad got out behind her and just stood there looking.
"Does he have a name?"
"Who, the stallion? Naw." Brad shook his head.
"He looks like a knight."
"Ok, then thats his name, Knight." Brad gave a wanly smile, happy but the grief obviously surfacing.
"So what are you gonna do?" Willow kept looking at them.
"Lemme call the guys, they'll get her back."After making a call to one of the stable hands at his place he flipped the phone shut.
Brad sighed and then spoke again. "Ok, time to load those things." Willow looked behind her. Suddenly the top of the fence panel started to come back. Willow shreiked and hit the ground. Somewhat unfortunatly landing right on Brad.
They both started laughing.
"Ow. I'm so sorry." Willow said with a laugh.
They didnt move for a second. Willow could feel his breath hitting hers. He had his hands on her elbows.
"Um. Sorry I fell on you." Willow said breathlessly.
She picked herself up and helped load the panels in an awkward silence.
"So then he lept in front of me and just about squished the wolf, which then ran off." Willow stuffed another bite of eggs into her mouth and got up from the table.
"Ok, gotta go now, Mom. Bye!" She swallowed, wiped off her hands and ran out the door.
"That girl has such an imagination." Mrs. Armstrong said to herself as she dried the last dish.
Willow ran to catch the bus waiting at the end of Donovans Drive. She jumped on and the bus sped away.
Willow made her way to sit beside Kendala.
"Last day of school." Kendala sighed a breath of relife.
"And not a moment too soon!" Willow agreed.
The whole bus was murmering with excitement.
Just a half day of school, and they were getting off at their lanes.
"I'll call you, Will, ok?"
"Ok, can't wait til 2:00!" Willow exclaimed and then disappeared out the door.
A pitter patter of rain clouded her thoughts for a while.
What if he comes back? Could I train him? He's a brumby stallion, I don't know...Darn rain! Why again?! Its almost summer!
Willow cleared her throat and kept walking.
Over the hill she heard loud, screaming whinnies, echoing through the vally.
Willow made it to the top and looked down.
She saw two horses-stallions no doubt-kicking and beating each other to a bloody pulp.
There was the Ghost, kicking and rearing, but his wounds were visable, and he was wearing.
The other stallion was jet black, his mane twirled fiercly and he clamped his teeth into Ghosts' neck.
Ghost squealed and twirled and kicked.
But the black stallion prevailed.
Ghost galloped away, with a noticeable limp in his front right leg.
"Oh no!" She gasped aloud. "Brad!" Willow broke into a run, knowing there was nothing she could do for the poor guy-at the moment.
She raced through the door, up the stairs and into her room.
Flipping through a school directory she looked for the M's.
"Cynthia Maller, Karen Mhalen, Brad Miller!" Her fingers searched the line for the number.
Picking up the phone beside her bed she dialed, then slowed to catch her breath.
"Hi Brad, this is Willow, I found your number in the school directory..No, Hi brad, Willow here, hows it going? No...Errr!" Willow had no time to think when Brads deep voice answered and said,
"Hello?"
Willow slammed the phone down.
"Oh how stupid was that!" She took a deep breath and hit redial, trying to collect herself.
"Hello?"
"Hi, this is Willow, hows it going?" She said slowly, making sure to sound older.
"Hi, did you just call?" Brads voice seemed just as deep as it was in person.
"Uhh, no, it wasnt me." She tapped her fingers on the beside table.
There was an awkward silence for a moment.
"So Brad, any new horses lately?"
"One, he's a brumby. Beautiful stallion! But he sure puts up a fuss!"
"Really?! How'd you catch him?" Willow was suddenly intrigued.
"I got him cornered on a fence and slung a rope over his head. I was on horseback of course."
"Do you have to have any claim or anything to be able to pick one of them up?"
"Naw, not really. Why?"
"Oh, no reason, Do you think I could borrow one of your horses sometime, I havent ridden in who knows how long!" Willow chuckled.
"Yeah, you guys had that really big barn fire a couple years back didn't you?"
There was stiff silence for a moment before Willow could choke out, "Yeah.."
"I'm really sorry, you guys lost alot of good horses."
"Yeah I know.." Willow tried to change her tone of voice but it wasnt working so well.
"I'll probably be pretty rusty, havnt ridden for three years but I'll need a quick horse though."
"Whats the rush?"
"I don't know, I just need to ride I guess."
"Well, we just had a big sale the other day, so I don't know about horses, but theres always the motor bikes?" Brad chuckled at the thought of little Willow riding a big bike like that.
"Do you think you could help me then?" Willow said she'd explain if he met her at the drive at 2:00.
"Ok, see you then!" Brad said.
"Ok." Willow smiled.
"Hey,it was nice talking to you, I'll call you soon, maybe we could hang out sometime next week?" Brads tone of voice was assuringly nice.
"Sure!-Err.."Willow cleared her throat and tried to sound not as desperate. "That'd be nice."
"Ok, bye." The click of the reciever was all she heard after that.
I really, really like him! Willow squealed inwardly.
She dialed Kendala, but no answer.
"This is the Livesay residence, please leave a messege and we'll get back to you."
"Hey ken, its me, I can't make it today, I'll explain later."
Willow clicked the phone down and looked at the clock
"1:15."
Willow opened her closet and pulled out and older western shirt, black hoodie and slipped on some new jeans, exchanged her boots for some that could really get dirty, and hopped down the stairs.
"Is anybody home?" Willow called out. There was no answer.
Mom must be in town. She thought after a deep breath.
"Good." Willow skipped out the door and started across the yard.
She ran into a small shed where they had kept the last of the horse stuff that hadn't been lost in the fire. Willow reached for a rope and left the shed quickly, slamming the sliding metal door behind her.
While walking briskly down the long lane she heard a high whinny.
The big white was rearing in the distance.
"Ghost!" Willow exclaimed.
Just then she saw Brads beat up rusty red pick-up truck round the corner with two blue motor bikes in the back.
"Come on, hurry!" Willow exclaimed.
"Whats the rush?" Brad popped out of the drivers seat and rushed to unload the bikes.
Willow was on first with the rope in hand and kicked the bike to a start. Brad stood back, quite impressed.
"Whoa there cowgirl." Brad flashed a smile and handed her a helmet.
Willow sped away with Brad close on her tail.
Ghost was close in the distance.
They were closing in, Willow swung the rope high above her head and flung it through the air. The loop missed by an inch.
"Darn it!" Willow called, her voice muffled through the stinky helmet that was much too big for her head.
They were buzzing along behind the stallion. Brad sped to one side of Ghost and Willow to the other.
Brad swung a rope and missed as the stallion dodged a little too close to Willow for her comfort.
Willow tossed another loop and this time got it over his head.
She kicked down the gears and dumped the bike as the big white reared and pawed the air. Dodging for his herd he strained the rope.
Willow jerked off the much too big helmet and dropped it, stepping closer to him.
"Its alright. Nothing to be afraid of here boy." Willow spoke softly, holding her hand low infront of her.
Ghost snorted loudly and popped into the air.
"Willow, what are you doing, you wanna get yourself killed?" Willow could hear the concern in Brads voice, and to be honest, she liked it.
Willow tried to stay focused. Her outstreched hand touched Ghosts' velvety muzzle.
"Good boy..." Willow whispered, even though his head was high in the air, and his eyes rimmed in white.
Brad and Willow pulled into the back yard. Willow let Ghost into a small round pen.
He trot around and around, streching his head over the fence, pressing enough to move it slightly.
"I feel bad for him." Willow and Brad were sitting in the green grass chit-chatting.
"What made you want him, why not a mare or something? Their easier to handle and train."
"I'm not looking for easy." She said simply. "And because he saved my life."
Brad chuckled. "How so?"
"What, you dont believe me?" Willow gave a playful grin, feeling the tightness in her throat give way to comfort.
"Of course I believe you! I just wanna know." Brad threw a light silly punch to her shoulder.
"I was out walking and I saw the herd of horses, and then these wolves came out of no where. God was looking out for me when Ghost ran 'em off."
"Ghost?" Brad lifted his head from picking grass blades apart and laughed.
Willow laid down on the grass and tucked a whisp of black hair behind her ear. "Ghost..."
Brad laid down beside her, his elbow touching hers.
Willow giggled.
"What?" Brad turned his head.
"Nothing." Willow faced him.
They were closer than Willow expected. Willow held her breath. For a second it was like they were the only two in the entire world. Only silence filled the air. Willow stared into Brads beautiful blue eyes, Brad stared into hers.
Suddenly Ghost sqealed.
"I'm gonna go check on him." Willow whispered.
Willow felt Brads eyes on her as she stiffly, but quickly, walked to the edge of the fence.
"Can I borrow your phone real quick?"
Willow bit her lip and sqealed inwardly.
"Can I borrow your phone?" She said finally, impressed at how cool and calm she sounded.
"Sure." He shoved a hand into his wrangler jeans pocket and fished out a flip phone.
She punched in a well remebered number and put the phone up to her head.
"Hi, I my name is Willow Armstrong, I'd like to speak with Dr.Hiens please."
Willow ordered a sedative so she could tend to Ghosts' bloody wounds.
"They'll be there by tomorrow morning." The nurse had promised.
***
Willow was scrubbing the last of the dishes in the sink. Her head was practically spinning inside out.
The sun washed an orange tint over Ghosts muscles. He hadn't quite relaxed completely, but atleast he wasn't flipping out.
"I cannot believe you did that Willow." Mrs.Armstrong was finishing clearing the table as she spoke.
"I can't either." Willow was smiling softly, thinking some about Brad, but mostly about Ghost.
"I'm going to start training tomorrow. Brads coming over to help me."
"Ahh! This Brad Miller fellow, you like him?" Kristine Armstrong chuckled, but Willow could sense the tention in her voice.
"Ah, he's alright." Willow tried to act casual but she could feel her moms eyes piercing her.
Willow climbed into bed clicking out the light. She had glow in the dark stars on her ceiling that seemed to stare back at her.
"1,2,3,4..." Willow started counting all of them and thinking of a favorite thing every star. The only two things that came to mind where Ghost and Brad.
Willow finally drifted off to sleep, dreaming about galloping Ghost across an open feild, Brad beside her on Sparks, his dappled white and black quarter horse mare.
Suddenly the alarm was going off. 6:00AM.
Willow groaned and hit the snooze button.
She peeled herself off the bed and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. It was bright in her room. Her once white walls now looked like they had been kissed by the sun, and then bright pinks and yellows and such spilled over the top.
Willow streched and yawned as she got dressed.
She glared in the mirror at herself as she brushed her dark locks.
Willow picked up the telephone and called the feed and tack store.
"Hi, this is Willow Armstrong, I'd like to reserve-"
"Willow?!" A familar voice called out.
"Who is this?"
"Why speak of the angel! I was just thinking about you!"
"Denny?" Willow laughed. Denny Broacham was her horse trainer before. Denny and Willows dad had been good friends, before the accident.
"Sure is! You still riding?"
Willow was silent for a moment.
"Not since..." She trailed off.
"Ahh. Thats alright."
"But I will be soon! I have a brumby stallion now, his name is Ghost. Me and my friend Brad are training him." Her voice was filled with more energy, but the melencholy smile on her face would have given her feelings away.
"Oh, Brad Miller?"
"Yes sir. He ok?"
"Why he's the next greatest thing! I taught him everything he knows, and he sure loves 'em furry thins'."
Willow laughed, picturing Denny's grin on his face, his Napoleon complex showing-because he had a limp after a bulldogging accident when he was younger.
"Well can you reserve four small bales of hay and a couple sacks of feed. I'll be in today to pick them up."
"Ok, see you then!"
"Bye Denny." Willow replaced the reciever and checked "feed" off her list of things to do.
"Gentle Ghost" was below that. Willow couldn't wait to check that one off.
At the round pen Ghost was settled. He snorted softly when Willow approached and leaned against the fence.
The two honks of a horn startled Willow back into reality.
Brad approached in his rig and Willow leaned through the open window.
"You think you could give me a ride down to the drive, I gotta get the mail."
Willow leaned through the window of the truck and picked out a couple envolopes and a small box.
"The sedatives." Willow said mildly.
They drove back to the house and Willow popped out of her door before Brad could get it.
It would be tricky, trying to get the shot into him, but Willow knew she had to do it, even if it would betray what little trust she had built with him.
She climbed the fence, and Ghost was immediatly aware of her presence.
He backed away, only a little, until Willow was close enough to touch his nose.
Instead, all in one motion she jammed the needle into his neck and squirted it.
He lept away and started trotting, but almost immediatly his eyelids began to get heavy and his knees started to lock.
All at once he collapsed to the sandy roundpen ground with a soundly thud.
Willow reached his side and as Brad handed her the first aid kit she'd prepared the night before.
She put special ointment on his wounds, addressed the right front leg as a little sore and then retreated to the fence panel to await his awakening.
The two of them sat in comfortable silence until Ghosts' shoulder twitched. Then his back leg kicked softly at a fly.
His eyes waved open and shut, until he finally lifted his head, pulled his front feet out from underneath himself and struggle to his feet.
It was funny, Willow thought, That a horse of his grown size was so easy to sieze. And it was akward how the full grown horse, stallion no less, was wobbly on his feet, like a newborn colt of great size.
The sedative would wear off in a few hours, and Ghost was in little to no pain, so She wasn't worried about him a bit. She smiled sweetly and went into the house.
Willow introduced Mrs.Armstrong to Brad. They had looked at Brads training website, gotten tips and just plain laughed.
They ate some lunch, later on , of ham and cheese, with potato chips and soda.
Willow led the way out to Ghosts' pen.
He was alert and "with-it" so to speak and Willow was happy for that.
She didn't even notice when Brad had left and soon after returned, sporting a loung whip, rope and halter.
"Hey, whats all this?" Brad handed it all to her.
"Your lounge whip, halter and a rope. Its time to do join up."
Join up was kind of like lounging. It was done inside a round pen and the horse had no ropes or leads attached to him. The handler would drive him in both directions to show who was boss. When the handler turned around, back facing the horse, the horse should approach and let himself be touched.
This wasn't easy, Willow knew that. She had done it before, with domesticated horses no less, not a brumby stallion.
"C'mon!" Willow called to Ghost and threw a loop of the rope towards his hindquarters, driving him forward.
She kept him at a good trot for a few circles, then changed his direction by stepping infront of his shoulder. He pivoted on his front end and bounced into the other direction, his hooves thudding the ground.
They worked and worked.
Willow, hot and sweaty, was waiting for a signal, until she practically had a heartattack when he lowered his head and started making chewing motions with his lips.
Willow let out a sigh of relief and turned away and waited, holding her breath. Ghost stuck to the fence.
Willow groaned and threw herself over the fence.
"Why cant it be like the movies? Where they go in and jump on his back and gallop him around?" Willow said breathlessly.
Brad and Willow both started laughing.
"I know right?"
Willow slouched against the fence.
"Ah, things'll look up soon, it'll just take some time." Brad slumped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed.
Willow screamed inwardly.
"I can only hope." She smiled softly at him.
"Are you going into town today?" Willow asked, Brads arm slipped off.
"Yeah, I gotta go buy some feed."
"Perfect, could I hitch a ride? I gotta pick up some feed for this ole guy."
"Sure, lets go." Brad opened the truck door and Willow slid in. He jumped in the other side.
The truck ride was bouncy and noisy, yet silent.
"So..." Was the only thing Willow could croak out into the silence.
"So?" Willow couldnt think of anything else to fill the silence with, so most of the ride was filled with country music.
Willow started singing along to one of her favorite songs.
"Cowgirls dont cry, ride baby ride.." Before she knew it Brad was staring, grinning at her.
Willows could feel her cheeks burning. She tried to laugh it off.
"I'm sorry, lets stop by the doctors, and get you a hearing aid after that preformance."
Brad laughed. "No, keep going, you sing really good." Willow didn't know if he was just saying that, but he sounded sincere.
For the rest of the way they both sang the songs, this time Willow sang quieter.
He sings well too. He's handsome, sweet, loves horses, can sing, what more do I need?! Willow smiled as this shot through her head.
The red pickup truck chugged to a stop infront of Dennys Tack and Feed.
Willow started to open her door.
"Wait wait wait!" Brad split out of the truck and yanked her door open.
"Oh why thank you!" Willow was flattered.
He opened the store door too.
"Well hello Willow and Brad!" It was Denny. The stalky, dark haired man in his late thirtys appeared from below the desk.
The three chit-chatted for a while and then Willow said she'd be right back and went to the back of the store.
There was a beautiful western saddle. It was dark oil leather with a light seat, tooled leather and some chrome.
Willow rubbed her fingers against it, it was soft too.
Brad came up beside her and admired it.
"Wow, thats beautiful." Brad looked at the price tag. They both whistled.
"Thats alot of money I dont have. I need a saddle though..."
"You don't have one?"
"No, it was lost in the barn fire." Willow kept looking at the saddle. It was perfect for her.
"I see..."
Willow looked at the rest of the tack and recalled the tattered teal halter she owned. It used to be her other horses.
A bright neon orange caught her eye.
"Ooh." Willow picked it up and found a matching lead rope. She took them to the front desk where Brad was talking with Denny.
Willow paid for them and then spoke with Denny a bit more. Brad peeled off to go load the feed.
"That Brad, he's keen on you, missy." Denny leaned in and said before departcher.
Willow slipped on her leather gloves and helped load the bales.
"I gotta stop over at the grocery store, so do you have any more errends?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna go over to the vets office and make an appointment for Ghost."
"Alright, I'll stop you by on my way over."
Willow nodded.
Willow opened the door and Brad sped away. Her cowboy boots' clip-clop against the lenolium floor reminded her of the clatter of horses hooves.
The white walls sported horse shoes, pictures of dogs and cats,ribbons and prizes, the vets certificate.
"Hi, my name is Willow Armstrong, I'd like to make an appointment with Dr.Jim." Willow arrived at the front desk.
"Ok, what breed of animal is it?" Donna, the receptionist, asked.
"He's a brumby stallion. Mustang." The look on Donna's face was priceless.
"So he will need sedatives?" She asked. Willow shook her head fiercly, "Never."
"Ok, when will work for him to come?"
"Whens the soonest?" Willow tapped her fingers on the white speckled counter top.
"Today at 4:00." Donna typed into an old computer infront of her.
"Perfect."
Donna typed and printed some forms for Willow to fill out and sign.
Willow thanked her and started towards the grocery store.
"Hey Brad. What time is it?" She met Brad at the check out.
"2:15. You gotta date?" Brad chuckled.
"No silly, I have an appointment with the vet at four, will that work?"
"If we hurry it should, I'm almost finished with the errends."
"Ok, anything I can do?" Willow lifted a paper sack into the cart.
"Start up the truck." Brad finished loading the cart and paid the cashier.
The red truck chugged to a start just as Brad rounded the corner of the store with the groceries.
They loaded them into the back seat of the truck and left the store.
"Whats next?" Willow checked "Vets appt." off her list and looked up at Brad.
"Rodney Jones' place, I gotta pick up some round pen panels for the brumby of mine."
"Fine by me." Willow beamed a bright smile.
It was forty five minutes until they were turning off into Rodney Jones drive way. Most of the ride was filled with conversation about horses, and some about each other.
Brad honked the horn as they pulled into the turn around.
Rodney, an older black man stepped onto the front porch and shielded his eyes with a hand, the other grasping a cane.
"Hi Mr.Jones."
"Well hello boy. You pickin up them fences?"
"Yes sir I am." Brad tipped his hat at the elderly man and the two kids drove behind the big red barn into a feild.
"Whoa, look out there!" Willow called, pointing to the open feild infront of them.
"Thats my stallion!" Brad slammed on the brakes sending the two of them forward almost off their seats.
A magestic black stallion grazed in the distance beside a white mare.
"And thats Sparks!" Willow pointed to the white speckled mare.
"Darn it!" Brad hit the steering wheel with the side of his hand.
"Shes in season." Brad hit his head on the steering wheel.
Willow got out and stood on the fence panels that were leaned against another fence.
Brad got out behind her and just stood there looking.
"Does he have a name?"
"Who, the stallion? Naw." Brad shook his head.
"He looks like a knight."
"Ok, then thats his name, Knight." Brad gave a wanly smile, happy but the grief obviously surfacing.
"So what are you gonna do?" Willow kept looking at them.
"Lemme call the guys, they'll get her back."After making a call to one of the stable hands at his place he flipped the phone shut.
Brad sighed and then spoke again. "Ok, time to load those things." Willow looked behind her. Suddenly the top of the fence panel started to come back. Willow shreiked and hit the ground. Somewhat unfortunatly landing right on Brad.
They both started laughing.
"Ow. I'm so sorry." Willow said with a laugh.
They didnt move for a second. Willow could feel his breath hitting hers. He had his hands on her elbows.
"Um. Sorry I fell on you." Willow said breathlessly.
She picked herself up and helped load the panels in an awkward silence.
Chapter 2
It was moday morning and time to get ready for school.
Willow pulled her hair into a neat pony tail and put on some lip-gloss.
She stepped into the muggy air and took a deap breath.
She slumped her bag onto her shoulder and took the drive-way to the bus stop.
The school bus pulled up a few minutes later and she hopped on.
"Hey Willow!" Kendala Livesay called from the back of the bus.
"Hey Ken." Willow moved to sit by her dark skinned friend.
"You wouldn't believe what happened to me last night." WIllow said.
"Did you get attacked by the goober monstar?" Kendala laughed.
"No! I saw a wild mare. She was protecting her still born."
"Are you serious?" Kendala exclaimed.
"Yeah, I tried to get near her, but she was protecting her foal, so I wasnt about to challenge her." Willow explained.
"Did you name her?" Kendala chuckled, Willow was always naming things that werent hers.
"I was thinking Sade. She was a cream mustang."
"Pretty." Kendala agreed.
Just then the cutest guy in highschool-in the world according to Kendala and Willow- walked past.
Their hearts stopped cold.
Brad Miller was a trainer for some of the olympic horses. He had helped so many problem horses with broken pasts. Everyone admired him.
It also helped that he was absolutely gorgeous. He had strawberry blonde hair, light skin, and handsome blue eyes, which had light freckles just underneath them. He was just under 6 foot and muscular.
"Hey Willow." His blue eyes lit up as he smiled.
Willow was blown away. She managed to stutter out,
"Hi, Brad." and squeeze up a smile.
He gestured towards Kendala and smiled, then walked on to his seat.
"Oh my gosh he noticed me!" Kendala whispered.
"I know! He talked to me!" Willow grabbed Kendala's hands and squealed quitely.
The big white stallion felt a wind coming from the south.
He sniffed the ground and got some dirt on the tip of his lips, then stuck his lip into the air to smell the wet dirt.
It had a hint of old wolf smell on it.
He snorted softly and lifted his head.
The other mares and their foals were close by.
Scattered across the green turf were close to thirty mares and a few were accompanied by small newborns, and the rest had two year olds.
Two fillies-a dappled gray and a red roan appaloosa- were trotting around, chasing each other.
The white stallion was watching them as they played wrecklessly.
Then, the dappled gray one went over to her mother and nursed for a little while. She stretched and bent her front knees to lay down. Then she rolled in the late afternoon sun and whinnied softly.
The red roan filly went to her mother to nurse also.
The white stallion was watching his herd, cropping grass and scenting the air meanwhile.
"Hey salt and pepper!" said Aspen Lanes, tall, pale skin, green eyes and red hair, aged 16. She was wearing a jean mini skirt with pink fuzz around the bottom and pink flouncy blouse, topping it off with patent leather pink pumps.
"Aspen, what do you want now?" Willow said arriving at Aspens front.
"I just wondered why you were wearing those ugly boots." Aspen bumped past them.
"Some times I wish I had a dagger handy." Kendala gripped her books.
Willow just sighed.
"Look!" Willow and Kendala were caught by what they saw.
Aspen was flirting with Brad, and he was flirting back.
"I guess I'm not going to be hanging out with him any time soon." Willow looked at her books.
Aspen turned around and started their way.
"Nope, guess you won't!" Aspen chuckled as she walked away.
"It's ok." Kendala said to Willow.
Suddenly the white stallion smelled a familier smell.
The cream mare that had been lost in the accident the previous night was clattering towards them.
She squealed and slid to a stop infront of the herd of horses.
The white stallion snorted softly and walked over to her. They exchanged breaths and she was welcomed.
The mustangs grazed contently along side a stream, glimmering in the noonday sun.
But the stallion still had something bothering him. It wasnt the smell of wolves, but they were nearing some other sort of threat, or so he thought.
Lunch break could see the caboose nearing, and Willow hated that, maybe even more than she hated the tasteless, stale food they served for lunch.
Willow chatted with friends just as the bell rang.
She rose to her feet and waltzed to her locker to grab her books to go to Willows favorite class, math class. Only because Brad Miller sat right infront of her.
She slammed the locker and moved through the crowd to get to class.
Right on time.
Kendala sat adjacent to her. They had decided before that they had picked the best seat in the whole entire school.
"Lets begin! Turn your books to page 43, begin reading at the second paragraph." Mrs. Williamson called from her desk.
She was medium build, blonde hair, about 5'6. Very pretty brown eyes.
Mrs.Williamson perched on the corner of her desk, reading aloud the portion of stale reading material.
Just then, the desk started to move backwards, and right out from underneath the teacher, leaving her to plop to the floor.
Willow kept her smile under-wraps, until Brad turned his head around to Willow and grinned.
Willows face couldnt help but get red and her eyes dart around.
Mrs.Williamson got to her feet and chuckled, but everyone could tell she was quite embarressed.
***
Willow was waiting for the bus to arrive when none other than Brad Miller came casually walking towards Willow.
The hair on the back of her neck went stiff and she suddenly felt nervous.
"Hey Willow." He said easily.
Why do you always have to be so...so comfortable! Her mouth wanted to say.
"Hi Brad." She offered instead. Willow thought covered her nervousness pretty well considering.
"Whats up?" He asked leaning up against the other side of the phone pole Willow was leaning on.
"Just waiting here for the bus." Willow felt her throat tighten.
"I like to watch clouds." Brad said gazing to the blue sky, generously planted with white fluffs of clouds.
Willow smiled, but he didnt see.
"I felt bad for laughing when Mrs.Williamson fell earlier today, but I had to admit, it was kinda funny." Brad squeezed up a melencholy smile.
"Yeah." Willow let a pleasant smile swipe her face.
Just then the bus pulled up and Willow got on. Brad stayed. He usually went on the bus, but she had heard that his pickup was in for servicing, and his friend was going to drive him to the shop to pick it up.
"Bye Willow."
"See ya." Willow gave a wanly smile and disapeared into the bus.
The yellow school bus pulled away from the curb after six more kids after her got on.
Brad waved goodbye.
Just as the bus cleared the corner, he went back inside to hangout with some of his friends.
The white stallion was collecting his herd, getting them closer together. It looked like another storm was on the horizon.
He lifted his muzzle into the air and took a deep breath of the thick air.
A scent of another herd came breifly across his nose, then was whisked away.
He nickered and began to lead his herd away from the scent.
He saw over the hill was a big black stallion and his herd. He moved gorgeously. Swift, sweeping across the grassy valley. He circled his herd, with a few mares that were all either in foal or had been recently.
His muscles were moving in sync with the entire scenery. His head held perfectly high, picking his feet up graciously, turning on a dime to keep a yearling minding his own business.
A buckskin mare chased after her foal, which stumbled into the path of the black stallion.
He pinned his ears and squealed angrily.
The foal backed off promptly and cantered away at a fierce speed.
The white stallion returned to his herd and moved them away from the black mustang at the bottom of the hill.
Willow arrived home at the end of their lane and stepped off the bus.
She saw a spec of colors over a hill to the right.
A white stallion was bossing his herd. He spotted her and chased them off at an easy trot.
Willow dropped her eyes to the ground, slapping on her backpack and moving slowly down their drive.
Then she saw him again. The stallion across the way, stood fast at the top of the hill. Looking down at her. Almost peering into her soul.
A shiver snaked down her spine. Their eyes met. They locked together. Then the stallion reared into the air and almost froze their for a minute. Then he sped off to his herd.
Willow reached her home and climbed to her room. She slipped on a pair of mud boots and an old T-shirt and stepped outside.
Willow stood still. Gazing at the old remains of a barn that was now dead. It used to be full of life and whinnies.
Now all it had were old, dead haunting nightmares.
Willow turned to the feild behind her and recalled riding a big grey mare over the grassy turf.
That had been 3 years now since the barn fire that took the lives of all the horses. And of much more than just the horses.
Willow walked slowly, splashing through the puddles of standing water.
Suddenly she saw the stallion again. She was only about a quarter of a mile again, so she started moving toward him.
She reached the top of the hill and saw about 15 mares and their foals, some yearling stallions and a few others.
"Wow!" Willow whispered.
The stallion was closer than ever. Their eyes connected. Willows heart jumped out her throat when she saw a mare that looked exactly like Gracie, her old mare.
"Hi there 'ole boy." Willow whispered as she got a few yards away.
The stallion nickered and shifted his weight backwards.
Willow looked at the ground and bent down, so she could look less harmfull.
"Shhh, its alright, I'm not here to hurt you. I just wanna look at those wounds of yours. Must of been some fight, eh?" He snorted warily and Willow could see each muscle in his body tense, without wavering or flicking.
The stallion lifted his nose into the air and sniffed. Something caught him by suprise because he whirled around and whinnied.
Willow stood up and looked around frantically. The early evening air felt different, and goose bumps were apearing on her arms. Willow caught a shudder as she saw a figure move from bush to bush.
"W-whos there?" Willow stuttered out.
The white stallion grunted and caught Willows attention.
Just then, a grey, yellow eyed wolf appeared from the bushed.
Willow gasped, and started moving slowly backwards.
The stallion pawed the ground and then reared up, letting out a warning sound.
The wolves backed off for a minute, then came close to Willow. They started circling her. She followed their eyes.
They grunted and growled, sending Willow into a fear sent shock.
The stallion leapt in front of Willow just as one of the wolves snapped the air.
Willow scream just as the stallion reared and pawed the air coming down just infront of them, actually clipping the feet of one. It was obvious the wolves were frightened as they ran off in the opposite direction.
Willow turned to the stallion and whispered, "Thank you."
She turned around to see the other horses galloping in the other direction. She was about to turn around to the stallion when he came beside her and reared into the air, let out a big squeal and galloped off at a tremendous speed.
"Wow! Your perfectly gorgeous! You move like...like a ghost!" Willow stood amazed for a moment, then said, "Thats your new name, Ghost."
Willow pulled her hair into a neat pony tail and put on some lip-gloss.
She stepped into the muggy air and took a deap breath.
She slumped her bag onto her shoulder and took the drive-way to the bus stop.
The school bus pulled up a few minutes later and she hopped on.
"Hey Willow!" Kendala Livesay called from the back of the bus.
"Hey Ken." Willow moved to sit by her dark skinned friend.
"You wouldn't believe what happened to me last night." WIllow said.
"Did you get attacked by the goober monstar?" Kendala laughed.
"No! I saw a wild mare. She was protecting her still born."
"Are you serious?" Kendala exclaimed.
"Yeah, I tried to get near her, but she was protecting her foal, so I wasnt about to challenge her." Willow explained.
"Did you name her?" Kendala chuckled, Willow was always naming things that werent hers.
"I was thinking Sade. She was a cream mustang."
"Pretty." Kendala agreed.
Just then the cutest guy in highschool-in the world according to Kendala and Willow- walked past.
Their hearts stopped cold.
Brad Miller was a trainer for some of the olympic horses. He had helped so many problem horses with broken pasts. Everyone admired him.
It also helped that he was absolutely gorgeous. He had strawberry blonde hair, light skin, and handsome blue eyes, which had light freckles just underneath them. He was just under 6 foot and muscular.
"Hey Willow." His blue eyes lit up as he smiled.
Willow was blown away. She managed to stutter out,
"Hi, Brad." and squeeze up a smile.
He gestured towards Kendala and smiled, then walked on to his seat.
"Oh my gosh he noticed me!" Kendala whispered.
"I know! He talked to me!" Willow grabbed Kendala's hands and squealed quitely.
The big white stallion felt a wind coming from the south.
He sniffed the ground and got some dirt on the tip of his lips, then stuck his lip into the air to smell the wet dirt.
It had a hint of old wolf smell on it.
He snorted softly and lifted his head.
The other mares and their foals were close by.
Scattered across the green turf were close to thirty mares and a few were accompanied by small newborns, and the rest had two year olds.
Two fillies-a dappled gray and a red roan appaloosa- were trotting around, chasing each other.
The white stallion was watching them as they played wrecklessly.
Then, the dappled gray one went over to her mother and nursed for a little while. She stretched and bent her front knees to lay down. Then she rolled in the late afternoon sun and whinnied softly.
The red roan filly went to her mother to nurse also.
The white stallion was watching his herd, cropping grass and scenting the air meanwhile.
"Hey salt and pepper!" said Aspen Lanes, tall, pale skin, green eyes and red hair, aged 16. She was wearing a jean mini skirt with pink fuzz around the bottom and pink flouncy blouse, topping it off with patent leather pink pumps.
"Aspen, what do you want now?" Willow said arriving at Aspens front.
"I just wondered why you were wearing those ugly boots." Aspen bumped past them.
"Some times I wish I had a dagger handy." Kendala gripped her books.
Willow just sighed.
"Look!" Willow and Kendala were caught by what they saw.
Aspen was flirting with Brad, and he was flirting back.
"I guess I'm not going to be hanging out with him any time soon." Willow looked at her books.
Aspen turned around and started their way.
"Nope, guess you won't!" Aspen chuckled as she walked away.
"It's ok." Kendala said to Willow.
Suddenly the white stallion smelled a familier smell.
The cream mare that had been lost in the accident the previous night was clattering towards them.
She squealed and slid to a stop infront of the herd of horses.
The white stallion snorted softly and walked over to her. They exchanged breaths and she was welcomed.
The mustangs grazed contently along side a stream, glimmering in the noonday sun.
But the stallion still had something bothering him. It wasnt the smell of wolves, but they were nearing some other sort of threat, or so he thought.
Lunch break could see the caboose nearing, and Willow hated that, maybe even more than she hated the tasteless, stale food they served for lunch.
Willow chatted with friends just as the bell rang.
She rose to her feet and waltzed to her locker to grab her books to go to Willows favorite class, math class. Only because Brad Miller sat right infront of her.
She slammed the locker and moved through the crowd to get to class.
Right on time.
Kendala sat adjacent to her. They had decided before that they had picked the best seat in the whole entire school.
"Lets begin! Turn your books to page 43, begin reading at the second paragraph." Mrs. Williamson called from her desk.
She was medium build, blonde hair, about 5'6. Very pretty brown eyes.
Mrs.Williamson perched on the corner of her desk, reading aloud the portion of stale reading material.
Just then, the desk started to move backwards, and right out from underneath the teacher, leaving her to plop to the floor.
Willow kept her smile under-wraps, until Brad turned his head around to Willow and grinned.
Willows face couldnt help but get red and her eyes dart around.
Mrs.Williamson got to her feet and chuckled, but everyone could tell she was quite embarressed.
***
Willow was waiting for the bus to arrive when none other than Brad Miller came casually walking towards Willow.
The hair on the back of her neck went stiff and she suddenly felt nervous.
"Hey Willow." He said easily.
Why do you always have to be so...so comfortable! Her mouth wanted to say.
"Hi Brad." She offered instead. Willow thought covered her nervousness pretty well considering.
"Whats up?" He asked leaning up against the other side of the phone pole Willow was leaning on.
"Just waiting here for the bus." Willow felt her throat tighten.
"I like to watch clouds." Brad said gazing to the blue sky, generously planted with white fluffs of clouds.
Willow smiled, but he didnt see.
"I felt bad for laughing when Mrs.Williamson fell earlier today, but I had to admit, it was kinda funny." Brad squeezed up a melencholy smile.
"Yeah." Willow let a pleasant smile swipe her face.
Just then the bus pulled up and Willow got on. Brad stayed. He usually went on the bus, but she had heard that his pickup was in for servicing, and his friend was going to drive him to the shop to pick it up.
"Bye Willow."
"See ya." Willow gave a wanly smile and disapeared into the bus.
The yellow school bus pulled away from the curb after six more kids after her got on.
Brad waved goodbye.
Just as the bus cleared the corner, he went back inside to hangout with some of his friends.
The white stallion was collecting his herd, getting them closer together. It looked like another storm was on the horizon.
He lifted his muzzle into the air and took a deep breath of the thick air.
A scent of another herd came breifly across his nose, then was whisked away.
He nickered and began to lead his herd away from the scent.
He saw over the hill was a big black stallion and his herd. He moved gorgeously. Swift, sweeping across the grassy valley. He circled his herd, with a few mares that were all either in foal or had been recently.
His muscles were moving in sync with the entire scenery. His head held perfectly high, picking his feet up graciously, turning on a dime to keep a yearling minding his own business.
A buckskin mare chased after her foal, which stumbled into the path of the black stallion.
He pinned his ears and squealed angrily.
The foal backed off promptly and cantered away at a fierce speed.
The white stallion returned to his herd and moved them away from the black mustang at the bottom of the hill.
Willow arrived home at the end of their lane and stepped off the bus.
She saw a spec of colors over a hill to the right.
A white stallion was bossing his herd. He spotted her and chased them off at an easy trot.
Willow dropped her eyes to the ground, slapping on her backpack and moving slowly down their drive.
Then she saw him again. The stallion across the way, stood fast at the top of the hill. Looking down at her. Almost peering into her soul.
A shiver snaked down her spine. Their eyes met. They locked together. Then the stallion reared into the air and almost froze their for a minute. Then he sped off to his herd.
Willow reached her home and climbed to her room. She slipped on a pair of mud boots and an old T-shirt and stepped outside.
Willow stood still. Gazing at the old remains of a barn that was now dead. It used to be full of life and whinnies.
Now all it had were old, dead haunting nightmares.
Willow turned to the feild behind her and recalled riding a big grey mare over the grassy turf.
That had been 3 years now since the barn fire that took the lives of all the horses. And of much more than just the horses.
Willow walked slowly, splashing through the puddles of standing water.
Suddenly she saw the stallion again. She was only about a quarter of a mile again, so she started moving toward him.
She reached the top of the hill and saw about 15 mares and their foals, some yearling stallions and a few others.
"Wow!" Willow whispered.
The stallion was closer than ever. Their eyes connected. Willows heart jumped out her throat when she saw a mare that looked exactly like Gracie, her old mare.
"Hi there 'ole boy." Willow whispered as she got a few yards away.
The stallion nickered and shifted his weight backwards.
Willow looked at the ground and bent down, so she could look less harmfull.
"Shhh, its alright, I'm not here to hurt you. I just wanna look at those wounds of yours. Must of been some fight, eh?" He snorted warily and Willow could see each muscle in his body tense, without wavering or flicking.
The stallion lifted his nose into the air and sniffed. Something caught him by suprise because he whirled around and whinnied.
Willow stood up and looked around frantically. The early evening air felt different, and goose bumps were apearing on her arms. Willow caught a shudder as she saw a figure move from bush to bush.
"W-whos there?" Willow stuttered out.
The white stallion grunted and caught Willows attention.
Just then, a grey, yellow eyed wolf appeared from the bushed.
Willow gasped, and started moving slowly backwards.
The stallion pawed the ground and then reared up, letting out a warning sound.
The wolves backed off for a minute, then came close to Willow. They started circling her. She followed their eyes.
They grunted and growled, sending Willow into a fear sent shock.
The stallion leapt in front of Willow just as one of the wolves snapped the air.
Willow scream just as the stallion reared and pawed the air coming down just infront of them, actually clipping the feet of one. It was obvious the wolves were frightened as they ran off in the opposite direction.
Willow turned to the stallion and whispered, "Thank you."
She turned around to see the other horses galloping in the other direction. She was about to turn around to the stallion when he came beside her and reared into the air, let out a big squeal and galloped off at a tremendous speed.
"Wow! Your perfectly gorgeous! You move like...like a ghost!" Willow stood amazed for a moment, then said, "Thats your new name, Ghost."
Chapter 1
A murky figure lingured in the depth of the shadows, waiting on their prey to let down its gaurd.
Pacing, crouched to the ground it took short breaths of thick midnight air.
Finally, the horse dropped her head and went on grazing, so its prowler siezed the moment and howled. A deathly, blood curdling howl at the crisp moon.
The little cream horse threw its head into the air and squealed. The yellow eyed wolf pounded the ground and snapped at the horses trembling legs.
The mare galloped across the night field, blood racing hot through her veins.
The wolf covered ground quickly, zeroing in on its target.
Fast at her heels, the wolf barked again to its pack. The other members of the equine herd heard the sound of their mate galloping away and began running away from the wolves, who were by this time close to the rest of the herd.
The horses galloped, eyes rimmed in white,their minds clouded by fear.
The horse was bloody at the hocks at belly, her energy running low.
Thankfully, the lead stallion reared in the direction of the pack of wolves and came thudding down against the hard-packed, dry dirt. He snapped the air and squealed. The wolf backed off, then came snapping and snarling again.
The big, pure white stallions eyes didnt have fear in them at all.
He turned and blew a kick, which was returned by a bite to the flanks by the wolf.
The white stallion jumped away from the pain, but it stuck with him. He turned and fought the wolf.
The stallion reared and came pounding on top of the wolf.
The wolf yelped, then lay limp and lifeless, while the rest of the pack ran quickly away from their aggresser.
The white stallions sides were heaving, his coat streaked with sweat and blood.
He trotted back to his herd and circled them, making sure they were all there.
Willow Armstrong was fast asleep in her bedroom of the white farm house, secluded in a valley of Cody, Wyoming.
Willow was 16, tall, with black hair, pale white skin, and blue eyes to top it off.
A lightening bolt split the night sky open. Willow startled awake.
Thunder crashed shortly after.
The blistering rain slashed at the windows, begging to come inside.
Willow was sitting up in bed, staring out of the windows that lined the outside wall.
She was breathing hot musky, late spring air.
A crisp whinny sounded the air. It was a lonely whinny.
Willow rolled out of bed and crept to the window.
A little cream horse was lying on the ground, looking pained and lonely.
Willow pulled on some shoes and made her way down the creaky attic stairs.
She opened the front door, and stepped into the night air.
Searching, she did not find the horse again.
The horse trotted off into the night air, away from to big structure it had come upon and stumbled down in front of.
Her knees started to buckle again, and she could feel the foal moving inside her.
Her sides were still bloody from the run-in with the wolves, but that was the least of her problems.
As she lay, the front legs of the foal began to come through.
Her sides were sweaty and heaving, a lightening bolt crashed and thunder bombed the area.
The mare squealed and tried to stand. Her knees were weak and her head was spinning. She pushed harder, the foals head came out. The little mare layed down again.
Then she pushed harder. The foal wouldnt come out. It was stuck.
FInally, after twenty minutes of harsh labor, the foal came out.
The mare stood on shaky legs, nudging her foal.
It was a still born.
The mare trot around the dead foal and whinnied. She'd lost her herd, and now her foal.
The mare was restless, whinnying, hoping that her foal would jump to life any second.
Another crash of lightening split the air, which was now lit by dawn sunlight.
A rainbow apeared into the western sky. A rainbow of promise.
But just as she bent her head to sniff the foal, a dark figure came lurking towards her.
Her head shot up that instant. The wolf flashed through her mind.
She stepped in front of her foal to protect it.
Willow heard it again. A whinny from the far east.
She began moving through the early morning, dawn coming with little light.
The rain began to lighten, but it was still blinding.
Up ahead she saw a horse, trotting around a dark figure on the wet ground.
"Hey girl," Willow whispered softly as she reached the scene.
Willow saw the mare step in front of the blob of darkness. It must of been a foal.
But it looked lifeless.
Willow kept walking slowly to the mare, until she was only about ten yards away.
"Shhh, it's ok girl, I wont hurt your foal."
The mare was restless, whinnying, hoping that her foal would jump to life any second.
Another crash of lightening split the air, which was now lit by dawn sunlight.
A rainbow apeared into the western sky. A rainbow of promise.
But just as she bent her head to sniff the foal, a dark figure came lurking towards her.
Her head shot up that instant. The wolf flashed through her mind.
She stepped in front of her foal to protect it.
The cream mare reared into the air and screamed.
It was almost as if she was saying "back off from my foal, preditor!"
She turned around and circled the foal, then reared again, her hooves splashing in the mud.
The cream mare reared into the air and screamed.
It was almost as if she was saying "back off from my foal, preditor!"
She turned around and circled the foal, then reared again, her hooves splashing in the mud.
Willow backed up a little. The cream mare pinned her ears, but didn't rear up again.
Willow decided she best leave to mare alone to mourn.
Pacing, crouched to the ground it took short breaths of thick midnight air.
Finally, the horse dropped her head and went on grazing, so its prowler siezed the moment and howled. A deathly, blood curdling howl at the crisp moon.
The little cream horse threw its head into the air and squealed. The yellow eyed wolf pounded the ground and snapped at the horses trembling legs.
The mare galloped across the night field, blood racing hot through her veins.
The wolf covered ground quickly, zeroing in on its target.
Fast at her heels, the wolf barked again to its pack. The other members of the equine herd heard the sound of their mate galloping away and began running away from the wolves, who were by this time close to the rest of the herd.
The horses galloped, eyes rimmed in white,their minds clouded by fear.
The horse was bloody at the hocks at belly, her energy running low.
Thankfully, the lead stallion reared in the direction of the pack of wolves and came thudding down against the hard-packed, dry dirt. He snapped the air and squealed. The wolf backed off, then came snapping and snarling again.
The big, pure white stallions eyes didnt have fear in them at all.
He turned and blew a kick, which was returned by a bite to the flanks by the wolf.
The white stallion jumped away from the pain, but it stuck with him. He turned and fought the wolf.
The stallion reared and came pounding on top of the wolf.
The wolf yelped, then lay limp and lifeless, while the rest of the pack ran quickly away from their aggresser.
The white stallions sides were heaving, his coat streaked with sweat and blood.
He trotted back to his herd and circled them, making sure they were all there.
Willow Armstrong was fast asleep in her bedroom of the white farm house, secluded in a valley of Cody, Wyoming.
Willow was 16, tall, with black hair, pale white skin, and blue eyes to top it off.
A lightening bolt split the night sky open. Willow startled awake.
Thunder crashed shortly after.
The blistering rain slashed at the windows, begging to come inside.
Willow was sitting up in bed, staring out of the windows that lined the outside wall.
She was breathing hot musky, late spring air.
A crisp whinny sounded the air. It was a lonely whinny.
Willow rolled out of bed and crept to the window.
A little cream horse was lying on the ground, looking pained and lonely.
Willow pulled on some shoes and made her way down the creaky attic stairs.
She opened the front door, and stepped into the night air.
Searching, she did not find the horse again.
The horse trotted off into the night air, away from to big structure it had come upon and stumbled down in front of.
Her knees started to buckle again, and she could feel the foal moving inside her.
Her sides were still bloody from the run-in with the wolves, but that was the least of her problems.
As she lay, the front legs of the foal began to come through.
Her sides were sweaty and heaving, a lightening bolt crashed and thunder bombed the area.
The mare squealed and tried to stand. Her knees were weak and her head was spinning. She pushed harder, the foals head came out. The little mare layed down again.
Then she pushed harder. The foal wouldnt come out. It was stuck.
FInally, after twenty minutes of harsh labor, the foal came out.
The mare stood on shaky legs, nudging her foal.
It was a still born.
The mare trot around the dead foal and whinnied. She'd lost her herd, and now her foal.
The mare was restless, whinnying, hoping that her foal would jump to life any second.
Another crash of lightening split the air, which was now lit by dawn sunlight.
A rainbow apeared into the western sky. A rainbow of promise.
But just as she bent her head to sniff the foal, a dark figure came lurking towards her.
Her head shot up that instant. The wolf flashed through her mind.
She stepped in front of her foal to protect it.
Willow heard it again. A whinny from the far east.
She began moving through the early morning, dawn coming with little light.
The rain began to lighten, but it was still blinding.
Up ahead she saw a horse, trotting around a dark figure on the wet ground.
"Hey girl," Willow whispered softly as she reached the scene.
Willow saw the mare step in front of the blob of darkness. It must of been a foal.
But it looked lifeless.
Willow kept walking slowly to the mare, until she was only about ten yards away.
"Shhh, it's ok girl, I wont hurt your foal."
The mare was restless, whinnying, hoping that her foal would jump to life any second.
Another crash of lightening split the air, which was now lit by dawn sunlight.
A rainbow apeared into the western sky. A rainbow of promise.
But just as she bent her head to sniff the foal, a dark figure came lurking towards her.
Her head shot up that instant. The wolf flashed through her mind.
She stepped in front of her foal to protect it.
The cream mare reared into the air and screamed.
It was almost as if she was saying "back off from my foal, preditor!"
She turned around and circled the foal, then reared again, her hooves splashing in the mud.
The cream mare reared into the air and screamed.
It was almost as if she was saying "back off from my foal, preditor!"
She turned around and circled the foal, then reared again, her hooves splashing in the mud.
Willow backed up a little. The cream mare pinned her ears, but didn't rear up again.
Willow decided she best leave to mare alone to mourn.
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