Misty walked forward happily, her refined head swinging back and forth with her walk beats. Wesley nodded, pulling up one leg and hooking it around the saddle horn with a slight wince. His eyes showed minor pain, possibly from his leg being in that position. He listened to what she said, nodding. "Out here a spooky horse results in a dead rider. We need very solid horses to stay steady when a bull charges them. We need steady horses to plant their feet when a cow tries to run away... while tied to the horse. We need steady horses so that when the cows stampede, the horses don't freak out as well. One of my jobs on the farm is to breed steady, dependable horses. West is a Quarter horse that I bred myself, and Misty is a Morgan I bred myself. The colt I was training earlier is Misty's foal, another purebred Morgan. It's just a safety hazard." Wesley answered, letting his one leg drop back down and pulling the other leg up to loop around the saddle horn the same way.

"I can't say Thoroughbreds would fare too well here then." Ella said, looking down at Misty with admiration. The bucksin mare was certainly a change, but a good one nevertheless. She was happy not to be thrown around at the sight of headlights for once, or have to struggle to say seated just because a bin bag was blown ever so slightly in the wind. Being on Misty was a lot more calming, and she didn't have to constantly be on high alert, just incase the horse bolted. "My first homebred horse was a Thoroughbred, Apollo. He would have been scared to death of the cows here. He needed extra attention i'll be honest." She adjusted her seat and posture, having slacked slightly. "It's a lot more calming with Misty. I think I prefer it, for now anyway." She smiled, speaking softly. Another thing she had to do around her horses. Soon enough, she realised they were really back, and she pulled Misty slightly to level with West. "Thank you." She said, tentatively. That wasn't something she was really used to saying so quickly, especially to people she had met that day. Still though, Wesley seemed nice enough. And she certainly didn't want to get on his, or anyones, bad side here. She was here to stay, for now.

Wesley laughed, shaking his head. "No, Thouroughbreds are good for race tracks and fancy jumping but putting one out here would be like putting West in a race." He commented, smiling as he patted the grey horse. "Eh, cows are not for everyone." Wesley replied, rolling his shoulder. "I'm glad riding Misty is calming." He said slowly, then tilted his head when Ella thanked him. Why? He did not exactly know... but still, he inclined his head to show he appreciated it. He looked confused as a lone calf came past, bleating mournfully... with no mother in sight. Wesley immeidetely dropped his leg and dismounted, jogging over to the calf and checking it for injuries. He then looked around, not seeing the mother. Wesley went back to West and reached in his saddle bag, pulling out a rope. He made a makeshift halter and tied it around the calves head, holding it out to Ella. "Please hold this." He said firmly, practically shoving it in her hand. Wesley then mounted again and urged West into a canter, heading towards a stand of ferns. Just as he suspected, there lay the mother, entangled in a trap meant for wolves. Her leg was twisted beneath her, and she was definitely dead. "Damn those hunters." Wesley cursed under his breath, clenching his fists. He shook his head and took a breath, riding back to Ella and dismounting West yet again, taking the calf. He threw West's reins over the stallions neck and started walking forward with a sigh, leading the calf. They weren't too far from home, plus this calf was malnourished and needed help quickly.

Ella had been zoned out after Wesley stopped talking, just staring around her widlife and nature, her eyes glazed over. It was a habit when she was anxious, and was not something she could control. It became a problem when she crashed her car.

She was quickly pulled out of the daydream when Wesley shoved what looked like a halter attached to a rather thin lookingcalf, and all she could do what nod in surprise as he walked away. She stared at the calf with a slight pang of sadness, but it was hard to really feel anything at all towards it-she'd never been around animals other than horses and dogs. Ella watched Wesley make his way back over, frowned. He looked unhappy. "Whats the problem?" She asked quite quietly, dropping Mistys reins with the hand she'd been holding them with, to scrape hair out of her face.

West followed Wesley as the man trudged through the grass, gently coaxing the calf forward but at the same time looking angry and depressed. "You don't want to know." He answered, nudging the calf forward until the ranch came into view. Wesley went into the horse barn and opened the door for West, who automatically went into the stallion's stall, then he closed it again. Wesley tied the calf to the stall door and went to do what he could for Ella, but he still looked drained of his former light and happiness.

"Right." Was all Ella had to say as he made his comment. Sure, she didn't need to know absolutely everything going on at the place she was staying, but she certainly wasnt going to get slammed at some point for "not helping" when in reality she was never told anything. Her dad was excellent at doing that to her.

She slid off Misty, not really looking at Wesley as she put the mare away and untacked. Her mood had been ruined, not only by Wesleys seemingly unhappier mood, but also because staying happy for that long seemed like a chore.

sorry its so short, bit tired)

(that's fine)

-

Wesley's shoulders sagged slightly as he entered West's stall, standing there for a moment before sighing. He untacked the horse swiftly before walking over to Ella. "Sorry for being so unhappy all of the sudden. There are some ... poachers ... that like to kill different animals, mostly wolves, and they sneak onto the ranch's land to do it. This calf's mother was their latest victim, because the cows get stuck in the wolf traps. I just felt bad because this keeps happening... and also, now I will have to spend every minute of my day nursing the calf back to health which will setback my normal training with the horses." Wesley explained, his expression lightening slightly. He turned to go brush down West, hoping and praying the girl was okay by herself for a little bit. After taking care of the horse Wesley took the calf, coaxing it to the tackroom and searching for a bottle. He went out to the cow barn, went to a milking cows stall, took a couple minutes to milk the bottle full, and finally sat down on a haystack to feed the calf. The small creature laid down with its head in Wesley's lap, sucking away gently at the milk with half-closed eyes. "Almost worth it." he murmured to himself.

Ella didnt really have time to actually respond to what Wesley said, all she could do was nod in response before he left. She frowned as he walked away, and turned to Misty, gently stroking her neck. The mare seemed happy to have the company, and even though Ella could stay and look at the mare for ages, she did not want to catch any of the cowboys alone. So, she headed to her room, passing Wesley and what looked like calf, and simply just..sat on her bed. There was nothing to do. If she had been given a schedule, it would have been so much easier, but no. She was left to do things by herself.

After what seemed like an eternity of sitting looking at her phone without an aim, Ella headed back outside, raking her hair back into a ponytail as she did so. It was quite warm out, and having her hair down only made her warmer. Though the scar on her cheek was a lot easier to see now, and she hated it. She made her way back to the barn, just to see Misty for a while, though she couldnt help but wonder what Wesley was doing. Or how he was doing. Or the calf.

Wesley glanced up as Ella walked inside, sighing slightly. -At least Misty got to be ridden today- He thought, tipping the calf's head forward a little so it could drink the rest of the little bit of milk. Once that was gone he guided the sleepy bundle of legs and bones to a small stall in the barn with lots of hay, gently laying the calf down there. It fell asleep quickly, seeming quite content. Wesley went in and rubbed Misty's neck, offering her a treat with a smile. "You're doing really good. Good girl." he murmured. He then went and got the spry cold, wrestling a halter on the bouncy thing. "C'mon." He mumbled to the red dun, leading it out to the roundpen and working with it, avoiding getting kicked twice and getting bitten once. "Could you please use your HEAD instead of your HARD HOOVES." Wesley snorted, backing the colt up before pivoting him,

Ella payed no attention to Wesley as she walked, just looking through the barns. She had spent time with Misty for a bit, but soon got bored. There was nothing to do here, at least not whilt she was new and alone. She glanced over at a lt being led out by Wesley, but kept herself to herself. It was best, really. She perched on a couple hay bales, where she could see Wesley and the colt, but hoped he couldnt see her. Her mood was dampened by being a bit homesick, and now she knew this would last for a while. She pulled up her sleeves, and stared down at the pink, fading scars on her underarm, swallowing hard. Some were stitched up, and permanent. Some were fading quickly. One travelled from her palm to near her elbow. And one was the day before she left. Not a scar, but a wound. She sighed, trailing her fingers over them, before tucking her arm back away. No point wallowing over the past now, is there?