Nova

Birthday Puppies

"How tall was she ?" Anna, asks as Hope, shows her a photo album of me and Faith. "17.3 hands" I respond quietly as I twist the horse hair bracelet around my wrist. "Looks like she had some draft in her" Anna, comments and I nod. "We think she came from a California, herd but we never were a hundred percent sure because herds in Idaho, Nevada and Oregon have draft horse ancestry as well. She was also a recuse so that made it harder to get information on her. In fact we're never sure of her exact age" I tell Anna, as I recall the first time I saw Faith. She had already pasted though several hands and had a pretty nasty past and it was impossible to get close to her. It took three months of stolen moments when no one was watching and smuggled treats before she started trusting me. Looking back I think she started to warm up to me because she was lonely and I was the only person who she had contact with that left her alone. Our stolen moments became more frequent and longer as her trust in me continued to grow little by little. Eventually mom figured out our secret friendship but instead of being mad at me for befriending a horse everyone deemed dangerous and too far gone she encouraged our friendship. Under mom's watchful gaze our trust in each other grew by leaps and bounds intill the point she would let me touch her. Anyone else she would have probably bitten their hand off but she just stood there still as stone with her sapphire eyes closed. That was the day when we knew that she wasn't the mare everyone pegged her to be and that she could have another chance at life. That was the day I gave her the name Faith. By the time I was ready for my own horse it was obvious to everyone that the grullo mare was my mare. Unfortunately Faith, wasn't no young filly but her last six years were her best. She was born a wild mustang, she spent the majority of her life passing from owner to owner each one worse then the last but she died a well loved and well cared for mare who was apart of my family. Maybe one day I'll find another horse like Faith, but that's a long ways off and horses like Faith, are the type of horse that occur once in a lifetime if your lucky. Suddenly the door bell rings cutting me away from my thoughts as Ms. O'mally, opens the door for a lady carrying a dog crate. She's small with short cut brown hair and dark hazel eyes. "Lilac glad you could make it how's it going?" Anna, asks as the young women walks over to the couch's. Inside the crate I can hear at least one dog maybe more. "Last Chance, had her foal last week" the women Lilac, tells Anna, as she sits down next to her putting the crate on the floor. "So who's the birthday girl ?" Lilac, asks as she opens the crate. Almost immediately a small furry blur rushes out of the crate.  "I am" I tell her as I watch the puppy explore the room and notice that no one seems too surprised by the puppy almost like they were expecting this. "Like him ?" Lilac, asks noticing the fact I'm watching the puppy. He's a beautiful rich red with white paws and a white chest. I nod as the puppy comes trotting over to me and puts his paws on my knee. "His sister is being a bite shy today" Lilac, tells me and I relize there's another puppy in the crate as I pick the puppy up and set him on my lap only to be assaulted  by him as he licks my face with his little pink tongue. "What's his name ?" I ask as the puppy settles down on my lap content to let me pet him. "He doesn't have one yet figured you want to name your puppy" Lilac, tells me and it dawns on me why she brought two puppies to my party, why no one else was surprised when the puppy was running around the room. "So what's you going to name him sis?" Hope, asks me as she tries to coax the other puppy out of the crate. "Hope, let the puppy be, Alexandria, take your time theirs no rush to name them" Mr. O'mally, barks sternly at my sister before kindly telling me to take my time. I look down at the puppy with his rich red coat that reminds me so much of Fergus's, hair during the summer months. "Fergus, his name is Fergus" I mumble before repeating the words clearly for all to hear. Eventually the other puppy ventures out of the crate. She's a beautiful blue merle with slightly less white then Fergus. Her blue coat reminds me much of Faith's, bluish grey coat but Faith, isn't the right name for the puppy. "Fae, I want to name her Fae" I speak as Fergus, jumps down and starts playing with his sister. "After Faith's, nickname?" Casimir, asks me "Faith didn't seem to suit her but she definitely reminds me of Faith" I tell him. "Why not Twilight Sparkle, and Spike, instead ?" Hope, asks me and I literally do a faceplam. "You've been watching way too much of My little pony" I tell my eight year old sister as I get over my shock of what she suggested. "What about James, and Amber ? Or Skye, and Chase ?" Hope, goes on and I swear my sister can be remarkably mature at times but remarkably immature at times as well. "I am not naming them after a prince and princess in a Disney Jr cartoon or after two dogs in paw patrol" I tell my sister with as much patience as I can. "Is that your horse ?" Lilac, asks me having noticed the open photo album left on the coffee table. "Was my mare. She died from colic just over two years ago" I tell Lilac, sadly. The rest of the evening is spent talking about horses, a trip to the local pet store for puppy supplies although Mr and Ms O'mally already got most of the stuff before hand.