Among Men: Genesis, Book 1

Chapter 6

"Amey."

Tobias called across the field as he dug his pliers into the old fence post, pulling away the barbed wire that needed repair before their steer came in for the season, "Stay by that horse, don't go wandering off!"

He looked over his shoulder, watching as 6-year-old Amethyst dug her fingers into the feed bag for another handful of oats, letting the horse nuzzle into her hand for a bite.

"Her name is Chico!" Amethyst called in response, not moving her eyes away from the oat spilling out between her fingers as the young, painted pinto nibbled into her palm.

Amethyst was a special case at the estate. She was brought in from a program in Nevada that removed children from poverty-stricken homes. She spent her first 4 years of life living in a rehoming facility for special children. Special, in the state's terms, meaning unfortunate or in Amey's case unwanted. Amethyst was brought into the world with glaucomas in both of her eyes, rendering her virtually blind. However, her blindness made her other sense incredibly keen. Her hearing is something of fiction much to Mordred's despise of having surprises ruined almost every Christmas and birthday.

Mordred could feel Amey's resilience from the first time she knelt to her knees to speak to her. She spent the rest of that entire pleading with her father to allow her to take Amethyst as her daughter, seeing that bearing a child of her own was never a life she could possibly live. But one she so much yearned for. That Christmas Eve, the Manor welcomed through its doors, Amey Erwood.

"I think Chico is a boy's name." Tobias said holding the bundle of bad wire with his work gloves, ready to put in the truck for discard later that day, "That's a filly."

"So?" Amey responded, "Mommy has a boy's name. Why do you call it that? It's a girl horse."

Tobias let out a chuckle as they began to argue over more than 10 yards away and he informed her, "Yes, that's what filley means."

Tobias took off his black stetson to wipe the sweat away from his brow and tussle his fingers through his jet black hair he kept swept back under his hat as he sat on the tailgate of his blue Ford pick-up. After his breather, he jumped down to check on his horse, Moose, that was tethered to a tree past the fence line. He was notorious for grazing too far and being tied down was the only way to stop him. He gave him several hardy pats against his crest as he looked over again to watch Amethyst.

He saw to his dismay Amey pulling at the horse's reins and beginning to walk directly in front of her path. He gritted his teeth in annoyance having explained this very lesson just this morning at breakfast. You walk beside a horse, not in front.

"Amey!' He called over with his hands placed on his hips sternly, "What'd I tell you this morning?!"

"What?" She answered having blatantly ignored that lesson over breakfast and swung off his hat swearing,
"Goddammit."

He tightened the saddle already strapped on top of Moose and untethered him from the dead tree branch before climbing on hurriedly, putting his hat back onto his head. He adjusted himself into the saddle and took hold of Moose's reins around his gloved knuckles. Before giving him a small spur from the back of his boots to move, Tobias clicked his tongue against his teeth to get his attention and they jetted ahead.

They started to slow down from their hustled trot across the field and Tobias jerked on the reins quickly to direct Moose to slow down. Amethyst stood away from Chico now, knowing she was in trouble and she turned to Tobias on the approach.

"Amethyst." He snapped as he came to a stop, "You don't ever pull a horse behind you like that. Baby, we talked about this."

"She's thirsty!" Amey bickered and pointed to the water trough across the field where she was headed. Tobias knelt in front of her seeing the redness already blotting below her eyes where she'd been out in the sun too long. He held her shoulders firmly as he started his lecture,