Chapter 442. A Father and Some Stupid Horses: Horses are Jerks. (2/4)

I cautiously approached Bella from the side, but she turned away and shunned me despite Dawn trying to rein her in. How pathetic is this? Rejected not once, not twice, but three times in one day by horses. I wasn’t confessing undying feelings of love or anything, but it still got me down. Am I cursed to be hated by all animals?

My shoulders slumped down dejectedly as my gaze lowered to the ground.

“Haha, it seems I really am hated, huh?” I grumbled quietly to myself in low spirits.

“Watch out!” Dawn called out in a panic.

A defending horse’s roar immediately followed Dawn’s warning.

I looked up, startled, my eyes opened wide and my heart leaped through my chest. I fell backward and just narrowly avoided two horse hooves kicking me directly in the face. Bella’s head was lowered down to the ground as she bucked and kicked out with her hind legs toward my face. My heart beat out of control as I sat flat on my ass and stared wide-eyed, aghast, in horror at my would-be murderer had it not been for Dawn’s warning just now.

Bella’s hoof had only been a hair’s breadth away. I broke out into an uncontrollable sweat as chills ran down my back and the image of my caved-in skull flashed through my mind. 

That was… too close for comfort. Who’s really the devil here? Aren’t horses the true devilish fiends? They’re clearly vicious creatures.

As I looked up at the horse towering over me, I couldn’t help but feel small and powerless. Animals were really scary after all. If this was a domesticated one, just how formidable was a wild one?

“Ran! Are you okay!” When I turned my head to the side Rosa was there. She had a worried look in her eyes as she stared at me and felt my forehead.

“I’m… okay.”

“Are you sure? It looked like you were hit directly in the head.”

“I got really lucky and it just barely missed me.”

“Haaaah. Thank god. I thought I was about to be a widow.”

“You don’t really need to worry about that, we’re not exactly married yet.”

“We’re just about as good as that.” We own each other’s souls, was what the look in her eyes conveyed.

“Sorry for worrying you. I was careless just now. I should’ve been more attentive.”

“It’s not your fault Ran, I don’t know what’s wrong with them today,” Dawn suddenly spoke up. She glared at Bella and clenched her fist tight before she continued, “Why are they acting up like this?”

“I’ve always been bad with animals. It’s not their fault, animals just don’t like me.”

“That can’t be right.”

“We should just forget about horse riding today, we can do something else,” Rosa suggested.

“Haaaah, yeah. It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to ride them together at this rate.”

“What if I try to ride with one of you?”

“It’s too dangerous with how they’re acting today.”

“Hey, don’t you have one more horse?”

“We do… have one more horse. Why?”

“Is that one also a mare?”

“No… but I wouldn’t recommend trying that one.”

“Why not?”

“He’s a lot more aggressive and even I can’t ride him. He only lets dad ride him. He’s stubborn and the problem child of the four horses we have.“

“Can you at least let me try?”

“I mean… I can bring him out, but are yuh sure?”

“It’s honestly frustrating getting the cold shoulder by a bunch of horses.”

“Aren’t yuh afraid?”

“Of course I’m afraid.”

“Then why try riding an even scarier horse?”

I shrugged and responded, “So I won’t be afraid of the less scary ones. If I see a truly scary one, then I figure I won’t be afraid of these horses. I don’t like being scared of things. Right now, I’m mostly only scared because I don’t understand horses at all. If I understood them better, I’d definitely be less afraid of them. All I see when I look at a horse is something bigger than me that could easily kill me if it wanted to.”

“I really don’t think it’s a good idea though…”

“I can sign a waiver if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m not worried about being sued if yuh get hurt, I’m worried that yuh will get hurt or even worse die if there’s an accident.”

“If I die, then oh well, so be it. Nature got the best of me in that case and I’ll have no one to blame but myself for being stubborn.”

“Rosa, talk some sense into him. Your boyfriend’s gone crazy from being rejected by too many horses.”

“Hehehe, I don’t see the problem. Just let him try. If he’s got a death wish then that’s on him.”

I really don’t want to lose to horses. It was one thing to act like snobs, but to go so far as to almost kill me too? Screw you! So what if you’re bigger and stronger than me?

Being looked down upon by horses, the more I thought about it, the more ticked off I felt.

I rose to my feet more determined than ever to successfully ride one of these horses. First I’d face an even scarier one so I could try one of these again. Try throwing me off again after I take a journey through hell and back, I dare you to try.

Devils were creatures who lived in hell. What sort of hell had these horses been through to look down on me and think of themselves as if they were superior? If I was bitten I’d bite back twice as hard. 

“Alright… then… I’ll go get Moonlight.”

Moonlight is his name? What the hell, that doesn’t sound scary at all.

When Dawn returned with Moonlight, I immediately regretted that thought. The bulging muscles on this all-black horse were no joke. This guy oozed of testosterone. I could practically smell it.

I took a deep breath in, pulled out one of my earbuds, stuck it in my left ear, and pressed the center button on the volume control to play whatever song was on my phone. I nearly burst out into laughter when I heard what played.

Counterattack Mankind. It was a soundtrack from Attack on Titan.

I didn’t shrink back when in Moonlight’s presence. If he knew I was scared of him, things would only end the same way they had with the mares.

When Moonlight noticed I was staring him down, he snorted disdainfully.

“You’re really sure you want to do this?” Dawn asked nervously while holding Moonlight’s reins.

“I’m sure. Either I ride him, or I die trying.”

“Are yuh an idiot? If it really looks dangerous, I’m dragging you away by force if I have to. I don’t want to carry the responsibility of digging a grave for you.”

“Haha, then I’ll be relying on you if I’m about to die.”

“I’m not gonna let it reach that point.”

I squared off with Moonlight and looked him dead in his dark brown eyes which bordered on pitch black. They resembled my own. He had a long thick black mane and tail. They flowed freely through the air whenever a gust of wind blew by. 

I’d carefully observed the way Dawn interacted with and handled the horses every time they acted up. She always approached them calmly and confidently. She treated them as an equal. She didn’t fear them. She respected them and they respected her.

Respect was earned, not given. Dawn had earned their respect. I obviously hadn’t. Though she said she was unable to ride Moonlight, it was clear Moonlight at least listened to and respected her to a certain degree.

In sync with the soundtrack blasting in one ear, I took my first step forward, and I didn’t hesitate to take the second. Horses could easily see through and detect any hesitation and unease in your stride. I’d learned that lesson from my previous three failed experiences. The lowest common denominator in each of those experiences was my internal hesitation and unease. That was conveyed to them and they rejected me.

Who’d ever want to be close to someone who feels that way when they’re around you? Clearly, no one would.

Horses were intelligent, they weren’t idiots. They had their own way to communicate.

I’d learned that by listening to them closely. The different sounds they made meant different things and I’d heard quite a few things in this short period of time. From nickering to neighing, snorting, squealing, and roaring. 

They even had their own types of body language. Rearing, bucking, nudging, nuzzling, resting their head on you, etc. There were a lot of subtle little things, many of which I naturally couldn’t understand with my limited knowledge of horses, but it was very easy to see their actions had intent.

When I was a few feet away, Moonlight reared, stood on its hind legs, and roared out loudly. It was far louder than the mares.