Chapter One: Back Once Again!
-
The early morning sun washed over the famous riding school that sat comfortably in the wide valley. An early summer breeze danced its way inside the faded blue barn as the doors were heaved open to welcome the morning light.
The ancient yet sturdy barn creaked from the movement and the hinges squeaked. The attic doors had already been opened and a small shower of straw, hay, dust and feathers floated downwards as a flock of pigeons and doves flew out, startled by the noise.
They flapped out noisily and swooped low over the clean arena, weaving over the clean array of jumps set up and out into the woodland beyond.
A tan teenage boy stood wiping the dust off his jeans and blue top as he took in the scenic views that made Horseland so memorable.
Fresh green hills swept upwards into sharp, challenging smoky gray mountain tops, the edges fringed with forest. The density ranging from impassable to scattered and the wildlife from troublesome to sweet.
The children of the surrounding mountain range, soft rolling meadows that surrounded the school, shimmered and glittered as the long green grass danced in the breeze.
The light on the leaves made the grass turn into a huge, rippling, green ocean, broken up into segments with rustic wooden fences.
Bailey rested his hands on his hips and took in a deep breath of fresh straw, warm manure and the crisp, sweet bite of summer morning air.
"Man, I'll be glad for this place to finally re-open!" He exclaimed to no-one in particular yet his voice woke the faithful Collie that was asleep in the morning sun.
Shep opened an eye and stretched the sleep out of his joints, growling in pleasure as the sun warmed his thick coat. Standing up, he shook off the dust and padded around to where Bailey was standing.
Bailey spotted Shep coming, climbed up and sat down on the wooden training arena fence.
"I hope I can see the girls again, aye Shep?" Bailey reached down and stroked the old dogs head.
It had been three years since Bailey had seen his Horseland friends. The last memory he remembered of them was all of them celebrating Almas' thirteenth birthday. All of the group had been there.
He wondered if they'd come back.
"I've missed them and their horses while Horseland got renovated! Sure the new dorms are sweet and all but what's the fun if you have no-one to go riding with? At this rate, I'd even prefer to go with Chloe or Zoey and their bad-tempered rides. "
Shep barked in agreement as Bailey looked out over the mountains, sighing wistfully.
The dog, too, had also been lonely. Angora and Teeny were good fun but even that got tiresome.
Shep had missed Scarlet and the others.
And he wasn't the only one.
Angora had missed the drama that the group had caused, that she went out and made her own.
She had caused poor Shep and Teeny strife as she went around leaving a trail of foul tricks and attitude wherever she went.
Bailey on the other hand, had been kept extremely busy.
He had been busy cleaning out the new and old stables that had been added along with the rest of the expansion over the course of three years.
It had been a lone job for him and he'd been up since three working his butt off. But now it was all done.
The hardened dirt floor had been replaced with cobblestones and there were now an extra twenty stables for all the new riders lodging their horses.
Bailey still hadn't gotten his head around the new system his parents had put in place, but at least it was guaranteed to help Horseland in the long run.
Allowing riders and horses lodging for up to two years along with equestrian event tutoring and the opportunity to learn life and farm skills.
The old farmhouse had been upgraded to suit the new offer.
It now had a huge dormitory stuck on one side and the lunch room was now a proper mess hall.
Bailey still had his own private room, but with the new added super-fast WiFi and more big hot water cylinders added he was living a perfect dream.
However, the dormitory wasn't split in half. That had cost too much to build.
So each room had two bunk beds allowing four people per room. Guys could bunk with girls provided things stayed casual.
NO Mature acts.
Bailey wasn't too happy with his parent's leniency but he guessed he'd be fine. After all, he still did have his own room.
Part of him didn't want to share all this with the new riders but the other part knew he wanted company.
So he simply settled down on the arena fence and waited, wrinkling his nose at the smell of polish emanating from his hands.
"Last time I polish all those saddles by myself..." He muttered to Shep, who nodded his head wisely.
He sighed and watched the trees sway as he waited for the new guests to start arriving.
Will was the first to arrive in his old dusty Ute and towing his classic horse float behind him.
Bailey jumped off the fence as soon as he heard the vehicle come round the corner and his face broke into a smile as Horselands famous trainer drove up the driveway.
Bailey ran alongside the Ute waving madly with Shep bounding along beside him.
As the Ute pulled to a stop, Angora and Teeny poked their heads out from behind the open barn door.
"Well, well. Look whose back!" Angora purred, unable to hide her glee.
Teeny instantly broke into a bout of happy bouncing, nearly trampling Angora.
"Will's back! Will's Back! Oh I've never been happier! Look Angora! Will's back!" Teeny froze in mid bounce as realization slowly spread across her face.
She gasped "That must mean the others are coming too! Oh we'll all be one big happy family!"
Teeny was beside herself with joy and she raced out to meet Will who was getting Jimber out of his trailer.
The blonde man looked down at the pig and reached down to pat her, "Hey there Teeny! It's nice to see you're still here!"
Jimber nickered, "Heya Teeny! It's good to be back at Horseland! Good ta see ya!"
Teeny bounced up and down excitedly, the bow on her tail flopping with each bounce, "I know! I know!"
Bailey was unloading Wills' bags onto the quad bike trailer; another investment for Horseland; and had started it up.
"Hey Cuz! I'll take your bags to the dorm up by the farmhouse. Since you're older than the rest you get your own private room. I'll leave them in the foyer so you can choose your room when you're done." Bailey yelled over the bikes roar.
Will gave the thumbs up to show he heard before leading Jimber into the stables.
He gave a whistle of admiration at the expanded barn, "Welcome back Jimber. It's good to be back, ain't it?"
Jimber nickered happily and obediently walked into his old stable, glad to see the star was still emblazoned on the door.
As Will wandered off to check the place out, Jimber greeted his old friend, Aztec.
"Aztec, me' boy! How are ya?" He asked out his stall door.
Aztec eagerly poked his head out and his face broke into a smile as he saw his old friend, "Jimber? Is that you! Oh boy! I must be seeing things! You would not believe how bored I've been!"
Jimber laughed and shook his mane, "Nope. It's me. Good ole' Jimber! Wills back to and I hear the others are coming back as well. The whole gang will be back together in no time!"
Aztec pranced in his cell, "Brilliant! Finally I can get rid of this boredom! So how have you been lately? Me? Bored as a rock."
As the two stallions caught up, Will walked down the new addition to the barn; a building that had been added onto where the tack room had been.
Instead of a small room filled with shelves and pegs it was now a large corridor that ended in a pair of newly painted red double-doors.
Each side of the corridor was home to ten new stables for the expected horses, all mucked out with fresh hay, straw and water.
"Well, Bailey and his folks have certainly outdone themselves this time." Will stood back, hands on hips and very impressed.
The sound of the quad bike returning caused him to start on his way back out but he picked up his pace when he heard the growl of the bike to be drowned out by the sound of cars tires crunching up the gravel path.
He self-consciously wiped the dust that had settled on his shoulders off, tugged on his belt and walked out to meet old and new arrivals.
Bailey parked the bike and leapt off as the two limos towing horse floats rolled up the dusty driveway in a single file line.
One black, one white, Bailey broke into a smile as he recognized the occupants.
Both the limousines pulled up in front of the barn and two pairs of doors opened up.
Out of the white limo came the Stilton Sisters: Chloe and Zoey.
Both dressed in the latest fashions. Zoey displayed a light cotton turquoise shirt with breast pockets and upturned sleeves over a pair of short denim shorts while Chloe had her lavender hairband in and had a thin lavender summer dress to match.
Both wore black ballet flats, utterly useless for the current environment.
"You know what, sis? I almost missed this place." Zoey said, tossing her wavy orange hair over her shoulder.
Chloe examined her perfectly manicured nails, "For once I agree with you sis. And I bet Chili and Pepper did too."
Both girls looked up as Bailey ran over.
"Chloe! Zoey! Man it's great to see you two!"
The twins smiled, "Hey Bailey." They replied in unison.
"Could you guys put Chili and Pepper in their stables while I gather your bags?" Bailey grinned sheepishly.
The sisters looked taken aback, "We only just get here and you already expect us to do work?" Chloe exclaimed in horror.
Zoey whimpered, "But I might get dust and horse hair on me new clothes!"
Bailey just sighed and rubbed his head, "Worth a shot…" he muttered before grabbing the girls' unrealistic amount of luggage and piling it up on the bike trailer.
While Bailey dealt with the Stiltons, Will went out and greeted the black limos occupants.
"Sarah! Molly!" Will greeted them with open arms as the blonde and the jester stepped out of the car.
Sarah was wearing a scarlet cotton shirt with no sleeves that exposed her flat stomach with a pair of pale blue skinny jeans, torn at the knees.
Molly had a pink sleeveless turtle neck on and knee long black shorts with her thick black hair up in a bun. Slim black boots and tacky sneakers hit the dusty ground as they got out.
"Will! It's great to see you again!" Sarah gave him a fleeting hug before stepping back and taking a deep breath of country air. "It's great to be back! Scarlet and I missed Horseland!"
An agreeing neigh rang from the big float attached to the limo.
Sarah laughed, "Speaking of which…" she ran off to the float and pressed the button to lower the door.
"Missed your jokes Molly!" Will rested a hand on the African-Americans shoulder.
Molly grinned, "Really? Thanks Will! Its great seeing you again but I have to go see Calypso!"
Will watched as Molly ran off to where Sarah was leading Scarlet out to her stall.
Molly and Sarah followed Bailey inside the new barn as he put Chili and Pepper in their stalls.
"Hey Bailey!" The two girls greeted their friend as he bolted Chili's door.
"Hey Sarah! Hey Molly! Man, I am glad to see you two again. You would not believe how busy and bored I've been!" Bailey wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
Molly just laughed as she led Calypso inside the fresh new stall, "You're only glad we're back so you don't have to do all the work!"
The three just laughed as their horses settled into their stalls.
"C'mon! I'll show you too your dorms!" Bailey ran outside with the two girls following as Will finished unloading Molly and Sarah's bags.
"Thanks Will! Sarah was nice enough to give me and Calypso a lift!" Molly grinned as she stacked her suitcase on the quad bike trailer.
Bailey patted the seat behind him, "Anyone coming up to the dorms?"
The girls and Will shook their heads.
"Sorry Bailey but I'd like to wait for Nina and Alma." Sarah shrugged apologetically and Molly nodded.
The twins were a different story.
"Ugh, I guess. Might as well get the shock over with." Zoey shrugged and walked towards the bike, taking a seat.
"At least we get first pickings." Chloe pointed out and took a seat on the other side.
Bailey sped off with the girls and the trailer full of luggage while the limos disappeared down the dusty driveway.
"I couldn't care less if I got stuck in a stinky, scummy bunk bed or room. I'm just glad to be back at Horseland!" Molly exclaimed watching the retreating bike.
Sarah and Will nodded their approval.
Will turned to Sarah and Molly, "You two certainly have grown from the last time I saw you. You were thirteen then! How old are you now?"
Sarah and Molly grinned.
"Sweet sixteen!" Molly punched the air
Sarah laughed, "Seventeen here. My birthday was last month."
Will clapped his hands, "Up in teenage years and still into horses? Well done!"
Molly gave Will a stern look, "That's rich coming from you. How old are you? 50? 60?" She poked her tongue out at him.
Will simply laughed. He was glad to be with these two again, "Actually, I'm 21. And an official Equestrian Event tutor and horse trainer."
He puffed his chest out proudly.
Sarah clasped her hands together, "That's so cool Will! Congrats!"
"Not as cool as that!" Molly was jumping up and down and pointing out at the driveway.
A small town car was rolling up the driveway, towing a black, white and green horse float.
"Alma!" Sarah yelled in joy.
Behind the first car was a jeep that was pulling a yellow and blue float.
Molly leapt up and punched the air, "Nani!"
The two cars pulled up and Alma and Nani stepped out and embraced their friends.
Sarah hugged Alma before Molly dragged Nani into the group hug.
All four of the girls laughed in joy and traded 'I missed you's and 'How are you?'s.
Will had already led Sunburst and Button out of the floats but let Alma and Nani take them away as the four girls chatted and gossiped with one another.
Will grabbed the girls' luggage and heaved it over to the wooden fence just as Bailey arrived with an empty trailer and no Stiltons.
As the boys loaded up the luggage, Sunburst and Button were led into their fresh, clean stalls.
"Bye Button, I'll catch you later, Chica!" Alma hugged her horses black and white neck.
"Be good Calypso! The others and I are going to check out the new Horseland!" Molly stroked Calypsos brown and white muzzle while she nickered happily.
Sarah softly stroked her Arabian mare, "I'll leave you to your friends, hmm Scarlett? Love you!"
Nani and Sunburst hugged each other before Nani joined the other girls as they left the barn, "Bye Sunburst!" She called after her.
"Bye Nani!" The horse neighed after his rider.
"Ugh, are you guys done with your sappy goodbyes?" A grumpy Pepper poked her head out of her stall.
"I'd say. There's no dignity in such manners." Chili stuck his head up high and scoffed.
Scarlet rolled her eyes, "Great to see you two again." She said sarcastically.
"Well at least they haven't changed." Button commented and Calypso nodded.
Aztec just shifted restlessly, "I don't care! It's great to have you all back!"
The stallion pranced and his stall, kicking up straw and splashing water everywhere as a stray hoof caught his trough.
"Ah!" He yelled in surprise, skittering backwards much to the amusement of the other horses, who broke into laughs.
"Seems like Aztecs so bored he's taken up swimming!" Jimber slyly remarked, causing a fresh wave of giggles.
As the horses shared their tales from the past three years, the girls were checking out the accommodation they'd be staying in for two whole years.
"I can't believe we're staying at Horseland for two whole years!" Molly exclaimed as she wandered down the dormitory halls and to their allocated room, "It's like a dream come true!"
Sarah nodded wisely, "I know, right? We'll be able to live right by our horses! And you guys too!"
Nani stopped in front of a door with a quarter-split crest painted on it.
"I think this is ours, look!" She pointed at the symbols on the painted shield: A Pink Heart and a Green Four-leafed clover were at the top and a yellow sun and a red crown were at the bottom.
"Hey! Those are our symbols for our tack!" Molly exclaimed.
"And our horses." Alma had looked up from the book she was reading.
Nani unlocked and opened the door and the four girls let out a squeal of delight as they saw their room.
A bunk bed either side of the room allowed four beds in total and the girls rushed to their beds.
"Oh cool!" Alma exclaimed as she pointed to the top right bed, which had little green four-leaved clovers painted around the outside.
Clambering up, she found a little bookshelf built into the wall and a small inset space in the wall above her headboard.
A small place where she could keep a lamp and other little knickknacks, "This is perfect for all my books!"
On the opposite side, Molly had the same.
"Look Sarah! Alma and I get the top bunks!" Molly cried in joy.
Sarah laughed and flopped down on her bed underneath Almas, "This is awesome! I don't think I'd ever miss home while I'm here!"
Nani tested the bounce of her mattress, "This is going to be so much fun! And you know what? That crest on the door showed our chosen beds! Looks like we're a group!"
Sarah grinned, "You're right, Nani! I mean, look! The symbols on the crest match the ones painted around our beds and our horses' stable doors!"
Molly rolled her eyes and peered over the side of her bed, "Can you two stop being so logical and throw up my bags?"
Sarah giggled and passed Molly's bags up to her before unpacking herself.
She set down a small picture frame of her and her parents and her and Scarlett on the small and simple bedside table.
Nani hung a blue and yellow dream-catcher on the window at the end of the room while Alma pinned up her ribbons and shelved her books.
Molly crammed her shelf full of stuffed animals and posted pictures of her and Calypso over the wall.
Sarah looked at the other three, "It's looking very homely in here!" She laughed.
"Huh, I was wondering when you lot would turn up."
Sarah whirled around to face the door and found the Stilton Twins leaning in the doorway.
"Yeah, me too Zoey." Chloe regarded the room with distaste.
Sarah grinned at the pair, "Hey Zoey! Hey Chloe! Isn't this place great?"
Zoey shuddered in her blue T-shirt, "Ew, no. This place is terrible!"
Chloe nodded solemnly, "Yeah. No jacuzzi. No king sized beds and no scenic views of luxurious beaches!"
"Or heated pools or fancy five-star buffets or wide screen T.V!"
"Or butlers and servants!"
"Or anything we clearly deserve and need to live in luxury!"
Alma scoffed, "Oh please, this place is great! At least be glad you have a bed and a roof over your head. Plus three meals a day."
Zoey shuddered and recoiled and Chloe flipped her hair, "Ugh. You wouldn't understand the needs for upper-class people like us. C'mon sis."
With that, the pair left for their room.
Sarah watched them go before turning to unpack her clothes and put them in the provided wardrobe, "Three years and they still haven't changed." She sighed.
Molly shrugged, "Well, I guess it wouldn't be Horseland without 'em."
A polite knock on the door and the girls turned and faced Will, who was dressed in his trademark black T-shirt and baggy blue jeans.
"Hey girls. This is a copy of the daily roster. It'll be put in place tomorrow when all the new arrivals turn up. You guys aren't the only ones this year so you better welcome the new members!" He handed out slips of paper to all the girls before waving goodbye and leaving.
The four girls looked at each other.
"New members?" Alma looked confused.
"New riders I guess." Sarah shrugged.
"I wonder if they're here already" Nani asked, poring over the sheet.
Molly shrugged, "I just want to unpack then go see Calypso. Oh look, we're on laundry for the first week!"
Alma made a face, "And Zoey and Chloe are on cooking. Better start saving up rations because I doubt those two are going to do ANY cooking."
Sarah folded the paper up and tucked it in her shirt pocket, "C'mon guys. Let's go meet the new riders and their horses!"
Amelia sighed as she watched the trees whip past as she traveled up the gravel road to the riding school known as Horseland.
She twirled a blonde lock around her finger and craned her neck to see if they had arrived.
She could hear barking coming from outside, half muted by the glass and the tires crunching up gravel.
She was suddenly thrown forward as the car stopped. She cautiously opened the door to find the place in chaos.
Numerous riders were unloading horses, tack and luggage.
Amelia watched as a tall blonde man walk past, leading three horses into the barn.
"Might as well unload here, hmm Rosie?" She asked her Golden Australian Collie with a pink bandana who was sniffing around a wooden fence.
Rolling her eyes but smiling, she unloaded her bags onto the ground near the fence.
Going to the back of her horse trailer, she lowered the back to allow her beautiful horse to exit.
"Come on, Fleur!" She coaxed her chimera horse.
Fleur slowly stepped out, looking around cautiously before freezing and refusing to budge.
"Fleur?" Amelia asked before turning around.
A brown haired boy was gathering her bags.
"Don't worry! I'll just chuck 'em with the others!" He called cheerily before walking off towards a bike trailer stacked with luggage.
Amelia smiled before turning back to Fleur, "It's fine, Fleur. No-one will steal you here." She walked up and stroked her beloved horses' nose.
Her poor Fleur bad been a prime target for horse rustlers due to her rare coat.
A genetic defect had caused the genotype for her coat to be a twin pair. One homozygous genotype for her white side and a heterozygous genotype for her brown side.
This defect resulted in a split coat and personality and a huge price on her head.
With sea-green eyes and a wavy mane and tail that is streaked with black and white with light blue highlights, Fleur was a real gift.
While Amelia was coaxing her horse out, another girl was leading her horse to her stable.
"Here's a nice fresh stable, Sovereign!" Esrelda Snape proclaimed as she took Sovereigns halter off and shut the stall door, "You'll be safe here!"
Hidie, her Rottweiler barked approvingly and sat guard while Esrelda went to grab her tack.
The light bay Arabian gelding watched his rider go before examining the gate latch, planning for future escapes.
Slipping outside, Esrelda passed a boy who smiled at her, causing her to drop her gaze and blush.
As she hurriedly rushed past, Jason smiled and stroked his glossy russet cat.
"Fourth one that blushed. I'm on a roll Fox!" He chuckled good naturedly.
His cat purred and rubbed up alongside him as Will led Blaze, his handsome black stallion to his stable.
The sun caught the white 'mask' of hair covering half the stallions face, contrasting with his red eyes.
Bailey was being assisted by a new rider who called himself Arthur.
"Thanks for the help Arthur." Bailey panted as they swung the last suitcase on the bike, "I needed it!"
"Happy ta help, Bailey!" Cam an Irish reply.
Bailey gave the lanky boy a slap on the back before giving his Staffordshire bull terrier a pat, just avoiding getting jumped on by the energetic canine.
"I'll go see Patches first, then I'll stop by you again!" Arthur called as Bailey drove off on the bike.
As Sarah and the others walked down, they were astonished at how busy it was.
"Wow, that's a lot of new people." Alma commented as they stopped at the old barn.
Molly coughed and waved a hand to keep away the unsettled dust, "I've never seen Horseland so busy! Even with competitions!"
A large white suitcase tumbled down and landed at the girls' feet and Nani bent down and picked it up as the owner rushed over.
"My apologies!" A blonde haired girl rushed over and took the case, "I'm just a little nervous!" Her voice was a thick English accent.
She stuck out a perfectly manicured hand, "I am Krystal!"
Sarah smiled and was about to shake her hand when a high voice called out, "Your Highness! Your horse needs tending too!"
Krystal gave them an apologetic grin and rushed towards an elaborate horse float parked behind a black Hummer.
"Another princess?" Alma exclaimed.
"She seems nice enough." Sarah shrugged.
"Yeah Alma, remember we can't judge people for what they look like! We've already learned that lesson." Molly pointed out.
Nani was already jogging towards the barn, "C'mon girls, let's see if we can help!"
The group jogged into the barn and saw Will unloading tack in the tack room near the rear of the barn.
"Hey girls!" He puffed as he heaved a heavy dark green Western saddle onto a support, above a pale pink Classic English saddle.
"Need a hand Will?" Sarah offered.
Will nodded and stepped back," Gladly. I've been lifting heavy saddles, boxes and other things ever since the first people started arriving." He wiped his forehead with his hand.
Outside the tack room, the vehicles and their floats were driving off, having unloaded their cargo of riders and horses.
The late morning sun glinted of numerous cars as they drove away along the windy rural road.
It was an hour past lunchtime when Will gathered all the new riders in the improved mess hall.
Sarah, Alma, Nani, Molly and Bailey all squeezed together on a bench, laughing and talking with their old friends and sharing stories of the times back at the old Horseland.
Will walked into the room and silence descended as he stopped and waited at the front of the room.
When he was certain all attention was on him, he started the introductions.
"G'day all you new and old Horseland Members! Names Will and I'm your Head Instructor! In fact, I'm your only instructor. Now I'm sure that everyone in this room is extremely talented with their horses but remember, Horseland is a place of fun and safety. No bullying or put downs and no fighting! If I see any pair fighting, they'll be on toilet duty for humans, horses and others."
His stern expression was unwavering as he swept his gaze around the room, challenging all eyes.
When he had finished his sweep, he smiled and clapped his gloved hands together.
"Now, I'm sure you lot know the rest of the rules here on behavior, manners and whatnot so I won't bore you with that old stuff. Before we all introduce ourselves, I'll just give out a few directions. The dorms aren't split but you will all be given a room which you will bunk in, along with three other people max. Guys, not allowed in the girls rooms and same goes for girls. Toilets are through the door over there next to the horse painting."
He pointed towards a door that said W.C, "And the showers and bathrooms are down the other end of the dormitories. Girls on one side, guys on another. No peeping Toms or Sues or you'll be kicked out. Clear?"
The sea of heads nodded.
Will smiled and continued, "Great! Now, everyone gather into a circle around me, please."
As the riders formed a wobbly circle they cast uneasy glances at their neighbors, looking uncertainly at each other.
Will clapped his hands for attention before continuing, "Right. Now, I'd like each person to introduce themselves. Tell us your name, your horse and a few things about you," Will cast a glance at the amount of pets near their owners, "And your pets. Sarah, could you start?"
Sarah nodded and stood up, tossing her hair over her shoulder she stood with her shoulders back and a warm smile on her face.
"Sure thing, Will. Hey guys! I'm Sarah Whitney, but just call me Sarah, please. My special horse is Scarlet. She's a gorgeous black Arabian with red streaks in her mane. She's got a special place in my heart. I'm really passionate about riding and animals so I hope we can all be friends!" Sarah smiled and sat down.
Bailey was next, "Hey guys. I'm Bailey Handler. My folks own this ranch and my horse is Aztec. He's the Kiger stallion with blue highlights. He's a bit of a grump but he's cool."
The boy who helped Bailey earlier in the day now stood up, after a moment looking around sheepishly, "Hi guys! I'm Arthur. I'm your run-of-the-mill Irishman...or boy, whatever you can classify me as…though I reckon I'm somewhere in-between. You know, being a 17 year old."
He shrugged, "But hey! My horse is that lively old nag with the black and white patch coat. He's great, honestly. Patches is my special wee horsey." His overdone Irish at the end caused a few giggles and he smiled broadly.
"Oh! And this little thing down at my feet is Basil. Staffordshire terrier. Very yappy and VERY bouncy."
Arthur sat down and the boy next to him stood up slowly, blowing sandy yellow hair out of his face.
"Hey." His single sentence had all the girls attention.
"'Name's Jason Treverson and this," He paused and stroked his fox-red cat at his feet, "Is Fox. He's my little buddy. My big buddy is Blaze. Big black Arabian, has half of his face covered in white," Jason slowly circled half of his face with a finger, "He's kinda bossy, so just a heads up."
Jason sat back down as the girl next to him stood up, speaking proudly in her English accent.
She had light blonde hair dyed with pink streaks and wore light-colored clothes. "Hello fellow friends! I am Krystal. I am a keen rider like all of you here and I am fluent in many languages! I'm from a royal family in England and I came here to be a normal girl. My horse is Black Diamond but we just call her Diamond. She can only understand French commands though, I am trying to teach her English but she is reluctant."
Krystal looked worried for a moment before perking up, "Oh! And this is my dog, Estella. She is a Tamaskan dog, not wolf so do not be scared!"
Estella barked as her owner giggled and sat down, stroking her pet.
Amelia stood up, pulling a few stray strands of blonde hair out of her mouth, pulling a face as they slid out.
"Ew, uh. Hi. I'm Amelia. This is my dog Rosie. She's an Australian Collie." She stroked the fluffy dog that sat at her feet.
The dog had a pink bandana around her neck, the only thing giving an indication of where the neck was, "And my horse is Fleur. She's an Arabian mare with the split coat. The vets I've taken her too say it's a genetic defect but she's really sweet most times, but she can be a little temperamental..."
Amelia's voice trailed off and she stood their awkwardly.
"But yeah, she's nice and all." She awkwardly finished before taking a seat and trying to hide her face with her hair.
Esrelda fiddled with her black and pink hoodie before standing up and shifting from foot to foot.
"Um, hi. I'm Esrelda Snape. This is my Rottweiler Hidie and my horse is Sovereign, the light bay Arabian. He's a Gelding, just so you know..."
Her short sentences showed her discomfort for being in the spotlight and she was clearly glad to sit down and lose the attention.
The last new rider before Alma, Nani and Molly was a lean, athletic girl with a pixie crop in a baggy red hoodie and grey baggy jeans.
"Hey guys, I'm Fly." she spoke with a casual tone, flicking her dirty-blonde fringe to one side.
"This is Scribble. My favorite Border Collie ever. My horse is Wildfire. She's the chestnut with white patches, the one with the horseshoe-shaped patch on one shoulder. She's an outdoors horse. Doesn't like being cooped up in a stable. Me and her like to take risks a lot, so don't bother trying to stop us. You'll just get hurt."
She gave a cocky grin and flicked her hair once again before sitting down, letting Alma and the others carry on.
Once everyone was done, Will handed out the schedules to each member.
Sarah, Alma, Molly and Nani headed off to their dorm since there was no laundry that needed doing.
Esrelda, Jason, Krystal and Fly were on cleaning but since it was the first day, they were given a break.
Fly and Arthur were paired with Zoey and Chloe, but since Will had ordered takeaways for the first night, they didn't need to do anything.
So in the end, everyone just hung around, unpacking, finding their way around and just doing their own thing, waiting for the day to be over.
"How about a trail ride first thing tomorrow morning?" Will asked as the night drew near and the bored riders went to their dorms as the curfew drew near.
A nervous and unenthusiastic mumble of 'Yeah's' and 'Sure' came from the sleepy adolescents as they slipped off to bed.
Will just shook his head and sighed as the last one disappeared.
Esrelda was busy brushing her teeth after scoffing down a two hamburgers for dinner and a two whole packets of fries as Fly rolled around in her bed, grinding her teeth in frustration as Jason and Arthur rocked next door, loud music making the walls shake.
Krystal stayed silent, reading her book with a lamp she had brought with her and Amelia tapped away on her phone, updating statuses and replying to her parents' worried texts.
Zoey and Chloe were discussing with one another about what they thought of each new rider and Sarah, Alma, Molly and Nani were all catching up with one another.
Bailey was snug asleep in his own bed in his own private room and Will was looking over the amount of paperwork that came with being a Professional Equestrian Trainer.
The quiet night gave no warning for the chaotic day that was too come.
Fly, Lucyella, Arthur- Goggled-Eyed Pegasus
Amelia, Jason, Krystal - Instrumental Wolf
Esrelda Snape - Esrelda Snape
Zoey, Chloe, Sarah, Will, Bailey, Molly, Alma, Nani - Horseland
Want an OC of yours in this story? Adition your OC be sending details to
hillstosky