Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Chapter 6

Amelia sat atop Trigger, watching as Arthur climbed up on Ebony. He situated himself before letting out a sigh and looking up at Amelia.

"Alright," he began, "you ready for a little riding?"

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"Well, I'm gonna teach ya a few things to know about a horse, which means a little bit of riding ahead."

She nodded. "Okay." She was nervous, but tried not to show it.

"Alright, come on." Arthur turned Ebony towards the road and gave her a kick. She began to trot a little quick.

Amelia did the same for Trigger, but went slow. She eventually gave him another kick and he began to catch up to Arthur.

When Trigger caught up, Amelia pulled back on the reins a little so they were riding side by side.

"Alright, firsts things first, never ride for too long," Arthur began, feeding Ebony an apple, "a horse is just like a person. They need to stop and rest for a little bit every once in a while. If you keep pushing it, it'll buck ya."

Amelia nodded.

"Second thing is, always take care of it. Make sure it has plenty of food, and when needed, water as well. Normally in towns, you'll find a water supply next to the hitching post, but in the wild, try and find a creek or some sort of water source."

Amelia nodded again.

"And last, treat your horse with respect and love, and it'll do the same for you. Give it attention, and it'll stay loyal to you. The more of a bond you have with your horse, the more tricks you'll be able to do with."

Amelia hummed as she patted Triggers neck. "How long have you had Ebony?"

"A few months now. My last one passed away, so I bought her. She's a good horse."

"She bucked me." Amelia pointed out.

"Well, that's because you weren't me. I tell ya what, first time a guy tried to take her, she bucked him faster than a bull let loose," he chuckled, "she's a good one."

Amelia couldn't help but smile. Ebony was loyal to Arthur, and she hoped that Trigger would be the same with her.

"How long does it take to bond with a horse?"

"That depends on the person and the horse."

"How do you mean?"

"Well," he gave Ebony a small kick, and Amelia followed, "we'll take a friend of mine for example. His name is Bill. He's an idiot, but he does love his horse. It took him maybe two weeks to bond with his horse. He may be an idiot, but he's loyal to his steed. Another friend of mine, his name is John. It took him three months to bond with his horse. John never was a horse man, and his horse was loyal." He gestured to himself. "Me, well, I'm a mix of both. I'm a horse person, but I'm also not. But with Ebony here, it took me two days to bond with her. And I've heard some good things about Criollo horses. One of the best steeds around. Now, it just depends if you're a horse person or not."

Amelia shrugged. "This is my first horse, so I wouldn't know. My momma and daddy never owned any horses."

"That so?"

Amelia nodded. "They had maids and butlers to do all their running around. I wasn't allowed to leave the house, momma and daddy almost never left, so I wouldn't know if I'm being honest."

"Well, you're still young, you still got time."

Amelia smiled. "I guess that's so," she ran her fingers through her hair with one hand, "how old are you anyway?"