Just some short stories

Short Story 1: 1979

1979

Ranching in Montana, 1979.

Amy sent two ranch hands out to control the wolf population. The cattle mutilations have gone up substantially in the past year. Fish and Wild Life refuse to come out and relocate.

The two ranch hands, Brian and James, set out on horseback towards the far west pasture, where most of the cattle mutilations are happening. "It might take them half the day just to get out there let alone find the wolves," Amy stated to Eric, her Dad's main ranch hand.

Amy walked off shortly afterward, leaving Eric to stare off, where the wranglers had rode off to.

Later that afternoon, Eric was in the barn with the boss, Ryan. Looking at the new stallion. "Do you hear that?" the boss asked.

Eric walked out of the barn looking to the left first, as he looked to the right where the noise was coming from he saw Brian's horse charging towards the barn. He moved out of the way just in time to miss the horse barreling through.

Eric looked back to see the horse come to a halt huffing and sweaty. "Mr. Jensen! Brian's horse came back alone!" Eric yelled back to his boss in the barn still.

Ryan immerged from the barn walking over to grab the horse. "Amy is going to be pissed. Eric go tell Amy." Ryan said.

"Yes sir" Eric said before jogging over to the main house.

Eric opened the front door and ran in yelling, "Amy! Amy where are you we have an issue!" in the family room looking around the open floor plan trying to find Amy in the empty house.

Above the open family room was a balcony upstairs. Amy ran to the railing from where the bedrooms were. Amy looked down to see Eric looking around frantically in the middle of the family room.

"What's wrong? Did my Dad find out about us?" Amy asked looking down from upstairs.

Eric whipped his head around to look at Amy. "What-No! We have a bigger issue, Brian's horse came back alone." Eric stated.

Amy ran from the railing and yelled as she did so, "I'll be down in a second."

Eric began to walk outside the house and was met by one of the wranglers, "Wranglers aren't allowed near the main house" Eric said lowly and continued walking.

Eric, The boss (Amy's Dad), and Amy saddled up horses and got ready to go find the missing wranglers. "Should we take an extra horse since Brian's horse came back?"

"I'd say no make Brian walk back because he was dumb enough to get bucked off, but I don't know if someone is hurt."

"Ok I will go grab some tack then?" Amy went back to the tack room and saw James's saddle gun.

"Oh my god those idiots." She whispered to herself grabbing the saddle gun, and walking out back to Eric and her Dad.

"Those Idiots forgot their gun." Amy said in a monotone voice while tossing the gun to Eric.

Amy went back in the tack room to grab a saddle, saddle pad, bridle, cinch, and breastplate for the extra horse. She quietly grabbed another horse and started tacking that horse up. Glancing at Eric who was already looking at her.

As they galloped out towards the west pasture hoping to get there faster than the wranglers would have. As they were galloping towards the far west pasture, Amy saw James's horse spooking and running while James was fighting his horse, but she couldn't see Brian. As she was looking for Brian she saw a big grizzly bear chasing after James on his horse. She turned her horse and the horse she was leading over to help them.

Eric who was riding next to her as her Dad was upfront, heard her horse peel off away from them, Eric called out to Amy, "Amy where are you going!" Right after he said that he saw what she was running to. "Mr. Jensen, Amy found them." and began going in that direction.

As Amy came up by James, James's horse was rearing and trying to bolt but James was attempting to keep him under control. Amy came to stop next to James and his horse and she reached out to grab his reins. James turned his head over to see who was next to him. "Oh my good its so good to see you!" He yelled while his horse was still going crazy, snorting and pawing about the bear that was trying to knock down a tree.

"Where is Brian?" Amy asked immediately. James point towards the tree the bear was trying to knock down in the forest.

"James catch." She said to him and tossed the saddle gun to him as Eric came up next to us. Halting his horse from a gallop to stand between James and I. "Is Brian in the tree" he asked. Trying to look for Brian in the tree.

"Yep" Amy replied plainly while James got off his horse, I grabbed his horse and started to back the horses up James walked closer to the bear with his rifle at the ready.

Amy's Dad came trotting up on his little sorrel horse. "You shot a bear?" Amy started walking her horse over to hand off James's horse to James and walked over to Brian with his horse, who was getting out of the tree. "Thank you" Brian said to Amy as he grabbed the horse he would ride home.

Amy turned around and saw Eric walking over on his horse. Amy smiled and stopped her horse, happy she didn't have to lead to horses anymore. "Let's go home" Eric said as he approached her.

This was actually my ELA assignment, my teacher said "I enjoyed reading your short story" so I decided to post this here and see what you guys think if anyone finds it.

987 words total*