Hi. I'm Taylor, if you hadn't gathered. I've watched this show since I was in the fifth grade with my friend Nicole (not really my friend now, butttt whatever). I've loved horses for even longer, so if that tells you anything at all. This was just some whimsical little plot that was playing itself out in my head that I finally got to write down. It didn't come out quite as easily as I'd hoped, and it didn't come out quite how I wanted it to, but I like it so far. I hope you enjoy this one. Let me know if I should continue - I'm still debating it... :) Just a little timeline-ish note: this is after season four, and Junior didn't go to Alaska. -Taylor! xx

Disclaimer: Nope, it's not mine. Damn those writers who think they own every single good television show...


Her feet seemed to pick up speed of their own free will. She was practically running down the drive towards the barn, the cuffs of her long sleeved shirt being balled up in nervous fists. Just as she was about to step over the threshold of the barn, she heard her name being called. Coming to an abrupt halt, she whirled around to find the source, only to find it to be an exasperated looking Jean making her way towards her. Jean slowed when she was a few yards away, and she could see the worry etched into the creases of her aged face. "Kris, thank God. Do you remember that trip that Camp LaGrange scheduled with us for next week?"

Kris thought back quickly, searching. "Yeah..." she replied, albeit hesitantly.

"Apparently I go the dates mixed up with one of the races for the Dirty Dozen; they're coming today," her friend informed her, sounding desperate.

"Dammit." Her face wrinkled in frustration. "I have a schooling race with Nose Ring and Nakaya at 9:15. What time are they coming?"

"Around 9:30. Look, I'm really sorry but I'm shorthanded today because of Julio going with Matt and Pablo to check out that horse in Litchfield. If there was anyone else available to help, I would ask them, but there isn't. Could you-"

"Of course, but they'll have to just watch because there's no other time this week that we can do this. I promise I'll take them out riding right after," she said, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Can you just ask one of the guys to get Wildfire, Taz, and Amanda ready for me by 9:45? It would be so helpful. I could get a few kids on them and just give them a quick lesson, right?"

Jean ran a hand through her short cut hair. "I guess so, but you can't just lead them in circles for three hours. Teach them other things, take them on the trail- anything. They're the younger ones – they won't stay interested in walking around for hours on end. Remember when you were fourteen? Were you ever interested in that stuff?"

She sighed and bit her lower lip. "No, but I'll think of something. I won't let you down this time."

"I know. I just hope this doesn't go like it did with those girls."

"In my defense, they had some seriously strong wills. I think this time will be a whole lot different," she assured, before stepping away and trotting into the barn. She whistled, just out of habit, only to have the most gorgeous horse head she'd ever seen pop out of his stall, still chewing on a mouthful of hay. She smiled in spite of herself, although it fell after a minute, and hurried over to her best friend. He hadn't changed at all. "Hey Wildfire. There are some kids coming today; I'm kind of nervous. I don't want to let Jean down, or them. I feel like I owe everybody something, but especially Jean. Those girls, though... I don't know what I'm supposed to expect, really. Do they want me to be an advocate? A role model? 'Cause I'm neither of those things. I just wish people would lower their expectations in me a little bit more. Nobody can be a million things all at once, right, buddy? God. What am I gonna do, huh?"

Not as though she actually expected an answer, he tossed his head and snorted quietly. She smiled a little. As she rubbed his nose, he relaxed a bit, melting into familiarity. A few stalls down, Flame stuck his own head out as he stomped and kicked at his stall door. In an instant, she was there, shushing him and pushing his head away from cribbing. "What's gotten into you today? You can't flip out on me now. I have a lot of work. Be good for me, okay?"

As if one queue, the young Hispanic boy working in the barn tapped her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder to see him holding onto Nose Ring's lead line. "Oh, uh, thank you. What's your name again?"

"Diego."

"Thank you, Diego," she said, taking the horse from him and walking out of the stables. The big bay stallion bobbed his head as he walked along side her. He hadn't been her favorite out of the rescues because of his stubbornness, attitude, and intense unpredictability. Wildfire was one type of all those, Noser was another. He just didn't know the limits to them. He wasn't very popular among the ranch hands either. He would nip at each in turn if they caught him at a bad time. He could be your best friend one minute, and your worst nightmare the next. On the tracks, he was a dream to ride – smooth, passionate, quick. As a joke, people sometimes called him Man O' War. He was probably one of the nastiest race horses to date, but yet he was second to none on the tracks. Noser wasn't second to none, but he was pretty high up in the rankings.

He was a handful once they stepped out into the crisp, late winter air. He clearly wasn't very fond of the cold, but neither was she. He pulled against Kris's grasp and skidded to the side a little, but she kept him close in attempts to calm his restless emotions. She could see the other practice jockey Bert standing next to Nakaya, helmet on, crop in hand. After another few yards of fighting the constant battle with Nose Ring, they got there in one piece. One of the exercisers gave them a leg up and they stood beside each other. "We're going to go easy on them until the back stretch; only three-quarter speed, 'kay?" she said, taking the extra crop from atop the fence. "Walk him out first; he seems too tired to do much. Don't let him get lazy."

Bert nodded and he and Nakaya walked off towards the first turn. Nose Ring had every intention of following for he took a few steps forward before Kris caught him and turned him in the opposite direction. He pulled against the reigns in vane attempts to get his own way. She flat out refused. Just as she got him semi-calm and Nakaya had turned back around, the infamous blue bus that was forever burned into her memory pulled up the drive, the gravel doing its job in making as much noise as possible. The horse beneath her jerked forcefully and kicked out behind him, blindly. "Easy, boy, easy," she said, spinning him around so he could see it coming. That didn't stop him a bit. He tossed and turned like his hooves were on fire. "Nose Ring," she warned, but he kept going. "It's just a bus; it's not the end of the world. Please."

When it came to a halt and the guard who had accompanied them stepped out, he calmed the slightest bit. He kept in constant motion, and all she could do was hold on and try to walk him out. She glanced over to see Jean gesturing the group over to the railing and Nakaya just a few yards away. "Give me a second to calm him and let them get over here and we can go," she told him as the best beneath her twisted yet again. Finally, after a few gentle pats to the neck, he was back to his same self on the track. "Thank you... Geez."

The girls in the grey sweat shirts and khaki pants loomed closer, most looking bored. She waited semi-patiently until they all stood behind the fencing before introducing herself. "'I'm Kris Furillo; that's Bert Hanson. This is Nose Ring and that's Nakaya. For now, you get to watch a real workout for these guys. We're doing this thing called a schooling race, it's where we give less experienced horses a chance to prove themselves. Nakaya is fairly experienced, but Noser is not. So, yeah," she explained, lamely.

She turned the horse so he was even with his opponent. "Ready... Go," she said, only loud enough for the two of them to hear. They both launched into motion, Nakaya taking the early lead by almost a length. Kris could feel him slacking a little, so with a gentle suggestion with the crop, he took a few steps faster, but fell back to his same pace. "Come on," she said adamantly. He ignored her completely. As they turn the first corner, she leaned as far as she could without falling, trying to get him to pick up his pace. Nothing.

Down the straight away he seemed to realize how far behind he was, for he lengthened his stride and accumulated speed. By the second turn, she could feel him really trying. "Let's go, right now." The backstretch proved he had so much more to give. His hooves hit the ground so fast, it felt like she was floating. Nakaya got closer and closer until they were neck-and-neck with each other at the finish. She slowed him to a slower canter, then a trot, and finally a walk as they made their way back to the small crowd of people clapping quietly. She smiled at them and slid off the back of the wary horse. She took a hold of the loose reigns under his neck and practically dragged him over to the railing. "Did you guys like that?" she asked, also lamely. They nodded, some actually sincere, others out of obligation. "How would you guys like to ride today? Not like that, but a nice one."

No one really made a move forward, so she raised her eyebrows. "Nobody? Okay, well we can talk for a while until you decide you want to. I figured you came here to ride, but, whatever. So, uh, I went to Camp LaGrange." Some eyes widened. Clearly no one had told them. "I stole a car when I was sixteen. I was in there for sixteen months before I was offered a job here by Pablo, our trainer who isn't here right now. I stole a horse after that because he was going to get sent to a glue factory for slaughter. His name is Wildfire. At the time he was an ex-race horse with a bad attitude sometimes. After I rode him once through the same program you guys are in, we had this... Bond. It was like we were just connected in the best way possible. I couldn't let him get killed just because no one wanted him. So, I took him and caused a stampede in the process. I went back for ninety days. I was lucky, it could have been longer and I could have not had a home here at Raintree, but I did." She paused and looked around at the faces starring back at her. She saw a bit of herself in them, but also saw their own individuality; the piercings, the tattoos, the ethnicity, everything. "And that's why, I'm guessing, they had you come here - to listen to me preach about being a reformed criminal. Look, that's not what I'm trying to do here, I'm just telling you, you do have a chance when you get out, but you have to prove yourself. Coming and living here wasn't always easy, trust me. It's rough, but you get through it."

Kris looked at each of the fifteen-or-so girls in front of her, trying to see if her message got into any of them. She had never had a knack for reading people, and apparently, today was no different. "So, does anybody want to tell me their story?" she asked, but again, no one said a word. Nose Ring tossed his head and stomped once, impatiently. "O-kay... How about you?" She pointed to a girl with an eagle tattoo on her exposed neck.

"I was in a gang. Got caught stealing some shit from a convenience store, then the found out about some of the other stuff I did. I'm in for three years," she explained in what seemed to be a Brooklyn accent. "Kate."

"How about you?" she asked a girl with get black hair and darkly tanned skin.

"I-uh, I was in a fight with some chick and took it a little too far. Let's just say I walked away in handcuffs and she was rolled away on a gurney," she replied with the smallest of smirks.

"You?" It was a small, tan-skinned, brunette with the marks of an eyebrow piercing above and below her left eyebrow, a small stud in her left nostril, and a stud to the right of her lower lip. Some of the girls shifted; a few actually chuckled. "What's so funny? Someone wanna tell me?"

"That's Ezmerelda. She doesn't talk much."

"Actually, she doesn't talk at all. Seriously, I haven't heard her speak once since I met her," Kate explained, sounding slightly amused.

"Ezmerelda, huh? What are you here for?"

She shifted her weight, shuffled her feet, and shook her head.

"You're not gonna talk to me then, I guess. Well congratulations, you get to ride first. You get to ride Noser here." Choosing the exact worst moment, he decided he would do a mini rear and shake his head, defiantly. "He's nice, really," she insisted, noticing the wary look on her face. Come on, you'll be fine." All eyes were on her as she stepped tentatively closer to them. Ezmerelda stopped at the gate and starred at Nose Ring. He seemed to calm a little bit. She took another few hesitant steps forward, and he went back to being a pain, causing the poor girl to stop short. "It's alright, I've got him." She glanced from Kris to Noser before closing the gap between them. The horse eyed her, but slowed his movements to a stop. "Here, I'll give you a leg up."

She simply shook her head. "What? What's wrong?" Kris asked, her eyebrows furrowing. There was a small noise from her mouth, but it was too quiet to be coherent. "Sorry, what?"

"I'm scared," she said so quietly Kris almost missed it again.

"You don't need to be," she replied, equally as quiet. "I'll be right here. And look, he calmed down just for you. You're completely safe here. Okay?"

Slowly, she nodded, eyes still shimmering with fear, but mixed with determination. Kris explained how a leg up works, then helped lift her into the saddle with ease. As she watched her, she could see the fear slowly start to fade away into nothing. There was a ghost of a smile playing her lips as she took the reigns and slipped her feet into the iron stirrups. "So what you're going to do is squeeze your legs to get him to go, pull back the reigns to stop, look where you want to go, open your hands like a door to turn, and look where you want to do. Oh, and try to keep your heels down – it helps your balance," she instructed gently.

All she did was nod, click her tongue, squeeze her heels to Noser's sides and take off at a walk. Kris watched, amazed. Her form was near perfect, even with the stirrups so short from the workout. When she turned him, she had a hard time believing she actually asked him to do it because her hand motions were so limited. But effective, she reminded herself. "Why don't you try and trot?" she encouraged. Ezmerelda looked over at her, a little confused. "Just press into his sides, and let him bounce you up and down. It's fun, trust me."

Not willing to argue, she did so, and everybody could see the slight surprise in her face. She hadn't been expecting anything like that. She quickly lost her initial shock and fell into a rhythm she clearly had never experienced before. It was smooth and had the grace of someone who'd been riding their whole lives. She couldn't figure out why she'd been scared to get on in the first place. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jean, Diego, and a few of the exercise riders leading out some of the horses from the barn, Wildfire and Taz leading the pack. "Okay, slow him down so we can get a few more people on." She turned to the rest of the lot. "If you guys could form a line along the fence I can get you guys on horses faster."

They did it, although reluctantly, just as they rest of the horses were being lead onto the track. Kris had Wildfire stand behind her while the others were loosely tethered to the railing. She fired off horse names and pointed to the girls they were assigned. It was a tight fight, but they got all thirteen girls on a horse in less than fifteen minutes. With the guidance and leadership of Kris, they set off around the track at a walk for the first three-quarters, then a trot for the last quarter. Most of them had been riding for awhile, so it was rare she needed to tell them things of common sense. So, they were off to the trails after that, with Wildfire and Nose Ring heading the herd.

"Are you gonna tell me why you went to prison, or am I gonna have to ask the warden?" she joked after a few minutes of riding.

Ezmerelda just kept looking forward. "I stole a motorcycle and because my idiot brother gave me his pot to take to his friend that day I got charged with possession and intent to distribute. I got eighteen months for the grand theft auto and a year for the possession. I got off easy because I had a clean record before."

Kris looked at her carefully. "And how old are you?"

"I'll be sixteen on my court date in two weeks."

"How'd you even know how to drive a motorcycle?"

"Again, my idiot brother taught me. Well, he taught me how to hot wire it first, then he taught me how to ride it. It's funny, he was clean before my sister..." she bit her tongue.

"Before your sister what? I promise I won't say anything if you don't want me to. I can't really judge, either, so you've got nothing to hide from me."

She looked into Kris's eyes for a split second, then looked away. "My sister disappeared two years ago. We don't know why she left or where she went, she just up and left me and my brother with my dad, who's about as useful as crap. He didn't even care enough to go to my trial. My brother can smoke a bong right in front of his face, and he won't care at all. I swear all he does is stare at this stupid TV all freaking day long."

"That's rough, but I know what you mean. I've been there."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, my mom was a drug addict. She came here once, swearing up and down the barn that she was clean, but I caught her high and found the pills in her bag. When I was home, she didn't do anything but go out and get drunk, too, so I pretty much know how you feel."

"Hey, yo, uh, Kris, right?" a girl called from behind them.

Kris raised her eyebrows at Ezmerelda for a second before turning Wildfire 180 degrees to see who had called her. It was the one she knew to be Alison. Beneath her was a stubborn Taz, who stood stark still, head down, trying to eat the dying grass under foot. "What's up?" she asked, urging her best friend to walk up beside them.

"He won't budge."

Kris sighed and reached out to grab the long bit of extra reigns that hung down from Alison's hands. She tapped his sides with it a few times before he got the message and started to move again. "If he does that again, flick them to either side and give him a kick, he'll move right away for you." With that, she returned to the front, where she expected Ezmerelda to be, but she was by herself. She twisted around in her saddle to count the number of girls, but came up with only twelve. She counted again and again, each time coming up with only twelve. "Hey, have any of you seen Ezmerelda?" she called to them. There was a chorus of "no" and a few head shakes. She turned to face front again and swore under her breath. "You've gotta be kidding me," she muttered. She expertly leaned down and plucked her small cell phone out of her half-chap and flipped it open, hitting the number one on her speed dial list. "Junior? It's me. I've got a problem... No, not that kind of problem... No, a girl just took off... Yeah, apparently it's today. Can you please come help me? I don't want to scare Jean... Thanks... Love you, too." With a click, she shut it again.

"Let's stop here for a minute to give the horses a rest guys," she instructed, halting and sliding down from her mount. More for herself than for anyone else she assured, "we'll find her."