Taming a Wild Heart

Intro

She wandered through the decorated town, one of many small towns that resided in wrath. This one in particular was special. A hometown that she unfortunately had no choice but to say farewell to, much too soon. She breathed in the old dusty air she remembered so well. The heavy scent of freshly cut hay lingered too. Although it's been many years, surprisingly it was just like she remembered it. Today the town was nothing but busy with hundreds of imps walking the roads. A line of stands going up as far as the eye could see, an old dunk tank, carnival games, and livestock competitions were seemingly everywhere. "This is new." She thought to herself.

It felt strange to be in a place so familiar yet not have one soul recognize her. Some faces were new but she was amazed at how many people stayed in wrath this whole time. Older folks grew older and the neighbor kids grew up sharing the same face as their parents.  It was a lot to take in.

"The games are starting!!" An older gentleman hollered. Suddenly the imps around her piled into a group heading straight. She followed them until they all began to divide in their own groups. Her eyes scanned the area. A pig wrestling game, barrel racing, and wrestling matches. A couple imps leaned over the fences watching the show.

Her mind flash backed to when her and her cousin used to go horseback riding. All the happy memories came flooding back in. "Aww Leanne and I would've won." She walked over to one empty spot by the fence and stepped up on the wooden board, standing tall.

A dark horse with purple flames raced past her, she could feel the heat sting her skin. It was beautiful. The horse sped up and cornered around a barrel. The crowed shared a sound of disappointment as the barrel fell.

"Dammit! There goes my fifty." An older man across from her cursed.

The rider kicked the horse in the side as they rode off back into the stalls. The crowd still gave a heart warming cheer. It was a couple points docked off but she could still win.

It quieted down and she peered over at the stalls, searching for the next rider. A few minutes later, the judges came to their conclusion on the last contestants points and they radioed for the next one.

A large steed with burning orange flames gave out a strong scream. Her eyes widened as it stepped out of the stall and readied itself at the gate. He was huge! Everyone around her hollered so loud that her ears started to ring.

"Get 'em Striker!!!" A girl cheered.

She folded her arms over the fence post and leaned out more. Her eyes wandered up to the rider. He was definitely a looker and based on his expression he knew it too. She scrunched her nose. Probably another one like the guys in lust. Overly confident, cocky, with nothing to show for.

The gun fired off and the gates flung open. In a blink the horse was gone. "Oh my god." She lit up as he already rounded the first barrel. This was a real horse. Not a single mistake, perfect turns, and every command he listened well. She soon matched the energy of the crowd, cheering along with them as loud as possible.

"Here he comes!!!"

Everyone waved their hands frantically, calling out the riders name. She shook her head, the horse was more impressive, not the rider. He raced by them and locked his eyes on her making her scrunch her nose. "Creep." She muttered. While the crowds reaction seemed a bit over the top she couldn't help but feel a little excited for him. He had to get a perfect score. Definitely earned it.

Next up was a show horse, all cleaned up and decorated. "This one's hopeless." A few shared groans and laughed at it. An hour passed and just like everyone expected Striker had won. Second place was a green flamed horse, third was purple, and fourth was another green one.