Gentle hearted mare

"eighteen ninety-nine " Copper repeated to himself for a final time as he gazed down at the sheet held in his gloved hand, scanning the words as if they could suddenly melt off the page. Adjusting his brown, jean jacket with his left hand, he glanced up at the newfound herd of horses in the valley. "Huh," he started, raising his eyebrows slightly in defeat. "Must've already been taken home, that's a shame." Copper re-read the address for pony eighteen ninety-nine, and sure enough, he was in the right spot. Sighing sadly, he brought a lazy step forward before suddenly a shove threw him off his feet and into the mud. "Ack!" He stammered, mud coating his jacket, jeans and whole right side. "What was that for--" Copper paused after rubbing the mud off his right eye with the back of his clean-ish hand, staring up at the teddy-eared chestnut pinto snorting gleefully in front of him. "I'll be damned," he chuckled, as if he couldn't fathom a feral having such playful intent with the likes of a human. He hadn't even tried, maybe it was the fact that he was the few who did try for this pinto. "Wanting some attention too, huh? Miss Playful," He asked playfully in a soft tone, chucking a tad of mud at the mare, who moved to the side as if she were trying to dodge the mud thrown at her. "If I hadn't known true logic, I'd think you were a tamed horse that got loose." Copper rose to his feet, scowling in discomfort as mud soaked his clothes. Dragging his hands in a flicking motion over his muddy body, he got as much mud as possible off him. A breath tickled the back of him, and he blew a soft breath from his nose as a means of a slight, baffled chuckle. He turned slowly to meet the horse behind him and dragged his hands smoothly across the equine's long face. "Wow, I'm petting you." Copper smiled, widening his eyes. "Last thing I expected was you coming up to me instead of the other way around," he continued his dragging his palms among the gently expressed equine, then moved to its neck, shoulder, past the withers, before finding its itchy spot on the top of its rear. He laughed as the equine pushed herself into Copper's touch as he scratched the soft fur tenderly. "Aha, I found your favorite spot, have I?" He whispered, scratching the animal's side with a smile. He chuckled slightly at the thought of the mare simply leaving after a good scratch -- deeming him nothing more than a good ol' scratch post. "I got treats, if that's enough to keep you here," he added, stepping away from the equine to take his muddy bag off his back to search it. He dug through the various things he brought for the herd and the mare. "Here we go," Copper pulled out a multi-colored bag labeled "HayStack Horse Treats" with a logo of a smiling horse in the middle. Opening the bag carefully, a handful of treats made their way into Copper's palm and in front of Teddy, eighteen ninety-nine. The mare sniffed his palm carefully, nibbling the treats calmly. Her ears flicked forward, relaxing her body as she ate the offering from Copper. He grinned, petting the side of her neck. The wind blew softly, a soft glow from the sun still enveloping the valley across the horizon. He looked at the setting sun, then back to the relaxed mare in front of him. "I hope whoever you may choose, enlightens your playful side," he whispered, getting the stuck foliage from the pintos mare's mane.