The Old Pasture

Chapter 1

A/N: Hey y'all!!! Thank you so much for reading my book! I present to you chapter one. I really hope y'all enjoy! Please give me feedback on how you like it and what you don't like. There is a lot of dialogue in this chapter... Sorry! XD I think there will be less in further chapters. Love y'all! <3 Kitty 

This new home was... How do I put it? Uh, mesmerizing. I could not get over the fact that I was finally staying somewhere for a while. The foster care system sucked. If they did not like you, you were moved to another house. In my case, I was moved often.  I was different, therefore I was some sort of freak that everyone should keep their distance from. These elderly foster 'parents' of mine seemed to like my uniqueness, so I expected to stay with them for a while. They did not pay much attention to what I did, and they would let me go anywhere I wanted on the property. However, I was forbidden to go into the old pasture. I was not sure why, but there were plenty of other places to hang out. I spent most of my time in the barn with the animals. The animals spent their time in the new pasture.

People stayed at my foster parents (who could probably my great grandparents) inn the entire summer. Summer was about to start, so more people would come. They would all probably be old though. I would most likely not make a friend there aside from the animals I spent my time with.

I walked along the rocky path to the barn. All the animals had names, but my favorite was named Alaska. He was a gypsy stallion. Like all gypsy horses, he had a long, flowing mane and tail. He was colored black and white, and he was certainly a beautiful creature. Sometimes I felt he was the only one who listened to me.

I walked into the barn and looked up. I was a beautiful barn, made all of wood. Slowly, I made my way to the back few stalls. 

"Hey Alaska," I said when I reached his stall. An old western saddle hung along with reigns and a saddle blanket on the wall in the back of Alaska's stall. My foster "grand"parents told me that no one ever rode the horses. They once rode, but no longer.

"Why do we even have them still?" My foster mother, Mavis, asked.

"Well, you said that maybe one day someone would come and want to buy the animals, or ride them," Hilton replied, my foster father. I was glad they have the animals. I would have much rather spent my time with them than people. I clicked my tongue, and Alaska walked over to me from his place in the back of the stall. A smile spread across my lips as I looked at him tenderly. Opening, then closing the stall door, I grabbed a brush and sat down. I started to brush Alaska's mane after he laid down next to me.

"You're a sweetheart," I said. "I've only been here for two days and you already trust me." I looked at him, and I swore he smiled back.

Hearing the dinner bell pierce the air, I stood up and hung the brush on a hook on the wall. Mavis told me that she rung the old bell three times for dinner. The bell could be heard throughout the entire 57 acres of the property. It was a strong sound, one that would be hard to forget.

"I'll see you soon Alaska," I said. The rest of the animals in the barn watched me hurry out to the main inn building. Arriving in the dining room just in time, I sat at the end of the table. we only had four guests at the time; two were guys who were about 26 to 28 and came to hike around the property and ride trails on their bikes. the other two were (of course) an older couple searching for serene land.

"Where have you been all day Hunter? Staying with the animals?" Hilton asked.

"Yeah," I replied after swallowing some mashed potatoes. The food there was wonderful. We had a cook working, since, ya know it was an inn.

"How's that Alaska been?" Mavis asks.

"Really sweet," I spoke.

"Really? That horse is a handful! Won't listen to any orders now will it," Mavis answered. That's strange. Alaska was one of the kindest animals I had met in my life.