Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Chapter 4

"Steady, now," Arthur said, "don't let her sense your fear, okay?"

"I've never ridden on a horse before." Amelia replied, her voice shaky as she sat on top of Arthur's Dapple Black Thoroughbred.

"You got this," he handed her the reins, "just act confident."

"I'm not confident," she gripped the reins tightly, "this is crazy!"

"Hey." Arthur placed a hand on her knee. "Don't go acting crazy on me. Just be calm and act confident. A horse will buck if they sense fear. Just stay cool. You can do it."

Amelia let out a breath as she looked down at the tall horse. Arthur had to help her climb up. "Just act confident," she mumbled, "okay." She looked down at Arthur. "I'm ready."

He nodded with a smile. "Alright," he took a step back. "Don't pull on the reins. You don't want to yank out her bit. Use your legs, alright?"

Amelia nodded. "What do I do?"

"Give her a little kick, not to hard though, otherwise, she'll go too fast and you'll fall off."

Amelia gave the horse a small kick in the sides. The horse whinnied and bucked, sending Amelia to the ground in a heap. Arthur couldn't help but chuckle as he walked over to the young girl. He held out his hands, helping her stand.

"I told you, I'm not ready!" Amelia yelled, wiping the dirt from her clothes. "I've never done this before!"

"Easy there," Arthur replied, "just calm down. Riding a horse takes practice," he walked over to his horse, bringing her reins around, "you just gotta keep at it."

"I can't do this-"

"Yes you can," Arthur held out the reins, "don't give up just because you failed once. Hell, when I learned to ride a horse, the damn thing bucked me several times. But learning to ride is essential. It's the only way you'll survive out here."

Amelia sighed as she looked up at the tall horse.

"You can do this, Amelia. I know you can. It's just like learning to use a gun."

"A gun can kill people-"

"So can a horse." Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Come on, let's try again."

Amelia nodded as she walked over. She grabbed the horn on the saddle and Arthur hoisted her up by her hips. She situated herself and looked down at the outlaw.

"Are you sure I can do this?"

Arthur nodded and handed her the reins. "Try again. Remember what I told you."

Amelia took the reins and took in a deep breath. She gave the horse a small kick in the sides and instead of bucking, she began trotting forward slowly. Amelia had braced herself for the landing, but when she realized she was moving forward, she relaxed her shoulders.

"That's it," Arthur reassured, "good job."

"I'm doing it," Amelia smiled, "I'm riding a horse!"

"To turn, just pull the reins in the direction you want to go. If you want to turn left, pull the reins to the left."

Amelia slightly tugged the reins to the left. To her surprise, the horse turned.

"Same with the other way. You want to go right, pull them to the right."

She did the same, and the horse turned again.

"Good." Arthur watched as the girl continued trotting. "To stop, pull back on the reins slightly."

Amelia pulled back slightly, and the horse came to a stop next to him. He smiled as he helped the young girl down off the horse.

"I can't believe I just rode a horse!" She jumped up with excitement.

"That was good," he laughed, "I told you you could do it."

Amelia smiled and craned her head upwards to look at the horse. She patted the horses neck and looked back over at Arthur.

"Thank you," she let out a breath.

"Don't thank me yet," he replied, walking around to the other side. He climbed up on his Thoroughbred and held out his hand for Amelia to take. "Let's go get you a horse."

"Arthur-"

"Don't give me that," he replied, taking Amelia's hand and pulling her upwards to the back. "As I said, learning to ride is essential. You can't ride, your as good as dead. You can't use a gun, well, then your animal food for sure."

"But I don't have any money-"

"And that's fine. I got money. You can have a look around, get you a decent horse and a saddle, and I'll take care of it. Okay?"

Amelia let out a sigh and nodded. "Okay."

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Arthur and Amelia came up to a small town. The stables were big though, with plenty of horses to choose from. Amelia marveled at the beautiful horses as Arthur helped her down from the back.

The stable owner looked over at the pair and smiled.

"Good afternoon," she greeted, "how can I help you two?"

"Just in the market for a horse," Arthur began, "she needs one."

"Well, we have some beauties in at the moment," she looked over at Amelia, who was still looking around with a grin.

Amelia stopped at a stall holding a Marble Sabino Criollo horse. She stared at the horse, looking into its blue eyes. "This one is beautiful."

"He's one of our new ones," the stable owner walked over, "do you like him?"

Amelia nodded, petting his mane.

"Is this the one you want?" Arthur asked.

Amelia looked over at him. "Are you sure you're okay with buying me a horse?"

"I'm sure," he replied, pulling out a money stack, "is this the one you want?"

Amelia nodded slowly. The stable owner opened up the stall and lead him out. Amelia watched and looked back at Arthur who handed her a bill stack.

"Can we get a saddle for him too?"

"Of course," the stable owner beckoned the pair to follow her.

After some confusion and frustration, Arthur finally picked out a saddle for Amelia that would suit her small frame. Arthur explained to her about a good saddle and how it would benefit both her and her horse. She listened intently and watched as the stable owner saddled up her new horse.

"Alright," the stable owner handed her the reins, "congratulations, Miss, you now have a horse."

"Thank you," Amelia took the reins.

"Here are your papers, some food, and some grooming supplies." She handed Amelia a brown paper bag. "Have a wonderful day."

Amelia followed Arthur out of the stables. She looked over her horse, petting his mane with a smile.

"I'd say you picked a good one," Arthur chuckled, "come on, let's get out to a field to set up a camp and I'll show ya how to take care of him."

Amelia nodded and used the horn on her saddle to hoist herself up onto the horses back. She gave the horse a small kick to keep up with Arthur.

"So, do you know what you wanna name him?"

Amelia shook her head. "I don't know what I would pick." She looked over at Arthur. "What's your horses name?"

"Well," he patted his horse, "I named her Ebony. She's black dappled, so the name fits her."

"It does," Amelia said with a laugh, "it's fits her very well."

"So, what is his name?"

Amelia hummed, thinking. "I think I'll name him Trigger."

"Huh," Arthur chuckled, "it suits him."

Amelia smiled. "I think so too."