To Gypsy
Being on time had never been one of Ryder’s strong points, unless he was in some sort of riding competition. So by the time he reached the party things were already well under way and he’d missed the big speech by Wolf. He left so late because it took him a good deal of time to persuade another tribe member who’d stayed behind to watch the herd for him. The herd probably would have been fine without him but he was overly protective over them. He didn’t have a costume, he wasn’t really creative in that sense. Besides, his family had never celebrated Halloween, even after they’d moved to the United States. He hoped he wouldn’t be too out of place.
It wasn’t often that he left the Twin Feathers’ territory or the herd, but he was a sucker for parties and he heard there was even going to be moonshine. He only hoped his little mare could manage to carry his drunk ass home, should it come to that. Speaking of his horse, she was his ride to the party. She fussed with him all way, as she had a great distaste for cold. It took him two whole apples and a good deal of whispering to her in Spanish to lure her out of the makeshift stall he’d built her. When she finally came out she pranced about him, refusing him a ride for a good five minutes. Eventually she came around and let him bridle her. He had no saddle, but preferred bareback anyway.
When he reached the edge of the trading post he hopped off of Rose and lead her towards the other tethered horses. He was tying her up when he heard a girl’s voice, saying something about skinning someone or something alive. He finished tying up Rose and walked closer to the party, looking for the source of the voice. On the edge of the firelight he saw a girl standing with a dog. He looked down at the dog and walked up to the two with a smile. “I hope you’re not planning on skinning him alive, he’s pretty cute.” He looked back up at the girl with a smile. He’d seen her before yet all he knew was that she was the leader of the River Runners. He loved their way of life and had made friends with a couple of them, but he’d never met her.