Post by Ripley on Dec 18, 2013 16:43:33 GMT -5
Fog drifted over the grounds of The Wire when the silver truck with a trailer in tow pulled into the lot. The black haired man glanced over at the young woman beside him, nodded when the bumps awoke her. Kendall Williams, intern at Witch Creek Stable, sat up with her bright grays blinking sleep away fairly quickly. "Good you're awake. Now, Sleeping Beauty, welcome to your first official visit to The Wire. You are officially welcomed to the backside by one of the backstretch gang." He smiled when her solemn gray eyes filled up with amusement. Kendall was too smart for her own good. "Next year I'll even get a pass right?"
He pretended to lose focus, staring over her shoulder until she looked away. Then promptly reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pass with her identification on it. He shoved it into her lap, grinning when her eyes bugged out and he teased a smile out of her once again. She was the kid sister he'd never had. "That's yours. Ripley got you cleared for exercise riding too. She said if I'm to have my assistant with the yearling training, she needs to be legal."
Kendall's eyes were so bugged out in her head, Mal could see the whites around her eyes. He patted her shoulder, opened the door. "Time to get to work." Kendall opened her door a moment later, still numb from the surprise. She looped the pass around her neck, grinning as it settled against her chest. She was officially a Witch Creek member. She skipped to the back, or tried not to skip, as impatient hooves beat into the floor of the trailer. It was her future mount that awaited her in the trailer. Hers, she mouthed as she waited for Mal to come down the ramp with the yearling.
Uno Momento, son of Dubai World Cup winner Barely A Moment and Hall of Famer El Sol del Mar, paraded down the ramp, legs flaring to the side in dramatics. His dark eyes surveyed his surroundings with interest and excitement. He opened his mouth to release a high-pitched neigh before stepping off of the ramp and into the dirt. His hooves kicked up dust, nearly causing Kendall to sneeze. She stepped back out of range as he spun his butt around to face off with Malcolm. The black haired man cocked a brow at the yearling, met his blue eyes to the horses dark ones. The blaze faced colt gave off a daring aura, daring Mal to push him around, to pit his hulking body against the light weighted man. He stomped the earth, tossing his head this way and that, causing dark mane to weave over his crested neck.
Mal shook the lead rope violently from side to side. The movement sent Uno, as he was known around the barn, soaring back on somewhat clumsy feet. The horse stopped when the movement ended, chomping his teeth together in a show of submission before sending a pleading look in Kendall's direction. The girl shook her head, sliding her gray eyes in Malcolm's direction. "He's testing your ability to give in. He knows he can't appeal to me." Kendall nodded at the short explanation, returned her gaze back to Uno who was still chomping his mouth together.
Mal handed Kendall the lead rope, signaled for her to head to the barn beside the trailer. Kendall eyed the colt, knowing he was about to test her the way he constantly tested Mal. She wasn't disappointed when the first sign of forward movement sent the stubborn mule on his butt. His nostrils flared in and out, his eyes bright with disobedience. Kendall jerked on the lead line rapidly, shaking the colt backward on suddenly agile feet. He backed ten feet before Kendall stopped, turned and walked in the opposite direction. The line grew taut briefly, but then slackened. Uno had gotten the message.
The man nodded to Kendall as she led the large colt into his stall. She stepped up to undo his halter, turned to leave his stall. Mal shook his head, shut the door and reached over the door with a grooming box. "Nope. Serious training begins tomorrow. Get him cleaned up will you. He's a mess. I'm heading out to the track to see if Ripley's got some horses galloping." Kendall stared with an open mouth as the man left her behind without a second glance.
She turned, cocked an eyebrow at Uno who watched her with a tilted head. It was as though he didn't know what to do with this replacement human. He breathed in her sent when she offered a hand, twitched an ear toward the back of the stall. She smiled at the cautiousness in his gaze. "I'm just a girl. You can be defiant with Mal, but you can't feel safe with a girl?" The horse snorted, shifted his front hooves in the sawdust. "You'll learn."
Kendall reached into the bucket pulling out the hard brush. Uno out of all of the yearlings really loved to be gone over with the hard brush. His hide was thicker than the others, still covered with winter hair. He leaned into the pressure, neck and head drooping in relaxation. Kendall sighed, feeling her tension leak out with every stroke. She went over every inch of his youthful body, felt happy even in this new environment. "I'm starting out new too Uno. You and me, we both are experiencing everything for the first time ourselves. The horse was an immovable force, tired out from the trucking. Most other yearlings would be frantic with being separated from their herdmates. Not this one. He had some brains.
It took twenty minutes for Kendall to go over the horse with a soft brush, mane and tail comb, and a hoofpick. Uno was a bit stubborn with the pick, but after Kendall turned it into a game, by rushing from hoof to hoof, he lifted his feet willingly. Uno's ears pricked the minute Mal returned, his body tensing up with the snap of fingers. He rushed to the door, ears straight as towers, tail whipping a mile a minute. Kendall watched his body, figured out that he was not fierce, but excited. A moment later, Mals' black haired head appeared, then his white smile. Two seconds later, Uno backed up with drool hanging from his mouth in appreciation of an apple. Kendall grinned as the horse walked over to her, slobber dripping on her fingers. He pushed his forehead into his chest, stayed there for a moment.
Mal snorted. "I'm the one who gave you the apple Uno." The horse flicked an ear, but stood with his head planted against Kendall's chest. She didn't know why, but this big fool of a yearling seemed like the most trustworthy animal in the barn. "He looks good. Good job with the tail. He rubs it against his stall, dries the tail out at the dock." Kendall nodded, narrowing her eyes in the direction of Uno's hidden tail. Mal opened the door, gestured for her. "We'll give him the afternoon and night off. We're going to go watch some races. Training begins tomorrow guinea pig."
Kendall looped her arm through his, grinning like a fool at the though. Tomorrow they would see what kind of partners Uno and her would become.
He pretended to lose focus, staring over her shoulder until she looked away. Then promptly reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pass with her identification on it. He shoved it into her lap, grinning when her eyes bugged out and he teased a smile out of her once again. She was the kid sister he'd never had. "That's yours. Ripley got you cleared for exercise riding too. She said if I'm to have my assistant with the yearling training, she needs to be legal."
Kendall's eyes were so bugged out in her head, Mal could see the whites around her eyes. He patted her shoulder, opened the door. "Time to get to work." Kendall opened her door a moment later, still numb from the surprise. She looped the pass around her neck, grinning as it settled against her chest. She was officially a Witch Creek member. She skipped to the back, or tried not to skip, as impatient hooves beat into the floor of the trailer. It was her future mount that awaited her in the trailer. Hers, she mouthed as she waited for Mal to come down the ramp with the yearling.
Uno Momento, son of Dubai World Cup winner Barely A Moment and Hall of Famer El Sol del Mar, paraded down the ramp, legs flaring to the side in dramatics. His dark eyes surveyed his surroundings with interest and excitement. He opened his mouth to release a high-pitched neigh before stepping off of the ramp and into the dirt. His hooves kicked up dust, nearly causing Kendall to sneeze. She stepped back out of range as he spun his butt around to face off with Malcolm. The black haired man cocked a brow at the yearling, met his blue eyes to the horses dark ones. The blaze faced colt gave off a daring aura, daring Mal to push him around, to pit his hulking body against the light weighted man. He stomped the earth, tossing his head this way and that, causing dark mane to weave over his crested neck.
Mal shook the lead rope violently from side to side. The movement sent Uno, as he was known around the barn, soaring back on somewhat clumsy feet. The horse stopped when the movement ended, chomping his teeth together in a show of submission before sending a pleading look in Kendall's direction. The girl shook her head, sliding her gray eyes in Malcolm's direction. "He's testing your ability to give in. He knows he can't appeal to me." Kendall nodded at the short explanation, returned her gaze back to Uno who was still chomping his mouth together.
Mal handed Kendall the lead rope, signaled for her to head to the barn beside the trailer. Kendall eyed the colt, knowing he was about to test her the way he constantly tested Mal. She wasn't disappointed when the first sign of forward movement sent the stubborn mule on his butt. His nostrils flared in and out, his eyes bright with disobedience. Kendall jerked on the lead line rapidly, shaking the colt backward on suddenly agile feet. He backed ten feet before Kendall stopped, turned and walked in the opposite direction. The line grew taut briefly, but then slackened. Uno had gotten the message.
The man nodded to Kendall as she led the large colt into his stall. She stepped up to undo his halter, turned to leave his stall. Mal shook his head, shut the door and reached over the door with a grooming box. "Nope. Serious training begins tomorrow. Get him cleaned up will you. He's a mess. I'm heading out to the track to see if Ripley's got some horses galloping." Kendall stared with an open mouth as the man left her behind without a second glance.
She turned, cocked an eyebrow at Uno who watched her with a tilted head. It was as though he didn't know what to do with this replacement human. He breathed in her sent when she offered a hand, twitched an ear toward the back of the stall. She smiled at the cautiousness in his gaze. "I'm just a girl. You can be defiant with Mal, but you can't feel safe with a girl?" The horse snorted, shifted his front hooves in the sawdust. "You'll learn."
Kendall reached into the bucket pulling out the hard brush. Uno out of all of the yearlings really loved to be gone over with the hard brush. His hide was thicker than the others, still covered with winter hair. He leaned into the pressure, neck and head drooping in relaxation. Kendall sighed, feeling her tension leak out with every stroke. She went over every inch of his youthful body, felt happy even in this new environment. "I'm starting out new too Uno. You and me, we both are experiencing everything for the first time ourselves. The horse was an immovable force, tired out from the trucking. Most other yearlings would be frantic with being separated from their herdmates. Not this one. He had some brains.
It took twenty minutes for Kendall to go over the horse with a soft brush, mane and tail comb, and a hoofpick. Uno was a bit stubborn with the pick, but after Kendall turned it into a game, by rushing from hoof to hoof, he lifted his feet willingly. Uno's ears pricked the minute Mal returned, his body tensing up with the snap of fingers. He rushed to the door, ears straight as towers, tail whipping a mile a minute. Kendall watched his body, figured out that he was not fierce, but excited. A moment later, Mals' black haired head appeared, then his white smile. Two seconds later, Uno backed up with drool hanging from his mouth in appreciation of an apple. Kendall grinned as the horse walked over to her, slobber dripping on her fingers. He pushed his forehead into his chest, stayed there for a moment.
Mal snorted. "I'm the one who gave you the apple Uno." The horse flicked an ear, but stood with his head planted against Kendall's chest. She didn't know why, but this big fool of a yearling seemed like the most trustworthy animal in the barn. "He looks good. Good job with the tail. He rubs it against his stall, dries the tail out at the dock." Kendall nodded, narrowing her eyes in the direction of Uno's hidden tail. Mal opened the door, gestured for her. "We'll give him the afternoon and night off. We're going to go watch some races. Training begins tomorrow guinea pig."
Kendall looped her arm through his, grinning like a fool at the though. Tomorrow they would see what kind of partners Uno and her would become.
