Horses, and Cattle and Bloodshed[Thatcher]

[serum]

"Honey, I really don't think you should be riding today, after all yesterday was...a bad day for you." Cyan sighed heavily and looked at her mother with as much defiance as she could muster. Which admittedly was not a lot. She loved her mom and she knew she was only trying to help. But dammit, she wanted to ride today, regardless of the day before.

And calling it a 'bad day' like that made it normal. What was normal about having constant black outs? According to her mother, it was totally normal. According to Cyan it was insane and scary and unnatural and a giant looming evil cloud waiting to burst and drown her in depression, pain and desperation. And for a while she thought that she had been getting better. And then yesterday had to go and happen and bam!Any context of normalcy was completely lost. It had been three weeks since her last 'bad day'. It was her new personal record.

"Will you at least where something to protect yourself?"

"What like a helmet?" Her mother nodded slightly and Cyan snapped. "No! I am not going to wear a helmet! It's bad enough everyone knows I', having problems, I'm not going to broadcast it by wearing a helmet!" Cyan was outraged by the fact that her mother would even suggest something so...so foul.

"Cyan look, you are not getting on any animal if you aren't going to take the necessary steps to protect yourself! I'm sorry but no! You already got hurt once, it's a miracle you didn't die and I'm not going to lose you the way we lost your dad! Do you understand me?" Her mother was flushed with emotion. She had never raised her voice, not once unless she was laughing uncontrollably.

Even though they were poor and were hungry more often than not, her mother was one of the happiest people in the entire District. Cyan felt so guilty and ashamed of herself. She was being stupid. Her mom was right, it really was a miracle that the fall from the horse didn't kill her.

She walked over to her mother and hugged her, she could feel her shaking and she tried to stifle her crying. She didn't mean to upset her so much, and she didn't mean to yell at her like she had. She was being so stupid.

"I'm sorry mom, I'll wear the helmet okay? And I'll be really careful, I promise."

"Good," her mother sniffled. "Now go before I change my mind,"she leaned down and kissed her head. And she made sure to watch her daughter put the helmet on and secure it before she let her go out the door.

Once outside she picked the most docile horse they had and mounted it carefully. The horse moved slowly and Cyan honestly did enjoy the slow rides. It let her re-acclimate just as it allowed to acclimate to her. And since their farm was so far from anyone who didn't really know them the only risk of anyone seeing her was Lindon and she didn't care about him seeing her in it, he was the one that had bought it. So she felt fine as the horse walked around the pen slowly and steadily. But as they started around the pen for the fifth time Cyan heard footsteps. They were too heavy to be Lindon's-she could pick his footsteps out of a crowd-and they definitely weren't her mothers.

[Thatch Scythe]

I hate this damn canyon we live in. As the heat increases from day to day, my positivity decreases in spades. I feel that this dip is meant to give me a chance to feel like Deane for once. Well if this is how he feels all the time, I'm absolutely NEVER going to be like him for as long as I can manage it.

Anyway... I would have buried Chau-Chau. Not sell her meat at the fair like some savage barbarian in a loin cloth. I have to smirk because that mental image - Deane in a loin cloth - is pretty funny. But his savagery isn't. And I still hate this canyon we live in, even if it's the only damn place that I've been able to call home.

Pull it together TJ. Stop being so friggin lousy. You're bringing me down. I glance over at Slurree. He's supposed to be mucking the stall but instead he's sleeping, mouth open, a thick issue of drool dangling over the pig-shit at his feet. He'll be out for a bit, which means it's time for me to go into town and look for some people who'll kiss me and make me feel better. There should be a lot; unlike Deane, I'm well-liked. Boys, girls, doesn't really matter to me right now. This heat is working it's naughty magic on me and I'm going to appease whatever forces are out there before I get in a heat. So pucker up, District 10. These lips were made for kissing, and that's what they're gonna do. I'm out of the stable in seconds flat, straw hat on my head, chaps falling off my jeans as I walk briskly away to where the ponies are kept.

The chaps probably should have stayed on to prevent any chaffing, but my skin is so leathery from just being in them without a horse or pony between my legs that I can't see that it would make a difference. Strider, "my" designated pony, is happy to have me on him again. I pat his head and whisper stupid words of encouragement in his ears before gently demanding we move onward. Strider likes the spontaneous rides into town.

But we don't get to town.

It's odd when you realize you've trotted into something you probably shouldn't have. The girl doesn't look very old, and I can't tell if she's very attractive or not. I guess that's something that registers as major concern to me at age 16. Deane says Momma and Pappa were married by my age. But I know he's lying about that because Momma and Pappa weren't even married when I was born. They just lived together. I know. I saw Pappa naked with some other girl that didn't breathe or moan like Momma. Didn't look like her neither. Whatever. I pull on the reins to make Strider slow down, but I think the girl has already heard me because her body language changes pretty quickly. I tip my hat in anticipation of her turning to face me and merely say in as friendly a way as I can muster,

"Well how-do, ma'am?" I still think I've tresspassed onto her family land, but it's weird to see another house out in the middle of this dusty Hell.

[serum]

Cyan was amazed, and slightly proud, of how quickly she had removed her helmet and placed it on her horse's head. He nickered in annoyance but didn't do anything to get rid of it. It was blue after all. The same blue as her namesake so it wasn't easy to hide. Especially when the background of her home was dusty brown and red.

How did someone wander all the way here?she thought as she walked her horse to the edge of the pen to greet her 'visitor'. The nearest farm was two miles away and the farthest was so far she had never seen it. But there was someone she had never seen before. He was on an adorable little pony which made Cyan smile. She loved ponies. Some times her mother said she was obsessed with them. Cyan used the word infatuated to make it sound less weird.

"Hi," she said smiling, her dimples highlighting her smile. "I don't think I've ever seen you around here before. I'm Cyan,"she smiled warmly and stuck out her hand for him to shake. There wasn't any harm in being friendly, right?