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Post by Story on Mar 31, 2013 18:32:30 GMT -7
"True enough. And because of that heart condition of his, right? I haven't heard of many horses with heart conditions. My dad had an old gelding that had a heart attack. We thought he was asleep until we got closer." Ryan wrinkled his nose at the memory. "That was rough." His own mare, Ladybird, had been euthanized because of an injury too severe to set. She'd had a severe leg fracture and, being such an active horse, would never have been able to go through the months of healing and the surgery. He pushed thoughts of the mare out of his head, thinking instead on what Nell said as he clipped a lead rope to Apollo. He would lead them in one at a time. Apollo was so strong that, if he decided to go a different way, it'd take most of Ryan's strength to keep him from insisting on that patch of grass he desired. "C'mon, fatty. To the stables. You're going on a diet. Probably will help your back if you're not lugging this big old belly around." He teased.
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Post by Goldie on Mar 31, 2013 18:41:59 GMT -7
Min huffed as she dropped her bags onto the bunkhouse porch. She tugged her baseball cap bill to further shade her green eyes. She looked over her shoulder, gazing at the parking lot to see Cam kick the tire of her old truck. "Aye! Watch it buddy, I'm your ride anywhere!" she called, smirking as Cam jumped and dropped his cat carrier, jumping again when his cat yowled angrily at him. She took her old camo hat off, brushing her arm against her forhead and pulling her somewhat frizzy dark gold hair out of the ponytail it was resting in, letting her hair swoosh around her shoulders and down her back. It had gotten longer since the last time she was at Wasatch, now just below the middle of her back. She had on a pair of worn out blue jeans, a light colored beige tshirt with printed words scrawled over it, the collar cut vneck. A few thick black leather bracelets laced her wrist, a plain silver ring sat around her thumb, and a new tattoo graced its self upon the inside of her forarm.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2013 18:59:14 GMT -7
Anne furrowed her eyebrows at his comment at first, before she rolled her eyes, pulling her hand back, and shoved him away, hitting his arm lightly, playfully. "Gosh. You're such a boy." She grumbled as she contemplated an idea. "I know a better idea that exposes less skin. I've been wanting a new dog, I'm aiming for a female. You could take me to the local rescue?" She batted her eyelashes and gave him a puppy look, already headed to the gates. "I can drive my little Honda, if you want. I just don't want to go alone." Her bottom lip jutted out in an effective pout, brown eyes looking up at him again in that killer innocent look. She gave him a wide, toothy grin. "Hurry before I leave you here and go by myself!" She warned, pushing open the portal and slipping through the tight space to the other side.
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Post by Horse on Mar 31, 2013 19:32:12 GMT -7
Nell nodded. "He's the only horse I've known with a heart condition. I've had horses with lung problems though, that was interesting." She said quietly, eyebrows furrowing. Ash and Banjo were both well-behaved enough to follow along without a lead rope, which was nice, to be able to trust a horse that much. "I'm just hoping that Slate doesn't have... Another episode, if you know what I mean." She let out a sigh. She had grown rather fond of a grullo mustang stallion, and didn't want to see the poor horse in pain. When they entered the stables, she put both of the horses in their stalls before quickly feeding them for the night.
Eli was near the stables, leaning up against one of the unused pens. He had a piece of a weed sticking out of his mouth as he chewed on the end, his cowboy hat low over his eyes. His hands were in his pockets, and his ankles crossed. He was your typical cowboy, especially in that pose. He glanced up when he heard a familiar voice, tipping his head back, he ran a hand through his hair before replacing his hat and going to investigate.
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Post by Goldie on Mar 31, 2013 19:39:36 GMT -7
Leeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Min spotted Eli, and a sneaky grin snuck its way onto her tan face. She whistled, two fingers stuck in her mouth, at Eli to get his attention. The noise was sharp, loud, and high pitched. Rodeo pricked her ears from where she had been sunning in the pasture and a blue tick puppy popped up from under the porch, hearing his owner whistle. She rubbed the puppy's ears before waving at Eli, the tattoo on her arm in plain sight. She knew he knew about the one on her back, but had avoided telling him about her newest one until she got to see him in person. "Heya Cowboy! Miss me over the summer?" she grinned, sticking her thumbs in her jeans pockets and leaning on her hip, her freshly polished old black cowboy boots reflecting the suns glare faintly around the frayed bottoms of her jeans.
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Post by Story on Mar 31, 2013 19:56:12 GMT -7
"Yeah, I know. I'm sure that was rough for you," Ryan responded with a frown. The grullo stallion had grown on Nell and, maybe a slight bit on Ryan, despite how foul his mood could be. "Who'd think that a thieving old rascal of a stallion, one with huge aggression issues, could be loved by humans?" He led Apollo into his stall and turned. "Hang on, pal. I've gotta get Rizzo in and then I'll get your feed for you." He reassured the big gelding, eyes full of warmth.
Meanwhile, halfway around the world, a young Marine was driving along with a few buddies in a Humvee, following two other trucks along a rutty, dirt road. "Not long til we go home. I get to see my wife and baby."
"Yeah, Ricky. She's gonna have her momma's smile and her daddy's basketball skills." Two soldiers chimed in simultaneously. "Montgomery, what about you? What're you going back to?"
"Horses."
"Horses?"
"Yeah. And Ratchet. I stay on this ranch and help out. Got this big horse, a Clydesdale, that I take care of. He's mixed with some other horse though. And this smaller black horse."
"How's Ratch doing?"
"Not sure. It's been months since I've gotten letters or been able to send anything. Anne's taking care of him."
"Oooh, who's Anne? You forgot to mention her."
"Hey! None of that. She's a kid that stays there. I don't have anyone in my life. I'm waiting fo-"
All hell broke loose as his words were cut off. At first, it was the flash that stopped him, but that was soon followed by the sound of an explosion up ahead. A Humvee's flaming shell was all that he saw as the trucks immediately stopped. Gunfire broke out. "Oh, shit!"
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Post by Horse on Mar 31, 2013 20:06:45 GMT -7
Nell nodded as she refilled the feed buckets. She was done in a few minutes. "I can go and grab her. I'm done with Banjo and Ash." She offered, sliding a few steps towards the exit, eyeing the tall teenage boy for his approval. She'd already grabbed a lead rope. Nell was always willing to help out, always seeking ways to make people's lives less burdened. Her pale emerald gaze flickered over Ryan and then Apollo, waiting for an answer.
Eli approached slowly, a grin forming on his defined face. "Aye, don't whistle at me. I'm not a dog." He teased lightly, coming to a stop a few feet in front of Min. He was dressed like he normally was, flannel shirt, dark jeans, cowboy boots, and his Stetson. "New tattoo? I see?" He asked, tipping his head ever so slightly, like a curious dog might. "And yes, I might've missed you."
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Post by Story on Mar 31, 2013 20:11:21 GMT -7
Ryan glanced up in surprise, forgetting how helpful Nell could be. "Are you sure? I mean, in that case, I can get their feed prepared for them now. I should probably cut back on Apollo's just a bit now, right?" He asked curiously. "I'm not good with the whole diet thing. Maybe we should draw out a plan for him tonight and start it tomorrow officially though..." He narrowed his eyes in thought, glancing back at the pudgy Clydesdale-Paint cross gelding. Apollo lipped at his stall door curiously before relaxing, broad head resting over the stall door, ears pricked forward loosely.
Rizzo was standing at the pasture gate, tail swishing impatiently. She didn't enjoy being separated from the other horses. It made it more difficult for her to resist when a curious stallion got too cocky and refused to listen to her insistence about being left alone.
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Post by Horse on Mar 31, 2013 20:29:27 GMT -7
Nell nodded. "Alright. I'll go and grab her." She paused again. "Yeah, we can figure out the diet thing for Slate and Apollo over dinner. I know a good way to do it, to." She said quietly, tipping her head before disappearing out of the stables. It was starting to get dark, the sun had set, and it was eerily light outside, part of the sky still a light blue from the day. Nell was quick to cross the stable-yard and come to the pasture gate. She smiled at Rizzo, murmuring to the mare as she slid into the pasture to clip the lead onto the mare.
Nell was quick to lead Risen Star back to the stables. She made her way down the aisle to the mare's stall and settled her down quickly, She glanced up, wondering if Ryan and grabbed Risen Star's feed or not for the night.
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Post by Story on Mar 31, 2013 20:34:21 GMT -7
Ryan had measured out Rizzo's feed first. The mare, while a bit chubby, would soon be getting worked out more by Anne, which would bring her weight down. She probably could cut back on how long she grazed as well as be lunged, but that was about it. She'd be fine. He had the feed in the stall by the time Nell returned with the pretty Andalusian. He was just leaving to get Apollo's feed measured out. "He eats so much! That's the problem. He gets more food and he doesn't even do anything. No wonder he's so fat! He's getting enough for a working horse, not one that grazes all day anyway." He shook his head, watching as Callie limped into the stables. "Oh, Callie girl, what'd you do this time?" He sighed, setting Apollo's feed in his stall before approaching his deaf canine. He flipped her on her back and examined her paws with difficulty, the dog squirming too much to check with ease. Her paws were fine, so Ryan figured she'd probably pulled something in her leg while running around all crazily. It happened.
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