Fourteen Years Later
Jose, now a grown man of twenty years old was tying up his horse at the hitching post so he could go into the feed store. He had to get some more alfalfa for those bottomless pits people call horses.
It had now been fourteen years since anyone had seen of heard from Ariel or her mother. Everyone just assumed that they had moved away suddenly even though it was odd that they did not tell anyone. Jose was thinking about how much he missed Ariel and remembering all of the good times they had together when he was interrupted by the sound on hooves on packed dirt over at the entrance of town. He knew that it was uncommon for visitors to come to this small town of Alasgama, but it was even more common because right now it was noon and the unrelenting sun was at its hottest. Do to these circumstances; he looked up at the visitor.
What he saw was a woman, a young beautiful woman in fact. She was perched atop of a huge solid black draught horse. The horse itself was so large that it made its rider look even smaller then she really was; and it was a miracle that she could control the beast because the horse had not tack on what so ever. As the stranger came closer, he could have sworn that he had seen her before somewhere but could not place her, on top of that, he also had the feeling of knowing her very well which was very odd.
The woman must have had the same thoughts because as she came closer, a puzzled expression came over her face and she stared openly at Jose.
She guided her horse up to Jose and dismounted to stand beside the colossal beast and in front of this familiar yet unfamiliar man. As she looked up at him, since he was at least a head taller then her, she studied his features. He looked like he had spent many hot, hard days working out in the sun and had the look to him that he could handle anything. He also looked to be about her age of nineteen or maybe a little older.
They both stood in the same place for what seemed like an eternity trying to place one another but without success. Jose was the first to speak, "Have you been here before? You really look familiar but I just can't place your face."
"It is the same with you, I feel as if I know you but from where I do not know," the stranger said, even her voice sounded familiar. "I have been here before but it was fourteen years ago when I was-,"
"-Five. Ariel, is that you?" Jose interrupted her. As he said this, he took a step forward towards the massive beast of a horse as if to ask it the question instead of the women beside it.
"Yes, that is my name, but who- Jose?" Ariel questioned him in astonishment. Once she realized who it was before her, she clambered off her horse with the grace of long practice with no tack.
"That's me!"
"Oh my God! Your,- WOW!"
"Lets go to my house and you can tell me where you have been for all these years. Everyone in the town just assumed you and your mother up and left all of us," Jose suggested.
"Okay," Ariel said and climbed up onto the horse again when she saw Jose mount up on his horse which she found out was named Thunder. Together, Jose and Ariel rode to the ranch that Jose ran.
While on the way, Jose glanced over at Ariel and it hit him at how much bigger her horse was then his, he had to look up at her. "How can you control that beast with no tack?"
"For one thing, this beast's name is Rain, and for another thing I've been with her since she was born, her mother was my mother's mount. Anyways, we just understand one another and so I don't need tack and a saddle and all that other shit," Ariel returned with good humor.
Jose was about to respond to her statement but he looked up and realized that they were at his ranch. He took his mare Thunder while Ariel took her stallion Rain and they put them into the barn where the horses could have some alfalfa and oats. Once this was done the pair of friends went into the house to talk.
Jose told Ariel about how everyone thought her and her mother had just up and left the town and about how his grandmother had died two years ago and he now owned the horse ranch.
Ariel was about to telling her best friend about her past and where she had been all those years when she realized they were arguing and furiously. She did not know how it had started and she would probably never know for sure but she would always wish she knew what started it.
"I bet you were out in some damn city and you could not last one week out in the wild!" yelled Jose.
"I could to, and just to prove it to you I will live out in the forest for a week. You can pick the place and everything!" Ariel yelled strait back at him just as loudly.
"Okay, your on, one week out in the forest with nothing but the clothes on your back. Oh, and by the way, we start today," as he said this he gave her a mischievous grin.
"Deal," Ariel said back to him with a grin just as mischievous.
After the exchange they shook hands, the deal was set.
A/N: Thanks to anyone who has read this story for me! I think this story will be great, but I am really slow at writing it so please bear with me. I hope you liked this chapter and I will try to get the next one up soon since my big report for history class is done. Jumps for joy Okay, anywho, please review on this for me even if you hate the story! I don't care, I just want to know that there is someone out there that is actually reading this and I am not doing this for nothing!
