I changed this chapter a little bit. 7/6/07
Chapter 9: An Old Friend
For two days Benny hadn't seen Lance, instead he had another person who came to feed them each day. Benny missed Lance talking to him, the new person didn't associate with any of the horses. He also hadn't talked to Turner or anyone else either. Benny figured that they were probably afraid of him. He replayed what he had said to Star two days earlier, he hated himself for yelling at her. He had tried to get her to talk to him everyday since he got here and when she did he scolded her. Benny pawed the ground in the pasture, completely lost in these thoughts. He looked up when he heard Lance talking to someone coming to there pasture. Benny gasped and stared in shock when he saw who it was.
Elizabeth was back, Benny whinnied to her. He trotted back and forth along the fence until she reached him, she ran and jumped in the pasture and through her arms around Benny's neck. Benny looked at Turner and Star who watched happily at his reunion.
"Well Benny, it wasn't easy but here you go. An old friend for you." Lance said as he patted his neck.
"I missed you so much! So what happened to him Lance? You told me he got injured."
"Yeah, he clipped his heal on the steeplechase jump and was trampled."
"Steeplechase?"
"Yeah, we didn't know what sport he was in so we tried a couple out."
"He's no steeple chaser, he's the best barrel racer around though!"
"Barrel racing?" Lance felt embarrassed since he remembered how he convinced his father he was not a barrel racer.
"Thats right, he holds the record at the few rodeo's that he's been to."
"How'd ya like to ride him a bit?"
"Really?!"
"Sure, we can go on a mini camping trip, I need to exercise my other horse Star and he
's been in here for quite a while now without any work."
"I'd love too!"
"Great, I'll go get some stuff we'll need, we can go on the trails and camp out on the lake for the night I think Benny will enjoy that."
"Im sure he will."
"Great then could you bring him and Star up, she's the grey over there and the lead ropes are in the barn on there stalls."
Benny followed Elizabeth to the barn when she went to get the lead ropes. He then followed her back out to get Star. He smiled at Star, hoping she would find it in her heart to forgive him. He frowned when she looked away from him and followed Elizabeth, Benny walked beside her. Elizabeth brought them to the barn and tide them to a post. Not to long after Lance came with a lot of stuff in his arms. He set the items down and got them their tack and began saddling them. Benny smiled when Elizabeth threw the western saddle on his back. He happily opened his mouth for the western bit.
"How'z it hangin Ben!" Benny turned to see Zeek and Chester. "Haven't seen ya since your fall. Sorry we didn't visit, the dumb cat here couldn't wait till he got outside to go to the bathroom so we both got punished to stay indoors."
"Hi guys! Look its my owner, she came back!"
"Huh, thats weird, my owner never came to visit me. How rude, I miss me ma and pa."
"Zeek man your lucky you even have known your father. All I knew about my father was that he wanted to eat me." Chester said before bursting into laughter.
Benny rolled his eyes and looked back at Elizabeth.
"Alright Liz, ready?" Lance asked. " This is my dog Zeek and my cat Chester, they come on my mini camps all the time."
"Sure am ready, wow you have well trained pets," Elizabeth mounted Benny after they packed the items Lance carried out on the saddles and then kicked him into a canter next to Star as they galloped to the woods.
