Hidden Acres

Chapter Three

                  A few months had passed and Rosy, as everyone had grown accustomed to calling her, had settled into her new routine. The outside world felt like a whole different planet and she was enjoying the feeling of solitude and privacy the  ranch had to offer. Her training with the horses continued smoothly and she no longer felt like an outsider as she regularly enjoyed meal and riding times with the other workers.
             Mara and her had grown closer, regularly exploring the countryside on horseback and enjoying Hidden Acres' miles of land. She was loving life and never in her twenty nine years had she expected to be so happy with everything in her life. With no family to worry about her outside the acres of the ranch, she immersed herself into getting to know everyone and creating a new family.
                 Whistling to herself, she finished with the last training session of the day, deciding a night ride would be fantastic. Spring was finally settling in for the month of May and she wanted to explore with the full moon shining bright in the night sky.  Night rides were always a favorite of hers with how quiet and peaceful the world became. Amidst the soft rustling of nocturnal creatures and fluttering of trees, she found her mind at ease. Despite knowing there were predators that could harm her in the wilds of Wyoming, she knew she had her best chance of survival on horseback.
              Growing up in upstate New York, she was no stranger to dangers of the nocturnal variety found out in the country side. If anything, streets in the big cities had her fearful knowing humans were the most dangerous predator out there. After dinner with Ty, Stan and Lawlor, who had warmed back up to her, she set out on her favorite gelding, Marx. He was tall at over sixteen hands from his Thoroughbred breeding but well built with the Nivernais bloodline. Glossy, black coat and white stockings with a small white star on his forehead complimented his physical beauty as did his manners of remaining calm and not easily spooked.
           Marx nickered to her in the barn as she saddled him up and found her way easily in the moonlit night to a well beaten path. She would take it to where she always did, overlooking the somewhat wild herd that was kept separate from the rest. Thinking of the herd's owner, Clint, she found herself wondering about the elusive man. Lawlor was right, he kept to himself and most never saw him. He had seemed nice enough but it was probably for the best that he had his privacy. Even the most quiet tongues liked to wag.
                She herself had never bought into that, making her an outsider at the barn she had previously worked at. The others had enjoyed making snotty remarks and sharing tidbits of juicy gossip about the rich and famous. It bothered her and unfortunately made her lonely but her love had been focused on the horses and their sometimes appreciative riders.
        Smiling at the dark herd as some grazed while others slept, Rosy was amazed at how clearly she could watch them in the bright moonlight. They seemed content, safe in their domain that Hidden Acres provided. Shining black coats and long, glossy tails complimented the sturdy yet elegant lines of their stocky builds. She could watch them for hours, something she had enjoyed on her grandparents farm growing up. The horses had been of a different breed but beautiful all the same.
                       Wait! What was that? Rosy squinted her eyes and peered at a flash of movement just beyond the herd at the tree line. Blinking she looked again and only saw darkened forest on the other side of the valley.  Had she imagined it? Marx pawed nervously as she noticed the other horses start to shuffle and look around. Ushering him forward with a small nudge of her heel, she could tell his flight response wanted to kick in. Putting her confidence behind the reins, she clicked and encouraged Marx forward down into the valley to get a closer look.
                        The horses were spooked as some began to whinny and paw the ground. A roar sounded just beyond the tree line that had cold sweat breaking out instantly on her body. Steeling her trembling fingers, she stood her ground as she heard a crashing through the trees before a large shadow emerged. The moon lit up the roaring beast, a grizzly bear that was frothing at the mouth and pounding the dirt towards her.
            Instant reflexes had her gripping Marx tightly as he reared up and stomped back down, his eyes rolling in his head. The grizzly stopped and cocked its head as it locked gazes with her. Growling and pawing, the grizzly had her mesmerized as it stared her down while she fought Marx to remain calm. It wasn't working as the grizzly snarled and caught Rosy off guard. Her horse side stepped quickly before rearing back up and knocking her off.
             The hard ground took her breath away as pain radiated into her shoulder, rolling herself before she was trampled by Marx's hooves. He spun on his hind legs and took off for the higher ground leaving Rosy behind. She looked up and screamed, watching as the bear ran towards her and swiped his huge paws into the air. High pitched whinnies of terrified screeching drowned out her screams as she watched the black herd of horses swallow her up and move to stand in front of the bear. Their chests heaved and heads tossed side to side as they gnashed their teeth with authority.
           The bear stopped in puzzlement, cocking it's head as it took in the twenty, large pawing horses standing withers to withers. Rosy snapped out of the daze and scuttled backwards as she still couldn't believe her eyes. They were all working together to ward off the dangerous grizzly while protecting her as if she were one of them. She knew of animals taking a stance against a threat but never had she seen horses do it. They were more likely to turn tail and run like Marx had.
             Standing now, she watched as the grizzly paced before rearing up and roaring aggressively at the band of horses. It attempted to dart forward as if to test their bravado. Not one horse flinched as they moved themselves forward and pushed the grizzly back towards the forest. Rubbing her eyes, she watched as the grizzly finally give up and shook its body before lumbering away.
           What the heck? Rosy was dumbfounded as the horses suddenly dispersed and went back to grazing as if nothing had happened. Looking around, she spotted Marx standing with reigns dangling just a few feet away as she calmed her beating heart. Her first interaction with a grizzly bear and it had been surreal.
             Looking down and taking stalk of her body, she found her bruised shoulder was her only injury. It pulled with pain when she remounted Marx but she was thankful none of the horses had been hurt. She couldn't wait to see Mara tomorrow and tell her what had happened. Her friend was supposed to have come but had said she needed to go into town for the night for some supplies. Boy, will she be mad she missed out on this little adventure, Rosy chuckled ruefully to herself.
              Turning Marx back towards the trail, she stopped as she remembered why she had ridden closer in the first place. She peered back towards the forest to see if the flash of light she had witnessed earlier would reappear. Who would be walking through the woods at night?
               Granted, she was out there but anyone else out here would be on horseback like herself. Not creeping through the woods with a flashlight especially with grizzly bears running around. No one ventured out here at night as the herd was only checked during the day or for times of foaling or breeding. For all she knew it could be the owner checking out his own land and none of her business.
                Or maybe she hadn't seen anything at all and it was just a trick of the moonlight. That made more sense she decided as she turned back towards the trail. It was time to get back and she had had enough excitement to last her for a while. She felt a shiver run down her back as she trotted away, as if being watched but pushed the thought away. Her adrenaline was still pumping from the grizzly scare and just making her uneasy.
           Glad that Marx had stuck around, they quickly made their way back to the stables. After settling him back in, she headed to her cabin to shower. No sooner had she jumped into bed that her cell phone rang.
           "Salut, my friend! How was your ride?" Mara's musical voice drifted through her phone as she plopped back against the pillow. Mara was always mixing French and English.
           "Oh, Mara you missed out. I got to see a Grizzly up close but that's not the craziest part. The Nivernais herd protected me from the bear when he was going to attack." Rosy explained what happened, making Mara gasp with shock.
            "That is amazing, Rosy. I am glad you are alright. I can't believe I missed it." Rosy felt sad her friend hadn't been there to share in the experience. But maybe she might know or want to investigate the possible creeper in the woods. Mara's tinkling laughter was her first response when she told her what else she thought she had seen.
               "Not even Clint would be out there bothering the horses on foot with a flashlight. This ranch is so well protected there would be no way for outsiders to get that far in. Don't worry, Rosy, I'm sure the moon was playing tricks on you." She laughed with Mara but still felt uncertain and couldn't figure out the reason why.
       "You're right Mara. I'll see you tomorrow?" She suddenly felt tired and wanted to turn her mind off.
       "Of course, salut." 
        Rosy put her phone down and stared up at the ceiling.   Whether or not Mara wanted to be apart of it, she knew she would be investigating the woods further.  Sometimes she was too curious for her own good.