Fuzzy Bear Attempt Three

Another day, another attempt! The encounter with the brown Teddy Cob brought me a lot of comfort and warmth, smiling without even realizing it. He was such a delight to interact with, he has never failed to let me leave without at least a slight smile. It has been a day since the last attempt, my uncle realizing that we did have a chance to tame this Teddy Cob and feeling some sense of urgency now. After all, we did not want to let this chance slip. Who knows when is the next time we will have the opportunity to meet , and potentially tame and befriend, such a friendly horse! They better not let this slip, or else I would be kicking myself for the rest of my life. 

I got up, with a familiar jolt of excitement that I have felt for days and days on end, and got ready almost immediately. The same shirt, the same jacket, the same everything. After all, everything seems to be going well right now, there is no reason to change up whatever I was doing right now. This all felt like a routine at this point, waking up at the crack of dawn, clambering into my uncle's truck and driving to the valley with hopes in both of our hearts. My uncle has seemed to soften during these days hunting for horses together, I could often catch him smiling to himself or at least relax more. The tension he held in his shoulders at all times before we ever got close seemed to melt away. This horse, whether he knew it or not, was a positive influence on the both of them. After all, I feel like I would have never even tried to talk to my uncle if we were not sharing a common goal. It is not like we hated each other, but it sometimes is harder to talk to someone older than you. I smile a little, reflecting on everything that has changed in such a short amount of time, thanks to this mysterious horse. It only made me even more determined to tame the horse and befriend him. 

Again, the familiar view of the valley entered her view through the truck's front windshield. The same bushes, the same trees, the same sky. The sun is, yet again, high up in the sky. It always takes a while to get to the valley after all, the morning chill has been burned away by the afternoon sun usually by the time they get here. It is comforting, I realize, to have familiarity. I wonder to myself if this is why my uncle has grown so attached to the valley as well; as far as I knew, he has been here for years and years, maybe before I was even born. 

I have only apples to present the Teddy Cob with this time, as we were too tired yesterday, from staying out later than usual with the horse, to restock on any special treats or fruits. Yet again, we both camp out near the truck and near the place we encountred the horse. And like clockwork, the bushes shake and tremor and a big, brown fuzzy head pops out, tail slightly wagging. 

Me and my uncle share a smile as I held out an apple for the horse to take. My uncle thought it would be a good idea to establish a connection with the horse, so we wanted to try getting him used to coming closer to both of us. While it is a big leap, we both knew he was a very friendly horse, so he hoped this would not be too risky or dangerous. 

The horse nickered at the two of them, eyes seemingly lighting up in familiarity. Every step he took closer to my hand, I could hear the unmistakable jingle of a bell, no doubt from the bell I gave him hiding somewhere in his long, thick coat.  It was adorable. As customary, he sniffed the apple, then my hand, lips making me ticklish once again. He took a hesitant nibble from the apple, before taking a huge bite from it, taking the apple from my hand entirely. I laughed as he chewed on it happily, munching it down in seconds. After he's done, he looks expectedly at me and my uncle, tilting his head. We had more snacks for him last time, where are they? He must have been thinking. My uncle laughs, making a remark on his gluttony and greed, before tossing him another apple. The horse catches it with ease, jumping into the air to fetch it. When he does jump, he looks like an oversized ball of lint. It's charming in a way. 

He munches happily on the apple again, before the cycle repeats. We toss him an apple, he eats it and then he looks at us as if we have more. By the time we ran out, it was still day out to both mine and my uncle's relief. We shoo him off gently, and he runs off atop a hill we both have never seen before. As the truck backs up, he watches, as if making sure we get out safely. What a sweet horse.