The Oregon trail

Yee haw cowboy

Alex's P.O.V

I whistled loudly, Red turning obediently as I spotted three steers hiding in the brush to my left.

Trotting towards them, holding my lasso coil in my hand as I flicked it against my boots. The three animals leaving the safety of the bushes at the noise.

Lurching in my saddle as Red suddenly changed direction, chasing them down and turning them with bared lips as he snapped his teeth at them.

"Someone's in a mood today," I pointed out, patting his neck lovingly, as the cattle turned towards the main herd.

Today it was all hands on deck. Every available hand was out on the prairie, as we begun to shift the cows towards winter pastures.

Even Kane was out, riding on a spare horse. Head held high in the saddle as he rode at the back of the herd. Eager to keep the tail Enders in line, the dust was the least of his concern as he had a handkerchief tied around the lower half of his face.

I followed behind the trio, trailing them slowly before they rejoined the masses. Squeezing Reds sides as we bounded away to the left again, keeping the cows in line. Not wanting them to break free from their ranks and do a runner.

The Virginian rode over towards me, Stacey in tow. It had taken nearly a week for Stacey to fully recover from his arrow wound. The doctor giving him a clean bill of health. The young blonde was more than happy to get back out in the saddle. Insisting that it wasn't his legs that were injured.

"Trampus said there's about thirty head, up on the rocks. We need a few extra hands to bring them down," The Virginian explained as they rode alongside me. Pointing up at the sheer rock face that hugged the valley floor.

The cows we were bringing in were the ones on the eastern plains. The cows having scattered during last weeks flood, the river finally having lowered enough that we could attempt to round them up and bring them up out of the gully.

They needed to be brought out before winter hit, or they would face the full force of the snow and ice.

The winter pastures we were bringing them up to were laden with knee high grass, and plenty of trees for shelter in the plantation.

"Alright, lead the way," I told the two men. Following them as we cantered towards the grey rocks.

Slowing down to a walk as we finished the short ride. Trampus and Steve were already waiting for us by the time we got there.

"Took you long enough," Steve grinned, swinging his bay horse around, to ride beside me. "Patience is virtue," I told him, causing him to raise his brows.

.....
The Virginian, Steve and I had split off from the other two. We walked in silence the only sound coming from the horses shoes crunching against the pebble pathway.

The rock walls rose above us, slowly pressing in on us claustrophobically. Why in good gods name would cows have come up through this way? There wasn't a single blade of grass up here.

I trailed after The Virginian who tracked the cows. You could see where the cows had displaced the stones as they waddled, a well formed cow pat every few feet, was splattered on the ground, pointing us towards them.