Reddit Challenge story #14

Topic: a story about a cowboy squirrel

Not many people were able to know Max very well, but for those that did, he was a true legend. Max Richie was not like any other cowboy who anyone had ever seen. Yes, he lived on a ranch in Texas, yes he did herd cattle and other animals and yes he did wear a cowboy hat. However, there was one striking difference between Max and the other cowboys: Max was a common land squirrel.
Born on the ranch, it was clear from his youth that Max wasn’t like the other squirrels. Besides not being interested in acorns and running from dogs (he preferred to lasso them down himself) he also preferred wearing human clothes and riding full-size horses. The human cowboys were astonished at the sentient, intelligent, horse-riding squirrel and immediately decided to take him in as a member of the team. Within a few days of being brought on as a full time rancher, Max had established himself as the best cowboy in the group, wrangling cattle on the back of his Mustang faster than anyone had ever seen; he soon developed the name ‘lightning lasso’ for his amazing ability to lasso any cow within a 20 yard radius in only a few seconds.
Unfortunately for Max and his amazing talents, he was not blessed with a body designed to handle the years and rigors of human life; at age 28- longer than nearly any known squirrel- Max passed away from old age. Max will be remembered by his 48 children, four of whom are human, his human wife Sally Richie and his dozens of squirrel partners throughout the years. In Max’s years alive, thanks to prudent investment in the stock market, he was able to amass an enormous estate of over 50 million dollars. As he neared his death, Max turned to philanthropy and donated millions to create The Squirrel Protection Society, which helps protect city squirrels from the dangers of dogs, cats and cars. His will stipulated that 80% of his fortune be given to the society: donations can be made at SaveTheSquirrel.com.