CountryCore Series: Hold Your Horses (WLW)

Fillies Galore

Happy Pride Month! Here's a bonus chapter in celebration!

Kennedy stood idly by as she watched the newest filly on her family ranch galloping around her secluded, training corral and thought of the amount of neglect she must have faced at such a young age for her to be so terrified of any human or equine contact. She was a gorgeous Palomino of about two years and not only had she responded poorly to her rescuers helping her out of a thorny, thick brush on the abandoned property, but she was fearful of all others with whom she had contact and then some. Hopeful that the other colts and fillies may help her to acclimate on the farm, exposure to them had done the exact opposite and Kennedy could feel the sting of fright cast toward as it crashed into her chest and clenched tightly onto her heart.

Poor, sweetheart... She thought as she took a step closer, but felt a hand on her upper arm, turning to find her Uncle Gregory sent her a wary eye. It was odd, seeing him caring about her wellbeing, yet she couldn't welcome it. Especially when it infringed upon one of the few normalities she was able to retain after he showed up at her family farm. Wilson Bee & Horse Farm was a good forty acres, which should have been enough to avoid the spiteful man, but he'd made that particular obstacle quite daunting. Shrugging from his grasp, Kennedy put her finger along her mouth when he tried to interject and turned away. She hoped it would keep him quiet, at least for the time being.

Right now, all her focus needed to be with the scared animal still bucking around the corral.

Kennedy inched closer to the filly and ran her eyes over her length, smirking as she parted her lips, "You look like a peach pie on a Saturday mornin', don't you?" The horse glanced over at her and skittered backward until its butt hit the fence. Immediately understanding she needed her space to move, Kennedy walked to the center of the corral and knelt down, dipping her head. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pear slice, taking a bite from it. Slowly, the filly inched closer toward her and began trotting circles around her as she settled back onto her buttocks. As she passed by her right side, she held out another slice and it promptly disappeared from her fingers. A sigh with a soft nicker at its end carried toward her from behind and she peeked back at the young Palomino with a grin. It cautiously regarded her as it chewed and sniffed the air and she chuckled. "Yup, you seem like a Peaches to me. Do you like that name...?"

Holding out another slice of pear, the filly scrambled back several paces, yet not as far as just earlier. Over the last few days, Kennedy spent most of her time simply sitting in the midst of her training corral just to the right of her tiny home, getting the animal more used to her presence. The other horses were kept on her parents' side of the property and toward the back in an attempt to ease her into being around them, though there was one that always lingered nearby to keep an eye on whatever occurred. That just so happened to be Mathias, the one stallion on their property with a long, lucious black coat along his mane, tail and legs. The only white on his pelt was near his ankles and Kennedy peeked up to find him grazing nearby her small cottage, peering up at them every now and again as if to check that things were still alright.

Mathias was very protective of Kennedy and had been since he came to live with her and her family, spending the bulk of his time attached to her side. Although, ever since her uncle came to stay with them, he'd been keeping his distance each time he was within her vicinity. Even Mathias could tell that if it were up to Kennedy, Uncle Gregory wouldn't be welcome, but her father had a soft spot for his little brother having fallen on hard times. Unable to get another preaching job after his last fell through -- he'd offended someone within his congregation yet again and refused to apologize -- her father hadn't hesitated to welcome him with open arms.