Cowboy rode into the trees without a backward glance putting distance between himself and just another person who let him down. “‘Why do I find it so hard to fit in with people, she had always been able to join any clique at school and was easily accepted by everyone,” he thought.
Cowboy continued on for a while lost in his thoughts, “Why did I think that maybe, in this place, in this situation she might accept me, maybe I am stupid, my mother didn’t want me why would she. She still sees me as an unworthy outsider.” With these thoughts clouding his mind he missed the signs of tracks on the game trail he was following. Tracks that should have been disturbing.
Smokey threw his head and neighed loudly, coming to an unexpected stop, dancing around with his ears laid flat. Cowboy looked around for any sign of trouble, trusting his friend without question. The bushes to the left rustled and a dark figure darted between the shadows just out of sight. Cowboy tried to find it in the underbrush but could not identify what was moving. Then it burst into the light
“Shit!” Cowboy said out loud as he turned Smokey back towards the pond and once again spurred his horse to full speed, racing along the trail at a dangerous pace. Smokey was one of the fastest horses in this region and it took very little time to get back to the pond. As they once again burst out of the tree line expecting the worst, Cowboy jumped out of the saddle while Smokey was still sliding to a stop.
“Heeeeyyyyyy,” she squealed as he grabbed her by the arm and started to drag her towards Smokey.
“Shut up!” Cowboy said as he easily picked her up and sat her astride the saddle, then quickly mounting behind her, spurring Smokey back into the trees the opposite direction he had come from.
“What the hell?” she demanded as he tightened his grip around her waist to keep her from falling off.
“We gotta get,” Cowboy stated, clearly agitated.
“But my clothes?” she started.
“Later,” he replied.
She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it as she heard…
to be continued:
Captain Jack's words of wisdom. 