"Whatever you say, Tiffany." Mitch shrugged, taking each step with pride. Guess she was still having those animal dreams after all.
They were passing by a farm when his stomach rumbled. Yeah, they never did have breakfast, did they?
"Wanna get something to eat?" She asked pointing at the barn. "I bet you can eat what they eat?" He stared at her as he realized she was asking him to eat horse feed. "Come on I bet it is sweet. I'll even try some!"
"Tiffany. It's a farm." he said, slowly and clearly, "They have eggs, and wheat, and barley, maybe even meat. All we gotta do is to ask for job there to be paid with some food."
His eyes fell to a large round stone building beside the farmhouse. "And I think I know exactly what I can do." he added, his tail swishing behind him.
As Tiffany walked she noticed that this was a rather nice farm. It was spacious, with large fields, and plenty of animals. But no donkeys.
They walked through the partially open wooden gate and approached the farmhouse. As he approached the door, he contemplated a moment, and then... he shoved his tail back down into his pants.
"What are you doing Mitch?" Tiffany asked as she saw him instantly wince and his tail start squirming, clearly unhappy at being confined again.
"Making myself presentable for the customer." he said. He knocked on the door. The sounds of a rocking chair within ceased, and floorboards creaked as the door opened and an older, burly man answered.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Good morning, sir." Mitch said politely, "I'm so sorry to disturb you, but we have no money and are really hungry, and I was hoping that I might be able to do some work for some breakfast?"
The man looked them over, and then his stone frown curled itself into a smile. "Well, aren't you a polite, well-mannered boy." he said gleefully, "Sure, I might have a couple things ya can do for me."
"Yeah that's be great, Mitch is really strong! He can pull anything!" said Tiffany.
"... and I did notice your wheat fields were quite ripe." he said, "Perhaps I can reap some wheat and help mill some flour?"
The farmer nodded. He did sound like a hard-working boy. "Well, reason we haven't been harvestin' is cause we got no mule." he explained. "We had one, but only had it a couple months before it got ill."
He escorted them to the shed where the hand-pulled reaper lay.
"Tell ya what. Ya work good and hard in the field fer the morning, and Beth an' I will cook ya both a feast. That's a deal?"
"That's a deal, sir." Mitch replied, shaking his hand. He nodded, showed Mitch how the large contraption worked, and returned to the house.
Tiffany stared at it. "It's a plow..." She said wistfully. Suddely a silly idea occured to her. "I wanna try pulling it!" She said eagerly.
"Oh, you really shouldn't..." Mitch said. Part of the mannerisms of a gentleman was to do the work for the lady. You know, be respectful.
But at the same time, she looked quite eager and... well, she seemed quite active. "Well, just let me adjust it for you."
At some point his tail broke free on its own as he adjusted the pull harness for her smaller body. He walked her across the dirt parking lot and towards the wheat field.
"Alright," he said, pointing, "Just pull it straight down that way and go back and forth that way. Make sure the edge of the plow covers the edge of the wheat, alright?"
"Got it!" Tiffany said eagerly, and started pulling. The strain on her shoulders was immense. "So this...is what...an....animal....feels...like." She said between steps. It took every muscle in her body to pull the thing.
"Yup. Each and every day." he said, helping guide the plow from behind with a hoe, "I'm actually kinda looking forward to working back in the shop with Dad. Much better than doing stuff like this."
She grinned as she dropped the plow. "Hey, I challenge you to plow now using the pull harness. It's time for you to be the animal for a bit!" Tiffany laughed.
He shrugged. Challenged accepted. He slung the harness over his shoulders, leaned forward, and pushed off the tough dirt ground. He trudged well. He moved almost twice as fast as Tiffany did, and he was barely breaking a sweat.
"Woah!" he said, adjusting the harness a bit with his hands, "Thought this was gonna be a lot more effort! This is easy!"
Tiffany nodded. "You look great!" She said as the boy trudged along single mindedly, his hooves digging into the dirt, heedless of stone or hard spot, his tail occasionally swatting upwards to shoo away an annoying fly.
"Yeah, it's these legs." he said, "They, like, make me feel so very light, and the hooves just dig into the ground. Like they were made for this kinda thing."
He expected to only get perhaps a quadrant of the field done, but in just two short hours, the entire field was flat and covered in large round bushels of wheat. Peeling his sweat-caked shoulders from the harness, he gasped for delicious breath. Dust-filled, but still delicious.
Tiffany came close to him and threaded her fingers into his. She sniffed a bit. "Wheeeww whee! You smell like an animal!" She said, and blushed as she couldn't keep the pride from her voice. She liked the smell! How!?
"I feel like one too." he said, wiping his forehead with a short sleeve, "I'm tellin' ya; first thing I do when I get home is takin' a bath."
"What do you mean you feel like one?" Tiffany asked curiously. She gently picked up his tail, she could feel the muscles in it quivering from his heaving back.
Later, his tail went back in the pants and his pants legs went back down to cover the hooves.
"Heavens ta' Betsey! the farmer said, "Y'all really did all that yerselves? Why, boy, ya must have some work-horse blood in her veins r' sumthin!" All laughted.
"Weh- weh-" the farmer choked, pointing at the door, "Well, you two come on right in an' make yerselves right at my home!"
Besides, the day wasn't over. All they did was score some brunch (roast chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, stewed vegetables in a thick hearty sauce, and apple tartar sauce smothered beets). Nothing, absolutely nothing beat a brunch in a country home, and Mitch was learning that for the first time in his life. Having been raised in the city all his life.
So much so that, perhaps for the first time ever, he forgot about the searing pain his tail was giving him as he sat on it, stuck tightly trapped between his leg and the seat.
"So what are you two doing all the way out here?" asked the houselady, giving more stew to Tiffany.
She greedily ate more. "Running away." She said truthfully. She really wasn't sure she wanted to go back home, she'd rather just stay out with Mitch. Besides, she'd left home to have fun hadn't she?
The two farmers stared, and they weren't the only ones. Mitch snuck her a look, whispering "why did you say that?!"
"Running away?" the houselady exclaimed, "Now why on heaven's green earth is a beautiful lass like yourself running away now?"
"Because I was tired of being the rich girl stucked up at school. I had everything given to me by my rich parents...They distanced of me, they were never with me, they were always busy with their business or travel. Money and having me look good was everything to them."
Mitch would've spoken against it, but he totally understood her anger.
"Yeah, my father worked me every day in his bakery." he added in, "I ran away so I would no longer be a never-ending servant. To actually become a proper man and live a little. Maybe meet someone. I too thought that I was ground into dirt for the sake of money."
The farmers exchanged looks. They weren't expecting such a deep answer from the two of them. These weren't just two vagabonds running amuck. They were on a pilgrimage of self-discovery. To find out who and what they truly were.
"Well, honey." said the houselady, "I think it's just wonderful that you took that initiative, and just let yourself out there. I would love to see more folk like yourself just grabbing the bull by the horns and taking it for a ride."
She turned to Mitch, "And you, don't ever think you are lousy for what you did. I look at you, and I see a strapping young man who has found what he is missing and has become the better man for it."
"Y'all stay as long as you need, y'hear? You get yourselves well fed and well rested, and you head on out and get back home lickety split when yer good an' ready. Alright?", the farmer's wife said.
"Oh, ma'am, you are too too kind." Mitch said, "But really, I think we're have to go. I don't think we really have much further to go."
"You sure?" the farmer asked, slowly rising to his feet and walking to a counter, "As I recall, you two were lost."
Tiffany nudged him. "I think we've earned it. We just did their whole field. They offered to let us stay too. What could be the harm in staying for a little bit then going home when we are rested?" Tiffany said.
Mitch sighed. But, on the other hand, it was true. He was still very sore from all that action these last few days. He was only lucky his legs were built for plow pulling; he didn't think he would've been able to pull one row otherwise.
"Alright." he said, "Ma'am, I would be most honored to take you up on that offer. And please, if there's anything I can do to help you out while we're here, I will do anything you ask."
"Oh, you are such a wonderful hard-working boy." she smiled, plump rosy cheeks flush.
The farmer headed out of the room and Tiffany took the chance to sneak a gentle rub on Mitch's tail, hoping to sooth his aching tail.
"Tiffany, please. It's fine." Mitch whispered with clenched teeth.
"Now, I'm afraid we don't get many guests 'round here." the farmer said, "We do have a room spare, but for two it's a bit cramped. Course, yer welcome to stay in the barn; don't got anything in there right now, but..."