A.N. Hello again! Chapter four is now up! This is the shortest chapter so far, and is kind of a filler chapter.. but it was needed, I suppose.
Chapter 4
Coyote Ugly
Anita followed Roger into a dark room. Over head, a light blinked on as Roger pulled the string. The room was tiny and cluttered. The far wall was covered in saddles, each column stacked three tall. Along the other side was a long row of bridles and extra harnesses. Paper and supplies decorated the rest of the space, until there was very little room to maneuver.
"Do you think you can carry Narcissus's saddle? It looks rather heavy," Roger said, gazing at the tiny name plates.
"I can try," she retorted in defiance. "It can't be that heavy."
But she was wrong. Roger lifted the saddle off of its rack, and lowered it to her level. She staggered under the weight of the thick leather and extensive metal. Roger raised an eyebrow at her, but smiled when she didn't complain. "Here's a saddle pad…" he said, taking one from the shelf, "and his bridle."
He pulled a second set of equipment from the walls, and led the way out. Aphrodite's things were much smaller, and made of a lighter color of leather. As predicted, the pair of horses were pawing the ground gently and staring out into the fields.
They placed their saddled on the stands on the far side of the horses, quiet so as not to disturb them. Roger pulled out a few tools and walked over to the horses. Narcissus turned to watch as Roger lifted his front hoof off the ground.
"Do you see what I'm doing, Anita? These guys don't get ridden very much, so their feet are really dirty," he told her. His eyes never lost contact with his job as he scraped out mud and muck. "I think there might be another pick in the box."
Anita picked through the tool box and came across another tool. It was smaller than the one Roger was using, made more for a woman's hands. Aphrodite neighed gently at her, shaking her soft white mane. Anita stared at the horse for a few moments, rubbing a hand over her back. "What do I do, Roger?"
From the other side, Roger's head popped up behind Narcissus. "Turn around first, and then lean your shoulder against hers." She did as she was told, but the horse didn't seem to move. "Grab her foot, and she should hold it up."
Aphrodite obediently lifted her hoof from the ground so Anita could reach it. Like her neighbor, the mare's hoof was caked in filth, and it took a long time for Anita to clean it out. She was very nervous, and took extra care when rubbing the blade against her.
Roger finished long before her, and was already brushing the gelding with a rough brush. When she was finally finished with the hooves and brushing, it was time to struggle through the saddling.
She managed to slip the saddle pad on without any incidents, but she was desperately glad that she had the smaller, more gentle mare to work with rather than the stubborn gelding. Narcissus didn't seem to like it when Roger began to slip the saddle over his back, and defiantly backed up, twitching his ears.
She watched nervously for a few moments, hoping her horse wouldn't do the same. At last Roger had to limit the horse's space by tying him tighter to the post. He unchecked and rechecked the straps on all sides, pulled the stirrups down a bit lower, and wandered over to her.
Anita struggled to lift the saddle high enough to get it over her back. Roger readjusted her hands, so that get grip was stronger, and she could reach farther. Her straps were tightened easily, as her horse was not near as difficult, and allowed them to walk around her several times.
Anita managed to jump into the saddle gracefully, and didn't even get her feet caught. She pulled on the reins slightly, and let her horse have free rein. Aphrodite marched into the small patch of grass in front of the barn and started to graze. Roger slid into his saddle as well and walked up to her.
"Let's go, then." Roger had a lot more experience with horses than she had expected. Stubborn though he was, Narcissus responded to his lightest touch or word. Aphrodite followed, keeping her from having to steer much.
"It's beautiful out here isn't it?" Roger asked after they started through the pasture.
Anita nodded and glanced around. "It's peaceful out here. How much of this land belongs to your family?"
"Everything you can see, I think. I'm not sure how many acres it actually is, but a lot of it isn't used anymore."
They rode on a little longer in silence, pausing only when a tiny rabbit hopped across their path. But, despite the quiet and unfamiliar place, Anita felt eerily comfortable in the situation. The silence was not awkward, but rather calm and normal. It seemed somehow familiar.
"Roger?" she asked suddenly.
"Hmm?"
She opened her mouth to ask if they could go any faster, when, out of the corner of her eye she spotted something large and gray. "Can we- What is that?"
Roger pulled his horse into an abrupt stop and turned to face the unknown creature. "I think that's a coyote," he whispered, pulling Narcissus to the other direction. "Let's get away from him, we don't want to spook the horses."
Narcissus wheeled easily, back tracking onto their previous path. Anita tried to mimic the move, but Aphrodite didn't follow like she was supposed to. Instead the horse began to back away, starring intently at the beast. Her ears were twitching, and she kept swinging her head back and forth.
Her new path had taken her to the outskirts of the path, and one of her back hooves knocked into a sizable rock. Terrified, Aphrodite reared, tossing Anita to the ground, and bolted into the distance.
Anita landed on her rear, breaking her fall with her bare hands. Pain shot through her, as sharp, needle like rocks cut deep into her palms. She glanced around anxiously, watching for the coyote. It was no where to be seen.
"Roger!" she called out in his general direction. "Roger, I fell!"
With a clatter of hooves, Narcissus and Aphrodite came to stop only feet from her. Roger dismounted quickly, and hurried over to her, leading the horses behind him. "Are you alright, Anita?" he asked frantically. "Did you hit your head?"
"No, no I'm fine," she said softly, pulling herself off the ground. The concern only deepened in his dark eyes as she winced. "Really, Roger, it's only a few scrapes. I'll be back to normal in no time."
"Let me see it then. I have the first aid kit with me." They walked to one side of the horses, where Roger preceded to unlatch one of the saddle bags. He rinsed off her hands gently, and wound the bandages over the wound. "Do you think you can ride again?"
Anita glanced at the mare, who was still starring around wildly, eyes flashing in the sunlight. "Could we walk for a while? I don't think I can sit down properly."
Roger nodded slightly, and pulled the horses forward.
