Some people believe in urban legends. Others don't.
Me? Ha. Well... I pick and choose as to when I want to believe something. And the Red Mare was one of them.
Ever since I was a child, it had been rumored all over the county that there was a red and white mare who roamed, and there had never been a person who had been able to catch her yet, or even come close to it. Father said he had seen her multiple times before outside the fences of our pastures, and once or twice noticed her around our horses, but once he glanced back again, she was gone.
Eventually, as I grew into my teenage years, I started to have the wish to find this "Red Mare" for myself. My eyes had never lain on her before, so I didn't quite what I was looking for, so it was almost like a gunshot in the dark. I chose the one day I never expected to find her anywhere to go begin hunting... 9/11.
My mother had passed in the collapsing of the Twin Towers, and every time the day rolled around to mark another anniversary, the pain seemed to still be there, but it hurt a little less every time. I chose the 13th anniversary of her death to go hunt because it was something we would do anyways on her birthday; go ride around the mountains looking for another horse to add to our barn.
I rub Cigar's neck softly, whispering quietly. "Ready to go boy?" The stud snorts and tosses his head softly, shaking down. It was early, about 5 am if I were to guess. He flicked his ears a little and glanced back with his gorgeous blue eyes, swinging his tail around to flick me softly. I had owned Cigar from the moment he was born, and almost bonded with him instantly. He seemed to be like a brother to me... but a horse. He had always been there to listen to my problems silently and made me laugh when I needed it. The painted grullo stallion snorted, stamping a back hoof impatiently.
"Okay! Okay. We'll get going." I said as I clambered into the saddle, taking the reins in my hands almost instantly, allowing him to start forward out of the barn on his own, feeling his body sway slightly beneath me with each powerful step. For his breed, he was a rather large boy, but I never complained. I clicked my tongue, pushing him into a gallop as we headed down the slope of the drive and out into the fields of the Rockies.
We ran the wilderness for a while, seemingly lost, but not due to my GPS of a mind. About 2 and a half hours of searching around, Cigar stops almost instantly in his tracks, snapping his head up and flicking his ears forward, something catching his attention.
"What is it, boy?" I whisper softly, my eyes following his. A soft gasp caught my throat once I saw what he was looking at.
A red dun and white mare stood just a few meters away, enough for me to toss a stone over and hit her in the hindquarters. Cigar remained as silent as a mouse, his eyes on her intensely. The other horse lifted her head slowly, finishing munching on the last mouthful of grass she had just nibbled up, her gaze directed towards me and my stud. I rub my steed's neck softly, gently patting. "It's okay... We're gonna get her..." I murmur lowly, watching her every cautious movement. The Red Mare slowly lowers her head back down to graze, giving me enough time to unroll my lasso a little.
I quietly cluck my tongue, Cigar taking slow steps forward to the mare. I pick up the rope above my head, hopefully gaining enough speed and momentum in the swing to snatch her up before she spooked and took off. I toss the rope forward, managing to get it over her head as it came up, pulling it tight quickly and looping it around the saddle horn. Cigar planted his feet firmly into the soil, the painted mare rearing up on her hind legs to toss her head around. After a few moments, she quickly realized that she couldn't get out of it, Cigar turning back towards home, the mare putting up a slight fight as he had to pull harder against her time and time again to get her to follow.
I look over my shoulder at the wild mare, smiling a little to myself. I wanted to name her after both the day mother passed and the love of my life. We eventually get closer to home and I manage to get her to our side, reaching out to graze my fingers along her cheek.
"Alyx... I'll name you Alyx." I murmur tenderly to the mare with whites in her eyes. She snorted and lowered her head as we walked towards the farm, following us slowly. We eventually made it, allowing me to release her into the round paddock alone, giving her time to herself. I untack Cigar a little bit after, smiling as I hear Cigar whinny back to Alyx's calls. I look back over my shoulder out of the barn, smiling, still letting it sink in that I had caught the urban legend of the county.
"Welcome home."
