[Phase 3] don't bet the devil your head

Bowed at the knees from riding for so long, skin like leather from working in the sun, the old man was a novelty to lay eyes on. The man wore a fat cigar at his lip, his wide brimmed hat shaded his squirted eyes and crows feet.  His chaps were sunbleached and hanging from his leg that was propped up on the birch fence. Mack couldn’t help but stare, watching his every movement as if he were watching the last unicorn walk across a field and was trying to etch every detail into his memory. 

“Ain’t wrong ‘bout the devil bein’ in’im.” The man growled out through his thick whiskers as he watched The Boss, parading and flaunting at their presence and knowing glass eyes staring Hubley down. “Looks like The Boss got a boss complex. How long you say you had ‘im now?”  

“Almost a year, Joseph was gitten in there with ‘im for awhile. Managed to get the halter on and off, few times now. Shoulda seen the way he was out there makin’ a fool of ‘imself.” Mack chuckled out with his devious smirk. “I been able to get close a few times, ‘e’s sniffed at me some but I can’t touch ‘im.” Mack felt pride swell up in his chest as he spoke.

“I heard you been chased a time or two.” Robert chuckled out with his baritone voice, puffing on the cigar between his lips.

Mack chuckled and lowered his head, rubbing at the back of his neck as he shook his head.

“He ain’t managed to get a bite outta me yet.” He said pointedly.

“Me either.” The man grumbled out. 

“Well, you ain’t get in the pen with ‘im yet.”

The older man snorted and shook his head with a toothy smile. 

“ ‘E’s got a serious case of the ‘fuck you’s…” Hubley grumbled out. “A gelding would do ‘im some good.”

“I was thinkin’ we use ‘im for the rodeo. He’s flashy- you should see the way he moves.”

“ ‘Course you think so, you ain’t the one climbing onto ‘im.” Hubley scoffed as he watched The Boss stopped a few yards away in front of them, tilting forward on his front legs and giving a flashy kick back as he arched his head and snorted fire. “From what Joe was tellin’ me, he ain’t any different than day one.”

“Well that’s a load of shit.” Mack huffed out with wounded pride. “Joe ain’t made any progress but I’m tellin’ you I have. That old man, he ain’t nothing but impatient and arrogant. I wouldn’t wanna let that man lay a hand on me either with the way he goes dancin’ in there- he’s just as bad as the damn horse. It ain’t Boss’ fault. Joe has no damn reason to be doin’ anything with this horse and if he keeps at it, that horse is damned to be a yard decoration. Castratin’ him ain’t gonna make any difference.”

The older man started laughing at Mack’s heated words, unlike Joe the man was a beacon of patience.

“So what do you suggest then?” The man asked as he looked over at him, pulling the cigar from his mouth and holding it with a crooked finger. 

Mack paused for a moment, as if he hadn’t expected a turn to actually speak, not with how Joeseph always argued with him on the matter of the devil.
“Well- I think I wanna ride ‘im.” He stated. 

“There ain’t tellin’ what a man thinks and-”

“There ain’t no way you’re gettin’ on that horse.” Joseph’s voice rang out from behind him. “Ain’t no one gettin’ on him ‘til he’s castrated. That animal is a danger to anyone that gets in that pen with him..” The greying man claimed. “For a clown you ain’t so funny.” 

“Easy there Joe.” The oldest of the men warned with a low voice and a heavy hand pat Mack’s shoulder to keep the line of curses from spilling out of him. “How ‘bout this son, you get in there and you manage to touch that horse without gettin’ nipped or kicked and I’ll entertain your idea.” 

Mack at first felt a storm of arrogance rise up as Hubley had warned Joe, but the offer he was made quickly chased off the slew of pride and arrogance and got replaced with bittersweet victory.

Joseph let out a chuckle and shook his head. 

“That wiped that fuckin’ smirk off your face.” 

Mack’s eyebrows scrunched and his lip curved into a jagged scowl as he turned his eyes from them to The Boss standing in the pen, locking eyes with the horse as he approached the fence and climbed over it. The Boss, already knowing what came from men coming over the fence meant and swayed on his feet as he faced the brave man with a snort. 

“Come on you big bastard.” Mack grumbled out under his breath, his arms braced out to his sides as he crouched slightly with his steps. 

“That boys gonna get himself killed.” Joseph growled out as he watched closely, hands braced on the top of the fence and ready to jump in after him if need be.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Hubley rumbled out, propping his elbow up on the fence and pulling the cigar from his lips to ash with a tap against the post. “You keep treatin’ ‘im like a boy and he’s gonna keep actin’ like one, you know.” 

Joseph just grumbled under his breath, watching the icy blue eyes of the stallion as the gears turned and smoke came out the beast’s ears and nose. 

Mack clicked his teeth at the stallion that stood his ground, waiting for the stallion to finish winding up and blow up. The Boss bowed his head as if he were a ram, scratching at the dirt under him as he waited for Mack to get closer. The closer Mack got, the deeper into the raging seas he could see as the stallion focused on him with his devilish eyes. This hadn’t been the way Mack had seen his day going, and he certainly didn’t like the idea of making himself look like Joseph in approaching the stallion but with Hubley’s barter and two sets of old eyes watched him, Mack was determined to claim a hand on the thick loshenka coat one way or another. 

“Come ‘ere you damn beautiful brute.” Mack clicked at him as he got closer, able to get nearly nose to nose with the beast. The young man had to remind himself to keep breathing as time froze for a moment, Mack mustering up the courage to reach to the stallion and the stallion waiting, taunting him, daring him to try. Well, Mack was always a gambler.

It was a good thing that Hubley didn’t specify how graceful Mack needed to be, for when Mack had managed to touch the stallion it had felt as if the ground had broken open and hell had started to spill out into the pen. But Mack didn’t just calmly reach out to touch the beast, no. Instead, in a foolish and brave gesture, Mack swiftly swatted at the stallion’s chest with the back of his hand before turning heel and running for his life. The stallion kicked a front hoof after him and then twisted itself to start running after him with a bowed head and his nose pointed to the ground where it had summoned hell under him with every thundering hoofstep at Mack’s heels. A mighty roar rang out as the stallion made a leap at Mack, threw his head up, nearly catching the man’s shirt but barely missing by a few inches as he had to screech to a halt.

Mack had never slid himself through a fence so quickly to get away from a horse in his life, of all of the times he had thrown himself in front of broncs and bulls alike, never had the man felt like he was running for his life as he just did.

The two older men jumped back with shouts, having to snatch their fingers back to get out of the way of the stallion crushing them as he collided with the solid fence keeping him in. 

“Goddaym!” Joseph cursed out as he grabbed the boy’s arms and pulled him a foot away from the fence. The sound of laughter filled the air, mixing with the huffing and puffing of the flashy stallion as he proceeded to show off his acrobatics in a temper tantrum. 

Mack, he was grinning like a weasel in a hen house, cackling out as he laid on his back and shook his head as the dust settled. 

“I touched him! I told you I’d fucking touch him!” Mack howled out as Joseph pulled him up to sit.

“And you damn near got killed doin’ it!” Joseph scolded. 

Hubley started laughing with his baritone vocals, shaking his head as he watched the stallion throw his temper tantrum. 

“I think Mack might be onto somethin’.” The older man said.

“You can’t be serious, I’m castratin’ that horse regarl-”

“Mack barely managed to touch that horse and make it back with all his limbs attached, you really thinkin’ you’re gonna get any closer to his gonads?” The man asked with laughter in his voice, tipping his hat up and adjusting it on his head over an amused smile that wrinkled at the edges. 

Mack paused for a moment as he looked up under Hubley’s shadow, unable to wipe the grin off his face as he brought himself to stand up and dust himself off. He snorted with laughter. 

“Ain’t no sense in lettin’ that attitude go to waste, won’t even have to cinch that horse to get ‘im to buck.” Mack laughed out.

“Still don’t mean you should be ridin’.” Joseph remarked as he lit a cigarette. 

“You act like I ain’t ever rode.” Mack argued with a shake of his head, watching the dust settle as he looked out in the pen where The Boss stood standing with his head up, ears pinned and nostrils flaring as he scratched at the ground. 

“Don’t turn me into a liar Joe, I told the boy he can ride ‘im.” Hubley grumbled out, puffing at the cigar as he placed it back over his lip. “Don’t have to be a clown forever.”

It was then that the devilish smile returned to Mack’s face with a curve of his eyebrow. The smirk, it held as much of the devil as The Boss had in his eyes.