THEOrnithologist
P̲̅ᴀ̲̅x̲̅ᴛ̲̅ᴏ̲̅ɴ̲̅❒
Best Friends❒
Paxton rested his chin in his hand, staring at the landscape in front of him. Without turning his head, he said, "Come on, Betsy!" He clapped his hands, and a plump, young cow trudged forward. She mooed loudly, as if complaining about the hike.
Paxton rolled his eyes. "It's not that bad now, only a mile further!" he encouraged, but Betsy stood still and refused to budge. "I'm going now," Paxton teased, his feet kicking up dust on the dirt ground. Betsy the cow reluctantly started forward, her head hanging low.
They had walked for a good half hour when they finally came upon a wooden sign that read "The Shadow Ranch" in fresh, glowing paint above them. Paxton skipped forward and plunged his fist into the air with excitement. "Yee-haw!" he cheered. He turned and ran for Betsy, hugging her. "Don't ya see girl? We're home!" he said, picking up his hat and flinging it onto the fence beside him.
"What'ya recon we do next?" he asked. The cow sighed through her nose, and a mix of warm air and snot landed on Paxton. He brushed it off. "Fine, be like that, but I'm gonna go make some food anyhow. What'dya want?' he asked. The plumie smirked, and looked at the trimmed grass at his feet. "Right, well I'm gonna have some steak- er, hash-browns." he decided, noticing the terrified look on Betsy's face.
Paxton entered his home, to the right of the old barn. He grabbed a glass from the kitchen table and started gulping down some warm water. He had only started to skin the potatoes for his food when he heard a very loud yell coming from outside. He rushed straight towards the stables where Betsy usually laid, to find that she had acquired a splinter from the unpolished wooden fence. "Now, now, I knew I should've started to work on polishing that fence first. Sorry dear, let's get that all cleaned up, I'm sure you'll be fine." Paxton took out a cell phone from his pocket and called the vet, stroking Betsy's black and white fur all the while.
After a long wait, the vet appeared, took the splinter out, and dressed the wound. Impatiently, she told Paxton that the cost was $1,000. Paxton sighed and gave the woman the money, and began stroking Betsy once more as the vet took it. Paxton's brown eyes lingered to the van as she left, and then retreated to Betsy. He threw his arms around her with happiness. "Betsy, you silly girl! Well, there goes the money for that trip to Arizona... oh well though, you mean more to me than the world. You're worth much more than some dumb ol' trip! The adventures we go on are free, anyway." Paxton smiled, and wiped away the sweat on his forehead. He and Betsy watched as the sun set, and stayed outside in the cold until long after the sun went down.
(495 words)
❒
Wanted❒
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What could he have done,
A wanted man so kind?
An odd phenomenon,
Yes it is,
But maybe I've gone blind.
His past is dark and mysterious,
And only told to friends.
He stole the money from the bank,
Just to receive a higher rank.
True it is,
He needed it most,
But really its not much to boast.
But what matters more,
The bitter beginning,
or the far sweeter end?
This cowboy's story is not yet done,
But as for this form,
It's until we meet again.
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