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Stallion in the Mist

Warning: Implied CP of a teenager

Chapter 1

Little Joe angrily brushed away a tear as it slowly ran down his cheek. He was lying on his bed pondering how unfair life was for a fourteen-year-old boy. He felt he was old enough to do all the things his older brothers did, but everyone around him, including his father thought otherwise. Earlier in the day he had gone down to the corral where they were breaking the new horses and had patiently waited until no one was looking. Then he carefully got up on the next horse to be broken and waited for them to let it go. Unfortunately for Joe, Adam had just ridden up and saw Joe on the horse before he could accomplish his ride. He had furiously stormed over and pulled Joe off of the horse and set him on the ground before Joe even knew what happened. He then proceeded to give him a lecture and a very hard swat to his backside with instructions to go to his room and wait for their father. So here he sat awaiting his fate, hoping his father would not be in too bad a mood by the time he came to see him.

"It just isn't fair," he argued out loud into the quietness of his room, as he rubbed the worn out fur on an old teddy bear that he still kept in his bedroom.

"Why do they treat me like a little kid? I am fourteen almost fifteen now and I am almost a man. But yet they only see me as a little brother or the youngest son in the family. I can do a man's work and have proved myself many times. But it is always the same; you can't do this or you can't do that because you aren't old enough. That is all I hear, and I am sick of it. I am going to tell pa just how I feel when he comes in too!"

Suddenly Joe sat up straight on his bed when he heard approaching footsteps in the hall. "Well, I guess this is it," he mumbled to himself as he waited for the door to open.

Ben Cartwright was an imposing figure when he was in a good mood, but when he was angry—no one wanted to face him down. And his youngest son was no different as he looked up and saw his father's angry frown as his towering body filled up the doorway!

"Joseph Cartwright, what in the world do you think you were doing getting on a unbroken horse?"

Little Joe started to answer his father, but Ben put up his hand to silence him before he could answer.

"Never mind…you weren't thinking! That is the problem, you never do before you get yourself into predicaments!"

Ben started pacing back and forth in front of Joe as he continued his tirade.

"How many times have you been told not to get on a horse before it is broke?"

Little Joe looked up at his pa with what he hoped was a mature and determined look on his face as he tried to explain himself.

"A lot, pa, but I am almost a man now and it is time that I broke horses like Adam and the other hands. Adam was breaking horses by the time he was fifteen… he told me so himself. And I am far better at gentling horses than he is."

Joe was too busy arguing his point to notice the look on his father's face or he would have stopped in his tracks. Ben stopped pacing and stood right in front of his son as he shook his finger in his face.

"You are half the size that your brother was at that age, and furthermore, we have hands that can do the horse breaking now. We didn't have any extra hands when Adam was your age so I didn't have any choice but to let him do some of the breaking."

Joe quickly stood up in front of his father trying to be braver than he really felt as he told him his point of view on this subject that he felt so strongly about.

"I am sick and tired of everyone telling me I am too little to do things or I am not old enough. I am almost a man now, and it is time people around here started treating me as such…especially you!"

As soon as Joe had finished his last word he regretted letting his mouth get away from him. He saw the look on his father's face and realized he had said way too much! You just didn't sass pa when he was already angry with you for not following his rules. He knew he had sealed his fate as he looked at his father's angry expression.

Ben started to slowly unbuckle his belt as he continued with his lecture and suddenly Joe's bravado fell as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"I make rules for you to follow because I love you and want to keep you safe. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you because I hadn't kept you safe. You will grow up soon enough, Joseph. And until then you will follow my rules! You could have been thrown and injured or maybe even killed today."

Ben sighed heavily as he continued on, understanding how Joe felt but knowing he had to hold him back from doing something that could get him killed, even if Joe didn't agree.

"You are not a man yet, my son, even though you may think you are. I make my rules for a reason and maybe it is time I showed you what happens to boys who get too big for their britches and think they can do whatever they want and not follow those rules!"

As father and son's eyes met, Ben pulled his belt through the belt loops and frowned.

"I hate doing this son, but if it makes you stop and think and keeps you from doing things that can injure you or maybe even get you killed, then I will never hesitate to discipline you."

Bowing his head and sighing Joe knew what was coming next as he slowly walked towards his father.

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Later that night as the house was dark and quiet Little Joe looked out the window of his room. He was feeling mighty sorry for himself right about now. Not only did his backside hurt, but so did his pride. He was so tired of no one taking him serious around here. Even Hop Sing still called him little boy. Pa was sure mad and Joe knew he had pushed him by sassing him like he did. But he also knew he felt he was almost a man, so why wouldn't anyone else around here see that. Maybe it was time he proved to everyone that he was a man and not a little boy—but how?

Joe let the curtain fall back over the window as he walked over and sat on his bed. He grimaced slightly as his recently tanned backside connected with the mattress.

"I know how good I am with horses so why can't pa realize it too? I bet I could gentle just about any horse that I found if I wanted to," Joe grumbled, as he stood and pulled back the quilt on his bed.

"I bet I could even gentle that wild stallion that everyone has been talking about lately. They say he hides up in Widow's Canyon and only a few men have ever seen him. Some even say he is a ghost horse because he is in a person's sight one minute, and then gone the next—just like a mist. But I don't believe that stuff. Only kids would believe that foolishness," he chuckled to himself.

Then he sat on the edge of his bed and started to pull off his boot. After he let it drop to the floor with a thud, he started to work on his other boot as an idea started forming in his mind and a smile slowly appeared on his young face.

An hour later under the moonlit sky, Joe quietly led Cochise out of the barn then let the latch fall on the barn door. He decided he needed to walk Cochise and not ride him until he got out of hearing distance from the house. After all, he didn't want one of his brothers or his pa to see him try to leave at this time of night. He would definitely have some explaining to do, plus he didn't think his backside could take another reminder of his disobedience.

As he gently rubbed Cochise's nose he whispered softly to him.

"Shhh, boy. We need to be quiet and not let anyone hear us. Once we are a little ways away then you can make all the noise you want."

After walking Cochise about half a mile, Joe quickly swung up in the saddle and kicked him into a gallop. Three hours later the sun was just starting to peek over the mountains and was casting a warm glow over the prairie grass as Joe stopped Cochise in front of Widow's Canyon.

"This is the canyon that the ghost stallion has been spotted, boy. Do you think we can find him? I brought supplies for two days incase it takes us longer than I think it might. Besides, if I am gone longer than that pa will have a search party come looking for us."

Joe grinned as he said, "Ah who am I kidding, Cooch, he will start looking as soon as he knows I am missing. But I hope I can finish what I set out to do and be home within a day cause I got a feeling the longer I am gone, the more my tail is gonna feel pa's hand!"

Joe took a deep breath and slowly released it as the thought of facing his angry father flashed through his mind. Then he found himself smiling when he pictured the wild stallion racing across the Ponderosa with him on his back as he reached down and gently patted Cochise on the neck, scanning the horizon for any sign of this mysterious horse.

"Well, boy, let's get started. I am going to find this stallion and gentle him. Then when I bring him back to the ranch already broke… that will make everyone sit up and take notice. Christmas is only a couple of weeks away, so I think I will make him a Christmas present for pa. Pa would love that! Then he will know that I am old enough to bust horses and a whole lot of other things he thinks I can't do. That should make him realize I am almost a man now and quit treating me like a kid."

Adjusting his hat down over his eyes Joe and his trusted friend slowly started heading into the canyon.

TBC