Frogs, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails(damenstorm)

"Hello there miss. Enjoying an evening stroll?"
I had been so absorbed in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed him.

Why hadn't I noticed him?

Normally I'm really careful about avoiding people. They're always either too friendly, or too arrogant, or just crazy. This guy's smiling on the outside. But he's got his hands on his hips. I feel defensive.

"Oh...hello." I whisper.

Maybe if he thinks that I'm really boring, he'll leave me alone. But that never happens with me. I'm too tall, or pale to be considered normal.

"Well, hate to be rude, but if we're just gonna sit here and say nothing, than I have better things waiting for me."

I knew it. This guy is just being polite. In reality, he really doesn't care what I do, as long as it's not near him. Well you know what? I'm feeling pretty freaking annoyed already, so this guy's drawn the short stick.

Oh boy, he's gonna get it sooner or later.

"Well, if you must know my future whereabouts, I'm heading that way."

I point in the direction of the outer fields.

"So there, now you know where I'm going. Is there anything else that you want to know, COWBOY?" I sneer.

What he doesn't know, is that I'm shaking in my shoes. I never talk like this, why am I starting now?

He's right. A storm is coming. And I know for a fact, that there is no way that he is going to be able to bring thirty-something animals into a barn before those rainclouds arrive.

As much as I want to leave I can't. Besides, I'm not angry any more. I spent all of that pent up anger up on my latest remark.

And he needs all the help he can get.

"...You're not going to be able to get them all in before the storm hits."

Without waiting for a remark, I stride off, leading a horse into the barn. I know that I'm pressing his buttons, but he's just going to have to deal with it. If we're not quick, there is going to be thirty-two angry, wet animals stuck outside, with almost no way to get them indoors before a sickness is induced.

So I've herded a few horses and cows into the barn. The key is pretty much to be nice and gentle, and then they'll follow you everywhere. Like that nursery rhyme, you know it;

♫ Mary had a little lamb, little lamb.... ♪

Anyways, I'm petting yet another cow, when Mr. Cowboy dismounts his horse, which gallops into the safety of the barn.

"You like animals m'am?"

I look at him. He seems curious as to why I'm helping him.

"Yes, very much. They seem to understand me better than people sometimes. And they don't yell...for the most part."

I smile. It's nice to be with animals. They seem to know how to cheer a person up.

"Animals are the only things that I enjoy being around. That's why I bought all 'em."

Well, we're much more similar than I thought.

Suddenly we hear thunder. I look upwards, towards the sky.

It's black. I can see lightning flash in the background. We're too late. Only half of the animals are actually in the barn. The rest start panicking, screeching and mooing in fright.

Cowboy points to a pair of horses on the other side of the field, about fifty yards away.

"M'am. If we can get to those horses with out getting ran over by a raging cow, we can guide the cows and sheep in her faster."

"Alright, well come on cowboy!" I yell over the ruckus.

The two of us sprint towards the horses in what seems like to be a scene from an action movie. Cows go flying past us, trying to run away from the water that doesn't seem to be stopping. I can smell wet sheep.

It's a flash flood. The water's already rising, soon it'll be as high as our ankles.

We finally reach the horses. Of course, their also freaked out. It takes a few precious minutes to calm them down.

We mount the horses and look at each other.

"Ready?" I ask.

He nods, and we both charge.

We're inside now. It's nice an warm; the hay's been absorbing the rays from the sun, and now it's being released.

Cowboy tosses me a towel, which I gratefully accept. Mom is not gonna like this. Then again, she's not the one doing the laundry.

A few of the animals are still a bit spooked, so I start trying to calm them down. The worst casualties are soaked to the bone, and freezing. We can only hope that the barn doesn't get flooded.

I can hear the thunder still. It's louder than before. The storm's not close to over yet. Guess the laundry will have to wait; I'm stuck here till the storm's finished.

"I'm Trace. Trace Rowgan."

So that's his name. Well personally I like cowboy better, but at least I know that I'm not talking to a stranger anymore. Well, he's more of an acquaintance now.

"Sundra Wie" I say. I'm a bit too tired to talk much, but it seems that he's exhausted too.

We continue to calm down the animals until most are merely drying out, and not neighing, mooing or bleating in fear.