Shepherd(A Disney Fan Fiction)

Prologue

If you can't say something nice don't say nothing at all
-Thumper

1881

4-year-old Jake Shepherd is playing out in the field not far from his father's ranch under the eye full watch of his mom. Jake's mother smiles as she sits on the porch of the house watching Jake run around the cattle mooing and running away the closer Jake gets to them, as Jake is running around laughing, he trips falling to the ground, and tears start to stream down his eyes. Jake's mother rushes to Jake's aid to check if he's alright seeing the scrap on Jake's knee, she wipes some of his tears off and brings him to the house. Walking up to the house Jake's father walks out noticing his wife comforting him and the tears coming down his face, Jake's dad walks up to him disappointed and checks on his knee "wanna cry I'll give you a real reason to cry real men don't cry walk it off!" Jake's father told him as he walked back inside giving a nasty look to Jake's mother before slamming the door behind them. Jake, hurt by his dad's words sits down on the porch with his mother's by his side "Mom?" Jake asked as he struggled to keep his emotions in check "Yes Jake?" "Why is Dad always so mean to me and you?" Jake's mother realizing Jake is too young to fully understand tries to tell him in an understanding way "I don't know Jake your dad used to be so loving until he came back from the war" Jake gazed at the cattle in the distance watching them graze, he wished his father was lovable like the man he used to be his mother always telling him and wishing he paid more attention to not trip and hurt himself so he didn't feel like a burden to his father.

Later that night Jake was in his room listening to his mother and father engaged in a heated argument, he stared out the window watching the cattle peacefully grazing in the field trying to find peace in the scene as he clenched his fist remembering what his father told him as he continues to hear his mother and father scream at each other. His father's words echo through his mind as he tries to keep his emotions under control to stay strong, he is heartbroken hearing his mother and father argue he wonders why his father was always so mean to her and why he went to war. Jake was confused and had a lot of questions on his mind as he kept his fist clenched to prevent his emotions from overwhelming him.

A few days later Jake's father takes him behind the barn with his shiny green cattleman single-action revolver in his hand. Jake notices a row of bottles lined up as targets, the idea of shooting guns scares Jake as he nervously walks behind his father "Today you're going to learn to shoot" Jake's father tells him. He puts the gun in Jake's hands standing behind him crossing his arm and wiping his nose. Jake feeling the cold metal and the gun's weight in his hands made him even more nervous, his hands beginning to shake when he aims. With his heart pounding Jake squeezes the trigger the loud bang of the gun causes him to drop the gun discharging it as it hits the ground sending a bullet to fly into the barn. Jake's father's face was a deep furious red grabbing Jake's arm gripping it tightly raising his hand, Jake's heart pounded as tears welled up in his eyes, and he braced himself ready to embrace his punishment. His father let him go and picked up the gun forcefully putting it back in Jake's hands "Try again and I swear if you start crying, you're going to piss me off!!" Jake's dad forcefully cocked the hammer to the revolver as his father stood behind him again. Jake aims nervously holding back tears not wanting to disappoint his father, he takes aim and takes a deep breath to calm himself down despite the rapid beat of his heart and squeezes the trigger and hits one of the bottles he turns to look at his father with pride. A small smile appears on his father's face as he nods his head of approval Jake turned back to the bottles he aims hitting another bottle after another the idea of guns still made him nervous and scared but he got the hang of it real quick which made Jake happy as he looked back to his father again this time a bigger smile on his father's face.