Kristoff was sitting at the harmonium, playing a simple tune. His father stood just beside him, reading over some paper. He let out a sigh, lightly hitting it. "No matter which way I figure it, nowt and nowt still equals nowt." He said, tossing the paper at his son.

Kristoff stopped playing and rose from his seat, holding the papers in his hands. Off in the distance, an animal began to howl. "How about we get Bess in foal?" He asked, beginning to follow behind his father. "Pick up some more broodmares."

"What with?" His father asked, bending over to tend to the fireplace. "If we're gonna keep this place, we're gonna have to get a job out of the high country."

His father, Henry, sat down at the table, beginning to eat his meal.

"Down on the flats?" Kristoff asked, joining him.

"Yeah," Henry said. "It won't be too bad. We can hire out as a team."

"Not as cooks." Kristoff chuckled after taking a bite of their meal.

Henry held up his knife, a smile wide on his face. "Watch it." He teased.

One of the horses in the stable began to whinny, gathering both of their attention. Henry began to laugh, glancing at his son. "Must be your music." He joked, laughing a bit louder.

"All right. I'll see to it." Kristoff chuckled, rising from his chair. He grabbed a lantern from the wall and exited their little house high in the mountains. He walked the few feet to the stable, assuming it was something minor.

"Hey, Bessie." He greeted, entering the stable. The horse lightly whinnied again as Kristoff hung up the lantern. He walked towards Bessie, gently touching the side of her neck. Suddenly, she rose onto her hind legs, whinnying loudly.

"Whoa, Bessie." Kristoff calmly said as he backed away from the horse. The horse started to get frightened, trying to get loose. "Bess, whoa." Kristoff continued, keeping his voice calm.

But she wasn't seeming to calm down. Something must have really startled her. Kristoff walked towards her again, keeping his voice gentle. "Steady, girl. Steady there, Bessie." She kicked again, so he slowly backed away. "Whoa, Bessie."

Suddenly, she was calm again, her breathing slowed down. "Steady, girl. Whoa there, girl."

Henry appeared behind him, walking towards the now calm horse. "I reckon the dingoes set her off," Kristoff said, watching his father gently pet the horse.

"Not wild dogs," Henry said. A horse whined in the distance, not too far away from the stables. Kristoff and his father walked towards the window, looking outside. "Wild horses."

"The old thoroughbred's mob." Kristoff realized.

"It's been years since he's been on this side of the ranges." Henry spoke as they watched the horses gallop off in the distance. As Kristoff was watching them, he didn't realize his father left to grab the gun off the wall.

He began to load it as he walked back to Kristoff. "You're not gonna shoot him!" Kristoff exclaimed.

"He's only gonna cause us grief." Henry replied. He cocked the gun and began to take aim. "Run off our horses. He's done it before."

"But, Dad," Kristoff said. "There are some good horses there now. They'd be worth a fair bit."

Henry clicked his tongue, thinking about it. He then stood up. "Caught and broken they might."

"Well? We could do it. Keep some of them for breeding. Then we wouldn't have to go down and hire out." Kristoff said.

"Hold on, Son. That horse has been running free since the day you were born,"Henry said. He lightly chuckled. "Craftiest animal I've ever seen."

"Well, who better than a crafty mountain man to catch him?"

His father let out a small laugh. "You've got your mother's way about you, haven't you?"

"We could build a holding yard up on the flat spur, and drive them in." Kristoff offered.

"No, I don't think so." Henry said, shaking his head. "We'll yard them on Kelly's track."

Off in the distance, the horses began to run away again. They rode off into the night, their whinnies echoing across the land. Little did they know what the next few days would bring them.

~~~~~~~~~
Hey guys! Short introduction into the book I know but I just wanted to give you guys a quick glance into what I'm planning on working on! Again, I hope you like it!