Little Lonely Angus
Daddy used to tease that Angus was so good with horses because he was nearly born on one. Momma had been well past her due date but she had decided to go on a short ride anyway. She barely made it the two miles to the nearest barn before he was introduced to the world, red faced and squalling. Being the youngest of a large brood made it harder for him to interact with anyone except his horses. People were too complex and too hard to figure out. They had mean spirits and were capable of unfathomable cruelty, to animals and to each other. But horses were Angus's refuge. He learned to ride before he learned to walk and he rode like the best of them. As he grew up and the once crowded family house began to empty (each of his six sibling eventually married and relocated to different villages in the district, save for Jack who was allowed to stay in Roan Bay) Angus's loneliness magnified.
The best part of his day was spending time with the horses, whether it was cleaning their stalls, brushing them down, or giving them a work out in the paddock. At school, he was a boy with no friends but at the ranch he was surrounded by animals that depended on him and loved him. He was at his best when he was around a horse. As he replaced the hay in Luna's stall, Angus hoped that he would never have to leave them.