Owen was dead when Barry got him up. after a breakfast of eggs, meat, and some thing to drink, the workers all set out.
unlucky for him, Owen had to help Barry and some men move a herd, of two year olds. the rough and though little gals and guys where fire balls.
as Barry put it, they where still growing up, and where teens now.
as teens they needed a bigger place to the left half of the fields was where they where going.
the two year olds where out in the south rang. it would take all day to move them. two year olds,uggg.
as Barry had said,the two year olds where wild.
they saw the riders coming in,snorted and started to run to the other side of the south filed. it would take hours to herd them up.
Owen would be lying if he said he didn't have fun, or that he didn't feel sore.
the riding wasn't hard,or two year olds, ran some what,then let them be herded in about two hours.
the south end was large,and would take more time to ride out and a herd as it was.
the colts and filly's where many bays and sorrels with a paint or Owen rode,his mind,slowly, rode back to that blue roan mare.
she was for a horse,and all where amazing and breath taking. but the blue one...oh blue. she had the wise eyes ,and a sharp mind by the looks of it.
with out really meaning to Owen looked to Barry as he rode next to him on Delta.
"whats going to happen to the herd? with the blue roan mare?"
Barry looked up,from under his hat,as the sun worked down on them."the blue is a lead mare. she will be harder to herd will be worked with,and maybe sold off. but her. it may end up to where the rodeo buys her for a bronco rider."
Owen looked over."rodeo rider horse? don't you think she can be worked with?" Barry shook his head.
"we have tried Owen, but...she wilder then we Is a free spirit. locked in a cage and made to work..i wish we had let her go.."
Owen looked away. thinking it over. the blue one a rodeo work horse? but she..she was to good to by a bronco ride.
but who was he to have the they had tried before.
but as the day worked on,Owen thought of the blue mare. so free...so..wild.
he had been told her herd was moved to another pen,she would stay in the round pen Owen had seen her in.
the day moved on, slowly, for the Ex Navy man. sure he was put to work, moving horses, feeding, watering, and learning how to ride.
but to him, it felt like forever. Because, slowly, a crazy thought took hold of his mind. and on a scale from 1-10 of the crazy, he was now at a good 15.
it was super crazy,ish. the blue mare, she was to wild to tame. but maybe, like Barry said with horses. She hadn't found her bond. The one to trust? maybe.. Owen could be that one.
he didn't know what made him think this. she was a wild horse! maybe it was the fact that some thing, like a strong arm, pulled him to her. she was like him. in a way.
wild, free, and was put under something he didn't like. She had been hurt, and tried to be broken. she was locked in a small round pen, for her liking, and was made to eat dry grass and have water from a bend.
she was finding a new world. a new start. it was a nightmare for her. a lead mare, ripped from her herd.
so, when the bunk house went to be, Owen got up. he pulled on his cowboy boots, that hurt like crazy on his feet, and walked out side.
the pale moon light showed the tall man, in blue jeans and a white short sleeved button up shirt, that was messy and dirty.
his hair was some what wild, as where his feelings ,as he walked closer to the blue mares pen.
she had her butt to the rail he walked up to, but hearing him come up, she snorted and turned.
her eyes, be it dark out,flashed at Owen,her ears pined back and a loud snot rumbling in her chest.
"whoa girl..its ok.."
Owen hushed, feeling him self jump over the rails of her round pen.
he was crazy, jumping into a round pen with a wild mare. one that was showing signs of aggression, to the human.
slowly, as the wild blue turned, Owen held up his hands ,showing her he wasn't there to hurt her. "its ok, blue."
blue? Where did that come from. a name for the roan. maybe it jumped from his mouth as the moon light shone on her coat. her blue coat.
blue pined her ears, and stumped a back hoof, swishing her long black tail.
Owen could feel his heart racing., the mare didn't move, was that good or bad. oh cruse the fact that he didn't know much on the wild gems of the stats.
"hey pretty girl..its ok, I'm not here to hurt you."
the mares ears went up, for just a minute, at Owen's smooth voice, but then where pined once more.
Owen took a small step closer, nothing happened. then another, and another, tell he was about half way across the round pen, hands still up.
Owen thought he was maybe getting some where, by some odd luck, or the bond Barry talked about, but Blue snorted, half rearing and bared her teeth, letting out a loud whinny. she jumped at Owen, who yelped and turned tail and ran for the rails.
he jumped then in one bound, and went crashing down into the earth, dust flying up in the moon light. well, that happened.
growling to him self, Owen got up, and dusted off his pants and shirt. he grunted, feeling like a shoulder was pulled in that landing.
"its ok..I can try again tomorrow night.. "he told him self. what was making him do this? he just got here, just saw one blue roan mare, and now? he was jumping rails and trying to play hiccup from how to train your dragon!
"no..get your head out of the clouds Owen.." he grunted to him self, as slowly, and as quietly as he could, Owen slipped back into the bunk house.
the next morning was just like the last, hard started with getting Echo out, and having to go on a ride with Barry ,to see if any fences where down.
they where moving a large herd later, of mares and foals, into the north bend fields.
the north bend fields where made up of flat lands, small hills, and canyons that hid water and trees.
there was only one thing wrong with this place. state mustangs some times got in. many, stallions, trying to steal mares.
that's why they had a "stallion" go out with the herds. it was a stallion, who had been gelded, or some what, some times that happened at the BLM, and they gave the proud cut horses to the ranch, where they would use them like sheep dogs, to run off wild stallions.
as of now, no wild stallions where any where near the north bend.
but as they rode out, a small white collie dog in heel, for the safety, the men started to re think this, or Barry did.
the signs in the earth showed large hooves, that would have been thundering on the ground.
"this is not good...come we must hurry and look at the fence."
he told Owen, who looked a little puzzled. maybe there where other mares out here? but Barry's face showed other wise.
unlucky for Owen, they kicked the mares into a lope, and rode faster. They where coming now, to a small canyon, where large trees sat.
inside, the shadows cooled down the riders and horses, or more then any thing Owen.
they moved deeper and deeper into the canyon, and the hoof prints got deeper, and newer. Tell they stopped at a little creak.
"come..now. we have to move." Barry's voice was getting worried. what was out there?
just then, a loud squeal ripped the air, and from the brush on the other side of the creak, a large 17 hands stallion raced out.
his coat was white, not as white as snow, but as white as a haunting death ghost. his main and tail where long and stringy, matted in some spots, his hooves caked in mud. battle scars rippled his coat, and some places, blood was still hooked to him.
but what really made Owen's heart race, and skin crawl, was its eyes. red as blood, and holding a hate so strong.
"run!" Barry yelled, pining Delta, and bolted, Owen fallowed suit and raced after him. the white collie pelted a head of the horses, its speed flowing in its vanes.
but the white stallion cared not for the dogs, as he raced after the men and mares. he was gaining on echo, who was some what older then delta. her ears where back, and a loud whinny ripped from her as the stallion pelted closer.
Owen looked back in fear. crap.
a sting of cruses came from Owen, as he kicked Echo faster, and faster.
"come on girl! faster!" he yelled almost feeling the stallions hot breath.
Echo was giving it her all. Racing after Barry and Delta with sides heaving.
the canyon was coming to an end, and as it did, the stallion back off a little. but the riders didn't slow, tell they where sure the stallion was gone.
both mares where shacking from the run, and both riders where breathing deeply from fear.
"that. That was. Fun.." Owen gasped, he didn't do any running, but felt winded, he didn't feel his legs hurt, but he felt fear, and his breath had been locked in his lungs.
Barry looked over to Owen, a wild look in his eyes."Owen, did you know what that was, or WHO that was?"
Owen shook his head.
"some stallion? right?"
Barry again looked wildly around."no..that was death.. the white stallion named death.."
Owen grunted. some name.
"he sure looked like it. "
Barry grunted back, and Turned Delta, "come we must get back and tell the boss.."
Owen nodded, and they started back. the cookie dog back with them, both horses winded, and walking slowly in the hot sun.
by the time they got to the ranch once more, the horses where about to fall over. Owen and Barry rushed to put them away, and let them cool down. horses first, then your self.
once the horses where tended to, Barry and Owen went to find the boss.
they found him over looking a newly worked crop of four year olds.
Barry, knowing what he was talking about, told the boss about white death. the boss was shocked, and applaud to hear about the rouge stallion on his land.
once that was done, Barry let Owen go where ever.
and Owen's feet moved him closer to Blue's round pen. the mare was sitting with her rump on the rails. she snorted and looked up as Owen jumped up at sat on a top rail.
no one was around, every one was moving horses and gone for the day really, some in town for much needed feed.
so with one last look Owen smiled lightly.
"hi 'ya blue girl. Ya its me. don't worry. I'm safe."
he told her in a smooth voice. The mare pined her ears and him and snorted, half rearing and baring her teeth, she stumped a front hoof and let out another snort.
Owen found him self smiling at her, as she picked her self up and started to whinny at the other round pens. running around, and around. giving Owen a wide breath.
he sat there, watching Blue run around, her tail a wild banner behind her. the blue black main a rippling blanket of night time sky.
"she is beautiful, is she not?" Owen almost fell of the railing when Barry's voice came up from behind him.
"ya, she's something."
he said, not telling his new friend that he sacred him half to death. he looked from Blue, just for minute to Barry.
"she is. it is to bad, no one can work her out. she has the speed and work needed for this ranch." Owen nodded and let out a little grunt, his hand slowly moving to his shoulder, where he fell the other night.
"ya she sure is.." the other man saw Owen holding his arm, and a knowing smile crossed his face for a minute.
"come, we have more work to do. Echo, and Delta need to be cooled off, we must have lunch, and then get back in the saddle for work. the three year olds need moved to the old two year old field."
Owen nodded, looking over at Blue for one more minute. he jumped down and started to cool down Echo once they got to work.
Blue had speed. she had grace, and she had a spirit. but on one could train her. what would happen? how long did she have? Owen thought as he worked.
tonight, again, he would go back. He would slowly work with blue, tell he could walk up to the boss and say
"she trained! she's the best on the ranch."
and then he would find the bond.
yes tonight.
