[PHASE 2] KEEP AWAY

The horse must have been a lion in a past life. He was artful, dexterous, with shrewd eyes that could burn through you and a roar that could rattle a man to his bones. The way he evaded and methodically planned his attacks even had Mack wondering if the horse would end up as a yard ornament. Not that the stallion didn’t have full potential with his charming coat. A horse like that though, it would be much nicer to be able to show off. 

The old man, still persistent as ever, butt heads with the stallion time and time again. Both an elegant display of arrogance and endurance. The ballad of idiots. Mack’s cackling filled the air from the fence post he sat on, the stallion with his head raised high and waving around the rope as if taunting Joseph with. Both of them panting, tired, sweaty, and still toe to toe with little progress made.

“The way you both runnin’ around out there, I’d say you’d make a good rodeo clown.” Mack laughed out at the old man.

“I know you ain’t talkin’ to me like that boy!” Joseph growled out through breaths as he and the stallion found themselves in a staring contest. 

“Are you ever gonna give it a rest, old man?” Mack barked out. 

The stallion snorted, arching his neck and shaking his head as if to answer with Joseph’s immediate, ‘No!’

“Don’t you have anythin’ better to do than sittin’ there grinnin’ like a jack ass eatin cactus?” Joseph barked out at him. 

“I can’t think of anything better to do.” Mack chuckled out.

The stallion puffed and took a few steps back, Joseph following every step until the stallion arched his neck and twisted his body in ways that would make an acrobat envious of form. Joseph let out a curse as he dodged a kick by the skin of his teeth, turning toe to make a run for the fence and throw himself over it with the stallion pursuing close after him. Hooves skid across the dirt, the stallion roaring after him before he pranced off with his tail flagging behind him in a show of triumph. 

“What exactly are you tryin’ to get done?”

Joseph shook his head, dusting his shirt off once he had found his feet again and grumbling over a tear that wouldn’t be worth patching. 

“I’m workin’ him, we’re makin’ some progress. Just gotta break him of his mean streak.”
“Looks more like he’s workin’ you from here.” The blonde remarked. 

Joseph shook his head, reaching up to Mack and the younger man not missing a beat in handing him his pack of cowboy killers and the faded flint wheel lighter. The older man pulled a cigarette with his teeth and flicked fire to life. 

“That horse… he's fuckin’ beautiful, isn't he?” Joseph grumbled out.

“A real showstopper… You know, I can try to talk up one of the directors. Maybe get you a bit in the show with him.” Mack teased out.
“Would you learn to quit while you’re ahead?” Joseph spewed out the smoke as he leaned his arms on the fence and watched the stallion as he paraded himself around the ring. 

“Boss keeps gettin’ the best of you. Think he takes you for a half-wit. Look at ‘im.”  

“Boss?” Joe scoffed, his whiskers twitching with distaste as he looked up at the younger man sitting on the edge of the fence. “Is that what  you’ve takin’ to callin’ im?”

“Well, yeah.” Mack chuckled, glancing down at him before looking back at the stallion that came to a stop in the clearing. The horse bobbed his head, snorting and fanning his tail for a moment in a final display. He was like one of those paintings where no matter where you stood or moved, the eyes always seemed to follow. 

“Why’d you figure?” He asked as he scratched at his stubbled chin and let out a groan. “Don’t answer that.” 

Mack snorted at the redaction of the question, “Come on, look at him. You already know.”

Joseph caved and let out a chuckle, “Damned horse has a hell of a spirit, he ain’t too keen on bein’ touched. I think I’d call him Diva before Boss.” 

“I’m still gonna call him Boss.”

“Yeah.. Yeah I know you will.” Joseph said as he finished off the cigarette and flicked the cherry off, snuffing it out with his boot as he handed Mack the pack with the lighter in it. 

“You know you ought to quit smokin’, you might be able to outrun him if you did.” 

Joseph climbed back over the fence, waving dismissively at Mack’s concerns as he turned his focus back to The Boss. 

The stallion lifted his head as Joseph’s feet landed back in the fence, his nostrils flaring as he huffed and puffed. 

“When I’m done with you, there won’t be enough left of you to snort.” Joseph grumbled under his breath. This stallion was going to be the bane of his existence, but as stubborn as he was, the old man had seen some progress. Enough to keep getting him back in the ring with him to try the same approach on repeat- as fruitless as it seemed to Mack.

The stallion went toe to toe with him again, waving his head and the rope swaying in front of him before backstepping a few paces and jumping into a gallop around the older man. Joseph, he didn’t have as much fight in him as he had before he got chased out. 

“It almost seems like he’s taking it easy on you now.” Mack teased. “I think you made it a game for him.”

“What, you wanna get in here and give ‘im a go?” Joseph asked out, keeping his eyes on the horse that galloped away from him before slowing to a trot. 

“You know what old man, yeah.” Mack challenged him as he dropped himself into the pen with them. “Go sit your ass down and I’ll show you how it’s done.” 

Joseph shot daggers in his direction, pointing a firm finger at him and shaking it. 

“We’ve been over this time and time again boy.” The grizzled man scolded with venom in his voice. 

The stallion, as if to add to the mockery, pointed his nose and neck in Joseph’s direction and let out a loud screech after him. It was enough for the man to pick up his pace and get over the fence to look back and see the appaloosa had not charged him, but instead flaunted himself with a high kick backwards, a flagged tail and another acrobatic spin where he landed with a snort. 

Mack couldn’t help but to start laughing, “This horse, man, he’s got you runnin’ like a little girl!” He cracked out as he boldly started to approach the stallion and attempt to grab the lead. 

Boss, respectful of his name, reminded Mack that he held no exception to his rage when a hand so much as appeared to be reaching for his coat. The stallion made a display of himself, his teeth baring as he rocked on his hooves and twisted himself around like the most elegant of ice skaters to kick at Mack. 

As quick as The Boss was to remind him, Mack was quick to remember and kicked up dust trying to get out of the way of the well aimed kick. 

Joseph’s heart sank, the moment the horse started his display the old man was halfway out the fence and was only stopped at the sight of Mack forcing his slim body between the bottom two boards of the fence to get away from the stallion that was following in hot pursuit. 

“Goddammit boy!” Joseph barked out as he pulled his leg back over the fence and dropped down to run over to him.

Mack accepted his extended hand to be lifted to his feet, shaking, but grinning from ear to ear.  

“You’re gonna get yourself killed like that!” 

“How’s what I did any dumber than what you’ve been doing?” Mack chuckled out as he shook his head, watching the stallion as he paraded once more around the pen. 

Joseph let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head before he pulled out his pack and sparked another cigarette. 

“What- What you ‘suppose happen to make ‘im like this?” Mack asked, bracing his hands on his shaking knees as he watched The Boss parade around the pen. 

Joseph’s eyebrow raised in the stallion’s direction, watching him as those blue eyes watched them both with pride and arrogance. The stallion, he had won this round and he knew it. 

“I don’t know boy, looks like it’s more than just bein’ forgot in a field somewhere though.” Joseph confessed as he blew smoke from his nose and shook his head. 

“Why don’t you go grab the horses, we can get ‘im back to the stall today.”

“What a horrible punishment to the free spirited animal.” Mack remarked with a tinge of bitterness in his voice as he dusted himself off and walked past the old man to gather their horses from the hitch and pull them around. 

Joseph climbed onto Mamma, his brilliant golden mare than The Boss had been nothing less than interested in. Mack leapt onto Lady, shaking his head as he gathered the rope and followed Joseph around the pen. 

“Least we have the advantage on him.” Mack chuckled out.

Joseph shook his head, “How’d you figure.”

“He’s awfully keen on bein’ nice with the girls.” Mack chuckled out. “I don’t think we’d get ‘im in and out without ‘im.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, boy.”

Mack rolled his eyes at the stubborn older man, as if he had forgotten how much effort it had taken them to get the stallion here in the first place and how much easier the job got when the stallion was too busy trying to flirt with the mares to put up a fight on where he was going.