To Achieve

Chapter E- That Type of Love

The winter months brought cold. It was the perfect time of year for this. The snow crunched under her weight, and Bear followed close to her heels. Nessa carried a saddle in her arms, and a lead draped across her shoulders. Nessa huffed exhaustedly and walked out of the tack room. 

The many horses whined at her, and she smiled slightly.

"Ok, who wants to be ridden today?" Nessa asked, the stables became quiet, and Nessa sighed. 

"Look I know it's cold but you guys need exercise," she stated. The stables became loud with replies in the language she would never be able to understand. She giggled and walked down the aisle. Looking over all of the huge draft horses, she pondered who she could bring out today. The lone stall at the end always caught her attention. Stopping in front of it she set the saddle down and looked past the metal rails. The black-stained wood glistened as the sun hit the morning sky.

The pure black Draft Shire turned his back to her, and she smiled. He was the biggest in the barn, and she loved to watch him. "Gallo, what are you doing boy?" she asked quietly, not expecting an answer. When he didn't even move when asked, she decided that he was to be ridden today.

It wasn't easy to tack up the 16.2 hands high horse. He stood still the whole time, tensing when his coat was touched. Nessa soothed him and wondered why he was so scared of touch. She decided to ask Melly once he was out of the paddock. He was gentle and complied with everything she did.

Nessa moved away to look at her work and smiled when she saw how good she had done. Gallo raised his head to look at the small girl. He watched her, everywhere she moved he watched her. Nessa walked around the aisle, cleaning up a little while Gallo got used to the feeling of the saddle.

"Well, I would have never guessed he would wear a saddle." Melly entered the barn and watched Nessa scramble around to clean up a mess she had made earlier. "Why do you say that?" Nessa asked, not bothering to look at her mother. "Well, he is an old boy, and we only got him two years ago. He hated saddles." Melly replied, moving close to him slowly. He jerked his head into her outstretched hand, and she rubbed his snout. From across the aisle, Bucky whined loudly, wanting her soul love and affection for him.

"Oh you hush, I give you love all day," Melly yelled playfully. Nessa watched her mother groom his face with her hands, and she seemed content. Nessa had only ever seen her mother so content a few times. Melly placed her head on Gallo's snout and whispered something to him.

Melly always seemed to have a connection to animals. She would always tell Nessa stories of when it was just her and Feather. She would always describe gorgeous scenes and how they unfolded. Nessa would listen closely, hanging onto every word. It was magical to hear her mother speak of something so lovingly.

This was no different, Melly loved animals, and had always been drawn to them. She felt content with living beside them. Bear barked, and the two women watched him run out of the barn. Nessa laughed and pulled her mother by the hand to see what was happening.

Feather giggled at the scene in front of her. Red and black fur mixed as Bear played with the fox. His leg was now healed, he was supposed to be released but had become dependent on the family. They never kept him locked up in the house, and he was often outside.

Nessa ran up to the two animals and began to play with them. Melly joined her wife in laughing at the scene. Nessa fell into the snow, and let the two creatures lick her with love and adoration. The sun hit the snow, making it shine magically.

It was pure bliss. The cradle of the ground brought comfort, and for a second it was just them. The world stopped, and all that was there was them. All that was there was love, and loyalty. All that was there was beautiful. Nessa chased after the two animals, and she threw snow into the air, watching it come down back to earth.

Snow crunched under his weight, and Nessa stayed steady on his back. The field was filled with soft snow. It hadn't been used during the winter yet, so none of it was compact. Gallo pranced about at his own pace, and Melly cheered them on. Feather watched, a smile present on her face. Bear rolled around in the snow with Mallow and continued to play with the small red-furred animal.

Gallo seemed happy to be out, and he was not so scared of the saddle, or to touch anymore. Nessa sat and watched him bring her to different spots in the field. The sun was high, and Nessa wondered what the rest of the world was doing. She wondered who would come into her life next. Would it be another pet? Or would it be a friend?

Melly watched her child look up at the sky, and she knew. She knew she had made the right decision to leave. Although it was tough, she made all the right things happen. She didn't regret it and often thanked anyone who would listen for being in her life. The sheer amount of love she felt for the beings around her was so great she thought it was too much. However it was the kind of love that not everyone could have, it was the type of love that only the luckiest people could have, that only the ones who searched for it could find.

It was the type of love that could make a person yearn for it forever, and never give it to them. It was the type of love to pick and choose who got it. But, It was worth fighting for. Melly had to agree with that.