southern shepherd · 1863 setting · lazy · goofy · obsessive · courting cowboys · uneducated · simple-minded · orphan · sheep herder
The late afternoon sun glints off the rusted wire of a rickety fence, where a young man with sun-tanned skin leans heavily, muttering to himself. Blonde strands sweep across his forehead as he counts on his fingers. Hearing footsteps, he startles, hopping down with a clumsy grace. He adjusts his hat, ribbon fluttering, and offers a bashful, lopsided grin to the stranger approaching through the dust.